Kadena’s 2024 Year in Review: Highlights and Reflections
Drew Mailen
January 3, 2025
2024 has come to an end and we have begun 2025! While we still have a lot of goals we’d like to accomplish, 2024 was our strongest year ever in terms of growth, development updates, and progress.
As you may have heard in our December 17th AMA with founders Stuart Popejoy and Will Martino, we’re laying the framework to becoming EVM compatible! However, that’s just the beginning of the exciting updates we’ve made this year. We’ve also overhauled our entire business development strategy and stacked our team with industry leaders who have decades of experience.
We also revealed several important collaborations and products that enhance our strong portfolio of products for the developing blockchain market!
Here’s a month-by-month recap of the highlights that shaped our year:
January: A Bold New Beginning
We started the year with a rebrand, unveiling #NewKadena — a strategic evolution of the Kadena brand aimed at humanizing the blockchain experience. This pivot began a broader vision for Kadena, emphasizing accessibility and innovation.
In January, our hash rate hit an all-time high, showcasing the resilience and growth of Kadena’s mining ecosystem despite broader challenges in the blockchain industry.
Learn more about Kadena's hash rate milestone
We also launched Beyond the Block, which is Kadena’s ongoing series that explores Kadena’s impact and vision for blockchain’s future. Each episode contains key interviews with team members, advisors, partners, and industry thought leaders that remark on the exciting future blockchain has in store.
February: Building Trust and Excitement
February saw the debut of on-chain certification with OpenValue, highlighting our commitment to building a trustworthy Web3 certification system.
Explore on-chain certification
In February, we also highlighted Kadcars, a Web3 gaming project built on Kadena that highlights the future of racing! MK, one of the core team members, has received a grant from BMW to design a car from scratch. The level of experience has influenced the physics and design of Kadcars.
March: Scaling Innovation
In March we announced the launch of SpireKey, our solution for password-less Web3 transactions. SpireKey has the potential to redefine security and convenience for blockchain users. Kadena SpireKey simplifies and secures the Web3 onboarding and authorization processes by storing keypairs on your device, eliminating the need for lengthy passwords. All you need is your personal device to scan, touch, and go!
Additionally, we celebrated KDA listing on Bitvavo. As the largest EUR-spot exchange worldwide, this important listing further expanded Kadena’s accessibility in global markets.
April: Education and Leadership
We also welcomed Annelise Osborne as Chief Business Officer, bringing her extensive experience to drive Kadena’s growth. Her book, From Hoodies to Suits, became an Amazon Best Seller and has shaped the industry’s discussion on how digital assets can be applied to traditional finance.
We launched Kadena Academy in April, which is home to onboarding developers who continue to build out the Kadena ecosystem!
May: Expansion and Partnerships
May saw the launch of Enkrypt Wallet, enabling seamless transactions for KDA users, alongside listings on Uphold and the beta release of Drip, our community engagement platform.
Learn about Enkrypt WalletRead about Uphold listing
We also partnered with Tatum, showcasing Kadena’s capabilities for developers and enterprises.
Read about the Tatum partnership
June: Strengthening the Team
We welcomed Founder and Director of IBM Digital Asset Labs, Nitin Gaur, as an advisor, who brings decades of expertise in blockchain and enterprise adoption to guide our team!
Jeff Cooperstein joined as Business Development Lead, further expanding our leadership team with his 30 years of experience at leading Wall Street institutions before transitioning into blockchain several years ago.
July–August: Institutional Positioning and Growing Accessibility
The summer of 2024 marked a defining moment for Kadena as we shifted our focus toward institutions. This strategic transition, driven by the leadership of our new Chief Business Officer, Annelise Osborne, has accelerated Kadena’s growth by unlocking new opportunities for adoption within the institutional landscape.
Additionally, July and August were marked by major strides in accessibility, with KDA listing on MEXC and launching on Houdini Swap, broadening global reach for Kadena users.
September: Governance and Growth
The launch of the Kadena Cabinet, our community advisory board, underscored Kadena’s commitment to decentralized governance.
September also included Binance Futures listing and numerous other exchange partnerships, boosting KDA’s trading ecosystem.
October: Expanding Authentication Solutions
We launched the SpireKey SDK, empowering developers to integrate passwordless authentication into their dApps.
We also welcomed former Thiel Foundation and SoFi executive, Alana Ackerson as a strategic advisor, adding expertise to Kadena’s advisory board.
November: Documentation and Leadership
November saw the announcement of our commitment to a new Kadena Documentation site, designed to support institutional adoption of blockchain technology.
Discover Kadena's new documentation
We also added Beatrice O’Carroll to our advisory board, continuing to strengthen Kadena’s leadership team. Beatrice previously held roles at Citibank, Deutsche Bank, and Merrill Lynch before taking on leadership roles at Paxos and Circle.
December: Closing Strong
We hosted a massive AMA with our founders, Stuart Popejoy, and Will Martino, that announced the beginning of Kadena’s journey to EVM compatibility!
Missed our End of the Year AMA? Watch it here
In Conclusion
As we look ahead to 2025, Kadena remains committed to pushing boundaries and delivering innovative solutions for blockchain and beyond. Thank you for being a part of our journey. Here’s to an even brighter future!