Original title: (We surveyed 42 Solana founders. Here’s what they said.)
Author: Jack Kubinec
Translation: Blockchain in Plain Language
Lightspeed initiated an anonymous survey and distributed it to Solana founders, heavy users, etc., aiming to genuinely understand their views on other ecosystems, venture capital firms, startups, etc.
The survey questions covered various options and provided space for written responses, edited for grammar and clarity.
Here are the survey results from 42 founders:
1. Aside from Solana, which blockchain would you choose?
Some founders also said: If it weren't for Solana, I wouldn't have entered the cryptocurrency space.
2. What is your favorite American political party?
3. Which crypto VC do you rate the highest?
Founders also stated: "Choosing one is unfair."
4. Which crypto VC do you think the least of?
Founders also remarked: "Asian venture capital firms that blindly follow based solely on who the lead investor is are not very okay either."
5. I’ve heard that the Solana internal circle is quite deep; in order to promote projects within the circle, often at the expense of non-circle projects?
Founders also stated:
"I don’t know, it’s all the same, there’s not much difference."
"I don’t like this question; it feels like it incites controversy rather than providing information."
"It does exist, and I am also a part of it, but it is not ‘at the expense of non-circle projects.’ Because I have also invested a lot of time and money into ‘non-circle projects.’ It’s reciprocal — you give, and you will receive in return."
"It does not exist, yet I am a part of it."
"In the early days and during the bear market, some personal relationship networks formed. Those who valued collaboration and helping Solana built closer relationships over years of effort. Some people (including those from the OG Solana Labs team) later became influential figures with a large following. This is natural. Almost all surviving teams also received funding from venture capital and Solana Ventures. These are facts, but in my view, there is no malice. The Solana Foundation is actively working to decentralize this influence and support those doing great work in the ecosystem (e.g., Superteam, etc.). In my opinion, Toly is particularly good at strongly supporting builders without bias, not based on personal preference, but according to 1) how cool the projects they build are, and 2) their sincerity."
6. What is the biggest problem Solana is facing right now?
Founders also indicated: "There is an urgent need for more block space. Demand increases 5 times + price doubles = to keep the costs for application developers unchanged, we need to increase the block size by 10 times!"
7. What do you think the significance of memecoins is for Solana?
8. Solana has many startups not created by you; which one do you wish to join the most?
9. Which one do you least want to join?
Founders also mentioned: "Companies that haven't made any progress also do not want to join."
10. What is the most overrated sector of Solana?
Founders also mentioned: "SocialFi, DeSci, and gaming all have potential."
11. What is the most underrated sector of Solana?
12. Which of the following has caused the most damage to Solana's reputation?
Founders also noted: "FTX was both the best and the worst in the early days, haha."
There are many topics worth exploring in depth, but I found a few points particularly noteworthy: other founders do not rate pump.fun highly, but they generally believe memecoins are beneficial to the ecosystem. Base and Sui seem to be the most attractive competitors to Solana right now.
As a journalist, it is not easy to get founders to speak candidly in public. This survey helped me better understand the true thoughts of the Solana founders — at least it seems quite genuine overall.
