Case Studies

Building Boom Labs: Lessons from Web3 Infrastructure

Dipankar Sarkar
Dipankar Sarkar · · 4 min read

Boom Labs (2021-2022) was my most recent venture—a Web3 infrastructure company building multi-chain API solutions. This case study shares the journey, decisions, and lessons from founding a blockchain startup.

The Opportunity

In 2021, I saw a significant pain point in blockchain development: building applications that worked across multiple chains was unnecessarily complex.

The Problem

Developers building Web3 applications faced:

  • Different APIs for each blockchain
  • Inconsistent data formats and responses
  • Complex infrastructure for multi-chain support
  • Reliability issues with existing RPC providers

The Vision

Boom Labs aimed to provide a unified API layer that abstracted blockchain complexity:

  • Single API endpoint for multiple chains
  • Consistent data formatting across blockchains
  • Managed infrastructure with high reliability
  • Developer experience focused on simplicity

Building the Company

Team Formation

I assembled a team combining blockchain expertise and infrastructure experience:

  • Engineers with experience at major crypto protocols
  • Infrastructure specialists from cloud platforms
  • Product team focused on developer experience

Technical Architecture

We built:

  • Multi-chain indexing: Real-time data from Ethereum, Polygon, Solana, and other chains
  • Unified API: Single endpoint with consistent response formats
  • Managed nodes: Reliable RPC infrastructure as a service
  • Developer tools: SDKs, documentation, and debugging interfaces

Go-to-Market Strategy

Our approach focused on:

  • Developer community: Active presence in Discord, Twitter, and developer forums
  • Content marketing: Technical tutorials and integration guides
  • Partnership development: Integrations with popular Web3 tools and frameworks
  • Enterprise outreach: Direct sales to companies building Web3 applications

Traction and Validation

Pre-Product Commitments

Before launching publicly, we secured $2.5M in committed annual contracts from enterprise customers. This validated:

  • Real pain point in the market
  • Willingness to pay for solution
  • Enterprise interest in managed infrastructure

Technical Milestones

We achieved:

  • Sub-100ms latency across major chains
  • 99.9% uptime on managed infrastructure
  • Support for 10+ blockchains
  • Integration with major development frameworks

Challenges Faced

Market Timing

We built during a challenging period:

  • Crypto market downturn reduced overall Web3 activity
  • Enterprise customers delayed Web3 initiatives
  • Venture funding for Web3 infrastructure tightened

Competition

The space became increasingly competitive:

  • Well-funded incumbents (Alchemy, Infura, QuickNode)
  • New entrants with similar approaches
  • Blockchain foundations building native solutions

Technical Complexity

Multi-chain infrastructure is genuinely hard:

  • Each blockchain has unique characteristics
  • Consistency across chains requires careful abstraction
  • Reliability at scale demands significant investment

Decisions and Trade-offs

Chain Prioritization

We had to choose which blockchains to support:

  • Started with Ethereum and Polygon (largest developer communities)
  • Added Solana (different architecture, high demand)
  • Evaluated but delayed others based on resource constraints

Build vs. Partner

Key infrastructure decisions:

  • Built our own indexing (core differentiation)
  • Used existing node providers initially (speed to market)
  • Planned eventual vertical integration

Enterprise vs. Developer Focus

Balanced both:

  • Developer tools for adoption and community
  • Enterprise features for revenue and retention
  • Self-serve onboarding with high-touch support

Lessons Learned

What Worked

Pre-product validation: Getting $2.5M in commitments before launch confirmed market demand and informed product priorities.

Developer experience focus: Investing in documentation, SDKs, and developer tools accelerated adoption.

Enterprise credibility: Enterprise commitments attracted developer attention and validated seriousness.

Technical depth: Deep expertise in blockchain infrastructure created genuine differentiation.

What I’d Do Differently

Market timing awareness: Better assessment of market cycle position before committing resources.

Competitive positioning: Clearer differentiation from well-funded incumbents earlier.

Capital efficiency: More conservative burn rate given market uncertainty.

Partnership strategy: Earlier and deeper partnerships with blockchain foundations.

Applying These Lessons

This experience informs my Web3 advisory in several ways:

For Web3 Founders

  1. Validate before building: Pre-product commitments are possible in Web3
  2. Focus on developer experience: Developers choose tools based on usability
  3. Plan for market cycles: Crypto markets are volatile; build runway accordingly
  4. Understand competitive dynamics: Infrastructure markets often consolidate

For Web3 Strategy

  1. Chain selection matters: Focus on chains with real developer activity
  2. Timing is critical: Market cycles affect everything in Web3
  3. Enterprise ≠ consumer: Different go-to-market approaches required
  4. Security is existential: One exploit can destroy a Web3 company

Working With Web3 Startups

My Boom Labs experience provides direct insight into:

  • Multi-chain technical architecture
  • Web3 go-to-market strategy
  • Developer relations and community building
  • Enterprise sales in blockchain
  • Fundraising from crypto-native and traditional VCs

If you’re building in Web3 and want advisory from someone who has built in the space, let’s discuss how I might help.