Blockchain Builders Fund Closes $28M Inaugural Fund to Back Stanford's Blockchain Ecosystem

Supporting Stanford's blockchain ecosystem and beyond

A venture fund operating out of Stanford University's blockchain community has completed the raise of its inaugural fund.

Blockchain Builders, which focuses on pre-seed and seed investments in startups emerging from Stanford and other top-tier institutions, has closed its first fund at $28 million.

The fund, which is led by Stanford graduate students Gil Rosen, Kun Peng, and Steven Willinger, has already invested more than $16 million into 40 startups.

The portfolio spans sectors such as decentralized finance, artificial intelligence, payments, and decentralized infrastructure. Some of the startups in the portfolio include modular AI blockchain 0G, distributed computing firm Nexus Labs, open-access AI cloud platform Hyperbolic, and Layer-1 protocol Pod.

The team is aiming to deploy the remaining capital by the end of the year, with several portfolio companies preparing for their token generation events.

Blending academia with hands-on venture capital

Blockchain Builders Fund is deeply integrated with Stanford's blockchain initiatives. The team is behind the university's Blockchain Accelerator, the MS&E 447 course on blockchain entrepreneurship, and the Blockchain Application Stanford Summit (BASS) conference series. These efforts have helped over 200 founders and 400 students while drawing nearly 5,000 attendees cumulatively.

“Blockchain Builders was born from our firsthand experience scaling the Stanford blockchain ecosystem. We started Stanford's Blockchain Accelerator, teach MS&E 447 Blockchain Entrepreneurship, and produce the Blockchain Application Stanford Summit (BASS) conference series - these initiatives have supported over 200 founders, 400 students, and nearly 5000 cumulative attendees, and provide a deep network to inspire, support, and mentor new founders for success.” - Kun Peng, Co-founder of the Blockchain Builders fund

The broader academic backing includes contributions from Professor David Tse, known for leading Stanford's Tse Lab and teaching blockchain infrastructure through EE 374. Tse highlighted Stanford's longstanding engagement in blockchain research and its role in expanding the startup landscape in the space.

“We are grateful to the Stanford Institute for Computational and Mathematical Sciences (ICMS) for their support in launching the Blockchain Builders Fund. Stanford has been a pioneer in blockchain technology research for many years, and this fund will help to translate that research into new startups and businesses that will benefit society.” - Professor David Tse, Stanford University

Team with deep roots in both crypto and finance

The fund's leadership team brings experience from major tech and crypto firms. Willinger previously held roles at Coinbase Ventures, Capital One Ventures, and Blockstream, with earlier experience at Google. Rosen, a serial entrepreneur, scaled a 100-person infrastructure company serving clients like JPMorgan and the IRS before selling it to AI firm NGData. Peng has experience building Web3 startups in the areas of analytics, NFTs, and infrastructure.

“Our deep Stanford ties give us early access to high-potential founders who value our hands-on approach. We roll up our sleeves and dive into the details of strategy, GTM, and fundraising - positioning them optimally for competitive follow-on rounds led by tier-1 investors.” - Gil Rosen, Co-Founder of the Blockchain Builders fund

Looking ahead, the fund is extending its support beyond Stanford. It is participating in the new IC3-Cornell accelerator, which also includes Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon, Princeton, Yale, and UCL. Collaborations are also in progress with the Ethereum Foundation, Solana, Starkware, and Coinbase's BASE, showcasing the fund's broader goal of supporting Web3 innovation on a national scale.

By embedding itself within the academic and builder communities of leading institutions, Blockchain Builders Fund is forging a unique model for early-stage crypto investing. With a combination of university programs, hands-on support, and a growing network of collaborators, the team is positioning itself as a foundational backer for the next generation of blockchain startups.