LayerZero Labs closed its Series B funding, raising $120 million from a host of notable investors and giving the messaging protocol a massive $3 billion valuation, tripling from its $135 million round in March 2022.

Auction house Christie’s, Samsung’s next-gen investment arm, NFT platform OpenSea, Circle Ventures and a16z’s crypto branch were some of the 33 investors who participated in the latest round.

Vancouver, British Columbia-based LayerZero offers interoperability and cross-chain messaging infrastructure that allow decentralized application developers to reach multiple blockchains without the need for a middleman to facilitate the cross-chain interactions.

“Before the advent of the internet, computers existed in fragmented and disconnected data centers, much like many blockchains today. LayerZero is revolutionizing blockchains by creating one unified ecosystem, like the internet, that connects each blockchain’s developers and user community,” said Ryan Zarick, Co-Founder and CTO of LayerZero Labs

The startup emerged from stealth in September 2021 with a $6 million funding round. The protocol has since facilitated over two million messages relayed across more than 30 chains and has secured over $7 billion in total value locked, according to the company.

LayerZero is used by a number of on-chain applications, including decentralized exchanges PancakeSwap, SushiSwap, TraderJoe and Uniswap.