Will Universities Be Crypto’s Next Big Funding Driver?
The post Will Universities Be Crypto’s Next Big Funding Driver? appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. The recent announcement that venture fund Blockchain Builders had raised $28 million to finance promising crypto start-ups turned some heads. Not because $28m is a monumental figure in the context of crypto fundraising (it isn’t), but because of the fund’s many links to Stanford University. Founded by three Stanford graduates – Gil Rosen, Kun Peng, and Steven Willinger – it’s no exaggeration to say that Blockchain Builders bloomed from the corridors of the private research university. Indeed, the phrase “Stanford blockchain ecosystem” got plenty of play when the fund launched, a reference to things like the Center for Blockchain Research, the Stanford Blockchain Accelerator, and the BASS (Blockchain Application Stanford Summit) conference series. So, what does all of this mean? Why should we care that Stanford’s become a hub of blockchain research and innovation, and that the endeavors of its crypto community have led to the creation of a seven-figure fundraising chest? From Bold Visions to Real-World Applications Well, for starters, the very fact that one of the world’s most respected research institutions is turning its gaze to blockchain is a boon for the Web3 space. Between entrepreneurship courses and accelerators, Stanford is turning into a pipeline for crypto innovation. It also represents a proving ground for university involvement in the industry, giving rise to the possibility of prominent education institutions investing in Web3 firms and tech directly. In fact, reference has already been made to expansion of this nature: while the $28m chest was dubbed Fund I, and dedicated to investing in pre-seed and seed-stage blockchain ventures mostly focused on Stanford’s community, Fund II will support the new IC3-Cornell Blockchain Accelerator, “an initiative designed to transform bold ideas into real-world applications.” Interestingly, this research-driven program includes faculty members of Carnegie Mellon, Berkeley, Princeton, Yale, and University College London (UCL).…
The post Will Universities Be Crypto’s Next Big Funding Driver? appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.
The recent announcement that venture fund Blockchain Builders had raised $28 million to finance promising crypto start-ups turned some heads. Not because $28m is a monumental figure in the context of crypto fundraising (it isn’t), but because of the fund’s many links to Stanford University. Founded by three Stanford graduates – Gil Rosen, Kun Peng, and Steven Willinger – it’s no exaggeration to say that Blockchain Builders bloomed from the corridors of the private research university. Indeed, the phrase “Stanford blockchain ecosystem” got plenty of play when the fund launched, a reference to things like the Center for Blockchain Research, the Stanford Blockchain Accelerator, and the BASS (Blockchain Application Stanford Summit) conference series. So, what does all of this mean? Why should we care that Stanford’s become a hub of blockchain research and innovation, and that the endeavors of its crypto community have led to the creation of a seven-figure fundraising chest? From Bold Visions to Real-World Applications Well, for starters, the very fact that one of the world’s most respected research institutions is turning its gaze to blockchain is a boon for the Web3 space. Between entrepreneurship courses and accelerators, Stanford is turning into a pipeline for crypto innovation. It also represents a proving ground for university involvement in the industry, giving rise to the possibility of prominent education institutions investing in Web3 firms and tech directly. In fact, reference has already been made to expansion of this nature: while the $28m chest was dubbed Fund I, and dedicated to investing in pre-seed and seed-stage blockchain ventures mostly focused on Stanford’s community, Fund II will support the new IC3-Cornell Blockchain Accelerator, “an initiative designed to transform bold ideas into real-world applications.” Interestingly, this research-driven program includes faculty members of Carnegie Mellon, Berkeley, Princeton, Yale, and University College London (UCL).…
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