Eclipse Founder Neel Somani Transitions Away from Leadership to Pursue Machine Learning Research

Neel Somani, the founder behind the Ethereum Layer 2 protocol Eclipse, has made a significant career pivot. According to The Block’s December 2025 report, Somani formally stepped down from his executive chairman position effective October 2025, marking a deliberate shift in his professional priorities toward full-time machine learning research and intellectual pursuits.

The Eclipse Journey: From Vision to Execution

The story of Eclipse reflects Neel Somani’s evolution as a blockchain entrepreneur. He established the project in 2022 with an ambitious goal: creating a high-performance scaling solution. The company’s initial fundraising strategy demonstrated strong investor confidence, securing $15 million in seed funding to develop a scaling layer built on the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM) infrastructure. However, recognizing the market dynamics and technological opportunities, Somani and his team pivoted the protocol toward Ethereum Layer 2 in 2023, repositioning Eclipse within the competitive L2 ecosystem.

The project’s trajectory accelerated considerably in 2024 when Eclipse closed a Series A funding round worth $50 million, validating the revised technical direction and attracting institutional backing.

Leadership Transition: From CEO to Strategic Advisor

Neel Somani’s path from operational leadership to executive chairman in recent years reflected a natural progression for a maturing project. His recent departure from the executive chairman role represents the culmination of a pre-planned succession strategy. This founder-led transition was executed intentionally, without any adjustments to equity stakes or modifications to board authority structures. The move ensures continuity while allowing Somani to redirect his intellectual energy.

Why Now: The Appeal of Machine Learning Frontiers

The shift marks a telling moment for Neel Somani, suggesting a broader trend among founders who are pivoting toward artificial intelligence and machine learning research. By stepping away from day-to-day operations, Somani signals his belief that Eclipse has reached a maturity level capable of operating independently. His focus on ML research underscores the growing intersection between blockchain technology and advanced AI systems—a space where fundamental research could yield significant innovations.

For Eclipse as a project, the transition ensures that operational continuity remains unaffected while enabling the founder to contribute to the blockchain ecosystem in different capacity.