Ryan Zarick is co-founder and chief technology officer of LayerZero Labs. The other co-founders are Bryan Pellegrino, the CEO, and Caleb Banister.
LayerZero was founded in 2021 in Vancouver. It builds a messaging layer that lets applications talk across blockchains without relying on a central bridge.
In March 2022 it raised $135m at a $1bn valuation. In April 2023 it raised a $120m Series B at a $3bn valuation. In May 2025 it took a further $55m, and a strategic round followed in February 2026.
Investors in the company include a16z crypto, Sequoia, FTX Ventures, OpenSea Ventures and The Spartan Group.