Polychain Capital

Polychain Capital, founded in 2016 and based in San Francisco, is a venture capital firm that focuses on investing in blockchain technologies and digital assets. The firm is dedicated to advancing the global adoption of cryptocurrencies by actively managing portfolios that include various blockchain-based protocols and companies. As a Registered Investment Adviser, Polychain Capital aims to generate exceptional returns for its investors by leveraging the unique properties of digital assets, which are created and transmitted through cryptographic verification and game-theoretic principles.

Bobby Beniers

Research Partner

Kevin Ding

Seed Investor

Ben Perszyk

Partner

Josh Rosenthal

Partner and Portfolio Manager

Alexa Smith

Beacon Fund Manager

Jing Sun

LP Investor

Dovey Wan

Investor

Sven Wellmann

Research Analyst

Past deals in Smart Contracts

Warlock

Seed Round in 2025
Warlock Labs specializes in developing an omni-chain liquidation engine that enhances the safety and profitability of decentralized protocols. By recapturing maximum extractable value, the company's technology systematically removes intermediaries from the liquidation process. This approach allows miners to improve safety and efficiency while also increasing user retention and engagement with the protocols. Warlock Labs' innovative solutions aim to optimize the performance of decentralized finance applications, making them more secure and effective for users.

Fluent Labs

Seed Round in 2025
Fluent Labs is a blockchain development company. It aims to simplify blockchain development and enhance compatibility across different virtual machines.

Ethena

Funding Round in 2025
Ethena provides derivative infrastructure in order to transform Ethereum into the first crypto-native yield bearing stablecoin.

Superform Labs

Venture Round in 2024
Superform is a non-custodial yield marketplace. The protocol enables access to Erc-4626 vaults using any Evmchain.

Brevis

Seed Round in 2024
Brevis is an efficient, verifiable off-chain computation engine that brings limitless computation capacity to existing smart contract blockchains.

StakeStone

Seed Round in 2024
StakeStone is a technology company that develops an omnichannel liquidity protocol for optimizing crypto staking and asset management. Its protocol integrates dynamic staking networks, deep liquidity pools, and adaptive consensus mechanisms to maximize staking yields and ensure secure, transparent transactions. This enables cryptocurrency investors and developers to achieve efficient, scalable, and high-return staking operations across multiple blockchain networks.

Bitlayer

Series A in 2024
Bitlayer is a pioneering Bitcoin second-layer network built on BitVM, designed to provide ultra-scalability while maintaining the security of the Bitcoin blockchain. The platform aims to enhance the Bitcoin ecosystem by offering security-equivalent scalability and promoting asset diversity. Through advanced cryptographic innovations and blockchain protocol engineering, Bitlayer enables Turing completeness, allowing for greater flexibility and faster interactions. This approach positions Bitlayer as a crucial computing layer for Bitcoin, facilitating a more innovative and secure user experience within the cryptocurrency landscape.

Solayer Labs

Seed Round in 2024
Solayer Labs operates a re-staking network that builds upon the Solana blockchain, extending its capabilities to secure additional systems and enable horizontal scaling. By leveraging the economic security of SOL tokens and sharing Solana's validator network, Solayer allows application developers to achieve a higher degree of consensus and customize block space, enhancing the efficiency and versatility of decentralized cloud infrastructure.

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 diverse applications, including decentralized lending and wealth management, while ensuring fair distribution, decentralization, and security.

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.

Berachain

Series B in 2024
Berachain is a blockchain development company focused on creating an Ethereum-compatible platform designed for financial applications. Its innovative technology allows for the use of staked assets within decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols, enhancing on-chain liquidity and capital efficiency. The company employs a proof of liquidity consensus mechanism to ensure sybil resistance, which fosters alignment of network incentives between validators and various projects within its ecosystem. By leveraging staked assets like staked ether, Berachain enables these locked assets to support the network's security while simultaneously facilitating their use in DeFi applications. This approach aims to provide clients with robust blockchain services that promote quality and efficiency in financial transactions.

DappOS

Series A in 2024
dappOS is a company focused on improving the usability and accessibility of decentralized applications (dApps) and blockchain technology. It develops an operating protocol that simplifies interactions between users and various crypto infrastructures, including public blockchains and cross-chain bridges. By creating intuitive user interfaces and streamlining the user experience, dappOS aims to make dApps as user-friendly as mobile applications. The company's goal is to lower technical barriers, enabling a wider audience to engage with decentralized applications and facilitating mass adoption within a more interconnected blockchain ecosystem.

Polyhedra Network

Series A in 2024
Polyhedra Network is an infrastructure company focused on developing a Web3 platform that enhances cross-chain communication through advanced zero-knowledge-proof protocols. The platform provides a secure bridge that facilitates interoperability among various layer-1 and layer-2 blockchains. By simplifying the complexities of cross-chain interactions, Polyhedra Network enables developers to create scalable and secure applications that can operate seamlessly across different blockchain environments.

Clique

Series A in 2024
Clique operates as a technology company focused on bridging web-two user behaviors with web-three applications through its identity wallet and compute coordination network. The company organizes diverse computing resources, which include co-processors for verifiable computations, oracles for data integration from various online sources, and specialized hardware tailored for privacy and secure computation. This infrastructure allows applications to efficiently access and leverage these resources while accommodating varying needs for trust, privacy, performance, and cost. Additionally, Clique's wallet incorporates privacy-preserving oracles and zero-knowledge proofs, enabling creators, sports figures, and brands to effectively manage interactions with their superfans, incentivize engagement, and explore shared ownership models. The company has secured over $11 million in funding from notable investors, enhancing its capabilities and growth potential.

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.

Gasp

Initial Coin Offering in 2024
A ZK-rollup L2 with universal connectivity to L1s, enabling cross-chain liquidity of native assets. Powered by Starkware zero-knowledge technology and Eigenlayer's restake finality. In it's core, MEV minimization and gas-free swaps are out of the box.

AltLayer

Series A in 2024
AltLayer is a developer of a rollups-as-a-service platform focused on enhancing Web3 projects. The company offers a scalable application-dedicated execution layer system that derives security from underlying blockchain infrastructure. By providing an elastic and versatile scaling protocol, AltLayer aims to transform blockchain deployment, significantly improving time-to-market and allowing for customized application deployment. The platform enables users to utilize on-demand rollups, thereby benefiting from a flexible and scalable infrastructure tailored to their specific application needs.

Superform Labs

Seed Round in 2024
Superform is a non-custodial yield marketplace. The protocol enables access to Erc-4626 vaults using any Evmchain.

Particle

Seed Round in 2024
Particle is a permissionless decentralized leverage trading technology that may be used with any digital asset, including tokens and NFTs. The Particle protocol allows traders to borrow directly from liquidity pools at automated market makers (AMMs) with concentrated liquidity

Bitfinity Network

Venture Round in 2024
Bitfinity Network is a creator of a blockchain platform that allows users to generate, stake, and swap tokens on their internet-connected computers. The company focuses on developing new decentralized finance (DeFi) cross-chain primitives. Its main services include research and development into cross-chain wallets that support Bitcoin and Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-based chains and exchanges and automated market-making activities.

Sona

Seed Round in 2023
Sona is a new web3 streaming protocol that employs DeFi primitives (decentralized finance fundamental building blocks) to give artists more financial power through a rewards scheme, auctions, and ad-free streaming. Sona came out of the woodwork today, announcing the open beta launch of its first product, Sona Stream, a free music streaming service with no subscriptions or ads combined with a marketplace where artists share music and auction off SONAs, or "digital twins" or digital assets of songs that can only be owned by one person at a time.

Drift

Series A in 2023
Drift Protocol is a developer of a decentralized derivatives exchange that focuses on providing on-chain, cross-margined perpetual futures trading on the Solana blockchain. The platform aims to enhance the efficiency of trading futures through an upgraded decentralized system that features a new pegging mechanism. This innovation allows users to adjust liquidity based on market demand and open interest, thereby improving the overall trading experience. Drift Protocol's approach positions its exchange as a competitive option for margin trading within the decentralized finance space.

GoldLink

Pre Seed Round in 2023
GoldLink operates a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform that facilitates on-chain, leveraged lending to borrowers. It offers risk management tools, real-time data visualization, and access to advanced investment strategies, aiming to enhance profits and transparency in the DeFi market.

Manta Network

Series A in 2023
Manta Network is focused on creating a secure and interoperable digital ecosystem through the use of Zero-Knowledge technology. The company operates a decentralized exchange platform designed to protect user privacy and prevent tracking of activities. By utilizing a protocol based on substrate frameworks, Manta Network offers end-to-end anonymity, high throughput, and robust cross-chain interoperability. This enables users to exchange data in a secure environment, prioritizing privacy and security in their transactions.

Connext

Series A in 2023
Connext, Inc. is a technology company based in San Francisco, California, founded in 2017 by Arjun Bhuptani, Layne Haber, and Rahul Sethuram. The company specializes in developing software that facilitates the purchase and management of blockchain applications. It offers features such as direct card purchases for tokens, access to existing vaults, decentralized compliance, and walletless signature capabilities. Additionally, Connext operates as an interoperability protocol, enabling fast and trustless communication between different blockchains. This innovation supports the creation of a more interconnected blockchain ecosystem.

Berachain

Series A in 2023
Berachain is a blockchain development company focused on creating an Ethereum-compatible platform designed for financial applications. Its innovative technology allows for the use of staked assets within decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols, enhancing on-chain liquidity and capital efficiency. The company employs a proof of liquidity consensus mechanism to ensure sybil resistance, which fosters alignment of network incentives between validators and various projects within its ecosystem. By leveraging staked assets like staked ether, Berachain enables these locked assets to support the network's security while simultaneously facilitating their use in DeFi applications. This approach aims to provide clients with robust blockchain services that promote quality and efficiency in financial transactions.

Polyhedra Network

Series A in 2023
Polyhedra Network is an infrastructure company focused on developing a Web3 platform that enhances cross-chain communication through advanced zero-knowledge-proof protocols. The platform provides a secure bridge that facilitates interoperability among various layer-1 and layer-2 blockchains. By simplifying the complexities of cross-chain interactions, Polyhedra Network enables developers to create scalable and secure applications that can operate seamlessly across different blockchain environments.

Cubist

Seed Round in 2023
Cubist is a developer of a web3 key management platform that aims to enhance the safety and efficiency of building decentralized applications (dapps). Its modular toolkit allows users to swiftly create, test, and deploy multi-chain and cross-chain dapps through automated pipelines that manage keys and sequencing. By integrating modern software engineering practices with robust security measures, Cubist facilitates the development of secure cross-chain applications from a single program, catering to the needs of web3 builders.

Scroll.io

Venture Round in 2023
Scroll.io provides a native zkEVM scaling solution for Ethereum. The company upholds the Ethereum network's high-security features while offering users nearly instantaneous, inexpensive transactions.

Polyhedra Network

Seed Round in 2023
Polyhedra Network is an infrastructure company focused on developing a Web3 platform that enhances cross-chain communication through advanced zero-knowledge-proof protocols. The platform provides a secure bridge that facilitates interoperability among various layer-1 and layer-2 blockchains. By simplifying the complexities of cross-chain interactions, Polyhedra Network enables developers to create scalable and secure applications that can operate seamlessly across different blockchain environments.

Quasar Labs

Seed Round in 2023
Quasar Labs operates a digital asset management platform that simplifies investing within the multi-chain universe. The platform allows users to create and join independent asset containers, known as Vaults, which utilize inter-blockchain communication (IBC) technology to facilitate value capture across different blockchains, particularly in the Cosmos ecosystem. This innovative approach addresses the fragmentation within decentralized finance (DeFi) by providing a streamlined and secure method for investors to manage their digital assets. Quasar Labs empowers investors to efficiently design Vaults and aggregate liquidity, making it easier for them to put their digital assets to work with minimal effort.

Finterest

Seed Round in 2022
Finterest is a financial platform that focuses on decentralized finance and web3 technologies. It operates as a lending protocol that enables users to lend and borrow native Bitcoin, as well as other cryptocurrencies like ICP and stablecoins. The platform also includes a governance feature that allows token holders to vote on potential future tokens for integration, including Ethereum. By facilitating these financial activities, Finterest aims to enhance user engagement and incentivize the utilization of its protocol.

Fleek

Series A in 2022
Fleek is an open web platform that installs anything on a computer or deals with the command line. The platform is helping to build the tools necessary to make the Open Web available to anyone, and easy to build on. It makes it easy to build websites and apps on the new open web: permissionless, trustless, censorship-resistant, and free of centralized gatekeepers. Using Open Web protocols that make a decentralized, trustless, and permissionless infrastructure native to the web. This stack is ever-shifting and open-source.

t3rn

Private Equity Round in 2022
t3rn is a blockchain-based hosting platform founded in 2020 and based in Lisbon, Portugal. The company focuses on providing fast, secure, and cost-efficient solutions for cross-chain executions by utilizing its modular stack for storage, validation, settlement, and consensus. Its platform allows for interoperable execution and composable collaboration, featuring smart contracts stored in a public registry that can be accessed by any user. Developers who contribute to this open-source repository have the opportunity to receive compensation whenever their smart contracts are utilized, promoting an ecosystem that rewards innovation and collaboration within the blockchain community.

Evmos

Seed Round in 2022
Evmos is an interoperability platform designed to connect Ethereum-based applications and assets within the Cosmos ecosystem. It enables the discovery and deployment of new blockchain applications, enhancing the functionality of the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) by facilitating cross-chain interactions. This approach allows developers to create applications that can operate seamlessly across both EVM and Cosmos-based blockchains, tapping into the liquidity and user bases of various ecosystems. By promoting interoperability, Evmos aims to provide a more unified user experience while introducing innovative token economics and in-protocol incentives, thereby supporting the launch of interoperable contracts.

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.

Light Protocol

Seed Round in 2022
Light Protocol focuses on enhancing privacy in cryptocurrency transactions, allowing users to send crypto securely and privately. The company has developed a platform that enables developers to integrate private transactions into applications built on the Solana blockchain. By facilitating the deposit of cryptocurrencies into dedicated Light Cash pools and allowing withdrawals through new addresses, Light Protocol ensures that sensitive user data remains protected. This approach aims to support the mainstream adoption of cryptocurrency by addressing privacy concerns and providing a scalable solution for developers to incorporate private transactions into decentralized applications.

Tapio Protocol

Seed Round in 2022
Tapio Protocol is a synthetic asset protocol that unifies different formats of staking and crowdloan derivatives into an efficient standard. Tapio is powered by the Stable Asset system, which enables efficient trading while minimizing risk by utilizing uniform, closely pegged assets with stable swaps and stable asset capabilities.

Pine Street Labs

Seed Round in 2022
Pine Street Labs specializes in developing enterprise wallet software aimed at expanding and democratizing the use of public blockchains. The company simplifies the complexities associated with accessing various blockchain networks, allowing enterprises to focus on their core business activities. Its walletOS solution enables organizations to manage custody operations in-house and facilitates the introduction of new blockchain initiatives. The platform supports a range of functionalities, including sending and receiving transactions, staking, and executing smart contract calls. It offers a composable developer experience through a well-defined API, which allows seamless integration and minimizes reliance on third-party services. Designed for mission-critical environments, Pine Street Labs empowers customers to execute any transaction efficiently with a single integration.

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.

Eclipse

Pre Seed Round in 2022
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.

Aurigami

Funding Round in 2022
Aurigami is a decentralized, non-custodial liquidity protocol that enables users to lend, borrow, and earn interest on their digital assets. The platform emphasizes minimizing risks associated with smart contracts and liquidations, allowing customers to participate in a secure financial environment. Users can earn passive income by providing liquidity, while borrowers can access funds through an over-collateralization model. Aurigami distinguishes itself from similar protocols by incorporating gamification elements, enhancing user engagement and experience within the decentralized finance space.

Nomad

Venture Round in 2022
Nomad is a novel approach to blockchain interoperability that leverages an optimistic mechanism to increase the security of cross-chain communication.

Quasar Labs

Seed Round in 2022
Quasar Labs operates a digital asset management platform that simplifies investing within the multi-chain universe. The platform allows users to create and join independent asset containers, known as Vaults, which utilize inter-blockchain communication (IBC) technology to facilitate value capture across different blockchains, particularly in the Cosmos ecosystem. This innovative approach addresses the fragmentation within decentralized finance (DeFi) by providing a streamlined and secure method for investors to manage their digital assets. Quasar Labs empowers investors to efficiently design Vaults and aggregate liquidity, making it easier for them to put their digital assets to work with minimal effort.

DSCVR

Seed Round in 2022
DSCVR is an innovative Web3 social network designed to reward users for creating quality content while addressing usability challenges in the crypto space. Built on a decentralized protocol, DSCVR facilitates peer-to-peer transactions of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and airdrops directly within the platform, eliminating the need for external wallets. The platform serves as a launchpad for tokenized communities, allowing users to establish governance rules, define roles, and incentivize participation through airdrops, all while fostering engagement among crypto and NFT enthusiasts. DSCVR also features an open application programming interface (API) and includes a Discord bot that enables creators and partners to access content distribution and monetization opportunities. The platform's focus on seamless integration and user experience positions it as one of the most active social products in the Web3 landscape.

AltLayer

Seed Round in 2022
AltLayer is a developer of a rollups-as-a-service platform focused on enhancing Web3 projects. The company offers a scalable application-dedicated execution layer system that derives security from underlying blockchain infrastructure. By providing an elastic and versatile scaling protocol, AltLayer aims to transform blockchain deployment, significantly improving time-to-market and allowing for customized application deployment. The platform enables users to utilize on-demand rollups, thereby benefiting from a flexible and scalable infrastructure tailored to their specific application needs.

Veridise

Funding Round in 2022
Veridise is a blockchain security company that specializes in identifying and addressing vulnerabilities in various blockchain applications. Founded by a team of experienced researchers, Veridise is renowned for its expertise in auditing Zero-Knowledge Circuits, MetaMask Snaps, smart contracts, and various decentralized finance protocols. The firm employs a hybrid approach that combines traditional auditing methods with automated Web3 security tools, enabling it to uncover critical vulnerabilities that other firms may overlook. In the first half of 2023, Veridise identified over 100 high-severity bugs, demonstrating its effectiveness in enhancing blockchain security. The company also offers a comprehensive platform for automatically auditing smart contracts, allowing clients to implement formal methods for improved security and correctness in their blockchain projects.

EigenLabs

Pre Seed Round in 2022
EigenLabs is a blockchain infrastructure startup that enables the restaking of ETH across various decentralized applications. They also provide developers with access to the Ethereum staked capital base and decentralized validator set. Traditionally, staking requires validators to lock up ETH as a security deposit to engage in the network's consensus mechanism, earning rewards for contributing to network security and validating transactions. However, once ETH is staked, it is generally immobilized until withdrawn, restricting validators from utilizing these assets elsewhere. EigenLayer aims to tackle this challenge by allowing staked ETH to be restaked across diverse decentralized applications and services without removing it from the original consensus mechanism.

Gasp

Venture Round in 2022
A ZK-rollup L2 with universal connectivity to L1s, enabling cross-chain liquidity of native assets. Powered by Starkware zero-knowledge technology and Eigenlayer's restake finality. In it's core, MEV minimization and gas-free swaps are out of the box.

Scroll.io

Series A in 2022
Scroll.io provides a native zkEVM scaling solution for Ethereum. The company upholds the Ethereum network's high-security features while offering users nearly instantaneous, inexpensive transactions.

CoinDCX

Series D in 2022
CoinDCX is a Mumbai-based company founded in 2018 that specializes in crypto-enabled financial services. It offers a comprehensive cryptocurrency trading platform that facilitates legal transactions of multiple cryptocurrencies and allows users to withdraw funds to their bank accounts. The platform is designed to provide a secure and trusted environment for customers to learn about cryptocurrencies, while also delivering a fast and reliable trading experience through its liquidity, powerful wallet, and strong security measures. CoinDCX aims to democratize finance by making investments more accessible to a diverse range of traders, catering to various trading experiences, risk tolerances, and trading frequencies.

Nomad

Seed Round in 2022
Nomad is a novel approach to blockchain interoperability that leverages an optimistic mechanism to increase the security of cross-chain communication.

Quai Network

Seed Round in 2022
Quai Network develops merge-mined blockchains with the goal of creating efficient blockchains.

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.

KurateDAO

Seed Round in 2022
KurateDAO provides an infrastructure for content curation, with the process being divided up into three roles: curators, scouts and viewers.

Axelar

Series B in 2022
Axelar is a company focused on developing interoperability software that facilitates communication between various blockchain ecosystems and applications. Founded in 2020 by Sergey Gorbunov and Georgios Vlachos, Axelar Network offers a suite of protocols, tools, and APIs aimed at overcoming the challenges of cross-chain interactions. The company's solutions leverage Byzantine consensus, cryptography, and mechanism design to enable decentralized applications to operate across different blockchains seamlessly. By providing developers with the necessary resources, Axelar empowers them to select the most suitable platforms while enhancing cross-chain composability and liquidity.

Astar Network

Venture Round in 2022
Astar Network is a multi-virtual machine scalable smart contract platform on Polkadot supporting cutting-edge layer 2 like Rollups.

Anoma

Series A in 2021
Anoma is a blockchain protocol established in 2021 in Zug, Switzerland, focused on facilitating private and asset-agnostic transactions. It offers an intent-centric and privacy-preserving solution for decentralized counterparty discovery, multi-chain atomic settlement, and secure bartering among multiple parties. By employing advanced cryptography and zero-knowledge proof schemes, Anoma empowers users to engage in cryptocurrency exchanges automatically at market rates, ensuring a user-controlled and secure trading environment. The protocol aims to enhance privacy in transactions, making it easier for users to conduct business without sacrificing security.

Spectral

Venture Round in 2021
Spectral is a New Rochelle, New York-based company founded in 2020 that focuses on programmable creditworthiness through its innovative platform. The company provides valuable credit risk insights to its partners by utilizing on-chain data, thereby enhancing business decisions and offerings. Users can access new financial opportunities through the Multi-Asset Credit Risk Oracle (MACRO) Score, which serves as an on-chain equivalent to a traditional FICO score, allowing individuals to check their on-chain credit scores. Additionally, Spectral offers an AI-powered platform that simplifies the creation and deployment of smart contracts, enabling developers to generate complex contracts using natural language, thus accelerating development time and minimizing errors.

Sommelier

Series A in 2021
Sommelier is a financial platform focused on decentralized finance (DeFi) that caters to traders and liquidity providers. It features a modular protocol, a bi-directional Ethereum bridge, and automated signature management, ensuring a secure environment through decentralized governance. The platform enables users to author and execute complex and automated financial transactions, such as portfolio rebalancing and limit orders. By providing these capabilities, Sommelier aims to bridge the gap between the functionalities offered by centralized finance and those available in the DeFi space, delivering a robust solution for modern financial transactions.

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.

Offchain Labs

Series B in 2021
Offchain Labs, Inc. is a technology company based in Princeton, New Jersey, founded in 2018. It focuses on developing a decentralized platform that enhances the scalability and privacy of Ethereum smart contracts. The company's solutions cater to various sectors, including gaming, financial applications, and consortium blockchains, specifically utilizing its initial product, Arbitrum. Offchain Labs aims to provide developers and users with the benefits of off-chain transaction efficiency while maintaining the simplicity and security associated with on-chain methodologies.

Kresko

Seed Round in 2021
Kresko is focused on enhancing access to wealth through its innovative online platform for synthetic stocks, commodities, and cryptocurrencies. This platform allows users to manage their assets in a single application, facilitating activities such as minting, swapping, pooling, and farming. Kresko’s synthetic asset protocol emphasizes capital efficiency and an improved user experience, while also providing a clear overview of portfolio health and associated risks. By offering a frictionless listing of assets, Kresko enables developers to seamlessly incorporate crypto assets into their applications and wallets, making it easier for individuals to engage with digital finance.

CoinDCX

Series C in 2021
CoinDCX is a Mumbai-based company founded in 2018 that specializes in crypto-enabled financial services. It offers a comprehensive cryptocurrency trading platform that facilitates legal transactions of multiple cryptocurrencies and allows users to withdraw funds to their bank accounts. The platform is designed to provide a secure and trusted environment for customers to learn about cryptocurrencies, while also delivering a fast and reliable trading experience through its liquidity, powerful wallet, and strong security measures. CoinDCX aims to democratize finance by making investments more accessible to a diverse range of traders, catering to various trading experiences, risk tolerances, and trading frequencies.

Valora

Series A in 2021
Valora is a mobile crypto wallet that aims to simplify the use of cryptocurrencies and decentralized finance for individuals around the world. Its platform is designed for accessibility, allowing users, even those with basic smartphones, to send, save, and spend crypto with the same ease as sending a text message. Valora's application emphasizes user-friendly navigation while ensuring robust cryptographic security and privacy features, enabling secure money transfers across borders with a simple tap. By leveraging blockchain technology, Valora seeks to empower the estimated 6 billion smartphone users globally, making digital currencies practical and usable in everyday transactions.

Axelar

Series A in 2021
Axelar is a company focused on developing interoperability software that facilitates communication between various blockchain ecosystems and applications. Founded in 2020 by Sergey Gorbunov and Georgios Vlachos, Axelar Network offers a suite of protocols, tools, and APIs aimed at overcoming the challenges of cross-chain interactions. The company's solutions leverage Byzantine consensus, cryptography, and mechanism design to enable decentralized applications to operate across different blockchains seamlessly. By providing developers with the necessary resources, Axelar empowers them to select the most suitable platforms while enhancing cross-chain composability and liquidity.

t3rn

Seed Round in 2021
t3rn is a blockchain-based hosting platform founded in 2020 and based in Lisbon, Portugal. The company focuses on providing fast, secure, and cost-efficient solutions for cross-chain executions by utilizing its modular stack for storage, validation, settlement, and consensus. Its platform allows for interoperable execution and composable collaboration, featuring smart contracts stored in a public registry that can be accessed by any user. Developers who contribute to this open-source repository have the opportunity to receive compensation whenever their smart contracts are utilized, promoting an ecosystem that rewards innovation and collaboration within the blockchain community.

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.

Umee

Seed Round in 2021
Umee is the most programmable, safety-first lending algorithm built as a blockchain that enables seamless borrowing and lending of digital assets between distinct blockchain ecosystems. Umee is reshaping the global debt markets in Web3.

Solana

Initial Coin Offering in 2021
Solana is a blockchain technology company, established in 2021, specializing in the development of a decentralized, scalable blockchain platform. The platform, validated by thousands of independent nodes, ensures robust security and resistance to censorship. It leverages proof of history and concurrent GPU parallelization to deliver high-speed, low-latency, and inexpensive transactions, enabling users to scale without sharding or specialized hardware.

Gauntlet

Series A in 2021
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.

Enso Finance

Venture Round in 2021
The world's first intent engine powering the intent-centric future. A layer-1 tendermint-based blockchain, storing state from EVM, SVM, and MVM chains to enable execution on all blockchain frameworks.

Connext

Seed Round in 2021
Connext, Inc. is a technology company based in San Francisco, California, founded in 2017 by Arjun Bhuptani, Layne Haber, and Rahul Sethuram. The company specializes in developing software that facilitates the purchase and management of blockchain applications. It offers features such as direct card purchases for tokens, access to existing vaults, decentralized compliance, and walletless signature capabilities. Additionally, Connext operates as an interoperability protocol, enabling fast and trustless communication between different blockchains. This innovation supports the creation of a more interconnected blockchain ecosystem.

Gasp

Seed Round in 2021
A ZK-rollup L2 with universal connectivity to L1s, enabling cross-chain liquidity of native assets. Powered by Starkware zero-knowledge technology and Eigenlayer's restake finality. In it's core, MEV minimization and gas-free swaps are out of the box.

DFX Finance

Seed Round in 2021
DFX Finance is a decentralized finance exchange protocol that specializes in trading non-U.S. dollar stablecoins. The platform facilitates structured trading through an Ethereum-based decentralized exchange, utilizing a bonding curve specifically optimized for fiat-backed stablecoins such as USDC, CADC, EURS, and XSGD. By leveraging real-world foreign exchange price feeds, DFX Finance enables users to engage with decentralized finance applications in a blockchain-driven market, promoting seamless and efficient transactions in a variety of stablecoins.

Manta Network

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Manta Network is focused on creating a secure and interoperable digital ecosystem through the use of Zero-Knowledge technology. The company operates a decentralized exchange platform designed to protect user privacy and prevent tracking of activities. By utilizing a protocol based on substrate frameworks, Manta Network offers end-to-end anonymity, high throughput, and robust cross-chain interoperability. This enables users to exchange data in a secure environment, prioritizing privacy and security in their transactions.

Manta Network

Seed Round in 2021
Manta Network is focused on creating a secure and interoperable digital ecosystem through the use of Zero-Knowledge technology. The company operates a decentralized exchange platform designed to protect user privacy and prevent tracking of activities. By utilizing a protocol based on substrate frameworks, Manta Network offers end-to-end anonymity, high throughput, and robust cross-chain interoperability. This enables users to exchange data in a secure environment, prioritizing privacy and security in their transactions.

Anoma

Funding Round in 2021
Anoma is a blockchain protocol established in 2021 in Zug, Switzerland, focused on facilitating private and asset-agnostic transactions. It offers an intent-centric and privacy-preserving solution for decentralized counterparty discovery, multi-chain atomic settlement, and secure bartering among multiple parties. By employing advanced cryptography and zero-knowledge proof schemes, Anoma empowers users to engage in cryptocurrency exchanges automatically at market rates, ensuring a user-controlled and secure trading environment. The protocol aims to enhance privacy in transactions, making it easier for users to conduct business without sacrificing security.

dYdX

Series B 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.

CoinDCX

Series B in 2020
CoinDCX is a Mumbai-based company founded in 2018 that specializes in crypto-enabled financial services. It offers a comprehensive cryptocurrency trading platform that facilitates legal transactions of multiple cryptocurrencies and allows users to withdraw funds to their bank accounts. The platform is designed to provide a secure and trusted environment for customers to learn about cryptocurrencies, while also delivering a fast and reliable trading experience through its liquidity, powerful wallet, and strong security measures. CoinDCX aims to democratize finance by making investments more accessible to a diverse range of traders, catering to various trading experiences, risk tolerances, and trading frequencies.

Findora

Venture Round in 2020
Findora Foundation is a ledger technology company headquartered in Stanford, California, founded in 2017. It develops a public, decentralized blockchain system that emphasizes transactional privacy while allowing users to mask their data. Rooted in advanced cryptographic research, including zero-knowledge proofs and multi-party computation, Findora enables users to conduct transactions and manage assets with a focus on privacy and selective disclosure. Unlike traditional public blockchains, which expose transaction details, Findora's technology allows users to conceal specific data fields while ensuring that authorized parties, such as regulators, can access necessary information. This innovative approach not only enhances data security but also supports a wide range of financial applications and identity authentication scenarios, thereby expanding its potential use cases in the evolving landscape of digital finance.

Espresso Systems

Seed Round in 2020
Espresso Systems specializes in providing scaling and privacy solutions for Web 3 applications, focusing on the innovative area of shared sequencing within blockchain technology. This involves the use of sequencers that verify and batch transactions on layer-2 blockchains before sending them to a layer-1 chain, such as Ethereum, for settlement. Additionally, Espresso Systems develops online transaction technology aimed at enhancing the online payment industry, offering infrastructure that facilitates secure and efficient online interactions. Their solutions cater to the needs of clients in the online transaction sector, contributing to the advancement of the third generation of the World Wide Web.

Notional Finance

Seed Round in 2020
Notional is a decentralized protocol for fixed rate, fixed term lending and borrowing of crypto assets on Ethereum. Users can lend or borrow stablecoins at fixed rates of interest for terms of up to six months using a variety of assets as collateral. Notional achieves fixed rate lending via a primitive called fCash, which is redeemable for an underlying currency like DAI upon the fCash token’s maturity date. Notional operates specialized liquidity pools that allow users to efficiently trade cash for fCash and vice versa. The exchange rate that a user receives on their trade implies a fixed rate of interest from the time of trade until the fCash token’s maturity. Notional is flexible and configurable. The protocol can add additional assets for lending and borrowing, additional collateral types, and additional maturities beyond six months. The community intends to broaden Notional’s scope over time to include a wider array of supported assets and extended available maturities. Notional prioritizes security. The protocol team works with industry leaders to ensure that the smart contracts are technically secure and that the economic assumptions applied in the protocol’s design are sound.

Liquity

Seed Round in 2020
Liquity is a decentralized borrowing protocol built on the Ethereum blockchain that offers interest-free loans to users. By allowing borrowers to use Ethereum as collateral, Liquity issues loans in its own USD-pegged stablecoin. The protocol operates under a minimum collateralization ratio, ensuring that loans are adequately secured. This innovative approach enables users to access capital without incurring interest costs, making it an appealing option for those looking to leverage their Ethereum holdings.

KeeperDAO

Seed Round in 2020
KeeperDAO operates as a decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol that facilitates large-scale arbitrage and liquidation trades across various DeFi platforms. The protocol enables participants to engage in communal liquidity pools, allowing them to pool capital into Ethereum smart contracts. This collective approach provides users with opportunities to profit from activities such as liquidating positions in platforms like Compound or dYdX, managing Maker collateralized debt positions, and executing arbitrage strategies between exchanges like Kyber and Uniswap. By joining KeeperDAO, liquidity providers (LPs) benefit from shared capital and profits, while Keepers are incentivized to collaborate, fostering an environment that reduces competition and enhances overall efficiency in capturing on-chain opportunities.

DerivaDEX

Seed Round in 2020
DerivaDEX is a community-governed derivatives exchange designed to enhance performance and autonomy while ensuring the security of a decentralized platform. Built on the Ethereum blockchain, it employs a liquidity-mining token model that empowers users to engage actively in the governance and operations of the exchange. Utilizing an open order book and on-chain settlement for trades, DerivaDEX aims to create a next-generation trading environment. Its native token facilitates user participation and supports the exchange's decentralized structure, combining advanced technology with community oversight.

CoinDCX

Series A in 2020
CoinDCX is a Mumbai-based company founded in 2018 that specializes in crypto-enabled financial services. It offers a comprehensive cryptocurrency trading platform that facilitates legal transactions of multiple cryptocurrencies and allows users to withdraw funds to their bank accounts. The platform is designed to provide a secure and trusted environment for customers to learn about cryptocurrencies, while also delivering a fast and reliable trading experience through its liquidity, powerful wallet, and strong security measures. CoinDCX aims to democratize finance by making investments more accessible to a diverse range of traders, catering to various trading experiences, risk tolerances, and trading frequencies.

Nuo

Seed Round in 2020
Nuo Bank, founded in 2018 and based in Mumbai, India, operates as a cryptocurrency platform that focuses on managing digital assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. It offers a decentralized debt marketplace where users can supply capital to a reserve pool, enabling them to earn daily interest through peer-to-peer lending and borrowing without the platform taking custody of their tokens. Nuo serves as a financial control center, allowing users to store, spend, and grow their cryptocurrencies, as well as access global financial products and services. The Nuo app facilitates various transactions, including instant peer-to-peer transfers and payments using a Nuo Card, catering to the needs of users in the evolving cryptocurrency landscape.

CoinDCX

Series A in 2020
CoinDCX is a Mumbai-based company founded in 2018 that specializes in crypto-enabled financial services. It offers a comprehensive cryptocurrency trading platform that facilitates legal transactions of multiple cryptocurrencies and allows users to withdraw funds to their bank accounts. The platform is designed to provide a secure and trusted environment for customers to learn about cryptocurrencies, while also delivering a fast and reliable trading experience through its liquidity, powerful wallet, and strong security measures. CoinDCX aims to democratize finance by making investments more accessible to a diverse range of traders, catering to various trading experiences, risk tolerances, and trading frequencies.

DeSo Foundation

Seed Round in 2020
DeSo is a layer-1 blockchain, like Bitcoin or Ethereum, that recently listed on Coinbase, has accumulated over 1.5 million accounts, and just crossed over $1B in volume transacted on-chain. DeSo is backed by Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz, Social Capital, Coinbase Ventures, and many others. Our mission is to decentralize social media the same way Bitcoin and Ethereum are decentralizing the financial system. As a layer-1 blockchain, DeSo can be compared to other blockchains like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Avalanche, etc... However, DeSo has several major advantages over these platforms, the largest being that it is designed to power storage-heavy applications (like social applications and marketplaces). To put it in perspective, storing just a 200-character "Tweet" on Ethereum costs ~$80, and costs ~$0.25-$1.00+ on Solana, Avalanche, Polygon, and virtually all other smart contract chains. In contrast, it costs 1/1,000th of a penny on DeSo, which is why breakthrough apps like Diamond, DAODAO, Pearl, OpenProsper, NFTz, and Entre, now possible exclusively on DeSo. Today, social media is even more centralized than the financial industry was prior to the creation of Bitcoin. A handful of private entities effectively control public discourse, and earn monopoly profits off of content that they don't even create. Society’s answer to financial centralization was not to put Warren Buffett in charge of money, it was to use technology, namely Bitcoin, so we could have nobody in charge. We believe the same type of technology will cause this conclusion to ultimately play out in social. DeSo’s advantages make it capable of breaking this status quo for the first time, and bringing competition and innovation back to social in much the same way Bitcoin and Ethereum have done for our financial system. Moreover, if DeSo succeeds, we will no longer need individual "dictators" to set a homogenous moderation policy for hundreds of millions of people.

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.

Nervos

Initial Coin Offering in 2019
Nervos Network is a blockchain technology company established in 2018 and headquartered in Hangzhou, China. It offers a hybrid solution that integrates a public blockchain with an application chain, enabling enterprises to build and deploy decentralized applications without needing to fully commit their technology stack to the blockchain. The Nervos CKB (Common Knowledge Base) serves as its layer 1, proof-of-work public blockchain protocol, which allows for the secure storage of various crypto-assets while supporting smart contracts and layer 2 scaling solutions. The platform's unique design emphasizes security, immutability, and decentralization, positioning itself as a sustainable multi-asset store of value. It also facilitates the capture of total network value through its native token, CKByte, and a network of interoperable protocols, promoting a robust open ecosystem for developers and enterprises alike.

CoinList

Venture Round in 2019
CoinList is a leading platform in the digital finance sector, focused on facilitating the launch and growth of innovative digital assets. The company provides a comprehensive token distribution service that connects blockchain projects with potential investors prior to their asset listings on other exchanges. CoinList supports various stages of crypto investment, including token sales, distribution, trading, lending, staking, and access to decentralized finance opportunities. Users can trade and store a wide range of cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin and Ether, through its mobile app and website, CoinList.co. The platform caters to a diverse clientele, including validators, miners, founders, CEOs, and crypto enthusiasts, ensuring they have access to new tokens and crypto-specific services. CoinList's mission is to be the most trusted brand in digital finance while expanding access for early adopters and fostering innovation within the cryptocurrency ecosystem.

CoinFLEX

Venture Round in 2019
CoinFLEX is a cryptocurrency derivatives exchange and yield platform that offers innovative trading solutions for crypto assets. It features a physically delivered crypto futures exchange designed to address the challenges associated with cash-settled futures contracts, allowing for high leverage opportunities without risks related to index or settlement manipulation. The platform aims to simplify and secure the trading processes for professional proprietary trading firms, hedge funds, and institutional investors in the cryptocurrency sector. Among its unique offerings are flexUSD, the first interest-earning stablecoin, and AMM+, a capital-efficient automated market maker. CoinFLEX is supported by prominent figures and investment firms in the crypto industry.

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.

CoinFLEX

Seed Round in 2019
CoinFLEX is a cryptocurrency derivatives exchange and yield platform that offers innovative trading solutions for crypto assets. It features a physically delivered crypto futures exchange designed to address the challenges associated with cash-settled futures contracts, allowing for high leverage opportunities without risks related to index or settlement manipulation. The platform aims to simplify and secure the trading processes for professional proprietary trading firms, hedge funds, and institutional investors in the cryptocurrency sector. Among its unique offerings are flexUSD, the first interest-earning stablecoin, and AMM+, a capital-efficient automated market maker. CoinFLEX is supported by prominent figures and investment firms in the crypto industry.

Dharma Labs

Series A in 2019
Dharma Labs Inc. is a San Francisco-based company that develops a suite of smart contracts and tools designed for issuing and crowdfunding debt on blockchain technology. Founded in 2017, the company provides a protocol that facilitates decentralized issuance, origination, risk assessment, and underwriting of peer-to-peer loans. This innovative framework enables open and permissionless innovation within the lending industry, allowing entrepreneurs to create diverse lending platforms, including consumer lending, margin lending, and crowdfunding municipal bonds. By leveraging blockchain's capabilities, Dharma Labs aims to streamline the lending process and enhance accessibility for various financial services.

Anchorage Digital

Series A in 2019
Anchorage Digital is a regulated cryptocurrency platform that offers integrated financial services and infrastructure solutions tailored for institutions. Established in 2017 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, the company operates as the only federally chartered crypto bank in the United States, with an additional office in Singapore that maintains similar security and service standards. Anchorage Digital specializes in secure custody, regulatory compliance, and a variety of cryptocurrency-related services, including trading, staking, and governance. The platform emphasizes modern security engineering to ensure the safety of digital assets while facilitating streamlined participation in blockchain technology for businesses and institutions. With a valuation exceeding $3 billion, Anchorage Digital has attracted investments from prominent firms such as Andreessen Horowitz, Goldman Sachs, and Visa, among others. The company also supports a remote-friendly work environment, with additional offices located in New York, Porto, and Sioux Falls.

Gauntlet

Seed Round in 2018
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.

dYdX

Series A in 2018
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.
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