Hypernova Raises $3M to Bring Onchain Prop Trading to Hyperliquid

Prop trading has exploded in popularity over the past few years, creating a pathway for skilled traders to access larger pools of capital without risking significant amounts of their own money.

But the industry has also faced growing criticism around opaque evaluation rules, payout restrictions, and business models that often leave traders questioning whether firms truly benefit when traders succeed.

Hypernova believes blockchain infrastructure can change that.

The company announced a $3 million pre-seed funding round led by Lemniscap, with participation from Very Early Ventures, CMS Holdings, Pivot Global, and angel investors from the Hyperliquid ecosystem.

Built on Hyperliquid, Hypernova is developing what it describes as the first trustless prop trading protocol, using smart contracts to automate payouts and bring transparency to how funded trading programs operate.

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Bringing Prop Trading Onchain

Traditional prop trading firms typically evaluate traders through challenge programs before allocating capital to successful participants.

While the model has become increasingly popular, traders often face concerns around payout delays, changing rules, and limited visibility into how firms manage risk and capital allocation.

Hypernova is attempting to replace those processes with transparent onchain systems.

The platform encodes trading rules directly into smart contracts, allowing eligible traders to receive payouts automatically when performance requirements are met. Execution logic is verifiable onchain, reducing reliance on manual processes and centralized decision-making.

According to co-founder and CEO Anar Bayramov, the goal is to give talented independent traders access to institutional-grade infrastructure without the friction commonly associated with traditional prop firms.

“Hypernova is built to identify, fund and scale trading talent,” Bayramov said.

“Exceptional traders are increasingly emerging outside traditional institutions, but many still lack the capital and infrastructure to compete seriously. By bringing funded trading on-chain, we’re building a model with verifiable rules, instant payouts and incentives that align the platform with top performers.”

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Backed by Coinbase, Citi, and JPMorgan Alumni

Hypernova's founding team combines experience from both traditional finance and crypto.

Bayramov previously led DeFi investments at RockawayX, including an early investment in Breakout, which was later acquired by Kraken.

Co-founder and CTO Nijat Bakhshaliyev most recently worked as a senior engineer at Coinbase and previously held roles at Citi.

The broader team brings experience from organizations including Amazon, JPMorgan, and N26, spanning trading systems, custody infrastructure, and distributed systems engineering.

According to Roderik van der Graaf, Hypernova's combination of institutional expertise and crypto-native infrastructure was a key factor behind the investment.

“By combining transparent mechanics with a trader-first product, Hypernova has emerged as a grassroots trading firm capable of competing at the highest levels of global markets,” van der Graaf said.

Early Traction on Hyperliquid

The funding announcement follows Hypernova's closed alpha launch on May 1.

Since launch, the platform says it has onboarded 250 traders, funded more than 20 accounts, and distributed over $30,000 in payouts.

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Hypernova also introduces a hybrid hedging framework designed to dynamically allocate more capital to top-performing traders, a model the company says more closely mirrors institutional risk management practices than traditional retail-focused prop firms.

With fresh capital secured and early traction established, the team is now preparing for a broader public rollout.

As onchain trading infrastructure continues to evolve, Hypernova is betting that funded trading may be one of the next financial products to move fully onchain — bringing transparency, automation, and programmable payouts to an industry that has historically operated behind closed doors.