Placeholder

Placeholder Ventures, established in 2017 and headquartered in New York City, is a thesis-driven venture capital firm. It invests in decentralized information networks, with a focus on cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies. As a Registered Investment Adviser, the firm manages two funds, Placeholder Fund I and II, both targeting investments in the cryptocurrency and blockchain sectors.

Brad Burnham

Venture Partner

Christopher Burniske

Co-Founder and Partner

Joel Monegro

Co-Founder and Managing Partner

65 past transactions

Tally

Series A in 2025
Tally is a frontend for DAOs running on Ethereum and other EVM blockchains. Tally gives users real power in their decentralized organizations. On Tally, users can delegate voting power, create or pass proposals to spend DAO funds, manage a protocol, and upgrade smart contracts—all onchain.

Celestia

Series B in 2024
Celestia is a provider of modular blockchain networks based in Vaduz, Liechtenstein. Founded in 2019, the company specializes in deploying decentralized blockchains without the need for extensive initial setup. Celestia's platform serves as a scalable data availability layer for decentralized applications and sidechains with minimal trust requirements. This allows developers to efficiently store and manage blockchain data collectively, optimizing performance for various applications.

Squads

Series A in 2024
Squads is a developer of a decentralized program that enables the establishment of better and easier decentralized autonomous groups. The company's application combines all of the key components of a decentralized autonomous organization, such as deployment, treasury, vault management, on-chain voting, and chat, into a single portal with an easy-to-use interface, allowing users to streamline daily operations using a decentralized autonomous organization structure.

WeatherXM

Series A in 2024
WeatherXM is a community-driven weather network that offers accurate and hyper-local weather data to businesses in the Web3 sector. By incentivizing weather station owners, the company fosters a decentralized approach to weather data collection. Additionally, it specializes in delivering weather forecasting and analytics services, particularly for the energy sector, by integrating proprietary sensor technology and artificial intelligence. This combination allows WeatherXM to provide clients with enhanced weather insights, facilitating informed decision-making and operational efficiency.

Botanix Labs

Seed Round in 2024
Botanix Labs is a technology company that develops decentralized applications (dApps) for the cryptocurrency ecosystem. It combines the strengths of Bitcoin and Ethereum to create a platform that offers secure, decentralized, and fair distribution of cryptocurrencies. This platform enables users to explore decentralized lending, earn interest on their assets, and manage their wealth with ease.

Movement Labs

Series A in 2024
Movement Labs is a modular framework platform that builds and deploys move-based blockchains and applications in distributed settings. Its platform offers a composable and horizontally scalable network that provides unparalleled smart contract security and asset portability to help users solve the cold start problem with unprecedented interoperability.

Eclipse

Series A in 2024
Eclipse is building Ethereum's first Solana Virtual Machine Layer 2. While other L2 networks on Ethereum focus on providing Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatibility, Eclipse leans into performance improvements developed by the Solana Layer 1 and adds additional verification features to deploy the blockchain as a rollup. The Eclipse team includes veterans from dYdX, Uniswap, Citadel, and Airbnb. Eclipse Labs is backed by top investors including Polychain, Placeholder, and DBA.

NFTFi

Series A in 2024
NFTfi is a peer-to-peer lending marketplace that specializes in NFT collateralized loans. It allows NFT holders to leverage their digital assets as collateral to secure cryptocurrency loans from lenders. When an NFT holder accepts a loan offer, the NFT is placed in a secure escrow smart contract while the corresponding cryptocurrency, such as wETH, DAI, or USDC, is transferred directly to the borrower's wallet. This innovative platform provides liquidity to NFT owners, enabling them to access cash without the need to sell their valuable digital assets. By utilizing a valuation approach similar to that of traditional art financing, NFTfi helps users determine the worth of their NFTs for loan purposes.

Backpack

Series A in 2024
Backpack is a fully regulated global cryptocurrency exchange that innovates to deliver an engaging, enjoyable, and simple trading environment for both seasoned and new web3 users.

Polymer Labs

Series A in 2024
Polymer Labs is building the fabric of web3. We're working on an IBC based multi-cluster routing/roll-up protocol providing E2E IBC connectivity across ecosystems.

Pocket Network

Venture Round in 2023
Pocket Network is a developer of decentralized infrastructure that facilitates the creation of blockchain applications. The company's platform enables users to connect their applications to any blockchain by directing them to a node that manages requests across the network. Additionally, Pocket Network allows developers to create custom plugins, which streamlines the integration and implementation of blockchain technology. This approach not only saves time and resources but also enhances the overall development process for blockchain applications.

Saga.xyz

Seed Round in 2023
Saga.xyz gives visionaries the high-end tools and support they need to turn their blockchain dreams into reality.

Squads

Venture Round in 2023
Squads is a developer of a decentralized program that enables the establishment of better and easier decentralized autonomous groups. The company's application combines all of the key components of a decentralized autonomous organization, such as deployment, treasury, vault management, on-chain voting, and chat, into a single portal with an easy-to-use interface, allowing users to streamline daily operations using a decentralized autonomous organization structure.

Rated

Series A in 2023
Rated Labs is a company focused on enhancing transparency in Web3 infrastructure. It operates a platform that provides detailed data on validators and node operators, allowing users to compare their performance effectively. The company offers independent, third-party ratings for nodes and node operators, along with comprehensive datasets and robust data pipelines. This enables developers to better understand and utilize Ethereum's base layer infrastructure.

Drip Labs

Seed Round in 2023
Drip Labs is a technology company that facilitates the creation, distribution, and monetization of digital content, such as art, music, and videos, on a Web3 content distribution network. It empowers creators by simplifying the process of minting, selling, and managing digital assets, while providing fans with unique ways to support and engage with their favorite artists.

Nori

Venture Round in 2023
Nori Inc. is a carbon dioxide removal marketplace that utilizes a blockchain-based platform to facilitate the removal of excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Founded in 2017 and based in Seattle, Washington, Nori's marketplace allows carbon removal suppliers, such as farmers, to connect directly with buyers through a transparent and secure system. The platform streamlines the processes of measurement, verification, listing, and selling carbon removal certificates, enhancing efficiency and reducing costs. Additionally, Nori's blockchain application enables the use of cryptocurrency tokens for the exchange of these certificates, promoting a voluntary marketplace for carbon removal services.

Infinity Exchange

Seed Round in 2023
Infinity Exchange operates a platform facilitating efficient transactions of digital assets within decentralized finance (DeFi). It caters primarily to institutional investors, offering a robust lending and borrowing service accessible via smart contract, web interface, or API. The platform aims to provide enterprise-grade financial market infrastructure for digital assets, enabling seamless participation in the DeFi space with advanced features such as high-fidelity rates trading and real-world asset financing.

Gyroscope

Seed Round in 2023
Gyroscope operates a decentralized stablecoin platform focused on creating a resilient financial infrastructure. The company develops an asset-backed stablecoin that utilizes a diversified reserve and autonomous monetary policy to ensure stability and reliability. By reinventing stablecoin architecture and implementing effective risk control measures, Gyroscope addresses significant challenges in stablecoin design. The platform aims to provide robust public infrastructure that enhances the overall functionality and trustworthiness of stablecoins in the decentralized finance ecosystem.

Tensor

Seed Round in 2023
Tensor operates an NFT marketplace designed for professional traders, offering a platform that facilitates the buying, selling, and exchanging of non-fungible tokens. The marketplace aims to deliver deep liquidity, extensive coverage of various collections, and advanced trading functionalities. By prioritizing speed and data accessibility, Tensor enhances the trading experience, making it a dedicated space for those involved in the NFT market.

Monad

Seed Round in 2023
Monad is a proof-of-stake blockchain and decentralized computation platform that focuses on high performance and portability. It features a scalar architecture with pipelined execution, which allows for efficient transaction throughput. This innovative design enables developers to create complex decentralized applications (dApps) capable of processing a large volume of transactions quickly. By combining advanced technology with a user-friendly framework, Monad aims to enhance the overall functionality and scalability of decentralized applications in the blockchain ecosystem.

VAULT

Series A in 2023
Flick, Inc. is a software company that has developed a chat application tailored for sports influencers and their fans. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Mamaroneck, New York, the platform allows sports influencers to connect with their most engaged followers, fostering a deeper level of interaction. Users can create branded hubs where they can communicate directly with fans, host quizzes, and provide live in-game statistics and events. The application is designed to enhance fan engagement through features such as polls, pre-game hype, and post-game analysis, making it a comprehensive tool for sports enthusiasts. Flick is also accessible via the App Store and Google Play, further expanding its reach within the sports community.

Obol Labs

Series A in 2023
Obol Labs promotes the adoption of distributed validator technology by creating the Obol Network and its ecosystem. Its research and software development team focused on proof-of-stake infrastructure for public blockchain networks.

Across Protocol

Venture Round in 2022
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.

Celestia

Series A in 2022
Celestia is a provider of modular blockchain networks based in Vaduz, Liechtenstein. Founded in 2019, the company specializes in deploying decentralized blockchains without the need for extensive initial setup. Celestia's platform serves as a scalable data availability layer for decentralized applications and sidechains with minimal trust requirements. This allows developers to efficiently store and manage blockchain data collectively, optimizing performance for various applications.

Zerion

Series B in 2022
Zerion Inc. is a blockchain software company based in San Francisco, California, founded in 2015. It specializes in decentralized finance (DeFi), providing a platform that allows users to invest, earn interest, and borrow cryptocurrency assets. Zerion's primary offering is an investment app that aggregates data from major decentralized exchanges, enabling users to manage their digital assets from a single interface. The platform features real-time asset tracking with live price updates and instant notifications. Additionally, Zerion emphasizes a non-custodial approach, meaning users retain control of their funds and do not have to delegate them to the platform, thereby mitigating centralization risks. The company also offers CryptoTrader, an application designed to track the cryptocurrency market through charts, news, and alerts, further enhancing user engagement in the evolving financial landscape.

Rated

Seed Round in 2022
Rated Labs is a company focused on enhancing transparency in Web3 infrastructure. It operates a platform that provides detailed data on validators and node operators, allowing users to compare their performance effectively. The company offers independent, third-party ratings for nodes and node operators, along with comprehensive datasets and robust data pipelines. This enables developers to better understand and utilize Ethereum's base layer infrastructure.

Gearbox Protocol

Venture Round in 2022
Gearbox Protocol is a decentralized leveraged protocol provider that enables users to obtain leverage in a straightforward manner. The protocol operates as a two-sided lending marketplace, facilitating leverage that can be utilized across various decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms in a composable way. Gearbox Protocol offers a software platform that delivers leverage-as-a-service, allowing clients to automate and program their DeFi positions. This approach enhances capital efficiency and improves the overall composability of users' financial activities within the decentralized ecosystem.

Monaverse

Series A in 2022
Mona’s mission is to empower people around the world to create, collect, and share high quality immersive experiences on the blockchain, growing the Open Metaverse. Mona is the medium of the metaverse.

WeatherXM

Seed Round in 2022
WeatherXM is a community-driven weather network that offers accurate and hyper-local weather data to businesses in the Web3 sector. By incentivizing weather station owners, the company fosters a decentralized approach to weather data collection. Additionally, it specializes in delivering weather forecasting and analytics services, particularly for the energy sector, by integrating proprietary sensor technology and artificial intelligence. This combination allows WeatherXM to provide clients with enhanced weather insights, facilitating informed decision-making and operational efficiency.

seedclub

Series A in 2022
Seed Club is a DAO that builds and invests in communities. We’re building a future where the value created by communities on the internet is captured by people, not platforms.

Potion Labs

Initial Coin Offering in 2022
Potion Labs is a base layer for a wide range of asset risk-management applications.

Matter Labs

Series B in 2021
Matter Labs is a blockchain technology company founded in 2018, with its headquarters in Berlin, Germany, and an additional presence in George Town, Cayman Islands. The company focuses on scaling Ethereum through the implementation of zero-knowledge proofs, which facilitate secure interactions between untrusted parties on the network. Matter Labs aims to enhance public blockchain adoption by providing solutions that improve scalability and privacy. Its technology allows decentralized applications to operate more efficiently while ensuring verifiable computation, enabling parties to prove integrity without compromising privacy. The company's mission is driven by a commitment to creating an open and free alternative to existing financial systems.

Futureswap

Funding Round in 2021
Futureswap is a company based in San Francisco, California, that specializes in developing a decentralized futures exchange platform utilizing blockchain technology. The platform operates on a non-custodial basis, enabling users to engage in the trading of crypto futures contracts. Futureswap employs an automated market-making (AMM) algorithm to facilitate these transactions, enhancing liquidity and efficiency in the trading process. With a focus on decentralized finance, Futureswap aims to provide a secure and user-friendly environment for trading perpetual futures in the cryptocurrency market.

Futureswap

Venture Round in 2021
Futureswap is a company based in San Francisco, California, that specializes in developing a decentralized futures exchange platform utilizing blockchain technology. The platform operates on a non-custodial basis, enabling users to engage in the trading of crypto futures contracts. Futureswap employs an automated market-making (AMM) algorithm to facilitate these transactions, enhancing liquidity and efficiency in the trading process. With a focus on decentralized finance, Futureswap aims to provide a secure and user-friendly environment for trading perpetual futures in the cryptocurrency market.

Avantgarde Finance

Series A in 2021
Creating better experiences for aspiring asset managers & their investors by providing easy access to new superior financial infrastructure

Orca

Series A in 2021
Orca is a decentralized cryptocurrency exchange built on the Solana blockchain, facilitating instant token swaps with minimal transaction fees. The platform is designed to handle thousands of transactions per second, ensuring low latency and capital-efficient trading. Users can exchange tokens while receiving fair pricing and have the option to provide liquidity to trading pools, allowing them to earn a share of the trading fees generated on the platform.

Zerion

Series A in 2021
Zerion Inc. is a blockchain software company based in San Francisco, California, founded in 2015. It specializes in decentralized finance (DeFi), providing a platform that allows users to invest, earn interest, and borrow cryptocurrency assets. Zerion's primary offering is an investment app that aggregates data from major decentralized exchanges, enabling users to manage their digital assets from a single interface. The platform features real-time asset tracking with live price updates and instant notifications. Additionally, Zerion emphasizes a non-custodial approach, meaning users retain control of their funds and do not have to delegate them to the platform, thereby mitigating centralization risks. The company also offers CryptoTrader, an application designed to track the cryptocurrency market through charts, news, and alerts, further enhancing user engagement in the evolving financial landscape.

Aleo

Venture Round in 2021
Aleo provides a platform for building fully private applications using zero-knowledge technology. It offers a comprehensive toolkit that includes an application runtime environment, allowing software to compile, execute, and finalize its state autonomously. Aleo also supports a statically-typed programming language called Leo, designed specifically for private application development on the Aleo blockchain. The company engages its community through blogs and incentive programs to test the bounds of its decentralized technology.

DELV

Seed Round in 2021
DELV is a company focused on advancing the safe adoption of decentralized financial systems by developing a crypto-asset trading platform. This platform facilitates the buying and selling of yield and principal tokens, which do not require a minimum investment. By integrating various protocols, DELV aims to create innovative infrastructure that supports users in growing their savings at a fixed rate, enhancing capital efficiency. Through its research-backed and open-source approach, the company seeks to play a pivotal role in ushering in a new financial system.

Async Art

Seed Round in 2021
Async Art, Inc. operates an innovative online platform that connects artists and collectors in the realm of programmable art. Founded in 2019 and based in Fort Bragg, California, Async Art utilizes the Ethereum blockchain to facilitate the creation, collection, and trading of unique digital artworks. The platform allows users to own distinct components of a piece, referred to as "Layers," which interact with a central "Master" work. This structure enables multiple owners to independently modify their respective layers within parameters set by the artist, fostering a collaborative and dynamic art experience. For example, one user may control the sky in a landscape painting, while another controls a figure, and an AI adjusts elements based on external factors such as market trends. This approach aims to redefine the art world by integrating technology and user participation in the creative process.

Better Internet Foundation

Venture Round in 2021
Radicle is a developer-focused company that offers a peer-to-peer code collaboration platform designed to facilitate software development without intermediaries. By leveraging open protocols, Radicle enables users to manage projects and assets while sharing and collaborating on code repositories. The platform provides functionality similar to centralized code tools, allowing developers to work together efficiently without the need for hosted servers. This approach promotes greater autonomy and control over the development process.

Nexus Mutual

Venture Round in 2021
Nexus Mutual Limited is a London-based company that operates a decentralized insurance platform utilizing blockchain technology, specifically the Ethereum public blockchain. Founded in 2017, it offers a novel alternative to traditional insurance by enabling users to become members and collectively share insurance risks without the involvement of conventional insurance companies. Members can purchase coverage, and their decisions are governed by smart contracts, which ensure transparency and enforceability. Initially, Nexus Mutual launched with a product focusing on earthquake coverage, allowing participants to manage and mitigate risks collaboratively. The platform aims to recreate traditional mutual insurance models on a broader scale, providing an innovative approach to risk management in the insurance industry.

Matter Labs

Series A in 2021
Matter Labs is a blockchain technology company founded in 2018, with its headquarters in Berlin, Germany, and an additional presence in George Town, Cayman Islands. The company focuses on scaling Ethereum through the implementation of zero-knowledge proofs, which facilitate secure interactions between untrusted parties on the network. Matter Labs aims to enhance public blockchain adoption by providing solutions that improve scalability and privacy. Its technology allows decentralized applications to operate more efficiently while ensuring verifiable computation, enabling parties to prove integrity without compromising privacy. The company's mission is driven by a commitment to creating an open and free alternative to existing financial systems.

API3

Seed Round in 2020
API3 is a company that specializes in decentralized API infrastructure, designed to link blockchain applications with off-chain data providers. It addresses the challenges of API connectivity by utilizing decentralized APIs, which are formed from first-party oracles. This innovative approach allows data providers to serve as their own blockchain oracles, eliminating the need for third-party intermediaries. API3's platform aggregates data feeds from leading API providers, ensuring secure and quantifiable data delivery for decentralized applications. By leveraging its decentralized governance model, the company empowers data providers to maintain control over their data while facilitating seamless integration with blockchain technologies.

Nori

Seed Round in 2020
Nori Inc. is a carbon dioxide removal marketplace that utilizes a blockchain-based platform to facilitate the removal of excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Founded in 2017 and based in Seattle, Washington, Nori's marketplace allows carbon removal suppliers, such as farmers, to connect directly with buyers through a transparent and secure system. The platform streamlines the processes of measurement, verification, listing, and selling carbon removal certificates, enhancing efficiency and reducing costs. Additionally, Nori's blockchain application enables the use of cryptocurrency tokens for the exchange of these certificates, promoting a voluntary marketplace for carbon removal services.

Numerai

Funding Round in 2020
Numerai, LLC is a hedge fund firm founded in 2015 and based in San Francisco, California. It operates a unique investment approach by leveraging a global network of data scientists to develop predictive models for the stock market. The company transforms and regularizes financial data into machine learning challenges, allowing participants to engage in data science tournaments focused on stock market predictions. This innovative platform not only facilitates the creation of sophisticated investment strategies but also promotes a collaborative environment where data scientists can contribute to the firm's investment decisions. Through this model, Numerai aims to enhance investment returns and foster profitable outcomes for its investors.

Magic

Seed Round in 2020
Magic is a technology company that specializes in password-less authentication solutions, providing an alternative login method that enhances security and user experience. Its innovative technology employs a plug-and-play kit combined with blockchain infrastructure, enabling developers to easily integrate customizable password-less login features into their applications. With just a few lines of code, developers can implement this scalable solution, allowing users to access services without traditional passwords, thus streamlining the login process and reducing security risks associated with password management.

Balancer

Seed Round in 2020
Balancer Labs, Inc., established in 2018, is a U.S.-based company that operates a decentralized finance exchange. It specializes in providing a platform for programmable liquidity, enabling users to create and manage self-balancing index funds or invest in others' without the need for deposits, bids/asks, or order management. Balancer Labs also functions as a non-custodial portfolio manager, liquidity provider, and price sensor within this decentralized ecosystem.

FOAM

Venture Round in 2020
FOAM is a company focused on developing spatial protocols that aim to enhance location services through a decentralized approach. The FOAM protocol is designed to provide a crowdsourced map and fault-tolerant location verification system, utilizing an open network of terrestrial radios that can be operated by anyone. This innovative framework allows clients to centralize maps and location services while eliminating reliance on a single point of failure. FOAM operates from the New Lab at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, collaborating with a diverse team of blockchain developers, designers, architects, and urban planners to explore the geospatial implications on global infrastructures.

Zerion

Seed Round in 2019
Zerion Inc. is a blockchain software company based in San Francisco, California, founded in 2015. It specializes in decentralized finance (DeFi), providing a platform that allows users to invest, earn interest, and borrow cryptocurrency assets. Zerion's primary offering is an investment app that aggregates data from major decentralized exchanges, enabling users to manage their digital assets from a single interface. The platform features real-time asset tracking with live price updates and instant notifications. Additionally, Zerion emphasizes a non-custodial approach, meaning users retain control of their funds and do not have to delegate them to the platform, thereby mitigating centralization risks. The company also offers CryptoTrader, an application designed to track the cryptocurrency market through charts, news, and alerts, further enhancing user engagement in the evolving financial landscape.

Matter Labs

Seed Round in 2019
Matter Labs is a blockchain technology company founded in 2018, with its headquarters in Berlin, Germany, and an additional presence in George Town, Cayman Islands. The company focuses on scaling Ethereum through the implementation of zero-knowledge proofs, which facilitate secure interactions between untrusted parties on the network. Matter Labs aims to enhance public blockchain adoption by providing solutions that improve scalability and privacy. Its technology allows decentralized applications to operate more efficiently while ensuring verifiable computation, enabling parties to prove integrity without compromising privacy. The company's mission is driven by a commitment to creating an open and free alternative to existing financial systems.

3Box Labs

Seed Round in 2019
3Box Labs is a technology company based in New York that specializes in decentralized identity and data management solutions for web3 applications. Founded in 2018, it offers a suite of products including 3box.io, a social profiles application tailored for Ethereum users, and 3box.js, an API that facilitates user onboarding and data management for developers. Additionally, 3Box provides the 3box-dapp, which enables users to create and manage their social profiles, interact with decentralized applications, build reputations, and securely store data. The company's platform is designed to enhance user experience by ensuring that applications are lighter, more trustworthy, and carry reduced data management liabilities, thereby fostering a sustainable ecosystem where users have greater control over their data.

Polkadot

Venture Round in 2019
Polkadot is a pioneering blockchain protocol that facilitates communication and data exchange between independent blockchains. By enabling interoperability among various blockchain networks, Polkadot enhances the efficiency and scalability of decentralized applications. Its unique architecture not only ensures the orderly and valid transfer of messages but also simplifies the exchange of cryptocurrencies. This capability allows merchants to accept and manage diverse cryptocurrency payments with ease, while benefiting from low trading and transactional fees. Polkadot's innovative approach positions it as a significant player in the evolving landscape of blockchain technology, promoting a more interconnected and versatile ecosystem.

Numerai

Funding Round in 2019
Numerai, LLC is a hedge fund firm founded in 2015 and based in San Francisco, California. It operates a unique investment approach by leveraging a global network of data scientists to develop predictive models for the stock market. The company transforms and regularizes financial data into machine learning challenges, allowing participants to engage in data science tournaments focused on stock market predictions. This innovative platform not only facilitates the creation of sophisticated investment strategies but also promotes a collaborative environment where data scientists can contribute to the firm's investment decisions. Through this model, Numerai aims to enhance investment returns and foster profitable outcomes for its investors.

UMA

Seed Round in 2019
UMA is a decentralized platform focused on facilitating financial contracts with the aim of providing global market access. It enables the trading of derivative products, allowing users to create customized financial instruments without the need for a centralized authority. The platform operates as a reliable oracle, capable of recording verifiable truths and data on a blockchain. This structure not only promotes the automatic enforcement of contracts but also ensures instant settlement, reducing the risks associated with traditional financial systems. UMA's innovative approach empowers customers to transfer risk seamlessly across the internet while maintaining transparency and security in their transactions.

MakerDAO

Venture Round in 2019
MakerDAO is a decentralized autonomous organization that operates on the Ethereum blockchain, specializing in the development of a stablecoin known as Dai. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Santa Cruz, California, with additional offices in Copenhagen, Denmark, MakerDAO aims to minimize the price volatility of Dai by utilizing collateralized debt positions and autonomous feedback mechanisms. The company enables users to access a low-volatility, collateral-backed cryptocurrency, promoting financial inclusion and stability. In addition to Dai, MakerDAO has introduced MKR, a token that serves multiple purposes within its ecosystem, including governance and system recapitalization. Through its innovative approach, MakerDAO seeks to provide a decentralized digital currency that maintains its purchasing power, making financial services accessible to users worldwide.

Enzyme

Venture Round in 2019
Enzyme is a decentralized asset management infrastructure built on ethereum. They offer an autonomous system that has both its frontend and its backend hosted and executed on decentralized platforms, thereby replacing a large proportion of the middlemen with smart contracts and enabling asset managers to perform the same tasks at a fraction of the cost and with higher transparency, greater security, and a reduced requirement for trust.

Risk Labs

Venture Round in 2018
Risk Labs is the foundation and core team behind the Across and UMA Protocols.

Decred

Venture Round in 2018
Decred is a cryptocurrency that emphasizes community involvement, open governance, and sustainable development. It employs a hybrid mining system that combines proof-of-work and proof-of-stake mechanisms, which helps prevent centralization and ensures that no small group can control transaction processes or alter the currency without community consensus. Decred aims to facilitate free and fair trade in the cryptocurrency space while maintaining the integrity of its transactions through a secure blockchain technology. The currency unit is referred to as a decred. By prioritizing decentralized governance, Decred seeks to create a more inclusive and democratic financial ecosystem.

Zcash

Venture Round in 2018
Zcash offers total payment confidentiality, while still maintaining a decentralized network using a public blockchain. Unlike Bitcoin, Zcash transactions automatically hide the sender, recipient, and value of all transactions on the blockchain. Only those with the correct view key can see the contents. Users have complete control and can opt-in to provide others with their view key at their discretion. Zcash transactions do not depend on the cooperation of other parties. Additionally, full nodes in the Zcash network only need to store a small persistent state.

OpenZeppelin

Venture Round in 2017
OpenZeppelin is a company that specializes in developing tools and conducting security audits for decentralized applications, which are critical for supporting multimillion-dollar economies. It has established itself as a leader in the open-source community with its library, OpenZeppelin Contracts, which is utilized by over 3,000 public projects and supported by a network of more than 180 contributors. The company provides security audits for prominent entities such as the Ethereum Foundation and Coinbase, helping to set industry standards for secure system development. In addition to its auditing services, OpenZeppelin offers consulting, development, and escrow services, aimed at reducing barriers for businesses seeking to secure their decentralized systems. With a commitment to fostering a robust ecosystem, OpenZeppelin is also expanding its offerings to include a development platform that caters to the increasing number of developers creating applications on decentralized protocols.

0x

Venture Round in 2017
0x is a developer of an open protocol that enables decentralized exchanging of tokens on the Ethereum blockchain. The protocol serves as a standard framework that facilitates peer-to-peer transactions and promotes interoperability among decentralized applications that incorporate exchange capabilities. By providing a mechanism for users to seamlessly convert a diverse range of assets into cryptographic tokens, 0x aims to enhance the accessibility and efficiency of digital asset trading in a decentralized manner.

Filecoin

Venture Round in 2017
Filecoin is a decentralized data storage network that leverages blockchain technology, similar to Bitcoin. It operates by renting out unused disk space from participants to store files securely. Users can earn Filecoin tokens for contributing their storage capacity. These tokens can be exchanged for other currencies such as Bitcoin and USD. The company is headquartered in the United States.

Ethereum Foundation

Venture Round in 2017
The Ethereum Foundation, through its subsidiary Ethereum Switzerland GmbH, operates a decentralized platform that enables developers to create and publish distributed applications. Founded in 2014 and based in Baar, Switzerland, the foundation provides essential tools and services, including the Ethereum Wallet, which allows users to securely hold ether and other crypto-assets, as well as interact with smart contracts. The platform supports a variety of applications, such as crowdfunding, decentralized autonomous organizations, and the creation of new cryptocurrencies. By leveraging the principles of decentralized consensus, Ethereum facilitates the trading and management of diverse assets, including voting systems, financial exchanges, and intellectual property. The Ethereum Foundation is dedicated to promoting and supporting the development of the Ethereum ecosystem, ensuring its resilience and adaptability in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Agoric

Agoric is a developer of a framework designed to enhance the programming of smart contracts, aiming to support the entire blockchain ecosystem. The company focuses on enabling the creation and deployment of smart contracts using JavaScript, providing tools that are accessible and secure for millions of developers worldwide. Agoric emphasizes composability, which facilitates rapid development and offers a competitive advantage in the blockchain space. Its framework allows users to execute transactions securely, establish new markets, and develop innovative exchange patterns without relying on centralized control. The Agoric team comprises experienced technologists, economists, and business leaders who have collaborated on smart contracts technology for over three decades, with the shared goal of advancing smart contract capabilities and fostering global cooperation through digital assets.
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