Established in 2014, Outlier Ventures is one of the first VC firms dedicated to investing in the emerging crypto ecosystem. Since launching its Base Camp accelerator in 2019, Outlier Ventures has received over 5,000 applications for its highly sought after virtual accelerator and has helped raise over $350 million in seed funding for its growing portfolio of 220+ high-profile projects from across the world, such as Crucible and Biconomy. In addition, Outlier Ventures has supported the launch and growth of several billion-dollar crypto economies including Fetch.ai, Boson Protocol, Secret Network, Blox Move, Swash and DIA Data. Their portfolio includes notable projects across DeFi, NFTs and blockchain infrastructure with a focus on emergent Metaverse use cases such as NFT-based digital couture fashion brands, avatar marketplaces, decentralized music publishing platforms, play-to-earn games, augmented reality social positioning protocols, and more. Outlier Ventures has expanded its Base Camp program to partner with leading protocols such as Aptos, Filecoin / IPFS, Polygon, and Polkadot along with FARFETCH, to host dedicated accelerator programs for these Web3 ecosystems along with Ascent, Outlier Ventures’ advisory offering targeted at later stage teams. Through its blockchain agnostic approach, Outlier Ventures has achieved record growth, doubled its cohort intake year after year, and is on target to accelerate well over 100 startups in 2022, making it one of the most active investors in the space by deal volume and the most active Web3 accelerator globally and top 3 crypto investor globally by volume of investment. Since its inception, Outlier Ventures has always viewed its portfolio as an open stack of technologies that contribute to a new web paradigm, referred to as Web3, based on principles that prioritize the sovereignty of the user, their data and digital wealth, over platform and shareholder supremacy. In January of 2021, Outlier Ventures published its thesis on the imminent arrival of the Metaverse, outlining how Web3 would serve as an operating system for an Open Metaverse.

Outlier Ventures

Uplink

Earn by becoming the link of the wireless network of the future

Uplink offers a blockchain-based platform that leverages a network of new and existing wireless infrastructure to enable individual users and enterprises to access internet and networking services. Users can integrate their existing infrastructure into the Uplink network or install compatible hardware for their business and earn the platform’s native tokens as a reward for using the network and making contributions. The company plans to launch its native token in late 2024.

Bringing the benefits of blockchain to the enterprise

Enterprise Blockchain Solutions

Uplink offers a blockchain-based platform that leverages a network of new and existing wireless infrastructure to enable individual users and enterprises to access internet and networking services. Users can integrate their existing infrastructure into the Uplink network or install compatible hardware for their business and earn the platform’s native tokens as a reward for using the network and making contributions. The company plans to launch its native token in late 2024.Key customers and partnershipsAs of April 2024, the company has reportedly collaborated with a number of large enterprises, including Ericsson, Deutsche Telekom, and E.ONFunding and financialsIn April 2024, Uplink<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/28470"> raised USD 10 million</a> in a funding round led by Framework Ventures.

BlockCypher is an enterprise company specializing in blockchain technology. The company’s cloud-based platform helps enterprises build blockchain applications with web APIs and callbacks. BlockCypher's APIs enable users to interact with multiple blockchains and retrieve data from blocks, receive notifications about unconfirmed transactions, and request multiple signature transactions​.In terms of product offerings, BlockCypher's primary service is its cloud-based platform. The platform's design is blockchain-universal, enabling its compatibility with any blockchain. This versatility permits BlockCypher to support numerous enterprise scenarios, including supply chain oversight, financial transactions, and record maintenance.Key customers and partnershipsBlockCypher and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) partnered in June 2018 to showcase secure peer-to-peer energy transactions using the blockchain, forming the foundation for a distributed energy marketplace. This collaboration opens up new value streams for customers and utilities by reducing the need for a central arbitrator.

BlockCypher

Bloq's products are designed to accelerate blockchain development and deployment, catering to individual developers, startups, and enterprises. Focusing on enterprises, the company’s solutions are offered through the Bloq platform, which includes tools for exchanges, wallets, data and analytics, and custody providers.The company provides managed blockchain cloud services that consist of three primary services: Connect, Nodes, and Stake. Connect is a blockchain API service that accelerates the development of real-time connectivity to popular blockchain networks and access to additional blockchain data services. Nodes offers private, fully managed clusters of nodes to access popular public blockchain networks. Stake provides infrastructure and API endpoints to allow users to create validators and start staking, with support for Ethereum and Avalanche networks​​.Key customers and partnershipsThe company's timeline of innovation includes major milestones such as delivering Fidelity’s first bitcoin wallet in 2016, launching BloqLabs in 2017, and working with Citibank on a Universal Node for digital assets in 2018. In recent years, Bloq has launched BloqCloud, a managed node and API service. It also partnered with Lumerin project to tokenize hashpower and founded Atmos Labs to develop metaverse-native sports​​.Bloq’s key enterprise customers include Discover, Citigroup, Foxconn, Barclays, Fidelity, and Circle.

Bloq

Dragonchain offers a blockchain-based, language-agnostic enterprise solutions that includes a Learning Management System. Some of the solutions include 1) Lyceum, which provides traceable proof-of-course progress, completion, scoring, continuing education units, and certification, along with a GDPR- and CCPA-capable identity management platform; 2) Factor, which enables secure PII storage and streamlined authentication; and 3) A FinTech suite that supports regulatory compliance. Dragonchain’s products are quantum-safe and the proof of every transaction is secured to bitcoin, Ethereum, and other blockchain networks.In January 2020, Dragonchain was able to execute over 260 million transactions on a business system in just 24 hours. The test was run on 520 active nodes with a utilization rate of below 2%; it was estimated that at full capacity, the platform could execute approximately 13 billion transactions.The company’s solutions can be used across a range of industries, including healthcare, FinTech, government, and supply chain management. Most use cases focus on using the platform for information gathering and management, with a priority on accurate and real-time information availability.Key customers and partnershipsThe company has worked with a range of customers including Snohomish County in the US, Beaxy, Knowledge Perk, and SafePass.

Dragonchain

<div>
 
 BlockApps is a leading provider of blockchain solutions that helps businesses enhance transparency and trust in their transactions. BlockApps' key product, STRATO, is a BaaS platform compatible with Ethereum, which is designed for business network transactions and activities, adhering to the standards of the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance (EEA). It can be deployed on multiple cloud providers, integrated with various systems, and is configurable for a range of business activities. It is primarily used for building business networks with a focus on enhancing security, performance, trust, and transparency. STRATO's capabilities include tokenizing real-world assets, incorporating transparency data, and creating value chain incentives. It offers a suite of features including data privacy controls, network governance, scalability, APIs for third-party integration, audit and reporting tools, data migration facilities, identity management using existing enterprise sign-on systems, consensus mechanisms, developer tools, application portability, and the ability to use existing enterprise data models.
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 In 2016, BlockApps collaborated with ConsenSys and BHP Billiton to deploy its first production application. In the same year, it built enterprise Proof of Concepts (POCs) with John Hancock and Upgraded (now Ticketmaster).&nbsp;
 
 
 BlockApps announced an initiative with ARC, United Airlines, and Blockskye in 2018 and also launched the STRATO platform on all major cloud providers by partnering with Google and Amazon Web Services.&nbsp;
 
 
 In September 2021, it launched TraceCarbon, a CO2 ecosystem management application, supporting sustainability traceability.
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 In April 2022, BlockApps raised USD 41 million in funding through a round led by Liberty City Ventures. The company intended to use the funding to enhance its go-to-market strategy, expand its team, help businesses expand in its blockchain ecosystem, and bring more real assets to the STRATO platform.&nbsp;
 
 
 
</div>

BlockApps

Cryptowerk is an enterprise blockchain company that offers blockchain-as-a-service, allowing organizations to create a tamper-proof chain of custody for their digital assets and enabling them to prove authenticity at scale​​. Cryptowerk's solutions are used in multiple industries, including aerospace and defense, automotive, pharmaceuticals, software, and utilities​​.The company's primary product is Cryptowerk HORIZON. This software creates tamper-proof records of digital assets that can be sealed in public or private blockchains up to one million times per second. These digital "fingerprints" can then be compared to the original data to verify authenticity. Cryptowerk HORIZON is offered as a REST API. The product is available for cloud-based deployment and supports various organizations including midsize businesses, small businesses, enterprises, freelancers, nonprofits, and government entities​​.

Cryptowerk

Companies that offer blockchain-based solutions that enable users and companies to track price, date, location, quality, and other relevant information for supply chain management

Companies and protocols that leverage blockchain technology to act as content delivery networks (CDNs) or provide content sharing solutions

Companies that leverage blockchain technology to offer databases, query services and data sharing

Companies that offer blockchain-enabled Internet-of-Things (IoT) development platforms for building networks and transferring IoT device data

Companies that leverage blockchain to protect and manage digital intellectual property (IP) rights

Companies that leverage blockchain technology to provide cybersecurity and identity management solutions for enterprises

Companies and protocols that offer industry and context specific blockchain-based solutions for enterprise applications

The blockchain-as-a-service segment operates under a B2B SaaS model

Companies offering blockchain-enabled tools to build IoT networks/supply chain traceability solutions for smart factories

Includes companies that offer blockchain-enabled tools to build IoT networks and transfer IoT device data

All companies within this industry are either blockchain-based platforms or offer blockchain-centric services

ANALYST_QUICK_TAKE

<div>

 Decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN) solutions provider Uplink has raised $10 million in investment from a funding round led by Framework Ventures. The company plans to introduce its native token within the year.

Uplink operates a blockchain-based platform that utilizes new and existing wireless infrastructure networks to provide internet and networking services to individual users and enterprises. Users have the opportunity to incorporate their current infrastructure into the Uplink network or to install compatible hardware for their businesses. Users who participate in the network and contribute to it can earn the platform’s native tokens as a reward.&nbsp;
 
</div> Analyst QuickTake: 
 The DePIN space has seen a recent influx in fresh funding with startups like <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/companies/622489"> IoTeX </a> and <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/companies/1092307"> Peaq </a> , raising <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/28177"> USD 50 million </a> and <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/27962"> USD 15 million </a> , respectively, within the last three weeks. While Uplink broadly operates within the same category, it aims to differentiate itself via its network of ecosystem partners which include large telecom companies such as Ericsson, Deutsche Telekom, and E.ON.&nbsp;

Uplink

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