Stablecoin-focused blockchain startup Tempo has added Farcaster co-founders Dan Romero and Varun Srinivasan after infrastructure firm Neynar acquired the Farcaster social protocol in January.
The move follows Neynar’s purchase of Farcaster’s protocol, app and related assets, allowing Romero, Srinivasan and parts of the Merkle team to step back from day-to-day operations of the decentralised social network.
Launched as an alternative to centralised platforms, Farcaster raised $150 million in 2024 from investors including Paradigm and Andreessen Horowitz but struggled to achieve sustained mainstream adoption.
Romero and Srinivasan announced on Feb. 9 that they had joined Tempo, a layer-one blockchain designed for stablecoin-powered global payments rather than consumer-facing social applications.
Tempo raised $500 million in October 2025 at a reported $5 billion valuation, launched its testnet in December and expects to roll out its mainnet later in 2026.
The addition of the former Farcaster leadership brings deep experience in protocol design and onchain product development as Tempo builds out payments infrastructure.
The transition highlights a broader industry shift toward financial utility, with Neynar continuing Farcaster under new leadership while Tempo scales its stablecoin-based payments network.