What Blockchain Builders Fund does

Blockchain Builders Fund is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2023 and based in Palo Alto, California. The fund invests in blockchain and Web3 startups, with a stated focus on Stanford-affiliated founders. Leadership comprises three General Partners (Gil Rosen, Kun Peng, Steven Willinger), two Venture Partners (Eric Peter, Jason Bonayer), an Accelerator Operations lead (Jason Scott), and Fund Operations (Hannah Gilulah). The fund's self-described positioning is community-led, leveraging the Stanford Blockchain ecosystem — including the Stanford Blockchain Accelerator, the MS&E447 Blockchain Entrepreneurship course, and the BASS (Blockchain Applications Stanford Summit) event series — as primary deal-sourcing channels. The firm is GP-managed and operates with a small team (1–10 employees). Public-source disclosures indicate participation as an investor in Unitas Labs (yield-bearing stablecoin protocol), Akave (decentralized data/storage), Levl (stablecoin/global payments), and the Apollo AI Accelerator program launched with 0G. The fund's claimed downstream metrics (~$500M raised by ~100 portfolio teams, 70% post-revenue by program end) describe the broader Stanford Blockchain Accelerator ecosystem that the fund is positioned within, not assets managed by Blockchain Builders Fund itself. Specific AUM, fund size, management fees, carried interest terms, LP composition, and portfolio company valuations are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Blockchain Builders Fund

Legal name

Blockchain Builders Fund

Website

https://blockchainbuilders.fund

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Early-stage venture capital fund based in Palo Alto, CA, investing in blockchain and Web3 startups with emphasis on Stanford-affiliated founders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital

NAICS

Open-End Investment Funds (525910)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI)

Keywords

• Venture capital funding
• Blockchain startup investment
• Seed stage investing
• Web3 venture capital
• Early stage crypto fund

Headquarters

HQ city

Palo Alto

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Early-stage venture investments in blockchain startups: The fund deploys capital into early-stage blockchain startups (primarily Stanford-affiliated founders), generating returns through equity appreciation, exits, and token unlocks. Recent disclosed investments include Unitas Labs ($13.33M seed), Akave (pre-seed and $6.65M seed), Levl ($7M seed), and the Apollo AI Accelerator program with 0G. Returns are realized as portfolio companies grow and exit.
2. Capital appreciation and carried interest from fund performance: As a venture fund, returns to GPs are generated through capital gains on successful portfolio exits (e.g., Jason Bonayer's prior Swiss blockchain VC fund generated 7.5x MOIC; Gil Rosen's angel track record includes 50+ deals with 5x MOIC). Standard VC carried interest economics apply on top of management fees.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Blockchain Builders Fund is a privately held, GP-managed early-stage venture capital fund that makes initial checks into Stanford-affiliated blockchain and crypto startups, with the majority of portfolio companies originating from the Stanford Blockchain Accelerator. The fund is operated alongside a broader Stanford ecosystem spanning the MS&E 447 blockchain entrepreneurship course, BASS events, the Stanford Blockchain Review, the Stanford Blockchain Club, and CBAS alumni network, and it co-launched the $20M Apollo AI Accelerator in partnership with 0G, Google Cloud, and Privy.

Product overview

Blockchain Builders Fund is a venture capital product — specifically an early-stage fund — rather than a software platform with discrete modules. Its single core offering is the Blockchain Builders Fund itself, which provides capital, Stanford-network distribution, and operational support to blockchain founders emerging from Stanford's ecosystem. Around this core fund, the partners also operate a tightly integrated ecosystem of associated programs (the Stanford Blockchain Accelerator, MS&E 447 Blockchain Entrepreneurship course, the BASS event series, the Stanford Blockchain Review, the Stanford Blockchain Club, the Crypto Blockchain Alumni of Stanford (CBAS) alumni network, and the co-launched Apollo AI Accelerator with 0G, Google Cloud, and Privy) that together form the funnel through which the fund sources, supports, and scales portfolio companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Blockchain Builders Fund Privately held, GP-managed early-stage venture capital fund that makes initial checks into Stanford-affiliated blockchain startups, with the majority of portfolio companies originating from the Stanford Blockchain Accelerator.
• Stanford Blockchain Accelerator Stanford Blockchain Accelerator that incubates approximately 25 Stanford student and alumni teams each year and serves as Blockchain Builders Fund's principal deal-sourcing and value-add platform.
• Apollo AI Accelerator $20M accelerator program co-launched by Blockchain Builders Fund with 0G, Google Cloud, and Privy that targets early-stage AI startups building on decentralized infrastructure.

Quantifiable outcome

• Stanford Blockchain Accelerator's ~100 teams to date have raised $500M+ from leading funds
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Cornell BlockchaincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2026Cornell Blockchain co-hosted the "Programmable Economy: AI & Blockchain Redefining Markets" conference at Cornell Tech on April 24, 2026 alongside Blockchain Builders, Blockchain at Cornell Tech, and the Cornell Tech AI Society. The conference featured panels on CeFi & DeFi markets and Next Gen Payments, and extends the fund's reach into Cornell's blockchain community.
• Blockchain at Cornell TechcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2026Blockchain at Cornell Tech co-hosted the "Programmable Economy: AI & Blockchain Redefining Markets" conference at Cornell Tech on April 24, 2026 alongside Cornell Blockchain, Blockchain Builders, and the Cornell Tech AI Society. Extends the fund's cross-university network.
• Cornell Tech AI SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2026The Cornell Tech AI Society co-hosted the "Programmable Economy: AI & Blockchain Redefining Markets" conference at Cornell Tech on April 24, 2026 alongside Cornell Blockchain, Blockchain Builders, and Blockchain at Cornell Tech. Reflects the fund's positioning at the intersection of AI and blockchain.
• 0G (Apollo AI Accelerator)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 February 20260G, a decentralized AI infrastructure protocol, launched the Apollo AI Accelerator with a $20M fund in collaboration with Stanford blockchain veterans and partners including Blockchain Builders Fund, Google Cloud, and Privy (announced February 27, 2026). The program funds and supports early-stage AI projects on decentralized infrastructure, providing funding, mentorship, and access to infrastructure and community resources.
• Google CloudcoreTechnology or Integration · 27 February 2026Google Cloud is a partner in the Apollo AI Accelerator (a $20M fund launched February 27, 2026 by 0G with Stanford blockchain veterans and partners including Blockchain Builders Fund, Google Cloud, and Privy). The accelerator supports early-stage AI projects on decentralized infrastructure, with Google Cloud providing infrastructure access.
• PrivycoreTechnology or Integration · 27 February 2026Privy is a partner in the Apollo AI Accelerator (a $20M fund launched February 27, 2026 by 0G with Stanford blockchain veterans and partners including Blockchain Builders Fund, Google Cloud, and Privy). Privy is a crypto/web3 onboarding and wallet infrastructure provider; partnership enables founders in the accelerator to access wallet/auth tooling.
• Stanford Blockchain AcceleratorflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerStanford Blockchain Accelerator is an alumni-run blockchain accelerator co-led by the same three partners of Blockchain Builders Fund (Gil Rosen, Kun Peng, Steven Willinger). It incubates ~25 Stanford student/alumni teams per cohort year (~100 teams to date, $500M+ raised by alumni, 70% post-revenue by program end). Functions as the fund's primary deal-sourcing and value-add platform.
• Blockchain Applications Stanford Summit (BASS)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerBASS is one of the highest-signal builder events in the blockchain ecosystem, co-led by the fund's three partners along with the Stanford Blockchain Accelerator. After 10x events it functions as the in-person focal point of the Stanford Blockchain Builder ecosystem; portfolio founders use BASS to find first customers and meet future investors.
• Stanford Blockchain ClubflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Stanford Blockchain Club is Stanford's official student-run blockchain organization with 3,000+ active student and alumni members and a 10K Twitter following. GP Kun Peng helped revive it in 2021; the club hosts virtual and in-person events with industry thought leaders and feeds the BBF deal pipeline.
• Stanford Center for Blockchain Research (CBR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStanford CBR is widely regarded as a leading university research center and hosts the annual Science of Blockchain Conference. The fund's partners co-organize and participate in CBR events (BASS originated as a pre-conference to SBC), connecting the fund to academic research and tier-1 academic founders.
• Stanford Blockchain ReviewminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Stanford Blockchain Review publishes bleeding-edge articles on the blockchain ecosystem authored by industry thought leaders and Stanford researchers. It is part of the fund's ecosystem of community/content surfaces.
• Crypto and Blockchain Alumni of Stanford (CBAS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCrypto and Blockchain Alumni of Stanford is Stanford's primary blockchain alumni community. It supports Stanford alumni with local events, large conferences (including BASS), and nurtures founders in running the Stanford Blockchain Accelerator. BBF's partnership with CBAS anchors its alumni network.

Scale indicators9 records

Direct peers

• Collider Ventures: Early-stage crypto venture fund focused on founders building open, programmable financial infrastructure. Comparable check size and stage to BBF's disclosed investments.
• Maven 11 Capital: Crypto-native venture fund investing in early-stage token and equity rounds across DeFi, infrastructure, and applications. Comparable thesis, stage, and active seed participation profile.
• Variant Fund: Early-stage, thesis-driven crypto venture fund that co-invested alongside BBF in Levl's $7M seed. Comparable stage, comparable check sizes, and a comparable founder-support-led value proposition.
• 1confirmation: Early-stage crypto-native venture fund focused on founders building at the application and protocol layer. Comparable fund size, comparable seed-stage orientation, and similar focus on founder community.
• dao5: Early-stage crypto venture fund investing in founders building programmable, community-owned infrastructure. Comparable to BBF in check size, fund maturity, and founder-first orientation.
• Bankless Ventures: Crypto-native early-stage venture fund with deep community roots via the Bankless media brand. Comparable founder-community-led GTM model to BBF's Stanford-ecosystem-led GTM.

Broad incumbents

• Coinbase Ventures: Crypto investment arm of Coinbase; GP Steven Willinger previously led investments there. While much larger and exchange-affiliated, it is the most direct predecessor employer and a co-investment counterparty across the crypto VC landscape.
• Galaxy Ventures: Crypto-focused venture and growth arm of Galaxy Digital; led Levl's $7M seed with BBF participating. Larger and broader portfolio, but directly comparable as a co-investor at the seed stage.
• Paradigm: Large crypto-native investment firm spanning venture and liquid token strategies. Significantly larger AUM than BBF but the closest comparable in terms of research-driven, founder-first crypto investing culture.
• Pantera Capital: One of the earliest and largest crypto-native venture funds. Operates across a much broader stage range and AUM, but is a relevant benchmark for fund vintage and LP structure comparability.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/StanfordCrypto

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments33 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Blockchain Builders Fund