Paradigm is a research-driven investment firm based in San Francisco, specializing in the cryptocurrency sector. Founded in 2018 by Matt Huang and Fred Ehrsam, the company aims to support innovative companies and protocols from their inception, often at the idea stage. Paradigm emphasizes a builder mentality, with many of its team members having experience in developing tools and protocols that play a significant role in the crypto ecosystem. The firm is committed to advancing the frontier of cryptocurrency through both investment and the creation of open-source software. Research is central to Paradigm's approach, as the firm believes that deep understanding fosters innovation and progress. Rather than solely providing financial support, Paradigm actively engages in collaboration, whether it be through producing research papers or offering product and business strategy guidance.
Across is a cross-chain bridge secured by UMA's optimistic oracle for L2s and rollups. It also optimized for capital efficiency with a single liquidity pool, a competitive relayer landscape, and a no-slippage fee model.
Phantom
Series C in 2025
Phantom is a digital wallet specifically designed for decentralized finance (DeFi) and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). It functions as a multichain wallet, allowing users to manage their cryptocurrency and NFT assets across various blockchain networks, with a primary focus on Solana. The Phantom wallet is available on multiple platforms, including mobile devices and browser extensions, enhancing accessibility for users engaged in digital finance. The wallet leverages secure and transparent digital ledger technology, enabling users to safely store, buy, send, receive, and swap tokens, as well as collect NFTs, all within a user-friendly interface.
Ellipsis Labs
Venture Round in 2024
Ellipsis Labs is a technology company specializing in decentralized finance (DeFi). It is developing Phoenix, a decentralized limit order book exchange on the Solana blockchain. Phoenix is fully on-chain, non-custodial, and does not require a central order book. It enables users to trade cryptocurrencies by placing limit orders, allowing for more precise price execution.
Ithaca
Venture Round in 2024
Ithaca is a technology company focused on advancing the Bitcoin ecosystem. It aims to address significant challenges in the Bitcoin space by harnessing technologies from established Layer 2 solutions like Optimism and Starkware. The company's core product is an open-source Layer 2 testnet, designed to foster innovation in the crypto sector. Ithaca leverages the Reth Software Development Kit (SDK), empowering developers to build with state-of-the-art features and facilitating seamless onboarding, thereby drawing in the crypto developer community.
Sorella Labs
Seed Round in 2024
Sorella Labs is a technology company specializing in blockchain solutions. It is developing a decentralized protocol for on-chain liquidity markets, with a primary focus on addressing the Maximum Extractable Value (MEV) issues prevalent in the Ethereum ecosystem. The company employs advanced algorithms and blockchain analytics to identify and mitigate MEV-related attacks, ensuring fair transaction prices for DeFi users and enhancing the overall security and efficiency of the Ethereum network.
Conduit
Series A in 2024
Conduit operates as a platform focused on providing crypto native infrastructure aimed at supporting developers in the cryptocurrency space. The company collaborates with leading crypto engineering teams to develop a comprehensive suite of tools that facilitate the creation, deployment, and maintenance of smart contracts, particularly on the Ethereum network. By offering a visual programming environment, Conduit enables developers to build, test, and deploy smart contracts efficiently, utilizing various programming languages and libraries. This streamlined approach enhances the overall development process, empowering builders in the rapidly evolving field of cryptocurrency.
Monad
Series A in 2024
MONAD is a proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchain and decentralized computation platform that combines the best of performance and portability.
Ellipsis Labs
Series A in 2024
Ellipsis Labs is a technology company specializing in decentralized finance (DeFi). It is developing Phoenix, a decentralized limit order book exchange on the Solana blockchain. Phoenix is fully on-chain, non-custodial, and does not require a central order book. It enables users to trade cryptocurrencies by placing limit orders, allowing for more precise price execution.
Axiom
Series A in 2024
Axiom enables smart contracts to securely compute over Ethereum's whole history, including transactions and receipts. Developers can send on-chain queries to Axiom, which are automatically completed with ZK-verified responses delivered back to the developer's smart contract.
Blast
Venture Round in 2023
Blast is an Optimistic Rollup-based Layer 2 network.
Dzone Finance
Series A in 2023
Dzone Finance is a cross-chain Dex and Bridge aggregator.
Friend.tech
Seed Round in 2023
Friend.tech is a technology company developing a decentralized social media platform. Its core product is a mobile application that enables users to tokenize their friendships, allowing them to buy, sell, and own shares of their connections. This unique approach facilitates private, shareholder-exclusive chats and enables users to transact using Ethereum (ETH).
Flashbots
Series B in 2023
Flashbots is a research and development company dedicated to improving the efficiency and transparency of Miner Extractable Value (MEV) in blockchain ecosystems. The company focuses on creating tools for miners and searchers to extract MEV in a more transparent and efficient manner. Flashbots aims to mitigate the negative impacts of current MEV extraction techniques, which can pose existential risks to state-rich blockchains like Ethereum. Their goal is to establish a permissionless, transparent, and fair ecosystem for MEV extraction and redistribution.
EDX Markets
Series A in 2023
EDX Markets operates as a digital asset marketplace. It caters to the needs of both crypto-native firms and large financial institutions. The company trades in various cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Bitcoin Cash. EDX Markets combines innovative technology with financial services to enable safe and compliant trading of digital assets. It also provides trading resources and a UAT Environment for its users. The company is also known for its focus on hiring crypto talent, as stated by its CEO, Jamil Nazarali.
Utopia
Series A in 2023
Utopia Labs specializes in creating an operating system tailored for decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) to streamline payment requests, payroll, and reporting processes. The platform enables users to manage invoices and expenses for contributors through a single link, facilitating the automation of recurring salaries for core team members. Additionally, Utopia Labs provides a payment application that allows for free, instant, and global transactions, simplifying the management of contributor payments and expenses. With features that organize transactions through tagging, the system enhances transparency in financial reporting for DAOs.
Conduit
Seed Round in 2023
Conduit operates as a platform focused on providing crypto native infrastructure aimed at supporting developers in the cryptocurrency space. The company collaborates with leading crypto engineering teams to develop a comprehensive suite of tools that facilitate the creation, deployment, and maintenance of smart contracts, particularly on the Ethereum network. By offering a visual programming environment, Conduit enables developers to build, test, and deploy smart contracts efficiently, utilizing various programming languages and libraries. This streamlined approach enhances the overall development process, empowering builders in the rapidly evolving field of cryptocurrency.
Uniswap
Series B in 2022
Uniswap Labs is a software company founded in 2018 by Hayden Adams, who created the Uniswap Protocol, a decentralized platform for swapping digital assets. The protocol has facilitated $2.75 trillion in transaction volume since its inception. Uniswap Labs focuses on developing widely used decentralized finance (DeFi) products, including a user-friendly web interface, a self-custody mobile wallet, and an API tailored for professional market participants. The platform empowers liquidity providers and traders by offering a financial marketplace that is open and accessible to all. Utilizing smart contracts, it enables secure and decentralized on-chain conversions of assets, allowing users to trade tokens directly without intermediaries while defining asset prices based on the liquidity staked in the system.
Exponential DeFi
Seed Round in 2022
Exponential DeFi platform makes it easy to discover, assess, and invest in DeFi yield opportunities. Anyone can become a lender or market maker with DeFi. Financial freedom is within everyone's reach when individuals have the ability to grow their wealth exponentially. Its platform helps investors assess the risk of DeFi yield opportunities so they can invest with confidence. Exponential DeFi platform was founded in 2021 and is based in San Francisco, California.
Tessera
Series A in 2022
Tessera's mission is to curate the most extraordinary collective ownership experiences produced by the greatest creators, builders, and leaders. Tessera's vision is a world where anyone can have the opportunity to collectively own and govern things they value, without reliance on central gatekeepers to execute decisions and actions on their behalf.
SignalPlus
Series A in 2022
SignalPlus is an enterprise technology company dedicated to enhancing accessibility in trading options for digital and crypto assets. It offers a fully automated trading system that addresses the infrastructure gap between centralized finance (CeFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms. Utilizing an AI-powered trading robot, SignalPlus automates market making and risk hedging, enabling traders to manage their risks effectively. The platform features a comprehensive cryptocurrency trading dashboard, which includes a variety of pricing, analytics, and execution algorithms, as well as multi-vendor and direct market access. This setup supports high-touch trading strategies while ensuring there is no cost commitment for users.
SignalPlus
Seed Round in 2022
SignalPlus is an enterprise technology company dedicated to enhancing accessibility in trading options for digital and crypto assets. It offers a fully automated trading system that addresses the infrastructure gap between centralized finance (CeFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms. Utilizing an AI-powered trading robot, SignalPlus automates market making and risk hedging, enabling traders to manage their risks effectively. The platform features a comprehensive cryptocurrency trading dashboard, which includes a variety of pricing, analytics, and execution algorithms, as well as multi-vendor and direct market access. This setup supports high-touch trading strategies while ensuring there is no cost commitment for users.
Dework
Seed Round in 2022
Dework is a web3-based project management platform designed to enhance collaboration in decentralized environments. It allows users to manage tasks, attract contributor applicants, and integrate with platforms like Discord to boost contributor reputation. The platform enables organizations to create bounties for contributors, facilitating payments using their own DAO tokens. By providing tools for building web3 profiles and managing project-related activities, Dework supports the seamless operation of decentralized autonomous organizations and fosters a more engaged contributor community.
Optimism
Series B in 2022
Optimism is a decentralized infrastructure platform focused on enhancing Ethereum's scalability and transaction speed. Founded in 2019 and headquartered in New York, the company operates as a public benefit corporation, balancing the financial interests of shareholders with the broader needs of the community and society. Optimism develops open-source software that enables developers to build on the Ethereum blockchain more efficiently, utilizing zero-knowledge proofs to ensure the validity of state updates. By promoting fair access to public goods on the internet, Optimism aims to create a responsible and sustainable ecosystem that benefits both businesses and the wider community.
Gauntlet
Series B in 2022
Gauntlet is a developer of a financial modeling and simulation platform aimed at enhancing the safety and efficiency of blockchain protocols and smart contracts. The company's platform utilizes agent-based simulation to analyze and optimize key parameters of various protocols, which helps improve capital efficiency, fees, risk management, and incentive structures. By modeling market risk and economic incentives, Gauntlet enables clients to maximize their returns while minimizing potential risks. Its applied research and optimization teams focus on driving sustainable growth for leading crypto protocols, chains, and on-chain treasuries, ultimately enhancing financial performance for businesses in the blockchain ecosystem.
Phantom
Series B in 2022
Phantom is a digital wallet specifically designed for decentralized finance (DeFi) and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). It functions as a multichain wallet, allowing users to manage their cryptocurrency and NFT assets across various blockchain networks, with a primary focus on Solana. The Phantom wallet is available on multiple platforms, including mobile devices and browser extensions, enhancing accessibility for users engaged in digital finance. The wallet leverages secure and transparent digital ledger technology, enabling users to safely store, buy, send, receive, and swap tokens, as well as collect NFTs, all within a user-friendly interface.
OpenSea
Series C in 2022
OpenSea is a peer-to-peer marketplace dedicated to the trading of crypto collectibles and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). It facilitates the buying and selling of various digital assets, including gaming items and virtual goods, all secured by blockchain technology. Users can engage in transactions through smart contracts, which enhance security and trust in the trading process. The platform aims to streamline the exchange of these digital assets, making it accessible for anyone interested in the world of crypto collectibles. By providing a user-friendly interface and robust infrastructure, OpenSea has established itself as a leading marketplace in the burgeoning NFT space.
Aztec
Series A in 2021
Aztec specializes in developing privacy-focused technologies for Ethereum-based transactions. It is renowned for creating PLONK, a leading standard in zero-knowledge proofs, enabling fast, private interactions on the public blockchain. The company's research team has made significant contributions to Layer 2 solutions on Ethereum and possesses extensive expertise in deploying intricate cryptosystems within Web3 environments. Aztec Network recently unveiled an advanced version of zk.money, showcasing its Aztec Connect SDK's ability to facilitate seamless integrations with prominent DeFi protocols like Lido and Element Finance. The company is currently working on building a secure, encrypted blockchain secured by Ethereum.
Osmosis Foundation
Initial Coin Offering in 2021
Osmosis is a decentralized peer-to-peer blockchain that people can use to create liquidity and trade IBC enabled tokens. The Osmosis blockchain is made up of free, public, and open-source software. - Osmosis is a first-of-its-kind automated market maker (AMM) that marks a foundational shift in how liquidity providers can benefit from Interchain DeFi.
Euler Labs
Series A in 2021
Euler is a non-custodial lending protocol built on Ethereum that allows users to lend and borrow a wide range of crypto assets without relying on a trusted third party. The platform offers a capital-efficient solution for earning interest on crypto holdings and provides mechanisms to hedge against market volatility. By utilizing reactive interest rates informed by control theory, Euler's system adapts in real-time to market conditions, enabling users to manage risk effectively. This innovative approach allows clients to engage with a diverse array of crypto assets while minimizing risk exposure.
Tessera
Seed Round in 2021
Tessera's mission is to curate the most extraordinary collective ownership experiences produced by the greatest creators, builders, and leaders. Tessera's vision is a world where anyone can have the opportunity to collectively own and govern things they value, without reliance on central gatekeepers to execute decisions and actions on their behalf.
dYdX
Series C in 2021
dYdX is a decentralized exchange that provides traders with a secure and efficient platform for various financial activities. Established in 2017 by Antonio Juliano, a former engineer at Coinbase and Uber, dYdX operates on audited smart contracts on Ethereum, ensuring transparency and security without relying on a central authority. The platform offers a range of trading options, including perpetual, margin, and spot trading, along with borrowing and lending pools. Users can earn interest on deposits or take loans at nominal fees, enabling them to trade on margin with customized leverage. dYdX aims to create an open financial system, granting users access to vital financial tools while facilitating fully collateralized loans for short-selling.
Lido
Initial Coin Offering in 2021
Lido is a developer of an open-source liquid staking platform that enhances the Ethereum network's block validation capabilities. The platform addresses challenges related to initial cryptocurrency staking by allowing users to stake their assets and receive synthetic native tokens of equivalent value. These tokens can be utilized across various decentralized finance applications, enabling users to earn yield while maintaining liquidity. Lido's middleware operates on the Ethereum blockchain, ensuring perpetual access through multiple interfaces and channels.
Gitcoin
Venture Round in 2021
Gitcoin, established in 2017 and headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, operates a platform that connects open-source developers with funding opportunities. The platform, built on the Ethereum network using Solidity, enables developers to monetize their work in various programming languages, including Python, Rust, Ruby, JavaScript, and Solidity. Gitcoin fosters a symbiotic relationship between developers, maintainers, and financiers, promoting the growth of open-source projects and the community. The company's grants management platform offers decentralized allocation infrastructure and smart contract-based funding mechanisms, facilitating efficient capital distribution and community-driven innovation within blockchain ecosystems.
Opyn
Series A in 2021
Opyn is a decentralized protocol that facilitates options trading on Ethereum and ERC20 tokens. It allows users to earn premiums or express views on assets through the trading of options, specifically offering European, cash-settled options that automatically exercise upon expiry. Opyn's options, known as oTokens, are ERC20 tokens that can be traded on any decentralized exchange adhering to the ERC20 standard. The platform initially launched with Opyn v1, which established the first live ERC20 options protocol, enabling users to create, buy, and sell options for any ERC20 token. Opyn v1 continues to operate on the Ethereum network, providing a venue for American, physically settled options, while ongoing developments aim to expand the range of ERC20 options available. By optimizing capital efficiency and promoting inclusive trading practices, Opyn enhances the overall experience for the trading community.
Synthetix
Seed Round in 2020
Synthetix is a decentralized synthetic asset issuance protocol based in Australia, established in 2017 by Kain Warwick. Built on the Ethereum blockchain, it facilitates derivatives trading in decentralized finance (DeFi) by enabling the creation of synthetic assets that provide exposure to real-world currencies, commodities, stocks, and indices. The platform offers unique financial instruments such as perpetual futures and options markets, allowing users to trade synthetic forms of assets with infinite liquidity. Synthetix operates a peer-to-contract trading system and utilizes a distributed collateral pool, ensuring transparency and accessibility for customers seeking on-chain exposure to various decentralized assets.
Nebulous
Seed Round in 2020
Nebulous, Inc. is a Boston-based company founded in 2014 that specializes in developing blockchain hardware and software infrastructure for the decentralized internet. The company is known for its flagship product, Sia, a decentralized cloud storage platform that utilizes blockchain technology to create a marketplace for data storage. Additionally, Nebulous offers Skynet, a decentralized content delivery network (CDN) and file-sharing platform aimed at developers, along with SiaStream, which provides affordable storage solutions for media files to enable fast streaming. As a core contributor and maintainer of the open-source Skynet project, Nebulous plays a significant role in advancing the decentralized web ecosystem.
Uniswap
Series A in 2020
Uniswap Labs is a software company founded in 2018 by Hayden Adams, who created the Uniswap Protocol, a decentralized platform for swapping digital assets. The protocol has facilitated $2.75 trillion in transaction volume since its inception. Uniswap Labs focuses on developing widely used decentralized finance (DeFi) products, including a user-friendly web interface, a self-custody mobile wallet, and an API tailored for professional market participants. The platform empowers liquidity providers and traders by offering a financial marketplace that is open and accessible to all. Utilizing smart contracts, it enables secure and decentralized on-chain conversions of assets, allowing users to trade tokens directly without intermediaries while defining asset prices based on the liquidity staked in the system.
Reflexer
Seed Round in 2020
Reflexer Labs, founded in 2020 and based in the USA, is a decentralized finance project focused on developing low-volatility collateral to enhance the stability of the DeFi ecosystem. The company specializes in creating a volatility-dampened synthetic instrument that leverages control theory within smart contracts. This innovative approach allows for the automatic adjustment of collateral supply, mirroring the price patterns of underlying assets while maintaining reduced volatility. By doing so, Reflexer aims to provide a stable and secure foundation for businesses operating in the decentralized finance space, helping them minimize the risks associated with investment losses.
Yield Protocol
Seed Round in 2020
Yield is building a decentralized lending protocol to bring fixed-term, fixed-rate lending to decentralized finance. Yield was founded by Allan Niemerg in 2020 and is based in Chicago, Illinois.
Keep
Venture Round in 2020
Keep Network, established in 2017 and based in George Town, Cayman Islands, specializes in creating interactive links between public blockchains and private data. The company's core product, tBTC, is a decentralized bridge enabling users to securely and anonymously transfer their Bitcoin to the Ethereum network, facilitating participation in decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms. Keep Network's technology, an off-chain container for private data, allows smart contracts to leverage the full power of public blockchains while maintaining data privacy.
Keep
Initial Coin Offering in 2020
Keep Network, established in 2017 and based in George Town, Cayman Islands, specializes in creating interactive links between public blockchains and private data. The company's core product, tBTC, is a decentralized bridge enabling users to securely and anonymously transfer their Bitcoin to the Ethereum network, facilitating participation in decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms. Keep Network's technology, an off-chain container for private data, allows smart contracts to leverage the full power of public blockchains while maintaining data privacy.
Optimism
Seed Round in 2020
Optimism is a decentralized infrastructure platform focused on enhancing Ethereum's scalability and transaction speed. Founded in 2019 and headquartered in New York, the company operates as a public benefit corporation, balancing the financial interests of shareholders with the broader needs of the community and society. Optimism develops open-source software that enables developers to build on the Ethereum blockchain more efficiently, utilizing zero-knowledge proofs to ensure the validity of state updates. By promoting fair access to public goods on the internet, Optimism aims to create a responsible and sustainable ecosystem that benefits both businesses and the wider community.
Flashbots
Seed Round in 2020
Flashbots is a research and development company dedicated to improving the efficiency and transparency of Miner Extractable Value (MEV) in blockchain ecosystems. The company focuses on creating tools for miners and searchers to extract MEV in a more transparent and efficient manner. Flashbots aims to mitigate the negative impacts of current MEV extraction techniques, which can pose existential risks to state-rich blockchains like Ethereum. Their goal is to establish a permissionless, transparent, and fair ecosystem for MEV extraction and redistribution.
Compound
Series A in 2019
Compound is an open-source interest rate protocol based in San Francisco, California, that facilitates the development of new financial applications for developers. Founded in 2017, it operates a decentralized finance lending platform designed to create efficient money markets through real-time asset management. The protocol, built on the Ethereum blockchain, employs a series of open-source smart contracts that algorithmically adjust interest rates based on the specific supply and demand of each asset. This enables users to access liquid, transparent, and predictable interest rates, making it a widely adopted system with thousands of users and numerous applications integrating its functionalities.
O1Labs
Series A in 2019
O1Labs, established in 2017, is a blockchain technology company that specializes in zero knowledge cryptography and innovative cryptographic solutions. The company's significant contributions include the development of the Mina Protocol, recognized as the world's first lightweight, scalable, and decentralized zk blockchain. Additionally, O1Labs has created o1js, an intuitive framework designed to assist developers in building zk applications. By leveraging zero-knowledge proofs, O1Labs seeks to enhance blockchain accessibility and facilitate the creation of user-friendly cryptocurrency applications that operate natively in web browsers. The company's vision is to drive the next generation of applications powered by zero knowledge cryptography.
Ignite
Series A in 2019
Ignite is a blockchain company founded in 2014 by Ethan Buchman in Berkeley, California. It specializes in providing open-source tools for blockchain development, notably through Ignite CLI, a rapid prototyping tool that allows developers to create new blockchains efficiently. With just two command-line interface commands, developers can launch a simple Cosmos SDK-based blockchain in less than five minutes, significantly reducing the time and complexity typically associated with blockchain development. Ignite also focuses on enhancing blockchain application development through a consensus algorithm and peer-to-peer networking protocol, promoting greater speed, security, and scalability for distributed applications. By lowering barriers to entry for developers, Ignite aims to enrich the blockchain ecosystem and foster innovation within the space.
Veil
Seed Round in 2019
Veil, Inc. is a peer-to-peer trading platform that focuses on prediction markets and derivatives, leveraging the Augur and 0x protocols. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, the company allows users to engage in betting on various prediction markets while also facilitating the trading of a diverse array of crypto assets. Veil's innovative platform aims to enhance user participation in decentralized markets by providing a seamless and accessible trading experience.
Cosmos Network
Seed Round in 2019
Cosmos is a project with an ambitious mission: To create a network of distributed ledgers that will solve long-standing problems in the cryptocurrency and blockchain communities.
Namebase
Seed Round in 2018
Namebase operates an open-bidding domain marketplace that facilitates the buying, selling, and management of top-level domains and HNS coins. The platform simplifies the process of utilizing next-generation domain names, allowing users to host websites while also enabling them to receive cryptocurrency through their domain names. This innovative approach caters to both traditional domain management and the growing interest in blockchain technology, positioning Namebase as a key player in the evolving digital landscape.
Spacemesh
Venture Round in 2018
Spacemesh is a blockchain protocol based in North Pole, Alaska, that focuses on creating a fair, decentralized, and secure platform for smart contracts. It employs a unique Proofs of Space-Time (PoST) consensus mechanism and utilizes a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) topology instead of traditional chain structures. This innovative approach allows for a leaderless, non-competitive voting system known as Collaborative Mining, which promotes permissionless decentralization. The platform is designed to be open-source and programmable, enabling users to run general-purpose smart contracts efficiently while conserving resources by leveraging unused storage space on hard drives for computation. With its emphasis on security, fairness, and environmental sustainability, Spacemesh aims to provide a robust cryptocurrency solution that can self-heal and adapt to the needs of its users.
Gauntlet
Gauntlet is a developer of a financial modeling and simulation platform aimed at enhancing the safety and efficiency of blockchain protocols and smart contracts. The company's platform utilizes agent-based simulation to analyze and optimize key parameters of various protocols, which helps improve capital efficiency, fees, risk management, and incentive structures. By modeling market risk and economic incentives, Gauntlet enables clients to maximize their returns while minimizing potential risks. Its applied research and optimization teams focus on driving sustainable growth for leading crypto protocols, chains, and on-chain treasuries, ultimately enhancing financial performance for businesses in the blockchain ecosystem.
Spot something off? Help us improve by flagging any incorrect or outdated information. Just email us at support@teaserclub.com. Your feedback is most welcome.