Kusama

What Kusama does

Kusama is a permissionless, canary blockchain network for the Polkadot ecosystem, operated by the Web 3.0 Technologies Foundation (Web 3.0 Technologies Stiftung), a Swiss foundation registered in Zug, Switzerland. Functioning as Polkadot's pre-production environment, the network enables developers to deploy and test bleeding-edge Web3 technology — including Zero Knowledge proofs, privacy-preserving applications, and EVM-compatible smart contracts — on live infrastructure with real token economics before features migrate to Polkadot mainnet. Its core technical stack is Substrate-based, integrated into Polkadot's parachain architecture (Para ID 1000), and exposed through Ethereum-compatible RPC endpoints and tooling (Hardhat, Remix, MetaMask, OpenZeppelin, web3.js, viem), with a dedicated Paseo testnet for pre-deployment testing.

The platform's primary customers are Web3 developers and builders seeking a high-velocity experimental environment, supplemented by ZK/privacy researchers and cypherpunk-oriented artists. Kusama pursues a community-led go-to-market strategy centered on developer documentation, Telegram support, GitHub-based issue tracking, and a 10M DOT Vision Program that funds three bounty pillars: Proof of Personhood, Zero Knowledge Proofs, and Art & Social Experiments. The network generates no traditional revenue; monetization occurs through decentralized KSM transaction fees that accrue to validators, not the Foundation. Founder Gavin Wood (also founder of Polkadot) provides strategic continuity, while Parity Technologies supplies core technical and ecosystem support.

Name

Kusama

Legal name

Web 3.0 Technologies Stiftung

Website

https://kusama.network

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

10,001+ employees

Short description

Kusama is a permissionless, canary blockchain network for Polkadot, operated by a Swiss foundation. It serves Web3 developers, ZK researchers, and cypherpunk artists by offering EVM-compatible smart contracts, a dedicated testnet, and a 10M DOT bounty program for experimental applications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Layer-1 Blockchain Infrastructure

akta.pro primary industry

Cloud Security for Containers & Kubernetes (KSPM/Kubernetes Security) (HDABAHAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

AML/KYC, KYB & Identity Verification (VASP/Travel Rule) (FSAPAJAC), Governance, Controls & Policy Automation (GRC for Web3) (FSAPAJAG), Privacy, Data Protection & Compliance (zk compliance, GDPR/PII handling) (FSAPAJAM), KYC/KYB Identity Verification & Onboarding (FSADALAA), Blockchain Compliance, AML & Transaction Monitoring (On-chain Analytics) (FSAGAMAF), Container & Kubernetes Application Security (HDADACAE)

Keywords

• Blockchain network
• Smart contracts
• Zero knowledge proofs
• Canary network
• Polkadot ecosystem

Headquarters

HQ city

Zug

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Network Operations: Kusama operates as a decentralized blockchain network. The native token economics (KSM) govern the network, including staking, governance, and transaction fees. Revenue is generated through network transaction fees and potentially through validator operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kusama is a permissionless, canary blockchain network for the Polkadot ecosystem that enables rapid deployment of Ethereum-compatible smart contracts and experimentation with bleeding-edge Web3 technologies such as Zero Knowledge proofs. It operates as a sovereign Layer-1 network with native KSM token governance, supporting builders through documentation, RPC endpoints, and a 10M DOT Vision bounty program funding privacy, identity, and cypherpunk initiatives.

Product overview

Kusama is a multi-faceted Web3 platform consisting of a canary blockchain network (the core product), Ethereum-compatible smart contracts deployed on the Asset Hub, and the Vision Program with three bounty initiatives. The network serves as an experimental frontier for bleeding-edge technology including Zero Knowledge proofs, with smart contracts enabling Ethereum tool compatibility. The Vision Program funds three complementary areas: Proof of Personhood, Zero Knowledge Proofs, and Art & Social Experiments, collectively advancing the cypherpunk movement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kusama Vision Program: Grant program funding ZK research, proof of personhood, and art/social experiments

Products and services

• Kusama Network A wild, permissionless canary blockchain network and Web3 frontier that serves as an experimental pre-production environment for Polkadot, enabling rapid innovation and bleeding-edge tech deployment including Zero Knowledge proofs.
• Smart Contracts on Kusama Ethereum-compatible smart contract functionality deployed on Kusama Asset Hub, enabling developers to deploy Solidity contracts using familiar Ethereum tooling (Hardhat, Remix, MetaMask) with real token transactions on mainnet and Paseo testnet.
• Paseo Testnet Testnet environment for testing smart contract development with the latest stable features before deploying to Kusama mainnet.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ethereum-compatible smart contracts live on Kusama mainnet with Para ID 1000
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Web 3.0 Technologies FoundationcoreOthersThe Web 3.0 Technologies Foundation (registered in Zug, Switzerland, CHE-322.596.347) is the parent organization that owns and operates the Kusama Network website and coordinates the broader ecosystem initiatives including Polkadot and Kusama networks.
• Parity TechnologiescoreTechnology or IntegrationParity Technologies (operating as Parity Technologies Deutschland GmbH in Germany and Parity Technologies Ltd. in UK) provides technical assistance, follows up with ecosystem participants, and coordinates support for those interested in the Polkadot/Kusama network. They also assist with grant evaluation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Aleph Zero: A Substrate-based network with privacy-preserving smart contracts using ZK and sMPC. Comparable as a Polkadot-adjacent chain pursuing privacy-first smart contract execution, though with a different consensus model.
• Scroll: A ZK rollup focused on bytecode-equivalent EVM compatibility and ZK proving for Ethereum. Comparable as an early-stage ZK-EVM platform targeting developers who want familiar tooling combined with cryptographic proofs.

Broad incumbents

• Polkadot: The parent ecosystem network that Kusama serves as the canary/pre-production layer for. Shares the same Substrate-based architecture and parachain model; comparable EVM tooling, governance, and validator economics, but operates at larger scale as the production-grade mainnet.
• Optimism: A leading optimistic rollup on Ethereum offering EVM-equivalent smart contract deployment at scale. Comparable as an L2 with EVM compatibility, though it pursues optimistic rather than ZK proving — a relevant alternative for the same developer pool Kusama targets.
• Arbitrum: The largest optimistic rollup by TVL with full EVM compatibility via Stylus and the Arbitrum VM. Competes for the same Ethereum-native developer audience Kusama courts, but at substantially greater scale and ecosystem maturity.

Direct peers

• Polygon zkEVM: A ZK-focused EVM-equivalent rollup pursuing privacy and scaling for Ethereum. Directly comparable to Kusama's EVM-compatible smart contract deployment and its dedicated ZK Proofs bounty, with overlapping target developer audience.
• StarkNet: A validity-proof (ZK) rollup for Ethereum enabling smart contract deployment with familiar tooling. Comparable as a ZK-EVM-adjacent platform targeting Web3 developers building privacy-preserving and scalable applications.
• zkSync: ZK rollup offering EVM-compatible smart contract deployment with a focus on low-cost, privacy-preserving transactions. Overlaps with Kusama on the EVM tooling integration and ZK-privacy positioning.
• Moonbeam: A Polkadot parachain offering full EVM compatibility and Ethereum-like smart contract deployment on Substrate. The closest comparable within the Polkadot ecosystem itself — same parachain architecture, same EVM tooling story, same developer audience.
• Astar Network: A Polkadot parachain supporting both EVM and WASM smart contracts with a focus on dApp builders. Shares the parachain-EVM positioning and target developer segment within the broader Polkadot/Kusama ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kusamanetwork
• Facebookfacebook.com/polkadot.kusama
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kusamanetwork

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kusama