Enso (ENSO): Blockchain Development Framework and Shared Execution Network
Enso is a blockchain development framework and shared execution network that simplifies building, launching, and operating onchain apps through reusable building blocks called Actions and Shortcuts. Founded by Connor Howe in 2021, this platform has raised $9.2 million from Polychain Capital, Multicoin Capital, and The Spartan Group to eliminate manual smart contract integrations and let developers focus on product and growth.
What is Enso (ENSO)?
Enso is a blockchain development framework designed to simplify building, launching, and operating onchain applications and protocols. The platform abstracts away technical blockchain complexity through Actions and Shortcuts, letting developers and product teams focus on product, distribution, and growth rather than dealing with low-level contract integrations and cross-chain fragmentation.
Enso addresses manual and repetitive blockchain integrations that lead to wasted developer time and high costs. The platform solves the complexity of maintaining, integrating, and updating multiple smart contracts across chains, and eliminates security and audit overhead where every project needs to reimplement core logic.
Core Innovation: Enso creates a library of abstracted Actions (swap, lend, borrow, mint NFT) that can be instantly composed and reused, plus a shared execution network for optimal routing and validation. Projects spend minimal time on integration and maintenance, avoid redundant security audits, and can quickly launch or pivot without blockchain engineering bottlenecks.
Who Created Enso (ENSO)?
Enso was founded by Connor Howe, who serves as CEO and principal architect for the platform, with expertise in decentralized finance, smart contract tooling, and composable onchain infrastructure.
Connor Howe (Co-founder & CEO):
● Over 9 years of experience as a crypto builder, specializing in DeFi and smart contract development
● Began crypto career writing Solidity in Mist Wallet
● Previously launched a social trading product that evolved into Enso after facing integration and maintenance hurdles in DeFi
● Responsible for Enso's strategy, architecture, and continuous development
Key Team Members:
● Core team has backgrounds in building decentralized exchanges, strategy routers, and DeFi automation infrastructure across Ethereum and BSC (Binance Smart Chain)
● Team includes seasoned builders with prior experience in major crypto protocols and DeFi product launches
The team combines expertise from established crypto platforms and VC-backed projects with focus on decentralized exchange development and automation tools.
What VCs Back Enso (ENSO)?
Enso has raised approximately $9.2 million across private, strategic, and public funding rounds from crypto venture capital firms and prominent angel investors.
Funding Rounds:
● Strategic Round: Raised $5 million with participation from top-tier investors
● Additional Round (June 2024): Raised $4.2 million with venture and angel support
● Public Token Sale: Ran on CoinList from June 12-26, 2025
Major Venture Capital Backers:
● Polychain Capital
● Multicoin Capital
● The Spartan Group
● IDEO CoLab Ventures
● The LAO DAO
● Hypersphere Ventures
● P2P Capital
Notable Angel Investors:
● Kain Warwick (Founder of Synthetix)
● Stani Kulechov (Founder of Aave)
● Ryan Selkis (Founder of Messari)
● Naval Ravikant
● 60+ individual angels from protocols including Safe, Socket, Titan, Sygnum, The Graph, Alchemix, Yearn, and Flashbots
How Enso (ENSO) Works
Enso operates through several technologies that make blockchain app development accessible without complex coding.
Actions: Reusable Building Blocks
Actions represent individual blockchain operations packaged as simple building blocks. Each Action covers tasks like swapping tokens, lending, borrowing, minting NFTs, or fetching data. Developers can use these pre-made Actions instead of writing new blockchain code for each operation.
Shortcuts: Composable Workflows
Shortcuts combine multiple Actions into custom workflows. For example, a Shortcut could chain "Swap token A for B" + "Deposit B into lending" + "Mint NFT as proof." These Shortcuts are reusable, shareable, and enable rapid prototyping without custom integration work.
Shared Execution Engine
All blockchains and Actions route through a unified shared engine that handles execution, validation, and cross-chain logic. The process works in four steps:
1. User or app submits an intent (request) to Enso
2. Graphers (specialized network participants) compete to find the best route and method for fulfillment across chains and protocols
3. Validators check the proposed solution for correctness and security
4. Engine executes the workflow, abstracting away blockchain selection and contract integration
Multi-Chain Support
Enso operates as a blockchain-agnostic platform supporting Ethereum and other EVM-compatible networks. The shared engine abstracts Actions across different blockchains, enabling apps to compose DeFi, NFT, or protocol flows regardless of underlying chain.
Developer Tools and Templates
The platform provides APIs for integration, no-code builders for composing Actions without direct coding, and pre-built templates for instant launch. Over 100 apps, 250 protocols, and nearly 2,000 developers currently use Enso infrastructure.
You can access the platform at enso.build and explore documentation at docs.enso.build.
Enso Token (ENSO) and Economics
The ENSO token is a governance and validation token securing network operations, enabling decentralized governance, and incentivizing validators and contributors.
Token Details
● Token Name: Enso
● Token Symbol: ENSO
● Genesis Supply: 100,000,000 ENSO (100 million)
● Maximum Supply: 127,339,703 ENSO with initial annual inflation at 8%, gradually decaying to 0.35468% by year 10, then ceasing
● Blockchain Deployment: Ethereum (ERC-20) and BNB Chain (BEP-20)
Token Distribution
● Investors: 31.305% (31,305,000 ENSO) - Strategic VC, private round, and public sale participants; 1-year cliff, then linear vesting over 24 months
● Team: 25.000% (25,000,000 ENSO) - Core contributors, developers, and long-term protocol incentives; 1-year cliff, then linear vesting over 24 months
● Ecosystem: 21.590% (21,590,000 ENSO) - Growth, R&D, airdrops, protocol expansion, grants
● Foundation: 16.605% (16,605,000 ENSO) - Operational costs, governance, and long-term sustainability
● Community Round: 4.000% (4,000,000 ENSO) - CoinList community sale
● Advisors: 1.500% (1,500,000 ENSO) - Long-term advisor support; 1-year cliff, then linear vesting over 24 months
Token Utilities
● Governance: ENSO holders participate in voting on protocol upgrades, resource allocations, roadmap proposals, and operational changes
● Validation and Staking: Validators stake ENSO as collateral to secure network operations, simulate onchain executions, and verify workflows; improper validation results in slashing penalties
● Delegation: Token holders can delegate ENSO to validators and earn a portion of validator revenue
● Transaction Fees: ENSO is used for network and application usage fees, including submitting intents, composing Shortcuts, and accessing premium features
● Ecosystem Incentives: Distributed through incentive programs for active participation, development grants, DAO initiatives, and protocol integrations
Why Enso?
Traditional blockchain development faces challenges with manual integrations, complex maintenance, and security overhead. Enso addresses these problems with proven solutions:
Experienced Leadership: Founded by Connor Howe with over 9 years in crypto, starting from Solidity development in Mist Wallet to creating advanced abstraction engines for onchain applications.
Strong Investor Validation: $9.2 million raised from Polychain Capital, Multicoin Capital, The Spartan Group, IDEO CoLab Ventures, plus prominent angels including founders of Synthetix, Aave, and Messari.
Technical Innovation: First platform offering Actions abstraction model for chain-agnostic, reusable building blocks, composable Shortcuts for rapid workflow creation, and unified shared engine eliminating fragmentation and per-protocol integration work.
Major Partnerships: Collaboration with CoW DAO and CoW Protocol providing advanced intent-based transaction settlement, enabling users to perform seamless, multi-chain, and optimized DeFi operations.
Live Ecosystem: Already operational with over 100 apps, 250 protocols, and nearly 2,000 developers using the infrastructure, demonstrating real adoption and utility.
Validator Network: Graphers and Validators separate execution path finding from security validation, allowing multiple solutions to compete with only safe, optimal ones executed.
The platform eliminates integration friction and maintenance costs, enabling teams to focus on building products, growing communities, and iterating quickly without blockchain engineering bottlenecks.
Enso (ENSO) Goes Live on Bitget
We are thrilled to announce that Enso (ENSO) will be listed in the Innovation Zone. Check out the details below:
Trading Available: 14 October 2025, 9:00 (UTC)
Trade ENSO/USDT on Bitget!
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are for informational purposes only. This article does not constitute an endorsement of any of the products and services discussed or investment, financial, or trading advice. Qualified professionals should be consulted prior to making financial decisions.
