Rescuing the Climate: A Blockchain That Cares for the Environment

Client and Context

Kyoto Protocol AG is a Swiss-registered startup aiming to operate on a global scale. The company is building a Layer 1 blockchain protocol designed to be environmentally friendly, with a negative carbon footprint. Their protocol offers high performance for Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatibility while supporting ecological initiatives. The project ran from August 2022 to January 2023.

The Business Landscape

During the project period, the crypto industry was facing a severe downturn. The collapse of Terra/Luna and FTX, among others, triggered a bear market, causing prices to plummet and investor confidence to falter. Despite this, global awareness of climate change was rising. Kyoto Protocol's founders were determined to build a platform that combined ecological responsibility with robust financial utility. Their vision was to create a blockchain environment aligned with climate-positive values, even amid a market that largely prioritized profit over sustainability.

The Challenge

Kyoto Protocol had originally partnered with a different team to build their EVM-compatible Layer 1 blockchain. However, that team failed to deliver a functional product on time, leaving the company with a non-working blockchain and an urgent need for a reliable, high-performance alternative. With their launch roadmap at risk, they had to act quickly to salvage the project and deliver on their whitepaper promises.

The Solution

Our engagement began with a deep technical audit of the existing codebase. It quickly became clear that the prior implementation could not meet the performance and node scalability targets promised to Kyoto's community. We recommended and executed a full rebuild of the protocol.

To meet the tight timeline, we assembled a dedicated team to deliver a working testnet within three months. Simultaneously, two additional teams developed a suite of decentralized applications (dApps) essential for a production-ready launch: a wallet, marketplace, swap tool, and more. We maintained daily communication and weekly progress reviews with Kyoto, adjusting the team composition dynamically to balance cost efficiency and delivery speed.

By the end of the third month, the testnet was live. Development continued through the sixth month to complete the full launch package, including an integrated bridge and a robust, scriptable engineering setup.

The Results

Despite the market headwinds, we delivered:

• A fully functional Layer 1 blockchain, launched on schedule
• Reworked and improved tokenomics model
• An engineering-first approach: all components were automated, testable, and reusable

Unfortunately, Kyoto Protocol faced financial constraints and was unable to begin active promotion or further development. Nevertheless, the technical groundwork has positioned them well for future investment and growth.

Conclusion / What Others Can Learn

This project highlights the value of working with a flexible and expert development partner. Our ability to step in mid-project, perform a technical rescue, and deliver a complex product on time — while maintaining open communication and cost control — showcases the depth and adaptability we bring to mission-critical initiatives.

When your timeline is tight and your vision matters, working with a team that understands both the tech and the business stakes can make all the difference.