There’s a quiet problem in fintech right now. Billions of dollars sit idle in platforms that could, in theory, be earning yield through decentralized finance protocols. But actually connecting those platforms to onchain lending and staking products requires custom blockchain engineering that most fintechs simply don’t want to build.
Ground, a startup that emerged from stealth on June 24, thinks it has the answer: an API that lets fintechs, neobanks, wealth managers, and asset managers plug into onchain yield products without touching blockchain infrastructure themselves. The company raised $3.6 million in a pre-seed round co-led by Bain Capital Crypto and ParaFi, with participation from Nascent, Robot Ventures, Chapter One, and Consonant Ventures.
What Ground actually does
The company currently supports several major DeFi protocols, including Aave, Morpho, Maple, and Kamino. These span Ethereum, Solana, and various Layer 2 networks, giving clients access to a range of yield sources across multiple chains.
The business model runs on usage-based fees, meaning Ground earns more as its clients route more capital through the platform.
The team and the Superstate connection
Ground was co-founded by Reid Cuming, who previously co-founded Superstate, the tokenized fund platform that went on to raise $82.5 million in its Series B. Cuming hasn’t fully departed Superstate. He still serves as a board member and senior advisor there, though he’s stepped back from day-to-day operations to focus on Ground.
Right now, Ground operates with just three full-time employees. The company plans to hire more staff to keep up with what it sees as growing demand for this kind of middleware.
The funding round itself was structured as a SAFE with token warrants. Fundraising started in September 2025 and the round closed in October 2025, giving the team roughly eight months of building before the public launch.
Why this matters now
Most crypto-native yield aggregators were designed for DeFi users who already have wallets and understand the risks. They weren’t built for regulated financial platforms that need audit trails, KYC integration, and the ability to explain to a compliance officer exactly where yield is coming from. Ground is explicitly targeting that gap.
The global asset management industry manages roughly $147 trillion in assets. Even a tiny fraction of that capital flowing into onchain yield products would represent a massive shift in how traditional finance interacts with decentralized protocols.
