Blockchain
For founders pursuing commercial opportunities predicated on the application of blockchain technology.
- All Ventures
- CDL-Toronto
Bittensor
Bittensor is a peer-to-peer market that commoditizes machine intelligence using a proof-of-intelligence consensus mechanism. Researchers and developers (producers) contribute knowledge to the network in the form of ML models.Enterprises (consumers) can then purchase that knowledge to train their applications. Bittensor has created a custom consensus mechanism that verifies data entering the network. This consensus mechanism rewards producers of valuable insights (unique data sets or high performing ML models) with incentive tokens, creating a market for machine intelligence.
BX Smart Labs
BX Smart Labs is building a platform that allows participants to access Rotating Credit and Savings Associations (RoSCAs) within and outside their communities. A RoSCA is a group of individuals that each contribute a set amount to a common fund on a regular basis, enabling alternative savings and lending vehicles for members. The platform uses smart contracts to automate the payments and withdrawals of a RoSCA through terms set by the participants and employs a reputation-based token to measure the performance of participants, i.e(paying on time and in full.
Gray Wolf
asset service providers (VASPs) to protect their end-users from cryptocurrency-related scams. It’s crypto-incident assessment and communication system helps VASPs and crypto investigators conduct faster investigations on high-risk blockchain transactions by providing a platform for all users to share and access a database of past intelligence (criminal reports, scam alerts, and abnormal transaction behaviour). Gray Wolf can also support exchanges to identify fake trading volume through its DeFi Insight product, to prevent crypto price manipulation.
Open Leverage
Open Leverage is a permissionless margin trading protocol that enables retail traders to use borrowed funds to invest and trade tokens on decentralized exchanges such as Uniswap. The venture uses smart contracts to automate borrowing, interest payout, and token transactions. It integrates with various decentralized exchanges for liquidity.
Onomy Protocol
Onomy Protocol is an interoperable Layer-1 ecosystem built to converge Forex and decentralized finance. Products include a methodical three-stage rollout of an innovative multi-chain wallet, a decentralized exchange (DEX) supporting an orderbook experience fused with automated market maker (AMM) liquidity pools, and a stablecoin issuance protocol.
Polkadex
Polkadex is a regulated, decentralized, and order book-based exchange that allows retail and institutional investors to buy and sell cryptocurrencies. Its cross-chain communication protocol, Thea, allows any blockchain network or application to list and trade tokens on its exchange. Polkadex uses a trusted execution environment (TEE) as a gateway to settle trades without users having to give up custody of their funds.
PERCS
PERCS offers software to mint non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to represent physical or digital products. It targets consumer brands and e-commerce companies to integrate its software into existing websites or platforms to enable the sale of new NFT products. This allows consumers to purchase NFTs through the brand’s platform using fiat currency. Brands can customize price, transaction fee, and reselling rights in the smart contract for their NFTs.
PERCS
PERCS offers software to mint non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that represent physical or digital products. It targets consumer brands and e-commerce companies to integrate its software into their existing websites or platforms to enable the sale of new NFT products. This allows consumers to purchase NFTs through the brand’s platform using fiat currency. Brands can customize price, transaction fee, and reselling rights in the smart contract for their NFTs.
PERCS was just launching its product and had signed its first customer when it began CDL’s Blockchain stream. Over the course of the program, PERCS signed up marquee clients, including multiple major brewing companies, and has now brought in USD $1.1 million in revenue in the past ten months. The company is also wrapping up an initial SAFE raise, which is completely funded at USD $4.5 million.
CDL mentors including Iliana Oris Valiente, who introduced the team to potential partners, were instrumental in the venture’s development, co-founder Kay C. Ginsberg said. Mentors Jeff Enslin and Scott Stornetta also guided the company on how to approach its first raise. Raising money for PERCS required a shift in narrative and model for Ginsberg, who came from a finance industry background. She found that raising money for a blockchain venture required a different approach than raising money for more traditional products. “They gave valuable feedback on how we are approaching this and how we convey valuation without being too forward,” Ginsberg said of Enslin and Stornetta. Now that the venture is shored up for funding, Ginsberg said it will focus on build mode. PERCS recently launched a self-serve model for clients, which will save time for the PERCS team and ensure a smoother customer experience. Previously, PERCS onboarded every new customer one-on-one. “We can now actually sell it and just say, ‘This is the link,’” Ginsberg said. PERCS’s new challenge is to finesse its pricing strategy, which CDL mentor Mike Abramsky is assisting with.
"I do think the vision of loyalty and customer engagement is the big opportunity here and brands will need a partner."
Josh Felker • Associate, CDL-Toronto Oct 20, 2021 @ 5:18PM ET