Quick TakeFounded in 2018 by Alexander Skidanov and Illia Polosukhin, NEAR Protocol is an open-source platform for decentralized applicationsNEAR has recently raised $150 million, which came just a few months after NEAR started an $800 million fund to foster growth in the entire ecosystemThe Block has identified 213 projects and companies across 14 verticals in the NEAR Ecosystem