Unifying the Chains
Sergey Gorbunov on Axelar’s Mission to Unify Web3
Imagine a future where you can build a decentralized app and instantly connect to 70+ blockchains—no extra wallets, no complicated bridging. That’s the world Sergey Gorbunov and others are creating with Axelar. In this interview, the Axelar protocol co-founder dives into how he began as a cryptography researcher at MIT, helped start Algorand, and then saw the glaring need for secure, universal interoperability across all blockchains.
From Cryptography at MIT to Algorand
Sergey’s journey into crypto started in an MIT PhD program. Studying advanced cryptography put him on the radar of friends fascinated by the potential of Bitcoin and Ethereum. He quickly recognized the limitations of early blockchains—scalability, fragmented ecosystems, and lack of infrastructure. So, he teamed up with MIT Professor Silvio Micali on the founding team the Algorand blockchain – alongside Georgios Vlachos, who would become the co-founder of Axelar protocol. As Algorand grew, Sergey and Georgios discovered a larger issue: blockchains need to communicate. Bootstrapping each chain’s user base and liquidity in isolation isn’t sustainable. “We ideally would have just found a secure, plug-and-play system to connect Algorand with other chains,” Sergey recalls. “But there was nothing available.”
The Birth of Axelar
Four years ago, Sergey and Georgios realized that if the blockchain ecosystem kept growing, it would grow horizontally—leading to fragmentation. User experience would suffer, and developers would face a spaghetti of bridging solutions. So, they wrote the white paper for an interoperability layer that works for any chain or rollup, whether it’s EVM-based or uses different smart contract languages. The idea: one universal “translator” that can route messages and assets between blockchains in a secure, permissionless way.
Today, Axelar connects over 70 chains—including Ethereum, alternative layer-1 blockchains, Cosmos-based chains, layer-2 rollups, and more. Sergey is the CEO of Interop Labs, the initial developer of Axelar and one of several teams now working on the open-source protocol. “Our goal,” Sergey says, “is to make launching multi-chain apps as easy as launching on a single chain. No matter where your users come from—or which wallets they use—Axelar will handle the behind-the-scenes bridging, messaging, and translations.”
Why Interoperability Matters
Sergey points to examples like stablecoins, decentralized exchanges (DEXes), and cross-chain NFTs. A stablecoin shouldn’t fracture into 16 different versions—users simply want “one stablecoin” that works anywhere. The same is true for DEX protocols like Uniswap, which could gain more liquidity and a better user experience by seamlessly supporting multiple chains. Axelar’s “general message passing” approach even allows an app to have one “home” contract while deploying “edge” contracts across other chains. This unifies logic, liquidity, and user access.
Building for the Long Haul
Of course, building secure infrastructure in an industry notorious for hacks and exploits is no small feat. Sergey’s team at Interop Labs has taken a rigorous, layered approach to security. Axelar has run for years without losing user funds—a significant achievement given how many bridging solutions were hacked in 2021–2023. “It takes solid engineering and occasionally slower go-to-market to ensure things are done right,” Sergey explains.
He also cautions founders not to chase short-term market narratives. Trends like NFTs or Real-World Assets might look hot now, but real infrastructure takes years to build. “You can’t pivot your entire roadmap every time the narrative changes,” he says. “Pick your core convictions, validate them, and make sure you have the runway to survive the cycles.”
Advice for Founders
Secure the Funding Window: “If you have a chance to raise, take it,” Sergey advises. Markets turn fast.
Hire for Staying Power: Don’t overspend on hype. Keep your burn rate reasonable, because the industry’s boom-and-bust cycles can be brutal.
Serve Real Needs: The Axelar ecosystem grew by meeting developers’ fundamental pain point—true cross-chain interoperability—rather than chasing the latest fad.
Plan for Distribution and UX: Users shouldn’t need 30 minutes to set up new wallets or bridge tokens across multiple chains. “If you lose people at the first step, they’ll never come back,” he says.
Looking Ahead
In Sergey’s words, “Chains will be abstracted away. You’ll specify which assets or logic you want, launch your dApp, and let users from any chain jump right in. They won’t even know or care about bridging.” Axelar is the invisible glue connecting it all—so developers focus on building great products, not stitching together incompatible blockchains.
Want to hear more about Sergey’s path, Axelar’s architecture, and how they once helped save Cosmos liquidity in under 24 hours? Watch the full interview for an inside look at how Axelar is shaping the future of multi-chain Web3.