知名創投在區塊鏈的投資- 1
因今年開始，讀了比較多 Blockchain & Crypto 相關的文章，聽了很多 podcast 訪問，整個產業變化很快，想多紀錄整理一下自己的心得，但這些文章都追不完，也沒時間寫感想了。
最近想從幾個矽谷和紐約知名 VC 在 2018 上半年所投的項目切入做個整理，希望可以以知名創投的投資，觀察一下 Blockchain/Crypto 產業發展的趨勢。許多在這裡列出的創投都是滿年輕才設立一兩年的 Crypto Fund，像：
Polychain Capital，是 Andreessen Horowitz (A16Z)、Union Square Ventures (USV) 在 2016 年底投資了 Coinbase 第一個員工 Olaf Carlson-Wee 所創辦。
MetaStable Capital，是 Angel List cofounder- Naval Ravikant 創辦。
1confirmation 是 Coinbase Alum- Nick Tomaino 創辦的…等。這些新 fund 這一兩年都很活躍在投。
幾個 Top Tier 創投最近也都釋出要設立新的 Crypto Fund 或投資其他 Crypto Fund 的消息。
如：Andreessen Horowitz (A16Z) 設立 Crypto Fund
Sequoia 的 Partner 和 Coinbase Co-founder 要設立新的 Crypto Fund，Sequoia 會是 LP
USV 是最早在投 Crypto/Blockchain 的創投之一，除了自己在投 Crypto 項目，還投了六家 Crypto Funds: Multicoin Capital, Polychain Capital, MetaStable Capital, Blocktower Capital, Autonomous Partners, Placeholder VC。其中 Placeholder 是傳統創投模式，其餘五家都是用 Hedge Fund。
以下是我簡單將今年這些 Top Tier 投資人的 Blockchain/Crypto 項目的整理，資料大部分是來自 Crunchbase 及這些公司的網站，介紹的順序是從今年六月往前寫，包括幾個 2017 下半年的投資案也滿具代表性，就一起寫了，我個人覺得值得留意的，會在公司名前面打 * 號。
另外，可以從這一份列表，看出矽谷投資人在 Blockchain 發展初期，瞄準的大多是 Protocol、Infrastructure 類的公司：
Announce Date: 6/12
Company: Haja Networks
Category: Protocol
Location: Oulu, Finland
Description: A scalable and trustless peer-to-peer database, and database protocols for a global data layer to re-decentralize the web.
Investors: Creathor Ventures (Lead), Polychain Capital, Outlier Ventures
Announce Date: 6/4
Company: Codex Protocol
Category: Protocol, Application
Location: London, UK
Description: A decentralized title registry of Arts and Collectibles. Biddable, a codex’s title-escrow application, is built on top of Codex protocol.
Investors: Pantera(Lead), J Capital
Fund Raised: 5.7M Seed
Announce Date: 5/23
Company: TruStory
Category: Service
Location: LA, CA
Description: To bring authenticity back into the digital and decentralized world.
Investors: True Ventures (Lead), Coinbase ventures, Fred Ehrsam(Coinbase co-founder, will launch a new fund backed by Sequoia), Pantera Capital, Abstract, etc.
Fund Raised: 3.3M Seed
Announce Date: 5/17
＊Company: Compound Labs
Category: Protocol
Location: SF, CA
Description: A protocol for algorithmic, efficient money markets on the Ethereum blockchain. Compound algorithmically adjusts money market interest rates based on asset-specific supply and demand.
Investors: A16Z (Lead), Polychain (Lead), Bain (Lead), DHVC, Transmedia, Abstract, Coinbase.
Fund Raised: 8.2M Seed
Announce Date: 5/12
＊Company: Decred
Category: Infrastructure
Description: A cryptocurrency with hybrid proof-of-work/proof-of-stake consensus that enables on-chain governance.
Investors: Placeholder VC
Announce Date: 5/10
＊Company: Open Sea
Category: Protocol, Marketplace
Location: SF, CA
Description: A peer-to-peer marketplace for cryptogoods (like Ebay for crypto assets), which include collectibles, gaming items, and other virtual goods backed by a blockchain.
Investors: 1confirmation (Lead), Y Combinator (Lead), Stable Fund, The Chernin Group, Founders Fund, Foundation Capital, Coinbase Ventures, Blockstack, Blockchain Capital
Fund Raised: 2.12M Seed
Announce Date: 4/20
＊Company: Orchid Labs
Category: Protocol
Location: SF, CA
Description: Orchid uses an overlay network built upon the existing internet, which is driven by a peer-to-peer tokenized bandwidth exchange, creating a more inclusive, liberated internet.
Investors: A16Z, DFJ Growth, Sequoia, MetaStable, Blockchain Capital, BoxGroup, Polychain Capital, Compound, Tuesday Capital, Struck Capital
Fund Raised: 40.8M Venture Round
Announce Date: 4/18
＊Company: basis (formerly basecoin)
Category: Protocol, Stablecoin
Location: New Jersey
Description: A price-stable cryptocurrency with an algorithmic central bank. The Basis protocol is designed to expand and contract supply similarly to the way central banks buy and sell fiscal debt to stabilize purchasing power.
Investors: Seed: 1confirmation, Bain Capital, Curious Endeavors, DHVC, Raymond Tonsing
ICO: A16Z, Ceyuan, Digital Currency Group, Foundation Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, MetaStable Capital, Naval Ravikant, Pantera Capital, Polychain Capital, ZhenFund, Underscore VC, etc
Fund Raised: 133M ICO
Announce Date: 4/17
＊Company: Harbor
Category: Protocol, Security Token
Location: SF, CA
Description: The Harbor platform, powered by its compliance protocol, is the first to ensure tokenized securities comply with existing securities laws on every trade, everywhere across the globe.
Investors: Series A Lead: Vy Capital, Fifth Wall, Valor Equity Partners;
Corp Round Lead: Founders Fund; Corp Round: A16Z, 1confirmation, Pantera, Founders Fund, Valor Equity, Craft Ventures, Abstract Ventures, Abstract Holdings, Signia, Future Perfect
Fund Raised: 40.8M Venture Round
Announce Date: 4/17
Company: Origin Protocols
Category: Protocol
Location: SF, CA
Description: a protocol for creating sharing economy marketplaces using the Ethereum blockchain and IPFS. It empowers developers and businesses to build decentralized marketplaces on the blockchain.
Investors: Pantera (Joey Krug Lead), BlockTower Capital (backed by A16Z, USV), Foundation Capital, KBW Ventures, Cypher Capital, DHVC, FBG Capital, PreAngel, Sora Ventures, Hashed, Continue Capital, Garry Tan, etc.
Fund Raised: 31.5M Seed + Venture Round
Announce Date: 4/14
Company: Kadena
Category: Protocol
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Description: A private distributed ledger technology to industry, with the first high-performance, BFT-consensus, smart-contract solution.
Investors: Multicoin Capital, MetaStable Capital, SV Angel, Susquehanna International Group, Asimov Ventures, Limitless Crypto Investments, Devonshire Investors, Kilowatt Capital, CoinFund,
Fund Raised: 14.9M Seed + B Round
Announce Date: 4/5
＊Company: CoinList
Category: Financial Service, Compliance
Location: SF, CA
Description: For digital asset companies manage their token sales and investors discover high quality projects, and help their compliance work. (AngelList’s spinoff)
Investors: Polychain, FBG, Electric Capital, Libertus Capital, CoinFund, Digital Currency Group
Fund Raised: 9.2M A Round
Announce Date: 3/28
Company: Chia Network
Category: Infrastructure
Location: SF, CA
Description: Chia Network is building a blockchain based on proofs of space and time to make a cryptocurrency which is less wasteful, more decentralized, and more secure. (Co-founder Bram Cohen is bitTorrent inventor)
Investors: Naval (Lead), A16Z, Greylock
Fund Raised: 3.4M Seed
Announce Date: 3/27
Company: Spring Labs
Category: Financial Service, Compliance
Location: LA, CA
Description: Spring Labs is building a more transparent, efficient, and secure ecosystem to exchange credit and identity information using the blockchain.
Investors: August Capital (Lead), Multicoin Capital, Jump Capital, Pritzker Group, GreatPoint Ventures
Fund Raised: 14.8M Seed
Announce Date: 3/21
＊Company: Crypto Kitties
Category: Game, Non-fungible ERC 721, Collectible
Location: Vancouver, BC & SF, CA
Description: A mobile game that enables users to collect and breed virtual cats on the blockchain. An application based on non-fungible, collectible protocol.
Investors: A16Z, Naval, Avichal Garg(Ex YC Partner), Caffeinated Capital, Digital Currency Group, Mark Pincus(Zynga cofounder), Fred Erhsam (Coinbase cofounder)
Fund Raised: 12M Seed
Announce Date: 3/19
Company: Fragments
Category: Protocol, Stablecoin
Description: Fragments is an algorithmic reserve and monetary supply policy for creating low volatility Ethereum Standard tokens, and their mission is to produce a fair and stable money for the world.
Investors: True Ventures (Lead), Pantera, Founder Collective, FBG
Fund Raised: 3M Venture Round
Announce Date: 3/7
Company: Messari
Category: Service
Location: NY
Description: Messari’s mission is to promote transparency and smarter decision-making in the cryptoasset community.
Investors: Kindred Ventures, SparkLabs Global, Anthemis Group, DHVC, Semantic Ventures, Digital Asset Investment, Underscore VC, Rising Tide, Blockchain Capital, CoinFund
Fund Raised: 1M Seed
Announce Date: 3/6
Company: DDEX
Category: DEX
Description: DDEX is a DApp that works with popular “Wallet Enabled Browsers” such as MetaMask and Brave. No additional registration is required — you can start trading right away.Building on top of Ethereum smart contracts and the 0x protocol, DDEX allows users to trade ERC-20 tokens from wallet to wallet. No possibility of theft. No uncertainty of deposit/withdrawal lockup periods.
Investors: Initialized Capital (Garry Tan), Zhenfund
Fund Raised: 2.1M
Announce Date: 2/22
Company: Republic Protocol
Category: Protocol, Infrastructure, Cross-chain exchange
Location: Singapore
Description: An open-source decentralized dark pool exchange. It facilitates cross-chain atomic trades on a hidden order book over the Ethereum and Bitcoin networks.
Investors: Polychain (Lead), FBG (Lead), Limitless Crypto Investments, Hyperchain Capital, Huobi
Fund Raised: 34M ICO
Announce Date: 2/7
Company: Dfinity
Category: Infrastructure
Location: Zug, Switzerland
Description: Building an open, decentralized blockchain that runs smart contract software with vastly improved performance, capacity, and governance.
Investors: Polychain (Lead), A16Z (Lead)
Fund Raised: 64.9M Venture Round
Announce Date: 1/31
Company: StarkWare Industries
Category: Infrastructure
Location: Israel
Description: Developing the Full Proof Stack for the STARK zero-knowledge protocol
Investors: Polychain, Pantera, Floodgate, Naval, MetaStable, Vitalik, Linda Xie
Fund Raised: 6M Seed
Announce Date: 12/19/17
＊Company: dYdX
Category: Protocol, Financial Service
Location: SF, CA
Description: dYdX is building a decentralized protocol for derivatives, built on the Ethereum blockchain and the 0x protocol. The protocol lets you take out peer-to-peer short sells, long positions and options on any ERC20 token.
Investors: A16Z (Chris Dixon) Polychain, 1confirmation, Avichal Garg, Caffeinated Capital, Fred Erhsam (Coinbase cofounder), Brian Armstrong (Coinbase CEO), etc.
Fund Raised: undisclosed Seed
Announce Date: 12/19/17
Company: Radar Relay
Category: Exchange
Location: Fort Colins, CO
Description: A cryptocurrency exchange technology that leverages blockchain and the 0x protocol to trade ETH based tokens.
Investors: Blockchain Capital (Lead), Digital Currency Group, SV Angel, etc
Fund Raised: 3M Seed
Announce Date: 12/15/17
＊Company: MakerDAO
Category: Protocol, Stablecoin
Description: Maker is a decentralized autonomous organization on the Ethereum blockchain seeking to minimize the price volatility of its own stable token — the Dai — against the IMF’s international currency basket SDR.
Investors: A16Z (Lead), Polychain, 1confirmation, FBG Capital, Walden Bridge Capital, Wyre Capital, Distributed Capital
Fund Raised: 12M Venture Round
Announce Date: 12/12/17
Company: NuCypher
Category: Security
Location: SF, CA
Description: NuCypher’s core technology, proxy re-encryption, is a type of public-key encryption that allows a proxy entity to transform ciphertexts from one public key to another, without learning anything about the underlying message. It is a means of securely delegating access to encrypted information, via the construction of cryptographically-enforced access controls.
Investors: Polychain (Lead), YC, FBG Capital, Amino, Base Ventures, Fusion Fund, Semantic Ventures, Mission and Market, Blockchain Partners, Compound, Coinfund, Satoshi Fund, Galaxy Digital Asset, Galaxy Investment etc
Fund Raised: 5.2M Seed + Venture Round
Announce Date: 10/1/17
＊Company: 0x
Category: Protocol, Exchange
Location: SF, CA
Description: 0x is a protocol that facilitates low friction peer-to-peer exchange on the Ethereum blockchain.
Investors: Innovating Capital, Limitless Crypto Investments, Andreas Schwarts, James Sowers
Fund Raised: 24M Seed + Venture Round + ICO
希望接下來我可以每個月更新。
