44 Startups Move Closer to the $200k Prize at the NEAR Blockchain Accelerator
The NEAR Protocol and Lumos Labs are proud to announce the success of the first phase of the NEAR blockchain accelerator program with overwhelming participation from 170 startups from across the globe. The program offers up to $200k in funding, mentorship, and technical support to build on the NEAR Protocol. Alongside this, the accelerator also offers Go-to-market support with access to the NEAR ecosystem. Shortlisted startups will also get a chance to pitch to partner firms Woodstock Fund and Fracton Ventures.
Here are the shortlisted startups:
Next Steps
The idea behind the accelerator was to look for startups that solve real-world problems with novel ideas and relevant blockchain use cases, of which there was no lack in the applying startups. The focus areas of the accelerator are DeFi, NFTs, DAOs, social tokens, and decentralized exchanges. However, startups are not limited to applying if they are building solutions in any other industry as long as they have a relevant blockchain use case.
While we are excited to move on to the next round — which is the Bootcamp phase, we feel the need to reiterate that this was tough due to the high quality of submissions. However, a decision had to be made and 40/50 startups have been selected to move on to the next phase of the accelerator.
These startups were primarily shortlisted on the basis of their ability to build a product with the NEAR Protocol, their go-to-market potential, and the potential of the team which comprises their ranks. During the bootcamp, startups will join the NEAR Certified Developer Program to get a well-rounded knowledge of building their use cases on NEAR and also learn about starting up in the blockchain space from industry experts.
We as a whole — Lumos Labs, NEAR Protocol, and our partners — Woodstock Fund and Fracton Ventures, have great expectations from the qualifying startups, and from what we have seen till now, our expectations are set to be exceeded. A wide mix of awesome and unique ideas is what we wanted and we couldn’t ask for more with the quality of submissions. We look forward to the performance of the selected startups in the upcoming phases of the accelerator. Stay tuned to our blog to get to know the progress of the accelerator and the winners!
