Participated · Equity · Apr 2021

Aleo provides a developer platform for fully private, scalable blockchain applications using zero-knowledge cryptography to move smart contract execution off-chain and enable high-throughput, private transactions. The platform verifies rather than re-executes transactions, which the company says improves scalability and supports complex real-world use cases without centralized servers. Aleo’s technology targets privacy and scalability challenges in blockchain, enabling developers to build decentralized apps for gaming, DeFi, and other applications while protecting user data. The company is preparing for a mainnet launch later this year and plans to use new funding to develop products and services that help developers build an ecosystem on top of its network. Financially, Aleo completed a $200M Series B at a $1.45B valuation, following a $28M Series A in April 2021. The Series B was described as the largest fundraising round in the zero-knowledge industry. Aleo provides a full-stack platform that makes zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) programmable across the application stack so developers can build private-by-default decentralized applications without deep cryptography expertise. The platform combines blockchain architecture and ZK cryptography to enable private interactions, claiming greater scalability than a traditional blockchain. Aleo offers end-to-end developer tools and has launched Developer Preview II ahead of its public network. The company is inviting community participation in a universal setup ceremony this spring and is focused on enabling use cases such as gaming and consumer finance. Aleo raised $28M to support development of its next-generation platform and ecosystem growth. The team includes cryptographers and engineers from companies and universities like Google, Amazon, UC Berkeley, and Johns Hopkins.

Led · Equity · Dec 2018

AERGO is a non-profit focused on a non-proprietary cloud services platform that supplies the building blocks of distributed trust. The platform is intended to enable industrial-scale software applications and business collaborations without intervention from intermediaries. AERGO’s partnered commercial services arm, Blocko, builds and supports the AERGO platform and offers blockchain infrastructure to fintech, public services, and enterprise customers. Blocko was named one of the five most innovative global startups of the year with the Investor’s Choice 2018 Award and will include the AERGO platform in its service offering. AERGO recently closed a $30 million venture funding round led by Sequoia Capital, Dekrypt, and Michael Arrington’s Arrington XRP. AERGO’s public beta is set to launch by the end of 2018, when Blocko’s enterprise customers will be able to extend their blockchain infrastructure capabilities.

Participated · Equity · Jul 2018

Nervos Network is a San Francisco-based next-generation blockchain network built for enterprise applications. It provides a network of interoperable protocols and a hybrid solution that combines a public blockchain with an application chain. This architecture is designed to let enterprises build and deploy decentralized applications without committing their entire tech stack to the blockchain. The company raised $28M in funding and plans to use the proceeds to grow its product and engineering teams, accelerate development of its enterprise blockchain solutions, and ramp up strategic partnerships. Founders include Jan Xie, Terry Tai, Daniel Lv and Kevin Wang, each with prior experience at organizations such as the Ethereum Foundation, Yunbi, imToken and IBM.