Blockchain Builders Fund Closes $28M Round for Seed-Stage Web3

Blockchain Builders Fund, founded by 3 Stanford graduate students, has announced the close of $28 million Fund I. The Fund I is aimed at supporting web3 startups from the pre-seed through seed stages. 

The fund is headed by Gil Rosen, Kun Peng, and Steven Willinger, the Stanford alumni who played a central role in building the university’s blockchain ecosystem. Their efforts include launching the Stanford Blockchain Accelerator, teaching the popular MS&E 447 “Blockchain Entrepreneurship” course, and producing the Blockchain Application Stanford Summit (BASS). 

Collectively, they have supported over 200 founders, engaged more than 400 students, and attracted nearly 5,000 attendees to date.

Over half of Fund I is already deployed into 40 early-stage ventures spanning AI, DePIN, decentralized finance (DeFi), real-world assets (RWAs), payments, and blockchain infrastructure. Standout investments include:

• 0G, a modular AI blockchain backed by Hack VC, Bankless, and Delphi Digital
• Nexus Labs, building supercomputing infrastructure with support from Lightspeed, Pantera, and Dragonfly
• Hyperbolic, an open-access AI cloud funded by Variant, Polychain, and Topology
• Pod, a blockless Layer-1 chain with participation from a16z and 1kx

Positive about the launch Kun Peng, Co-founder of Blockchain Builders said:

“The Blockchain Builders Fund was born out of a mission to support the next generation of transformative founders. Our work at Stanford gave us unique access to brilliant entrepreneurs, and we’re continuing to build a robust pipeline of talent from that ecosystem.”

David Tse, Stanford professor and founder of Babylon, also highlighted the university’s deep contributions to blockchain innovation saying:

“Stanford has long been a hub for blockchain thought leadership — from our research labs to our curriculum and accelerators […] The Blockchain Builders Fund extends this legacy into the investment world.”

Gil Rosen also had some his thoughts to share saying 

“Our founders benefit from more than just capital. We provide direct, operational support — from go-to-market planning and strategic positioning to fundraising preparation — so that each venture is equipped to succeed in today’s competitive environment.”

$28M Fund Targets Early Crypto Startups, But Just a Start

The fund’s leadership by Willinger, Rosen and Peng brings technical and financial expertise. 

Willinger brings prior experience at Coinbase Ventures, Capital One Ventures, and Blockstream. Rosen on the other hand previously scaled a distributed infrastructure company to 100 employees before exiting to AI platform NGData .Peng, a seasoned web3 founder, has built ventures in NFT infrastructure, DeFi analytics, and crypto indexing.

With Fund I nearing full deployment, Blockchain Builders is setting its sights on Fund II. The team is expanding beyond Stanford, supporting the newly launched IC3-Cornell accelerator, a multi-university initiative including Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon, Princeton, Yale, and UCL.

The team is also deepening industry ties through collaborations with the Ethereum Foundation, Solana, Starkware, BASE (Coinbase), and others.

About Blockchain Builders Fund

Blockchain Builders Fund is an early-stage venture capital firm investing in pioneering blockchain startups, with a core focus on founders emerging from the Stanford ecosystem. The fund provides strategic and operational support to help startups succeed from inception through growth. It has team lead programs like the Stanford Blockchain Accelerator, MS&E 447, and the BASS conference. 

Moreover Blockchain Builders Fund is actively expanding partnerships with universities and ecosystems worldwide