Participated · Equity · Jan 2026

Shards Protocol is a Web3 infrastructure startup focused on Aura, a layer that converts on-chain actions such as staking, gaming, and community support into visible reputation scores and rewards. The platform lets users showcase earned badges on profiles and social channels, aiming to recognize and incentivize “silent contributors” across decentralized communities. Originally launched as Shards.Tech, the company rebranded to Shards Protocol to expand beyond a developer-focused SDK toward a broader reputation system. Aura has already driven a reported 200% improvement in player retention for early gaming partners and generated over $400,000 in trading volume during its private alpha. More than one million users have interacted with the company’s tools to date. With new capital, the team plans to scale Aura’s feature set, deepen integrations with social platforms like X, and broaden its quest-based campaign capabilities. Management positions Aura as foundational Web3 infrastructure that builds trust through earned identity and continuous rewards.

Participated · Seed · Nov 2024

Party Icons centers on Miragio, a customizable interactive island that serves as the Partyverse hub and gateway to three playable modes—Party Heist, Party Brawl, and Carnival Clash—with more modes planned. The platform blends traditional Web2 game design with Web3 features: mintable higher-rarity Hero Icons and weapons, Mirship NFTs, and a Party-as-a-Service (PaaS) live-ops model that decentralizes economic and operational control to guilds, streamers, and players. A secret fourth mode, God Mode, is reserved for OGX̅ NFT holders and enables game-master mechanics; a spectator role that lets viewers influence live streams is slated for rollout and testing in 2025. Sessions are built for ‘bite-sized’ play (most under 12 minutes) and the game emphasizes social and competitive experiences with upgradeable Party Talents, weapons, and player-driven clubs. The company says it will use new funding to accelerate development of gaming and social experiences, expand Web3-enabled functionality and infrastructure, and fuel global expansion into key markets in 2025. Total known funding is now $20 million.

Participated · Seed · Aug 2024

Pentagon Games is a remote zkEVM Web3 AI-based game publisher focused on creating immersive experiences using Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Artificial Intelligence. The studio leverages Web3 infrastructure to create GameFi feedback loops and integrate immersive technologies into gaming ecosystems and a cross-reality metaverse. Founded by Emma Liu (CEO) and Idon Liu (Chief Blockchain Officer), the company is developing a variety of genre-defining game titles and intellectual property. Pentagon Games intends to use its recent financing to expand operations and accelerate development efforts. Financially, the company recently closed a $6M seed round and has since been focusing on integrating its titles and virtual experiences into its immersive metaverse.

Participated · Seed · Apr 2024

Sapien operates an on-chain protocol that lets enterprises obtain verified, human-sourced training data while enabling anyone, anywhere, to earn for contributing their knowledge. The system is built around four core components—Quality Assurance, Reputation, Qualification, and Matching—underpinned by a proprietary “Proof of Quality” mechanism that routes tasks and maintains data integrity without centralized oversight. Since launch, Sapien has grown to over 1.9 million registered contributors across 110+ countries who have completed more than 187 million tasks, with average session lengths approaching 40 minutes. Customers already include Toyota, Lenovo, Baidu, MidJourney, the United Nations, Uthana, and two unnamed autonomous-vehicle manufacturers. The company initially focused on image annotation but now positions itself as a full-stack “data foundry” spanning sourcing, structuring, feedback loops, and fine-tuning. Its long-term vision is to become the open, permissionless connective tissue between humans and AI, powering a global data economy. Sapien secured a $10.5 million seed round in 2024 to expand both the contributor experience and its enterprise interface, giving it runway to pursue this roadmap.

Participated · Equity · Feb 2024

Pixels is a Ronin-ecosystem blockchain game that is being promoted via Binance’s new-coin mining program. The project announced a $4.8 million strategic financing. The raise involved a mix of on-chain gaming and crypto-focused investors. Pixels is being offered as Binance’s 46th new-coin mining project on Launchpad. Users can deposit BNB and FDUSD into the PIXEL mining pool to earn PIXEL rewards starting Feb 9, 2024 at 08:00, and the mining window lasts 10 days.