The Berkeley Blockchain Xcelerator is an internationally recognized, non-dilutive source of support for startups in the global blockchain ecosystem and now leads our 3rd pillar on community & entrepreneurship for Berkeley’s multi-disciplinary, campus-wide initiative on web3 and decentralization — Berkeley Center for Responsible, Decentralized Intelligence (RDI).
Also, UC Berkeley has been ranked the #1 university for blockchain in the US for a second year in a row!
Last Week to Apply for Xcelerator Cohort 7!
Application Reminder
This is a friendly reminder that the application deadline for our 7th cohort is approaching rapidly.
We urge any teams between pre-seed and series A with a strong decentralized use case to apply. If you know of any teams that would benefit from our program, please share this link (https://rebrand.ly/wkus6is) with them or forward this newsletter to them!
The Xcelerator accepts applications from around the globe and has worked with 100 teams since January 2019, raising more than $600M in follow-on funding! The program pairs selected teams with Fellows from Blockchain at Berkeley and provides a platform to connect with our network of investors, mentors, and talent at UC Berkeley, as well as providing visibility and awareness for teams and a Demo Day.
Application closes October 15!
We would be grateful if you could consider taking a moment to retweet our announcement here.
Xcelerator Alum Teams Updates
Manta Network Developer p0x labs Raises $25m Series A, Launches Manta Pacific Mainnet Alpha.
P0x labs, the cryptographic development team building Manta Network, recently announced its $25 million Series A, led by Polychain Capital and Qiming Venture Partners, bringing its valuation to $500 million. Additional backers include Alliance, CoinFund, and SevenX Ventures.
MantaFest, a 5-week long celebration for the Manta Pacific Mainnet Alpha launch is underway! Between Thursday, September 28, 2023 at 10AM EST and Tuesday, November 7, 2023 at 11:59PM EST Manta Network will be introducing many activities that users will be able to participate in. Learn more here — https://mantanetwork.medium.com/introducing-mantafest-1bc6faf940b3
CUBE3.AI emerged from stealth with $8.2M in funding and was selected for Mastercard’s Start Path
CUBE3.AI is a unique web3 security platform that uses advanced machine learning to not only detect, but block malicious transactions in real-time, without pausing smart contracts or blockchains.
The platform emerged from stealth in August with $8.2M in funding, achieving major milestones in just 8 weeks. CUBE3 released their Monitor and Protect products that alert and block cyber exploits, fraud, vulnerabilities, and compliance risks in real-time. Mastercard selected CUBE3 as the first cybersecurity company for their Start Path Blockchain and Digital Assets program, combined with an optimistic endorsement from Mastercard CEO, Michael Miebach. CUBE3 provides the core of their address/contract inspection and monitoring tools at no charge, as a public good. Read more here — https://www.coindesk.com/business/2023/08/09/web3-security-startup-cube3ai-emerges-from-stealth-with-82m-seed-funding/ https://www.mastercard.com/news/perspectives/featured-topics/fintech/fostering-the-next-generation-of-digital-assets-innovation/ https://www.linkedin.com/posts/michaelmiebach_blockchain-digitalassets-nft-activity-7114640231617683457-rXkP
AnChain.AI Brings Groundbreaking AI to Fintech Leaders in Brazil
In September 2023 AnChain.AI CEO, Victor Fang, Ph.D., and Head of Law Enforcement Relations, Brennan Long were proud to take part in the ‘Artificial Intelligence For Digital Currencies’ seminar. Held at Universidade de Brasília, the seminar brought together AnChain.AI, IRS Criminal Investigation, Banco Central do Brasil, and the Brazilian Ministério Público Federal (MPF) for an insightful discussion at the intersection of AI and digital currencies.
An emerging leader in global fintech innovation, Brazil recently unveiled its comprehensive cryptocurrency regulation framework in July 2023, marking a crucial step toward fostering a secure and transparent crypto ecosystem within the country. AnChain.AI is proud to support the efforts of global regulators to promote the responsible adoption of these promising technologies.
Learn more here — https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7112413008202518528
OAK Network Introduces, OAK Insights: Data Monitoring & GraphQL API
The OAK Network team is proud to introduce new Insights services. These services are designed to streamline interactions with any of OAK Network’s blockchains and empower developers creating dApps. Leveraging open-source SubQuery technology, the Insights services consist of a Data Monitoring dashboard and a GraphQL API. These services aim to address challenges and enhance the functionalities of our current and future products.
The benefits of using Insights services include:
- Enhanced Accessibility: Support for OAK Network’s unique data formats associated with tasks.
- Streamlined Data Retrieval: The GraphQL API facilitates seamless data extraction.
- Built-in Data Indexing: Built-in data indexing enables efficient and diverse data retrieval.
- Notification Functionality: Insights services now provide email and Telegram notifications for on-chain task triggers.
Learn more here — https://medium.com/oak-blockchain/introducing-oak-networks-data-monitoring-insights-dashboard-fb6789c955ce
We are beyond excited about all our alumni’s wonderful achievements!
Finally, the Xcelerator is an non-dilutive, sponsorship-funded program that is part of our academic mission. We rely on our sponsors to continue to groom the most promising teams year over year. If your organization is interested in sponsoring the Xcelerator, and you’d like to learn more about the inherent benefits of being a sponsor, please take a moment to fill out this brief survey, and we will follow up. Thank you.
Stay in touch!
If you’d like to learn more about the Xcelerator, please review our Xcelerator website, especially our portfolio of the current and past cohort participants. We’d also recommend that you follow us on Medium and Twitter to stay up to date with the Xcelerator news.
If you have any questions or feedback for us, please don’t hesitate to send us an email at xcelerator@berkeley.edu.
Berkeley Blockchain Xcelerator Newsletter
October 2023
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