ChainLink is developing the LINK Network, which will enable connected smart contracts. LINK will provide smart contracts with a variety of external data and access to APIs. ChainLink's goal is to solve the connectivity problem that plagues smart contract based systems, and discourages mass adoption. Many decentralized applications are unable to connect with important external data sources due to limitations involving their consensus protocols. The LINK network wants to connect their smart contracts with external systems and APIs by using secure middleware.

The Aztec Protocol is an efficient zero-knowledge privacy protocol designed to enable private transactions on the Ethereum blocckhain. Their zero-knowledge proofs enable private transactions that can facilitate a variety of inter-operable financial applications on Ethereum. Aztec is a ConsenSys portfolio company.

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High Performance Blockchain (HPB) is a Chinese company that is developing an improved blockchain infrastructure. Their goal is to dramatically improve the speed of transactions and throughput of existing blockchain systems. HPB has been called the EOS of China.
Similar to EOS, HPB uses a delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) consensus algorithm that will enable parallel processing. It will also aid in improving the performance of their blockchain, and they hope that it will enable the creation of an ecosystem for the creation of decentralized applications.
HPB's platform is based on hardware accelerator chip drivers. The accelerator chips can be customized and will aid in the performance of the blockchain. HPB has the ambitious goal of enabling 1 million transactions per second.
The company's founders are well connected in the blockchain and payment sector in China. NEO is one of the chief investors in the company, and they also works with Union Pay; which is an influential payment network that connects banks in China.