Jito CEO shares how it scaled Solana’s infra and built for speed
It has generated over $1.1B for validators and stakers on the network.
Each month, we’re diving into one founder’s journey building on Solana, as well as noteworthy network updates to help readers get up to speed.
The latest Solana Sessions podcast
For this month’s Solana Sessions episode, we interviewed Lucas Bruder, CEO and co-founder of Jito Labs.
Jito Labs is building high-performance MEV infrastructure on Solana. To date, it has generated $1.1B for validators and stakers on Solana, with over 90% of the network’s validators running via its software. In 2024, the company made $650M for the network through fees and revenue.
They discuss his founder journey, why Jito decided to build on Solana, the expansion of DeFi onchain and what users and institutions want.
This episode is a part of the Solana Sessions campaign that Token Relations and the Talking Tokens podcast are doing, diving into founders’ journeys and startups building on Solana. The podcast is available on Talking Tokens on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Scaling Solana with Jito Labs
Speed and scale often dominate the conversation in crypto. Behind the scenes, Solana-focused infrastructure provider Jito Labs is quietly shaping the deeper mechanics of how money moves, and who earns along the way.
At the center of it all is Lucas Bruder, CEO and co-founder of Jito. He’s a firm believer that even today, his team can help build a faster, more efficient Solana.
Jito’s impact is both technical and tangible. With over $2 billion in Total Value Locked (TVL) in its liquid staking token (LST), JitoSOL, a validator client that powers over 90% of the network, the company is building the unseen infrastructure that helps Solana operate smoother and rewards those who run it.
A core part of Jito's work involves MEV, Bruder said. “MEV stands for maximum extractable value,” he added. “It's essentially the value that can be created and made by validators by having granular control over the ordering of transactions in their block.”
He simplified this by noting that the order of transactions matters and Jito builds software to optimize this process efficiently. This ultimately makes the network faster while also generating more money for validators and stakers.
The numbers tell the story with what started as $3, yes three-dollars, in MEV rewards back in 2022. That has now grown to over $1.1 billion in value generated for Solana validators and stakers through Jito. This revenue is also being earned by the stakers and validators running the network.
With that said, Bruder’s decision to focus on Solana wasn’t a bet, but a recognition of the opportunity. “It felt like a green field,” he said. From the beginning, he saw that MEV on Solana would require its own playbook.
The company built its validator client, to help reorder transactions more efficiently, which has proven critical for maintaining Solana’s blockchain performance during peak congestion. This was especially the case during the Solana memecoin mania, which spiked transactions in the past year. During this period, Jito adapted fast by “focusing less on the arbitrage and kind of traditional forms of [MEV], and just trying to make people's transactions land easier,” Bruder said.
While the validator client quietly powers the chain, JitoSOL has become its economic engine. With about a 40% share of Solana’s liquid staking market and climbing, the token is now deeply embedded across the ecosystem.
The LST can also be an interesting tool for institutions. Since they seek collateral for trading, rather than just posting Solana as collateral, they can use JitoSol for the same purpose while earning staking yields, Bruder explained. He also believes Solana spot ETFs are on the horizon and hopes to see more clarity on staking and liquid staking coming from the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
Over the past two years, volatility and doubts have surrounded Solana, yet Jito has stayed committed, Bruder said. “Doubling down on Solana at that time worked out super well for us, and we're gonna continue doing that and just focus on Solana.”
Despite Jito’s success to date and major presence on Solana, the "job's not finished," Bruder said.
“We want Solana to be the place where the IPOs happen,” Bruder stated. “Maybe instead of launching through the New York Stock Exchange or something, it's just on Solana.” He envisions a future where onchain IPOs, token launches, and institutional capital all flow through Solana, with plans for Jito to play a key role in building that reality.
Jito by the numbers
Jito TVL: $2.217B (+8%)
JitoSol TVL: $16.97M (+2.66%)
JitoSol Holders: 170,558
JitoSol APY: 7.79% (-3.07%)
Total MEV Rewards: 8.41K SOL (+53.18%)
Jito Liquid Staking Fees YTD: $461.61M
Stake weight on Solana: 95.3%
The metrics are accurate at the time of publication. The percentage change is calculated month-over-month.
The biggest updates on Solana
Taking a look at the latest announcements and more on the blockchain…
The Confidential Balances Token Extensions upgrade went live on Solana mainnet, enabling ZK-powered encrypted tokens with institutional compliance
Solana’s stablecoin market has grown 733% from $1.5B in Dec 2024 to $12.5B by April 2025 according to Artemis data
M^0's stablecoin platform is live on Solana, expanding its $M framework to the ecosystem
Jupiter exchange acquired collectibles platform DRiP, bringing its community into the Jupiverse ecosystem
SOON’s svmBNB mainnet went live, integrating SVM execution with BNB Chain settlement
XNET Mobile partnered with AT&T to expand wireless coverage to 9M users on Solana's DePIN ecosystem
PayPal expands crypto services with the addition of SOL to its US offerings
Learn about the new Solana Policy Institute (SPI), a non-partisan non-profit entity that aims to educate policymakers on decentralized networks
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This information is for entertainment purposes only. It should not be considered financial advice, nor should it be used to make investment decisions. Cryptocurrencies are high risk and you should consult a financial professional before making any financial decisions. Make sure you do your own research.