📦 This project is no longer active. Catalyst Network was developed between 2017 and 2026. This site is kept online as a historical record of what was designed and built — the node, the wallet, the explorer, the research, and the people behind it. Why we stopped ↓

Blockchain as It Was Meant to Be

STORAGE

Integrated distributed file storage for NFTs, Metaverse assets and other files

COMPUTE

EVM compatibility and multi-runtime support, letting developers use familiar tools and languages

DEMOCRACY

Rewarding computational effort fairly, by using collaborative rather than competitive consensus

Returning to blockchain's founding principles

The blockchain industry had drifted from its founding principles.

What began as a movement to democratize finance had evolved into systems that recreate the very exclusivity they sought to replace.

Some would say it's rich online virtual worlds, gaming, entertainment and some day the full Ready Player One experience.

Catalyst Network set out to return blockchain to its roots through concrete technical innovations, aiming to prove that true decentralization isn't just an ideal — it's an achievable reality.

Catalyst Network

A protocol bridging Web2 and Web3

Mission

To build a blockchain that returned to the founding principles of this industry. Fairness, decentralisation and inclusion.

Vision

The vision was a world where blockchain would be accessible to everyone, regardless of wealth or geography. A world where anyone could contribute to the network and be rewarded for their efforts.

Testnet

We ran a public test network with nodes in Asia, Europe, and the USA.

Original development plan
Docs

The testnet block explorer and faucet were live services during development and have since been taken offline — see the What Was Built section below for screenshots of what they looked like.

Research

Introduction (PDF)
Consensus paper (PDF)
Security considerations (PDF)

Why this became an archive

Catalyst Network was in active development for several years. In 2026 we made the decision to stop.

Running a public, multi-region testnet is expensive to keep online indefinitely, and there were persistent operational problems that made it harder to justify continuing. Even a finished product would have meant competing for users and validators against blockchain networks with far larger teams, treasuries and established communities than we had.

Rather than let the work quietly disappear, we've turned this site into a permanent record of what we set out to build, what we actually shipped, and who built it — in case it's useful, or inspires someone building something similar.

Principles

Catalyst was designed so decentralisation would be the default outcome, and so using it would feel like normal internet software—not “crypto”.

🖱️

One‑click participation

Anyone should be able to install, run a node, and be a full participant—without specialist hardware or knowledge.

👛

Wallets without key‑jargon

Everyday users shouldn’t have to think about mnemonics, private keys, or custody mechanics to use the network safely.

🧰

Web2‑native building

Builders should be able to deploy dApps and services using familiar web2 workflows, languages, and tooling.

🫥

Invisible infrastructure

To users, Catalyst should fade into the background—like infrastructure behind everyday mobile and cloud apps.

⚖️

Equal first class citizens

Catalyst was for everyday users, web2 and web3 builders and AI agents as equal first class citizens.

🙊

Catalyst? What's that?

Most Catalyst users should love their apps and never hear the term Catalyst, just like Office users don't hear Azure or Hypervisor.

Blockchain's Centralization Crisis

This was the problem Catalyst set out to solve.

💰

Ethereum Proof-of-Stake

Requires 32 ETH to run a validator. Systems that promised open participation can end up requiring significant wealth to participate

⛏️

Bitcoin Mining

Dominated by industrial farms with million-dollar ASIC investments. Individual miners can no longer compete.

🐋

DeFi Governance

Often controlled by token whales and venture capital. Token-weighted voting can concentrate decision-making power into a small number of hands.

The Mathematical Reality of Centralization

Concentration

Staking pools and custodians can accumulate a large share of validation power

Scale effects

Industrial mining can outcompete individuals through economies of scale

Wealth ≠ voice

Token-based governance often equates wealth with influence

Features

How Catalyst's technology was designed to work.

Collaborative Consensus

Unlike competitive mining or wealth-based staking, our collaborative consensus rewards work over wealth. No computational puzzles, no token requirements—just meaningful contribution to the network.

Multi-Runtime Architecture

Break free from single-language constraints. Deploy Ethereum contracts, Solana programs, or native code—all on the same network. Choose the best environment for your application.

Web2 Integration Bridge

Make blockchain accessible to millions of existing developers. Our service bus treated blockchain events like any message queue—no Web3 expertise required.

How Collaborative Consensus Worked

1. Construction Phase

All producer nodes build candidate ledger updates from the transaction pool. No computational puzzles or token requirements.

2. Campaigning Phase

Nodes propose their candidate updates to peers. Majority agreement emerges through mathematical comparison.

3. Voting Phase

Nodes vote on the most popular candidate. Requires supermajority (>67%) for consensus, weighted by contribution history.

4. Synchronization Phase

Final ledger update distributed across network. All nodes update their local state and rewards are distributed.

The Fair Launch Plan

As designed — Catalyst never reached a public mainnet launch.

Merit-based distribution that put work over wealth

Catalyst was designed so you wouldn't have to buy tokens to start participating: KAT would be issued on published schedules, and eligible waiting workers could accrue non-transferable fee credits (capped) to pay their own transaction fees—separate from liquid KAT rewards. There was no premine in the default genesis configuration.

Humans and automation (including AI agents running infrastructure) would follow the same consensus and tokenomics rules—AI agents could self fund their own on-chain transactions.

0 KAT

Tokens planned in circulation at launch

No Pre-allocation

Or insider advantages

Open Participation

Regardless of geography or wealth

Work-based Rewards

Through network contribution

Launch Phases

Phase 1: Genesis Launch (Month 1-3)

  • 0 KAT tokens in circulation
  • Open source node software released
  • Anyone can run a node and start earning
  • Rewards: 100% from network inflation

Phase 2: Transaction Economy (Month 3-12)

  • Users begin transacting, generating fees
  • Validators earn inflation rewards + transaction fees
  • Service providers enter the ecosystem
  • Economic activity drives token utility

Phase 3: Self-Sustaining Network (Year 1+)

  • Transaction fees cover most validator costs
  • Inflation rate adjusts based on network needs
  • Rich ecosystem of applications and services
  • Global, distributed validator set

None of these phases were reached before development stopped.

How Catalyst Was Designed to Compare

A comparison of launch models, as designed. Catalyst's row reflects the intended mechanism, not deployed, at-scale results.

Launch Type Initial Distribution Centralization Risk Regulatory Risk Accessibility
ICO/Token Sale Concentrated among buyers High (wealth-based) High (securities) Low (requires capital)
Pre-mine Team/investor allocation Very High Medium Very Low
PoW Launch Miners with hardware Medium (hardware costs) Low (no sale) Medium (hardware barrier)
PoS Launch Stakers with tokens High (wealth-based) Medium Low (token requirement)
Catalyst Fair Launch Merit-based earning Low (work-based) Low (no sale) High (open participation)



DISCOVER CATALYST ON YOUTUBE




What Was Built

Real, working software — not just a whitepaper. Every link below goes to the actual source code.

🧠

Node (Rust)

The core node implementation — collaborative consensus, EVM runtime, and networking, written in Rust and designed to run without expensive hardware or large token stakes.

View on GitHub
👛

Wallet

Catalyst testnet wallet, February 2026

The testnet wallet, February 2026

A greenfield web wallet for the Catalyst testnet (Vite + React), also packaged as a Chrome extension. Keys are stored locally in an encrypted vault.

View on GitHub
🔍

Block Explorer

Catalyst testnet explorer, February 2026

The testnet explorer, February 2026

A modern explorer and indexer for the network — browse deltas (Catalyst's term for blocks), transactions, and accounts.

View on GitHub
🚰

Faucet

A hosted testnet faucet for getting KAT to experiment with — request funds, then send a transaction in the wallet or explorer.

View on GitHub
🧰

SDK

A TypeScript SDK and tools for deploying and interacting with EVM smart contracts on Catalyst, using CTX2 transactions.

View on GitHub
🪪

Identity Contracts

Standalone EVM contracts providing NEAR-style human-readable identities, designed for Catalyst wallets and nodes that can only read raw EVM storage.

View on GitHub
📚

Docs

The public documentation hub for operators, wallet users, and builders — protocol and RPC reference included.

View on GitHub
🔬

Research

Open research notes and proofs of concept, including a 51%-attack analysis and a producer-selection proof of concept.

View on GitHub

The people who built it

Darren Oliveiro-Priestnall

Co-founder, CEO & CTO

Darren has more than 20 years of experience in the software engineering and technology industry working at Microsoft, BAE systems. He is a Member of the British Computer Society as well as a Certified Ethical Hacker, Certified Network Defence Architect and Certified Blockchain Professional.less

more

Chris Justice

Co-founder, President & COO

Chris has over 30 years’ experience in finance and as an entrepreneur, including as CEO of an Internet-focused media and advertising company that he led from start-up to NASDAQ IPO. Prior to co-founding Atlas City with Darren and the team, Chris was COO and Head of Europe for Janus Capital International & then Head of Distribution Initiatives for investors.less

more

Joseph Christopherson

Co-founder, CMO

Joe has a Masters degree in Architecture and Urban Design from one of Europe’s highest ranked schools. Although Joe has a design-focused background, he has always been passionate about technology and has studied computer science. He won runner-up prizes for numerous Hackathons and was a top 10 finalist for Europe’s largest Blockchain Hackathon in 2017.less

more

Robin Hudson

Co-Founder

Pauline Bernat

Research and Development Manager

James Kirby

Head of Engineering

Stephen Horsfall

Blockchain Developer

Fran Sage-Ling

Blockchain Developer

Alex White

Senior Protocol Engineer

Sanjay Patel

Blockchain Developer

Dennis Owusu-Ansah

Blockchain Developer

Joseph Kearney

Blockchain & Cryptography Specialist

Uzair Qidwai

Chief Strategy Officer

Konrad Moskal

Full Stack Developer

The founding team at Catalyst consisted of veterans from the previous digital revolution, the emergence of the Internet, with a track record of building companies and products that shipped.

Get in touch


History

2017

• Three white papers published

Q1 2018

• Initial investment & engineering team hired, prototype test network built and used by third parties to validate ideas

Q2 2018

• 7 projects & proofs of concept, 3 evaluation sandbox invitations

Q1 2019

• Patents filed
• Open source code & public developer testnet

Q2 2019

• Catalyst wallet & secure distributed file storage
• First commercial projects developed and deployed

Q3 2019

• TGE starts
• Node launch

Q4 2019

• TGE closes

Q1 2020

• Public Catalyst launch

May 2020

• Testnet explorer running, tracking live deltas across nodes

2021 – 2024

• [TODO — Darren to fill in: what happened in these years]

2025 – 2026

• Node rewritten in Rust
• EVM multi-runtime support added
• Consensus & tokenomics redesigned around a fair, no-premine launch
• Public testnet relaunched across Asia, Europe & the USA

2026

• Development stopped
• Site converted into this archive

What Was Finished — and What Wasn't

This was the plan as of early 2026. ✅ marks what shipped, 🔶 marks what was in progress when development stopped, and ◻ marks what was planned but never started.

Phase 1: Core Functionality & Testnet (Q1 2026) — reached

Core Infrastructure

  • ✅ Collaborative consensus in Rust
  • ✅ EVM runtime integration
  • ✅ Network topology
  • ✅ Cryptographic primitives in place

Deliverables

  • ✅ Public testnet running across Asia, Europe, and the USA
  • ✅ Block explorer
  • ✅ Wallet (complete; Chrome Web Store first, then Android and iOS)
  • ✅ Developer tooling

Phase 2: Stability & Tooling (Q2 2026) — stopped in progress

Stability hardening

  • ✅ Tech stack review, hardening and optimization
  • 🔶 Improvements to wallet, explorer and tooling
  • ✅ Documentation, guides, and onboarding
  • 🔶 Genesis block creation

Deliverables

  • 🔶 Main network
  • 🔶 Wallet deployment: Chrome Web Store first, then Android and iOS
  • 🔶 Jeskei, DeFi, and other projects deploying
  • 🔶 Additional tools including AI skills

Phase 3: Ecosystem (2026+) — not reached

Ecosystem Growth

  • ◻ Additional runtime environments
  • ◻ Cross-chain bridges to major networks
  • ◻ Advanced privacy features (ZK circuits)
  • ◻ Enterprise integration tools

Success Metrics

  • ◻ 1000+ active validator nodes globally distributed
  • ◻ 100+ applications deployed across multiple runtimes
  • ◻ Growing transaction volumes
  • ◻ 10,000+ real active daily users

Development stopped here — Phase 2 was left partway through, and Phase 3 was never started.

See the original development plan

Building on Catalyst

A small ecosystem of independent projects had begun building on Catalyst before development stopped—from self-custody finance to community-owned media and even a new digital country. These were separate, independently-run projects; they may have since moved to other infrastructure.

🔐

OwnFi

A non-custodial DeFi interface for self-directed finance. Discover, compare and execute interactions with third-party protocols while your assets stay in your own wallet—you approve every transaction.

Visit OwnFi
🏛️

Equitoria

A citizen-led digital country building a fair, tax-free economy on Catalyst—powered by stablecoins for everyday value, the KAT token to secure the network, and citizenship NFTs for direct, transparent democracy.

Visit Equitoria
🎬

Jeskei

A decentralised film and video metaverse where creators publish, share and earn fairly. NFTs reward everyone who contributes to a production, so revenue is shared across the whole cast and crew.

Visit Jeskei




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