Author: Jack Kubinec
Translated by: Blockchain in Plain Language
Lightspeed initiated an anonymous survey and distributed it to the founders, heavy users, etc. of Solana, aiming to genuinely understand their views on other ecosystems, venture capital firms, startups, etc.
The survey questions covered a variety of options and provided space for written responses, edited for grammar and clarity.
Here are the results of our survey of 42 founders:
1. Besides Solana, which blockchain would you choose?
Some founders also stated: “If it weren't for Solana, I wouldn't have gotten involved in cryptocurrency.”
2. Which American political party do you prefer?
3. Which crypto VC do you rate the highest?
The founders also stated: “Choosing one is unfair.”
4. Which crypto VC do you least favor?
The founders also stated: “Blindly following based solely on who the lead investor is, Asian venture capital firms, is also not okay.”
5. I've heard that the internal circles of Solana are very deep; to promote internal projects, often at the expense of non-ecosystem projects?
The founders also stated:
“I don't know, they're all the same, not much difference.”
“I don't like this question; it feels like it's provoking controversy rather than providing information.”
“It does exist, and I am part of it, but not at the expense of 'non-ecosystem projects.' Because I've also invested a lot of time and money into 'non-ecosystem projects.' It’s mutual—you give, and you will receive.”
“It doesn't exist, yet I am part of it.”
“In the early days and during the bear market, some personal relationships were formed. Those who valued collaboration and helped Solana naturally built closer relationships over the years. Some individuals (including those from the OG Solana Labs team) later became influential figures with large followings. This is natural. Almost all surviving teams have received funding from venture capital and Solana Ventures. These are facts, but I see no malice in them. The Solana Foundation is actively working to mitigate this influence and support those who excel within the ecosystem (such as Superteam, etc.). In my opinion, Toly is particularly skilled at supporting builders without bias, based not on personal preference, but on 1) how cool their projects are, and 2) their sincerity.”
6. What is the biggest problem facing Solana currently?
The founders also stated: “There is an urgent need for more block space. Demand has increased by 5 times + prices have doubled = to keep application developers' costs unchanged, block size needs to increase by 10 times!”
7. What do you think the significance of Memecoins is for Solana?
8. Solana still has many startups not created by you; which one do you hope to join the most?
9. Which company do you least want to join?
The founders also stated: “Companies that have not shown improvement do not want to join either.”
10. Which Solana sector is the most overrated?
The founders also stated: “SocialFi, DeSci, and gaming still have potential.”
11. Which Solana sector is the most underrated?
12. Which of the following has the biggest negative impact on Solana's reputation?
The founders also stated: “FTX was both the best and the worst in the early days, haha.”
There are many topics worth exploring deeply, but I found a few points particularly noteworthy: other founders do not have a high opinion of pump.fun, but they generally believe that memecoins are beneficial to the ecosystem. Base and Sui seem to be the most attractive competitors to Solana at the moment.
As a journalist, it's not easy to get founders to speak honestly in public. This survey helped me better understand the true thoughts of the Solana founders—at least overall, it seems fairly genuine.
