From Founder's Vision to Behemoth Validator: The Story of P2P.org

Who are P2P.org:

P2P.org, established in 2018, is a pioneering force in cryptocurrency infrastructure and staking. As a non-custodial staking service provider, P2P.org enables individuals to stake their assets securely while retaining full ownership and control over their digital holdings. With an impressive portfolio of over $4 billion in assets under management (AUM), P2P.org has emerged as a formidable player in the crypto landscape, setting the stage for a decentralized future. 

P2P.org provides direct staking and liquid staking capabilities, backed by leading infrastructure and insurance protection through various channels such as P2P.org's own treasury, institutional grade insurance and bespoke plans. P2P.org is a true gateway to the entire staking ecosystem.

Founder Backstory:

Konstantin Lomashuk is the founder of P2P.org and has been actively involved in the crypto space since 2012. He firmly believes in the potential of decentralized technologies and started investing in cryptocurrencies during their early stages, including participating in the Ethereum crowd sale. Konstantin adopts a value-oriented investment approach, emphasizing long-term holdings and patient waiting for returns, sometimes spanning several years. He finds interest in layer one solutions like Ethereum and layer two scaling solutions, along with the decentralized finance (DeFi) space, which he sees as having a solid product-market fit and ample investment opportunities.

Konstantin's philosophy centres around the decentralized future and the transformative power of blockchain technology. His success as a founder and investor has been shaped by a commitment to long-term investments, thorough research, and active participation in the crypto community.

In an interview on 19th May 2021 on the popular crypto podcast UpOnly, Konstantin emphasizes his philosophy. He expands on investing in projects with good teams, positive visions, and long-term potential. He values delivering value to the projects he supports and believes in a long-term, patient approach to investments, the HODL approach!

Regarding market cycles, he acknowledges that the market can get "saucy" during bull runs, leading to high valuations. While he might slow down his investments during such periods, he still focuses on investing in teams with solid fundamentals.

Konstantin believes that during a crypto winter, it's essential to have a strategy in place, such as rebalancing the portfolio, allocating a portion to liquid assets, and considering potential drawdowns. He also mentions that Ethereum's product-market fit in DeFi could potentially lead to reduced drawdowns and greater adoption in the future.

From Zero to Hero:

Over the years, the company achieved significant milestones, solidifying its reputation as a go-to platform for staking services.

In November 2018, P2P.org launched its cross-chain staking infrastructure, supporting Tezos mainnet and testnets for Polkadot, Cosmos, and IRISnet. By February 2019, the company surpassed $1 billion in total assets staked. It went on to enable mainnet staking for Cosmos (ATOM) and IRISnet (IRIS) in March, followed by Terra (LUNA) in April.

The company continued its expansion in May 2019 by introducing a calculator tool to help clients calculate staking payoffs. In the subsequent months, P2P.org enabled mainnet staking for Kusama (KSM) in October, Kava (KAVA) in November, and launched the ChainLink validator oracle in December.

P2P.org reached a notable milestone in January 2020 when it distributed its clients the first $1,000,000 in rewards. The company kept progressing, enabling mainnet staking for Oasis (ROSE) in February 2020 and achieving 1,000 active delegators in March.

In April 2020, P2P.org launched Polkadot (DOT) staking for its clients, and in June of the same year, it secured a victory in Phase 3 of the Cosmos Game of Zones. Notably, in August 2020, P2P collaborated with CEX.io to launch Cardano staking.

As the staking industry grew, P2P.org reached another significant milestone in November 2020, exceeding $4 billion in total assets staked. In December 2020, the company joined the Lido DAO as validators for their liquid staking protocol and enabled mainnet staking for The Graph (GRT).

P2P maintained its momentum in 2021, enabling mainnet staking for Solana (SOL), Near (NEAR), Marlin (POND), Persistence (XPRT), and Mina (MINA). The company also added support for multiple parachains on Kusama in June.

In November 2021, P2P.org enabled mainnet staking for Vega and Moonriver. In December 2021, it implemented Chainlink price feed on Solana, became a validator for the gravity bridge for Cosmos and Ethereum, and enabled mainnet staking for Elrond.

In January 2022, P2P.org enabled mainnet staking for Agoric and launched Chainlink price feeds for Moonriver and Harmony. In March 2022, P2P.org continued its expansion by enabling mainnet staking for Evmos.

In 2023 it's all about growth and the support of the Ethereum network; since the Shappella upgrade on 12th April 2023, P2P.org has seen a significant increase in demand for institutional non-custodial staking. This has led to investment in raised a staggering $23 million in funding from some of the biggest names in the crypto industry. Jump Crypto, Bybit, and Sygnum have all united to back P2P.org vision and support their mission to revolutionize the staking landscape.

These milestones, among others, can be found on the P2P.org website, where interested readers can review an updated history of the company.

Current Team:

Behind P2P.org's resounding success lies a team of dedicated professionals with unparalleled expertise in the crypto and blockchain space. From skilled engineers and data analysts to visionary leaders, the team at P2P.org works cohesively to uphold the company's commitment to excellence and innovation.

The team currently has around 250 team members, a staggering 75% of which are developers and engineers. These passionate individuals are all working to support the growth and the infrastructure that powers the platform to provide staking services and node operators for over fifty blockchains. 

Culture:

P2P.org's culture is built on a solid foundation of trust, transparency, and decentralization. The company's core values include a relentless dedication to security, putting users' interests first, and fostering a culture of open communication and collaboration. P2P.org is committed to driving the adoption of decentralized blockchain networks globally, allowing individuals complete control over their cryptocurrency portfolios.

As we continue to participate in the development of Web 3.0, P2P.org aims to build a world with more accessible financial instruments. The role of a P2P.org team member is seen as highly autonomous and entrepreneurial, with the freedom to experiment and lead the team or projects based on their own experiences and expertise. While there are challenges, the team is dedicated to addressing them and establishing efficient processes to support their rapid growth. Overall, the company's success is attributed to its talented and passionate team, who are confident that more victories and achievements lie ahead. 

You can learn more about the company culture in a blog post, "An Inside Look at P2P.org Working Culture"

Challenges:

Despite its achievements, P2P.org has faced its fair share of challenges. The rapidly evolving nature of the crypto industry, scalability demands, and ensuring a secure infrastructure for clients have all been vital hurdles the company has successfully navigated.

Additionally, with one of the longest crypto winters the industry has faced, paired with several sizeable black swan events, confidence in the market and industry has seen an overall negative effect on the industry. With so many challenges, providing an open, transparent and secure environment to their clients, stakeholders, and the community is even more imperative. P2P.org puts every effort into ensuring its platform has the most robust infrastructure within the industry. 

Next Steps:

As a forward-thinking organization, P2P.org is continuously looking ahead to its next evolution phase. With a clear vision of a decentralized future, the company is committed to expanding its reach, collaborating with more blockchain networks, and offering innovative solutions enabling its clients in the ever-evolving crypto landscape.

To learn more about P2P and their open roles, visit their page on intropia.