Authored by: J1N, Techub News
Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has announced that it will launch the Crypto Startup Accelerator (CSX) fall accelerator program in New York in 2024. The program will select 21 startups for support. Over the next 8 weeks, these selected startups will receive at least $500,000 in investment from a16z and will receive guidance and support from the a16z operations team.
These companies' business scope covers AI, DeFi protocols, blockchain infrastructure, cross-chain protocols, developer platforms, blockchain security, chain games, social, virtual reality, and metaverse, among other areas. This article will introduce detailed information about these 21 companies, with information sourced from the official websites, whitepapers, Gitbooks, and social media of each project.
Anera Labs: DeFi Infrastructure Built According to User Intent
Anera Labs is dedicated to creating a platform that makes it easier for users to use DeFi protocols, reducing the complexity of learning and operation so that even users unfamiliar with blockchain technology can easily participate. However, due to the limited public information available, it is currently not possible to gain a deeper understanding of its specific operations.
Banyan: Increasing Enterprise Efficiency and Reducing Costs Through AI
Banyan is a company that originally provided decentralized storage services in the Filecoin ecosystem. They previously announced a strategic partnership with the GPU network io.net to provide enterprise-level file storage services. However, information about this partnership has been officially removed.
Now, the company has transitioned its business to use AI to eliminate communication barriers in team collaboration to optimize enterprise operational efficiency. Apart from this information, the author did not find more information about the company.
Blocksense ensures data integrity by addressing the bribery issue in traditional oracle models, aiming to provide a more secure, scalable, and convenient oracle service.
Blocksense announced the completion of a $4 million Pre-Seed round of financing on September 10, with Permutation leading the investment and participating investors including a16z Crypto Startup Accelerator, Public Works, Tykhe Block Ventures, Selini Capital, MH Ventures, and Daedalus, as well as individual investors such as Ethereum Foundation researchers Justin Drake and Zhenfei Zhang, Worldcoin Foundation research engineer dcbuilder, The Rollup, Blockdaemon founder Konstantin Richter, Encode Club co-founder Anthony Beaumont, and Manta Network co-founders Victor Ji and Kenny Li. This round of financing will be used to expand operations, enhance developer experience, expand the team, and launch the mainnet.
Cork Protocol: Risk Hedging Protocol for On-Chain Anchored Assets
Cork Protocol is a risk hedging protocol for on-chain "anchored assets" (such as liquidity staking tokens LST, re-staking tokens LRT, stablecoins, tokenized real-world assets, etc.), aimed at helping investors hedge the de-anchoring risk of these assets. The protocol involves four types of assets: redemption assets (RA, such as Ethereum, USDC), anchored assets (PA, such as stETH, USDe), collateral tokens (CT, Cover Tokens), and de-peg swap tokens (DS, Depeg Swaps).
Through the stability module (PSM), the protocol splits the anchored assets (PA) into DS and CT, where PSM splits the risk of anchored assets for users to choose their own risk exposure, providing hedging protection for users, helping liquidity providers reduce impermanent loss risk when providing liquidity, and providing insurance services, among other benefits.
Collateral Tokens: Holding this token allows the redemption of assets pledged in PSM when the hedging protocol expires.
De-peg Swap Tokens: This token's price is consistent with the anchored asset and can be used for hedging, speculation, and can be integrated into DeFi in a composable manner. It also allows users to exchange their anchored assets 1:1 for redemption assets through a redemption mechanism.
Dot: Pixel-Style Casual Chain Game
Dot is a pixel-style card chain game. Players can create and draw personalized cards for game battles, interactions, and profitable trading.
Fermah: Zero-Knowledge Proof Service Provider
Fermah, supported by EigenLayer, is a zero-knowledge proof service provider dedicated to providing low-cost, fast, and reliable zero-knowledge proof generation services. It also provides technical support for projects using zero-knowledge technology, including applications in ZK Rollups (a solution for scaling blockchain throughput), ZK Bridges (cross-chain bridges), ZK co-processors, ZKML (zero-knowledge machine learning), and ZKFHE (zero-knowledge fully homomorphic encryption).
Fermah has completed a $5.2 million seed round of financing led by a16z CSX and Lemniscap, with participating investors including Bankless Ventures, Longhash Ventures, P-OPS team, Public Works, ZK Validator, Lambda Class, Daedalus, Zero DAO, Velocity Capital, Daemon Ventures, and individual investors such as Coinbase and a16z's general partners, former CTO Balaji, Celestia CEO and COO Mustafa and Nick, Polygon co-founders Sandeep, Jaynti, and Daniel, Aztec CEO and CMO Zac and Claire, Axelar CEO Sergey, Geometry co-founder Greg, and others.
Future Primitive: Web3 Photography Social Platform
Future Primitive is a Web3 photography social platform where users can upload their photos. Each photo will be randomly shared with three strangers on the platform, allowing users to engage in social activities through comments and interactions. Each user can upload a maximum of 24 photos, and Future Primitive aims to improve the quality of works through this limitation.
Kuzco: LLM Large Language Model Computing Power Mining Network
Kuzco is a decentralized GPU network in the Solana ecosystem, aiming to utilize the idle GPU resources of individual users to provide efficient and cost-effective computing power services for large language models (such as Llama3, Mistral, Phi3). Users can use these models through an API compatible with OpenAI. Kuzco's distributed architecture can integrate idle computing resources to run large language models, while incentivizing miners providing computing power through a reward mechanism.
MeshMap: Creating 3D World Maps for AR Devices
MeshMap is a 3D virtual world map project running on the Solana ecosystem, involving cartographers, creators, players, project parties, and sponsors. Anyone contributing to the creation and improvement of the map can receive rewards through a token incentive mechanism.
In addition, MeshMap's virtual world map is compatible with multiple virtual reality devices, such as Meta's Quest series and Magic Leap 2, allowing users to immerse themselves in and explore this virtual world through VR/AR technology.
Opacity Network: Web2 Data On-Chain Service
Opacity Network is an EigenLayer mainnet AVS project that provides users with various Web2 data on-chain services using zkTLS technology, including commercial, social, financial services, digital property, and real-life data. Users can prove and share their shopping records, social media accounts, bank account balances, digital property (such as code, design works), and participation in activities through this network. These data, while protecting privacy, can be used for interacting with merchants (such as creating incentive programs, preventing witch attacks), streamlining financial service processes, preventing infringement, and enhancing user experience and security.
OpenGradient: Optimizing Cryptocurrency User Experience with AI
OpenGradient is a compatible EVM network that supports Sovereign AI, aiming to be a scalable execution layer for artificial intelligence. Applications developed on this platform can utilize AI computing resources for risk management, machine learning (ML) optimization, creating AI agents, detecting witch attacks, and improving mechanism design, among other functions.
PIN AI: AI Infrastructure Platform for Individuals
PIN AI is a platform focusing on AI infrastructure for individual users, deploying exclusive AI models based on user habits to handle cross-application tasks such as shopping, ordering meals, wealth management, and interacting with centralized exchanges, DeFi, and prediction markets.
The platform's technical team includes experts such as former Ethereum core researcher Davide Crapis, Ben Wu from MIT, AI and math Ph.D. Bill Sun from Stanford University, and Regan Peng from Carnegie Mellon University, collaborating with a16z Crypto Research, Flashbots, Espresso Systems, and scholars from Stanford, Columbia, and New York University.
PIN AI announced the completion of a $10 million Pre-Seed round of financing on September 10, with investors including a16z CSX, Hack VC, Anagram, Blockchain Builders Fund, Symbolic Capital, and individual investors such as NEAR Protocol founder Illia Polosukhin, SOL Foundation chairman Lily Liu, Polygon co-founder Symbolic Capital, Mysten Labs CEO Evan Cheng, Worldcoin Foundation dcbuilder, and Gitcoin co-founder Scott Moore. PIN AI stated that this round of financing will be used to develop a global open-source Personal Intelligence Network (PIN).
Pod: L1 with Unique Consensus Mechanism
Pod Network is developing a new consensus mechanism for L1 to increase its decentralization. By introducing a new consensus protocol, Pod Network hopes to allow more nodes to participate fairly in network consensus, preventing excessive centralization of computing power or equity, thereby enhancing network security and fairness.
Currently, the project has limited publicly disclosed information, resulting in limited understanding of its specific technical details.
Sekai: Decentralized Platform for Manga and Novel Creation
Sekai is a decentralized platform for creating short manga and novel stories, aiming to provide a virtual world for creators to freely express themselves and protect intellectual property. Any inspired user can create and publish short manga or novels on the platform.
The types of works cover eight categories: fantasy, science fiction, adventure, romance, comedy, slice of life, mystery, and horror. The platform supports features such as paid reading, author rewards, likes, comments, and sharing, while providing income sources for creators.
Sekai was selected as one of the Top 15 in the DAO and Community track at the 2024 ETHDenver hackathon on March 5 this year.
Skyfire: Open-Source Cryptocurrency Payment Network Based on AI Agents
Skyfire is a cryptocurrency payment network based on autonomous AI agents, founded by former Ripple executives Amir Sarhangi and Craig DeWitt, aiming to enable AI agents to autonomously conduct instant, secure global payments and receipts without the need for credit cards, bank accounts, or human intervention. Transactions are made in USDC. The network currently operates on Polygon, and Skyfire plans to expand to other blockchains.
On August 21, Skyfire announced the completion of an $8.5 million seed round of financing, with investors including Circle, Ripple, Gemini, and billionaire Tim Draper's venture capital firm.
Suave: Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol
Suave is a cross-chain transfer protocol that allows users to transfer assets between different blockchain networks, supporting multiple networks, wallets, and tokens. Users can use different wallets to perform cryptocurrency transfers across multiple blockchains, facilitating flexible cross-chain asset management.
t1 Protocol: Ethereum L2 Scalability Protocol
t1 Protocol is a decentralized platform on Ethereum, aiming to promote Ethereum's scalability, cross-chain operability, and operational efficiency.
On September 11, t1 Protocol announced the completion of a $2.5 million Pre-Seed round of financing, with investors including a16z Crypto Startup School, Espreeso, ENSO, CoW Swap, ETHGlobal, Frax, PNYX Ventures, Injective, MINA, 0x, AutoMata, Flashbots, TiTAN, Takkavlabs, Primev, and others.
TACEO: Cryptocurrency Security Company Collaborating with Worldcoin Foundation
TACEO is a company focused on cryptocurrency security, providing solutions for privacy and data protection for individuals and businesses. The company is also responsible for the security work of Worldcoin and has application cases in DeFi, AI, data, and gaming, dedicated to enhancing the security of these industries.
Term Labs: Fixed-Rate Lending Platform
Term Finance is an institutional-grade on-chain fixed-rate lending platform that allows borrowers and lenders to match funds through a decentralized auction process to determine fixed rates. Borrowers provide collateral, lenders provide funds, and after the auction, the lender receives an ERC-20 token as proof, which can be redeemed for the principal and interest at the end of the loan term.
On July 9, Term Finance announced the completion of a $5.5 million strategic financing round, led by Electric Capital, with participation from Arete Capital, Delta Blockchain Fund, Inception Capital, Blizzard Fund, Maelstrom, and others. Term Finance stated that this round of financing will be used to accelerate the development of Term to simplify lending with features such as looping, passive lending, automation, and real-time alerts.
vlayer labs: ZK-Based Web2 Data On-Chain Platform
vlayer is an infrastructure platform that helps users put Web2 data on-chain. The platform simplifies the use of zero-knowledge proofs, allowing developers to more easily use privacy and verification tools to integrate Web2 data into Web3 applications, thereby enhancing the value of data and strengthening the functionality and privacy protection of decentralized applications.
zkSpin: High-Performance Full-Chain Game Development Platform
zkSpin is a ZK-based full-chain game development platform designed to optimize the development and user experience of blockchain games. Compared to traditional full-chain games that use ZKP, which is costly and time-consuming, zkSpin allows players to submit game results to the operator (Web2 server) using improved ZK technology, with the operator responsible for verification and submitting the results to the blockchain. This approach speeds up the game process and enhances the player experience.
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