Push Protocol has come a long way from its early days as a simple idea to becoming the leading communication layer of web3. Today, with over 140 million notifications delivered, a community of more than 500,000 aggregate users, and support for over 500 projects, Push has established itself as the go-to solution for web3 notifications and communications.

But this is just the beginning. With the launch of Push Chain — a shared state Proof of Stake (PoS) blockchain designed to power universal applications — Push is taking its most ambitious step yet. Push Chain is built to unify web3, allowing developers to build seamless, user-centric app experiences and providing a shared settlement layer for multiple L1s, L2s, and L3s.

Let’s take a step back and reflect on the incredible journey that brought us here — a journey defined by innovation, resilience, and the unwavering support of the web3 community.

The Early Days: A Bold Idea Takes Shape

Push Protocol started with a simple yet powerful observation: in web3, protocols only interact with wallet addresses. But these wallets lacked a native system for receiving real-time updates. This created a massive gap in user experience — when important events like DeFi loan liquidations, governance proposals, ENS expirations, or social interactions occurred, users had no direct way of being notified.

This insight led to the birth of Push Protocol. The vision was clear: to build a decentralized notification and communication system that would keep web3 users informed and engaged, just like the notification systems we take for granted in web2.

Building the MVP at ETHGlobal HackMoney 2020

With this idea in hand, we turned to ETHGlobal HackMoney 2020 to build our minimum viable product (MVP). This hackathon turned out to be a pivotal moment for Push Protocol. Not only did we create a working prototype, but we also connected with mentors, investors, and fellow builders who would go on to play crucial roles in our journey.

The experience taught us invaluable lessons about product development and the power of community. Despite the less-than-perfect video quality of our early demos (we hadn’t yet learned the importance of good lighting and cameras!), the core concept of Push shone through. The Ethereum Foundation encouraged us to keep going, and their belief in our vision was the push we needed to take the next steps.

Guidance and Mentorship from the Ethereum Foundation

The Ethereum Foundation (EF) has long been a beacon of innovation in the web3 space, and their support was instrumental in our early growth. From helping us navigate the complexities of decentralized development to connecting us with other like-minded projects, EF played a crucial role in shaping the future of Push Protocol.

The community-centric ethos of Ethereum aligned perfectly with our mission, and their encouragement gave us the confidence to pursue our vision with full force.

Community Validation: Gitcoin Grants and Kernel Genesis Batch

One of the most validating moments in our journey came when we participated in Gitcoin Grants Round 7. The web3 community rallied behind our vision, and the 214 contributors who supported us provided the first real financial backing for Push Protocol. This wasn’t just funding — it was proof that the community believed in what we were building.

Our acceptance into the Kernel Genesis Batch was another major milestone. Kernel is known for nurturing some of the most promising projects in web3, and being part of this cohort opened doors to invaluable mentorship and collaboration. Through Kernel, we connected with visionaries like Juan Benet, Sandeep Nailwal, and Alok from Standard VC — relationships that continue to shape Push’s journey.

Solving the Web3 Communication Problem

With our foundations set, we turned to the next big challenge: launching web3 notifications. But we faced a classic chicken-and-egg problem. Wallets needed popular protocols to adopt notifications for users to see their value — but those protocols wanted to see wallet adoption first.

We decided to take a leap of faith and reached out to some of the leading protocols in the space. Fortunately, innovators like Uniswap believed in our vision and became early adopters. Their support helped us break the deadlock and set the stage for broader adoption across the web3 ecosystem.

Backed by the Best Minds in Web3

As Push gained momentum, it attracted attention from some of the most respected investors and thought leaders in the space. Balaji Srinivasan, Sandeep Nailwal, Scott Moore, and leading VCs like A.Capital, ParaFi, Binance Labs, Jump, and Sino Global saw the potential of what we were building and backed us through our seed and Series A rounds.

This backing wasn’t just financial — it was a testament to the strength of our vision and the importance of the problem we were solving.

Scaling and Innovating: Building for Web3’s Future

As our user base grew, so did the demands on our infrastructure. We quickly realized that delivering millions of notifications required a system that could scale without compromising speed. To meet this challenge, we developed a dynamic sharding solution that ensures Push can handle increasing demand while maintaining lightning-fast performance.

In the process of optimizing write throughput, we accidentally stumbled upon a groundbreaking innovation: consumer transactions. Unlike traditional transactions that require strict ordering, consumer transactions are stateless and can be processed in parallel. This discovery laid the foundation for the unprecedented scalability of Push Chain.

Rebranding for a Broader Vision

As our vision expanded beyond notifications and Ethereum, we realized our original name — Ethereum Push Notification Service (EPNS) — no longer reflected the full scope of what we were building.

We were no longer just a notification service. We had evolved into a decentralized communication protocol for all of web3, offering chat and other communication tools across multiple chains. And so, we rebranded to Push Protocol — a name that captures our mission to push web3 forward.

The Birth of Push Chain: A Universal Hub for Web3

Through years of building and innovating, we eventually realized that the infrastructure we had developed had far greater potential than we initially imagined. Push Chain was born from this realization — a shared state blockchain designed to unify web3 and enable seamless, user-centric app experiences.

Push Chain is more than just another L1. It’s a universal hub where users from different chains can interact without bridging or switching networks. By offering fast finality (<1 second), infinite scalability through parallel validators and dynamic sharding, and groundbreaking features like wallet and fee abstraction, Push Chain redefines the possibilities of web3 interoperability.

Key features of Push Chain include:

Cross-Chain Transactions: Execute transactions from any chain — Solana, Ethereum, EVM, or non-EVM — without bridging.
Consumer Transactions: Stateless, unordered transactions that enable massive parallel processing.
Wallet and Fee Abstraction: Simplified UX with one-time sign-ins and no repeated transaction approvals.
Universal Smart Contracts: Access the state of wallets from different chains in a single environment.

The Road Ahead: Building the Future of Web3 Together

The journey of Push Protocol has been defined by innovation, collaboration, and the incredible support of the web3 community. With the launch of Push Chain, we’re taking a massive leap toward a more unified and user-friendly web3 ecosystem.

But this is just the beginning. We invite developers, builders, and visionaries to join us in building universal applications and creating the seamless, interoperable web3 we all dream of.

Thank you for being part of our journey. Together, we’re just getting started. 🚀

The Evolution of Push: A Journey of Innovation, Community, and the Future of Web3 Communication

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Ayush Sahu

Ayush Sahu