What IOSG Ventures does

IOSG Ventures is a research-driven venture capital firm founded in 2017 and headquartered in Hong Kong, specializing in early-stage investments in Web3 and blockchain protocols. The firm invests across the protocol stack — base layer protocols, DeFi, Layer-2 and cross-chain infrastructure, tech infrastructure, GameFi, NFT/social applications, and security — with a stated portfolio exceeding 70 companies that includes category-defining names such as Arbitrum, zkSync, Celestia, EigenLayer, Centrifuge, Morpho, 0x, NEAR, Polkadot, and Flashbots.

The firm's core product is direct equity and token investment in early-stage Web3 founders, supplemented by the IOSG Kickstarter Program — a builders initiative offering $10,000–$100,000 tickets via two components: IOSG Innovate (project discovery and capital) and IOSG Connect (network expansion and community). IOSG's go-to-market is community-led: deal sourcing flows from the annual Old Friends Reunion (OFR) event series, Medium research publications, and active Twitter/LinkedIn/Telegram channels. The firm monetizes through the conventional venture model — equity appreciation, token returns, and (presumably) fund management fees and carried interest — though none of these economics are publicly disclosed.

IOSG has differentiated itself through a regional distribution network across four Asian markets (Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore), operationalized via its 2026 strategic partnership with Centrifuge to bring institutional-grade RWA tokenization to Asian banks and asset managers. The firm maintains an advisor bench drawn from Web3 founders (Oasis Labs, IoTeX, Gnosis) and an internal research function that has produced a proprietary 'Failed Founder Database' tracking portfolio founder outcomes across cycles.

Name

IOSG Ventures

Legal name

IOSG Ventures

Website

https://iosg.vc

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IOSG Ventures is a research-driven Web3 venture capital firm founded in 2017 in Hong Kong, investing early-stage capital across protocol infrastructure, DeFi, Layer-2, and emerging categories like RWA tokenization for institutional and founder clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Crypto Venture Capital

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB), Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

Keywords

• Venture capital
• Web3 investments
• Crypto funding
• Blockchain startups
• Early-stage investing

Headquarters

HQ city

Hong Kong

HQ country

Hong Kong SAR China

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Venture Capital Returns: IOSG generates returns through equity and token investments in early-stage Web3 startups. The fund invests in protocol-native companies and benefits from portfolio company growth and successful exits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IOSG Ventures is a research-driven early-stage venture capital firm that invests equity and tokens in Web3 and blockchain protocol-native companies. Its core deliverable to founders is venture capital funding accompanied by mentorship, business model and tokenomics consulting, go-to-market strategy support, partner introductions, hiring support, and centralized exchange introductions. The Kickstarter Program extends this offering to very early-stage builders with $10,000 to $100,000 in seed funding split across IOSG Innovate (project discovery and investment) and IOSG Connect (network expansion and community building).

Product overview

IOSG Ventures operates as a Web3-focused venture capital firm offering investment services to early-stage blockchain protocol founders. The core offering is venture capital investment in protocol-native paradigms spanning infrastructure, middleware, security, and social consumer applications. The firm also runs the Kickstarter Program, a builders program comprising two components: IOSG Innovate (project discovery and investment with $10,000-$100,000 funding) and IOSG Connect (network expansion and community building). The firm was founded in 2017 and maintains a portfolio of over 100 Web3 projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IOSG Kickstarter Program: A builders program designed to empower early-stage founders in Web3, offering up to $100,000 in funding along with mentorship, consulting, partnerships, and support in business model development, go-to-market strategy, and hiring

Products and services

• IOSG Ventures Investment Services Research-driven venture capital investment in early-stage Web3 and blockchain protocol-native companies, with equity and token participation across infrastructure, middleware, security, and social consumer application platforms. Investment support includes mentorship, business model and tokenomics consulting, go-to-market strategy, partner introductions, hiring support, and centralized exchange introductions.
• Kickstarter Program Early-stage builders program offering $10,000 to $100,000 in seed funding for Web3 founders, comprising IOSG Innovate for project discovery and investment and IOSG Connect for network expansion and community building. Includes mentorship, business model and tokenomics consulting, go-to-market strategy, strategic partnerships, hiring support, and centralized exchange introductions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Median comprehensive listing cost on leading exchanges during 2024-2026 cycle is approximately $8 million, including structural costs such as security deposits
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CentrifugecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2026Partnership builds on IOSG's early investment in Centrifuge in 2021 and subsequent increased stake. The collaboration aims to unlock liquidity for traditionally illiquid markets through institutional-grade tokenization. Centrifuge has previously secured a $15 million Series A funding round and integrated with platforms like Aave to create permissioned RWA markets. Tokenized private credit has evolved into essential financial infrastructure, becoming the largest RWA segment on Wall Street by 2026.
• CentrifugecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2026Strategic partnership between Centrifuge and IOSG Ventures to jointly advance institutional-grade Real-World Asset (RWA) tokenization in Asia. The collaboration combines Centrifuge's asset tokenization and fund management infrastructure with IOSG's regional distribution network spanning Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore to serve banks, asset managers, and compliant financial platforms. Both parties view Asia as one of the fastest-growing RWA markets globally with rising institutional demand for on-chain financial products. IOSG first invested in Centrifuge in 2021 and participated in a $15 million Series A funding round in 2024, with IOSG now further increasing its Centrifuge holdings through secondary market purchases.
• Steakhouse FinancialminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIOSG research highlights Steakhouse Financial (~1.55 billion AUM) as a leading capacity-priority 'Curator' in DeFi, serving institutional adoption. Coinbase has adopted the 'DeFi Mullet' model via Steakhouse Financial.
• Re7 LabsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIOSG research identifies Re7 Labs as an opportunity-driven 'Curator' type in DeFi, part of the emerging intermediary layer addressing the gap between increasing on-chain stablecoin supply and user navigation complexity.
• MorphominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIOSG analysis covers Morpho as a leading DeFi protocol with $11 billion in deposits and major institutional adoption. Apollo Global Management signed a strategic partnership to acquire up to 9% of $MORPHO governance tokens in February 2026. Bitwise launched self-managed non-custodian vault services on Morpho in January 2026.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Paradigm: Large, research-driven crypto investment firm with deep focus on protocols and infrastructure. Overlaps with IOSG's thesis areas (L2s, DeFi, restaking) but operates at materially larger scale and broader scope.
• Pantera Capital: Long-running crypto/blockchain investment firm with multi-strategy funds spanning early-stage venture to liquid tokens. Comparable in its protocol and DeFi venture exposure, though with a much larger and more diversified fund base.
• Andreessen Horowitz (a16z crypto): Major venture firm with a dedicated crypto fund investing across Web3 infrastructure and applications. Overlaps with IOSG across most portfolio categories but operates at much greater scale and broader scope.

Direct peers

• Dragonfly Capital: Crypto-focused venture firm with strong Asia presence (offices in Singapore and elsewhere). Direct peer to IOSG in thesis, stage, and regional footprint across Web3 protocols and infrastructure.
• Polychain Capital: Pioneering crypto venture fund investing in protocol and infrastructure tokens and equities. Closely comparable to IOSG in early-stage protocol focus and token-native return profile.
• Multicoin Capital: Crypto-native venture fund investing across the Web3 stack (L1s, DeFi, infrastructure). Directly comparable in thesis, stage focus, and token-aware investment approach, and shares many of IOSG's portfolio adjacencies.
• Framework Ventures: Crypto-focused venture fund investing across DeFi, infrastructure, and gaming. Comparable to IOSG in stage (early), sector breadth across Web3, and token-aware investment approach.
• Variant Fund: Early-stage crypto venture fund investing across DeFi, Web3, and ownership economies. Direct peer in stage focus and protocol-native thesis, with a strong research-driven brand analogous to IOSG's.
• HashKey Capital: Asia-headquartered crypto and blockchain investment firm with institutional focus. Direct peer to IOSG in regional positioning (Hong Kong/Singapore) and exposure to infrastructure, DeFi, and RWA tokenization.
• 1confirmation: Crypto-native early-stage venture fund focused on token-enabled networks and infrastructure. Closely comparable to IOSG in stage focus and protocol-native thesis, though with a more US-centric deal flow.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IOSGVC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iosgvc/?originalSubdomain=hk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments201 records

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

Frequently asked questions about IOSG Ventures