Gurhan Kiziloz, founder of the emerging Layer-1 blockchain BlockDAG, has publicly positioned his project as a direct challenger to Ethereum's established design philosophy. Kiziloz argues that Ethereum's sequential transaction processing model, which prioritizes stability and immutability, has created inherent scalability limitations that leave the door open for alternatives. He claims BlockDAG's Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) structure, which processes transactions in parallel while retaining Proof-of-Work consensus and EVM compatibility, is designed to address these perceived trade-offs.
The philosophical divide mirrors a larger industry debate. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin's vision is one of gradual network ossification for trust and stability, while figures like Solana's Anatoly Yakovenko argue networks must adapt. Kiziloz aligns with the latter camp, emphasizing execution and adoption over theoretical debate. He brings a unique operational background, having previously built Nexus International into a $1.2 billion revenue business in 2025 without external investors.
BlockDAG is reportedly self-funded by Kiziloz and has attracted significant market attention, with reports indicating over $400 million raised in its ongoing presale. The project's BDAG token, required for network transaction processing, is scheduled for a fixed-price listing in February. This presale model and utility-driven demand mechanics differentiate it from purely speculative assets.
Kiziloz's strategy involves directly competing for Ethereum's developer base and application layer, aiming to convince builders that BlockDAG offers superior scalability without sacrificing security. He frames the competition not as incremental improvement but as a fundamental challenge to Ethereum's dominance, leveraging his proven track record of rapid, capital-efficient scaling.
The news emerges as the broader crypto market shows signs of recovery, with total capitalization approaching $3 trillion. Established assets like XRP and Solana are noted for their resilience and network growth, respectively, providing context for BlockDAG's entry as a new infrastructure-focused Layer-1 project seeking a place in the evolving smart contract platform landscape.
