TL;DR
- Valantis has acquired StakedHYPE, Hyperliquid’s second-largest liquid staking platform, transferring operations and development to Valantis Labs.
- Thunderhead founder Addison Spiegel joins Valantis as an advisor, while StakedHYPE’s $200 million total value locked positions it as a major player on HyperEVM.
- The acquisition allows Valantis to integrate the liquid staking protocol with its DEX, creating deeper liquidity and additional yield opportunities for stHYPE investors, strengthening its presence in the growing Hyperliquid ecosystem.
Valantis, a modular decentralized exchange protocol, has acquired StakedHYPE, the second-largest liquid staking platform on Hyperliquid’s HyperEVM blockchain. The financial terms of the deal remain undisclosed. Valantis confirmed that StakedHYPE’s operations, development, and scaling initiatives will now be fully managed by Valantis Labs. Addison Spiegel, founder of Thunderhead, the team behind StakedHYPE, joins Valantis as an advisor to guide integration and strategic development effectively.
StakedHYPE Liquidity Expansion And Vertical Integration
StakedHYPE ranks second in the Hyperliquid ecosystem after Kinetiq, holding over $200 million in total value locked according to DeFiLlama. Valantis initially focused on helping developers build modular decentralized exchanges but has shifted toward creating its own complete stack and market products. The company recently launched an LST-specific DEX for stHYPE and kHYPE, two of the largest pools on HyperEVM, combining nearly $70 million in TVL and over $500 million in cumulative trading volume. Ed Carvalho, Valantis co-founder and CTO, emphasized that acquiring StakedHYPE enables full vertical integration between an LST protocol and a DEX, creating deeper liquidity and more efficient trading markets across multiple user segments.
Token Improvements And Market Infrastructure Development
Valantis plans to expand stHYPE beyond Hyperliquid staking emissions using HIP-3 checks and market maker fee discounts. Further steps include making stHYPE more permissionless, integrating it more closely with its DEX and HyperCore, and evolving the token into a robust liquidity network for the broader Hyperliquid ecosystem. The acquisition strengthens Valantis’ market position as one of the largest DEXs for liquid-staked Hyperliquid assets, while still supporting competitors’ tokens effectively.
Valantis’ backers include Kraken Ventures, Figment Capital, and Robot Ventures, which contributed to its $7.5 million raise last year at a $40 million valuation. Thunderhead remains profitable without external funding and will not transfer its six-member team to Valantis.
The deal closes after only a few weeks of formal negotiations. Carvalho declined to disclose whether the transaction involved cash, tokens, or equity, citing contractual confidentiality. With Hyperliquid’s liquid staking market growing rapidly, the acquisition positions Valantis to enhance liquidity, introduce new yield sources, and offer an efficient, highly competitive trading experience for stHYPE and other LST investors.
