SOL · Geneva, Switzerland

Solana

The ultra-high-speed, parallel-processing blockchain built to finally achieve the "Visa-scale" throughput required for global retail consumer apps.

Founded 2017

By Anatoly Yakovenko

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Symbol

SOL

2017

The proof-of-history breakthrough

Anatoly Yakovenko, a former Qualcomm engineer, realized that the bottleneck for blockchain speed was "time." He invented "Proof of History," a clock-based consensus mechanism that allowed Solana to process transactions in parallel. This was a radical departure from the sequential processing used by Ethereum and Bitcoin, theoretically enabling thousands of transactions per second, making it the fastest blockchain ever designed.

2020

The DeFi and NFT laboratory

Solana launched during a massive market surge, quickly attracting developers frustrated by the high fees and slow speeds of competing networks. With its near-zero-cost transactions, Solana became the center for decentralized finance (DeFi) and high-volume NFT projects. It was the "fast-paced" alternative for a new generation of creators and users who didn't want to pay the massive fees of the more established protocols.

2022

The network stability crisis

As Solana scaled to millions of users, it faced significant stability issues and periodic "outages." The network struggled to keep up with the extreme demand, leading to several high-profile freezes that undermined confidence. This period was an existential trial for the ecosystem, forcing the developer community to fundamentally re-engineer the network’s core architecture to prioritize reliability alongside speed.

2024

The retail consumer and mobile pivot

Learning from its early troubles, Solana shifted focus toward becoming the "consumer-grade" blockchain. It launched its own mobile phone (the Saga) and focused on creating easy-to-use wallet experiences that felt like standard smartphone apps. By prioritizing accessibility, the Foundation successfully attracted thousands of retail-focused developers who were more interested in mobile gaming and daily consumer utility than just speculative trading.

2026

The high-velocity global blockchain

By mid-2026, Solana is the primary competitor to the "slow" legacy of early blockchains. It has achieved high-level stability and is now the preferred network for high-frequency retail, gaming, and social applications. The Foundation has matured, fostering an ecosystem that balances massive, raw speed with the industrial-grade reliability needed for real-world global adoption.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who founded Solana?

Solana was founded by Anatoly Yakovenko.

When was Solana founded?

Solana was founded in 2017.

Where was Solana founded?

Solana was headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

Why was Solana created?

What does Solana do?

The ultra-high-speed, parallel-processing blockchain built to finally achieve the "Visa-scale" throughput required for global retail consumer apps. Uncover the story of Solana, from its revolutionary Proof of History technology to its evolution into the leading high-speed blockchain for consumer apps.

How did Solana grow?

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