Participated · Seed · Dec 2025

Pye Finance is developing a Solana-based marketplace where time-locked staking positions can be traded, restructured, and tokenized. The platform targets Solana’s roughly 414 million staked SOL (about $75 billion), aiming to unlock liquidity and give validators greater control over parameters such as lock-up periods and reward flows. Pye plans to split each locked position into two tokens: a principal token redeemable for the underlying SOL at maturity and a rewards token representing the future staking yield, enabling users to sell or leverage future rewards while maintaining staked status for DeFi strategies. Co-founders Erik Ashdown and Alberto Cevallos describe the project as financial infrastructure that lets validators operate more like asset managers with predictable returns and enhanced transparency. An initial closed-alpha test ran earlier in 2025, and the company expects to launch a private beta in Q1 2026. Beyond its core marketplace, Pye is also working on validator tools that allow customizable lock-ups and reward structures. The recent $5 million seed financing provides its primary capital base; no revenue or user metrics have yet been disclosed.

Participated · Seed · Apr 2025

Octane provides an AI-powered cybersecurity platform that analyzes smart-contract and blockchain code to pinpoint and automatically fix security flaws before they are exploited. The system combines large-scale code analysis with automated remediation, aiming to safeguard billions of dollars in on-chain assets. Led by CEO Giovanni Vignone, the company is positioning itself as a core security layer for teams building in crypto and Web3. With its newly secured seed capital, Octane plans to accelerate product development, grow its engineering and security research teams, and mass-label vulnerability data to improve model accuracy. The funds will also support broader adoption among developers integrating the platform into their continuous-integration workflows. The $6.75 million seed round represents the entirety of the company’s disclosed financing to date.

Participated · Seed · Aug 2024

Skyfire Systems has built an open payment protocol that gives AI agents secure wallet access, verifiable identity, and instant settlement rails so they can purchase products and services without human intervention. The platform already processes payments between AI agents and enterprises such as Emergence AI, Pricing Culture, Venice AI, Micro1, OpenRouter and Net Nut. To keep on-chain costs low, Skyfire is integrated with Base, Coinbase’s Layer-2 blockchain, where average transaction fees run below one cent. The company also supports the Coinbase Wallet, letting agents hold value and transact with other agents, companies or individuals. In just weeks since launch, the network has begun commercial payment flows for LLM aggregators and large financial-services firms. Skyfire plans to use its new capital to expand operations and accelerate product development. Following the latest raise, the San Francisco-based company’s total funding stands at $9.5 million.

Participated · Safe · Feb 2024

Ethena is a DeFi protocol built around USDe, a yield-bearing synthetic dollar that combines stablecoin demand with derivatives-based hedging strategies to generate yield. The protocol also issues a governance token, ENA, which recently received a strategic investment from Janus Henderson. Ethena has grown into one of the larger DeFi platforms, managing about $5 billion in assets after reaching roughly $15 billion during last year’s market rally. The company has been deepening ties with traditional finance through partnerships and investments, including deals with Coinbase Ventures and Anchorage Digital. Ethena is being considered by institutional partners for treasury cash allocation and potential distribution of USDe via exchange-traded investment products.

Participated · Series B · Apr 2023

LandVault is a UK-based metaverse builder focused on creating immersive virtual experiences and commercial metaverse projects. The company is expanding its commercial operations across Dubai, Europe, Asia, and the US. It is building Matera, a protocol intended to make the metaverse more accessible, and plans to invest in AI-powered tools to accelerate monetisation and content creation. LandVault says it aims for a 'WordPress moment' to make building virtual experiences as easy as creating a website and is investing heavily in R&D. The company has established itself in about a year as one of the most active metaverse builders. Financially, LandVault raised an additional $3 million in an extended Series B, which adds to a $25 million Series B fundraise in October 2021.