Monad is one of the Layer 1 blockchains that has garnered significant attention from the community recently. With its mainnet and TGE approaching, backed by over $240M from prominent investors like Paradigm and Dragonfly, this network holds high potential and is likely to offer numerous opportunities.
The list of those eligible for the Monad airdrop has already been released, so users should now focus on hunting gems and seeking incentives from projects within the Monad ecosystem.
“While Monad ($MON) hasn't been listed yet, users can trade $MON pre-market on Whales Market before the TGE”
So, where are the opportunities in the Monad ecosystem, and how can users best prepare for the Monad mainnet?
Let’s explore through this article!
What is Monad?
Monad is an EVM-compatible Layer 1 blockchain developed by a team of former engineers from Jump Trading LLC, with the goal of building a scalable EVM platform capable of handling 10,000 transactions per second (TPS).
Some key features of Monad include:
- Parallel Execution: Unlike Ethereum and many traditional blockchains that process transactions on a single thread, Monad enables multiple transactions to be executed simultaneously across multiple processing cores.
- Superscalar Pipelining: Separates consensus and execution into parallel stages, enabling the blockchain to achieve 10,000 TPS with block times of 400–1,000ms while reducing transaction costs to minimal levels.
- MonadBFT - Consensus Mechanism: A customized version of the HotStuff consensus, focused on optimizing communication between nodes to reduce latency and increase consensus speed.
- Balancing Scalability and Decentralization: Unlike Layer 2 solutions, Monad optimizes directly at Layer 1 to achieve 10,000 TPS while maintaining low costs and minimal hardware requirements (e.g., no need for high-end servers to run nodes).
Beyond its technological strengths, Monad is generating FOMO due to:
- Strong Resources: $244M invested by top-tier VCs like Dragonfly, Paradigm, Coinbase Ventures, and Electric Capital. This promises to provide Monad with sufficient "fuel" for its entire ecosystem.
- Impressive Team Background: Keone Hon, Co-Founder and CEO, previously spent eight years at Jump Trading, leading a High-Frequency Trading (HFT) team before transitioning to JumpCrypto in 2021. Additionally, CTO James Hunsaker also has eight years of experience at Jump Trading, known for ultra-low-latency systems.
Monad Ecosytem
To best prepare for this promising Layer 1, users should gradually explore the standout projects in the Monad ecosystem.
Exploria Omina
Omnia is a pet battle and adventure game developed by @SappySealsNFT, the team behind the SappySeals NFT collection on Ethereum.
Considered one of the flagship apps on Monad, Omnia boasts polished storytelling and graphics. Moreover, Omnia has been frequently promoted by Monad’s official accounts, consistently appearing among the top Dapps highlighted in posts on X.
While the in-game economic model has not yet been revealed, users should add Omnia to their watchlist for the following reasons:
- Omnia’s Founder (wab.eth) and Monad’s CEO have shown friendly interactions on X.
- Monad’s communication channels provide enthusiastic support for the project, indicating Omnia’s significant role in the Monad ecosystem.
- Current demos of Omnia demonstrate that it’s not a mere pump-and-dump game. The high investment in storytelling and graphics reflects the development team’s commitment.
aPriori
aPriori stands out as a core infrastructure platform, combining liquid staking for the MON token with a Maximum Extractable Value (MEV) marketplace to distribute profits fairly, reducing risks like sandwich attacks and optimizing yields for users.
The project allows users to stake MON and receive aprMON. The key difference is that aPriori shares MEV profits collected from validators within its system, resulting in higher yields compared to standard staking.
Additionally, the project uses AI to route transactions, reducing slippage by up to 30% thanks to Monad’s parallel execution.
In terms of funding, aPriori has raised a total of $30M, with the latest $20M round in August 2025 from Pantera Capital, ConsenSys, Hashed, OKX Ventures, Binance Labs, and IMC Ventures - the highest funding in the ecosystem, accounting for about one-third of the total investment in Monad projects.
For users who frequently engage in DeFi on Layer 1s, liquid staking protocols are familiar territory.With aPriori, users can feel confident about the liquidity of LSTs, the project’s legitimacy, and its financial potential.
This is likely a project users should consider to unlock liquidity when participating in DeFi on Monad.
Kuru Exchange
Kuru Exchange introduces a hybrid DEX model combining a Central Limit Order Book (CLOB) and Automated Market Maker (AMM), supporting spot trading with low-cost limit orders, liquidity aggregation to reduce slippage, and fast execution on Monad’s 10,000 TPS.
Kuru raised $11.6M through its Series A round in July 2025 from Paradigm, Electric Capital, CMS Holdings, and Brevan Howard Digital - the second-highest funding in the ecosystem.
The core team consists of engineers from high-frequency trading firms, backed by Paradigm.
Monad is an ecosystem with a strong community focus, evident through offline events and vibrant activity on Discord even before the TGE.
As such, it’s foreseeable that memecoins will launch when Monad goes mainnet. Users can leverage Kuru Exchange to trade, seek opportunities, and build a robust on-chain history, which could provide advantages for future airdrops.
Looking at Sui, it’s clear how much of an advantage early users (OGs) have when receiving a flood of airdrops from ecosystem projects.
In addition to swapping, users can provide liquidity on Kuru to earn opportunities from substantial fees generated by initial trading volume on the network or incentives, if available, from the Monad Foundation.
Perpl
Perpl is a perpetual DEX built natively on Monad, utilizing a Central Limit Order Book (CLOB) model.
Perpl raised $9.25M in May 2025 from Dragonfly Capital, CMS Holdings, HashKey, and Brevan Howard Digital.
Unlike typical perp DEXes, Perpl designs its matching engine and risk engine directly on Monad, optimized for the parallel execution structure. This enables the system to handle multiple orders in the same block while ensuring fairness and near-instant speed.
A native perp DEX on Layer 1 is likely to receive significant support from the Monad Foundation. Therefore, users should not overlook this project, as the perp DEX meta shows no signs of cooling down.
Opinion Labs
Opinion Labs is the leading prediction platform on Monad, allowing users to bet on a wide variety of events, from sports and politics to crypto.
Opinion Labs successfully raised $5M in its seed round in Q2 2025, led by YZi Labs, with participation from Animoca Brands and Amber Group - top backers in gaming, DeFi, and social tokens.
A unique feature is that Opinion Labs supports betting with LST aprMON, enabling users to earn yields while betting through this integration.
Prediction markets are emerging as a forward-looking narrative in the market. Therefore, users should not overlook this significant narrative being built on a vibrant network like Monad.
Other Projects
In addition to the projects above, users can explore the following:
- Kintsu: An LST protocol for MON, with vault staking and restaking integrations for yield farming. The project raised $4M in its seed round.
- FastLane Labs: Provides MEV optimization and liquid staking ($shMON), with an auction marketplace to distribute profits fairly, reduce manipulation, and boost yields for validators. FastLane raised $8.3M from Multicoin Capital, Delphi Ventures, and Coinbase Ventures.
- Ambient: A DEX aggregator with a single-pool architecture, combining CPMM and CLMM to optimize liquidity and gas for LPs. Ambient raised $6.5M in its seed round (valuation $80M) from Circle Ventures, Quantstamp, and Jane Street Capital.
- ChogNFT: Emerging as a cultural icon of Monad, backed by Monad Labs and affiliates like @keoneHD (co-founder of Monad), along with a $100M ecosystem fund.
- Monadvers: Completes the NFT picture with Monadverse - a "cultural movement" PFP inspired by monanimals (e.g., Molandak ducks and Chog hybrids). Each NFT serves as both a collectible and a passport for on-chain events, with utilities like access to Monad Madness prizes, staking for governance votes via Perpl perps and integrations with Opinion Labs to predict cultural trends.
Conclusion
Overall, the Monad ecosystem is currently dominated by projects focused on liquid staking. Other DeFi components remain at a basic level and lack standout models compared to the broader DeFi market.
Taking advantage of incentives (if available) and building a strong on-chain history should be the primary focus for users engaging in DeFi on Monad.
NFTs (representing about 20% of dApps on the testnet and playing a key role in building on-chain culture before mainnet) and consumer apps may be heavily promoted in the early stages, as this is how the Monad ecosystem tests during the testnet phase.
Memecoins are also likely to thrive initially, as they are a relatively easy way to attract users to the network.
FAQs
Q1. What is Monad?
Monad is a high-performance, EVM-compatible Layer 1 blockchain designed for 10,000 TPS and ultra-low latency using parallel execution and superscalar pipelining.
Q2. Who is behind Monad?
Monad was founded by ex-Jump Trading engineers, including CEO Keone Hon and CTO James Hunsaker, with backing from top VCs such as Paradigm and Dragonfly.
Q3. Why is the Monad ecosystem gaining attention?
With $240M in funding and over 20 upcoming projects, Monad combines cutting-edge scalability with a vibrant community, making it one of the most anticipated Layer 1s.
Q4. What are the top projects in the Monad ecosystem?
Key projects include aPriori (liquid staking + MEV), Kuru Exchange (hybrid DEX), Perpl (perpetual DEX), and Omnia (NFT game).
Q5. How can users prepare for the Monad mainnet?
Users can explore testnet dApps, stake tokens on aPriori, engage in ecosystem events, and build on-chain activity to qualify for potential airdrops when mainnet launches.
Q6: What is the price of Monad ($MON) today?
While Monad ($MON) hasn't been listed yet, users can trade $MON pre-market at $0.045 on Whales Market before the TGE. Here you can trade $MON before the asset gets listed on leading CEXes like Binance, Bybit or OKX.
Q7: How to trade $MON (Monad) on Whales Market?
If you want to trade $MON (Monad) on Whales Market, you can either create an offer or buy/sell from other users’ offers. For full details, please read the Whales Market docs.