Stanford Grads Announce $28M Blockchain Builders Fund Incubating Frontier Web3 Startups
May 29, 2025 - California, United States
Blockchain Builders, a venture fund embedded in the Stanford blockchain ecosystem, has made a significant announcement: the successful closure of its oversubscribed $28 million Fund I. This pre-seed and seed-stage fund invests in Stanford's pioneering crypto community and exceptional founders from other top institutions. Founded by Stanford graduate students Gil Rosen, Kun Peng, and Steven Willinger, the fund has already deployed over $16 million in 40 blockchain ventures spanning AI, infrastructure, DeFi, DePIN, payments, and RWAs (real-world assets).
A Track Record of Success
The eight-year Fund I is on track to deploy its remaining capital by the end of the year, with multiple projects preparing for TGEs (token generation events). Notable portfolio companies include modular AI blockchain 0G, supercomputer venture Nexus Labs, open-access AI cloud Hyperbolic, and blockless layer-one Pod. These investments demonstrate Blockchain Builders' commitment to supporting innovative blockchain startups across various sectors.
A Deep Understanding of the Stanford Ecosystem
Kun Peng, co-founder of Blockchain Builders, shared his insights on how the fund was born from their firsthand experience scaling the Stanford blockchain ecosystem. "We started Stanford's Blockchain Accelerator, teach MS&E 447 Blockchain Entrepreneurship, and produce the BASS (Blockchain Application Stanford Summit) conference series," Peng explained. These initiatives have supported over 200 founders, 400 students, and nearly 5,000 cumulative attendees, providing a deep network to inspire, support, and mentor new founders for success."
Extensive Expertise in Blockchain and Finance
Professor David Tse, founder of Babylon, praised Stanford's extensive history of blockchain research and innovation. "Stanford has an extensive history of blockchain research and innovation, including the Tse Lab that I run, the Center for Blockchain Research, and coursework like my EE 374 course on blockchain infrastructure," he said. "It's also responsible for the BASS events and MS&E 447 entrepreneurship course, while the Stanford blockchain accelerator has helped further nurture its founder ecosystem and the number of blockchain startups launching."
A Strong Leadership Team
The fund's leadership team brings extensive experience across traditional finance and crypto. Willinger previously led Coinbase Ventures, invested at Capital One Ventures, and worked in product and partnerships at Blockstream and Google / Google X. Rosen, a prolific angel investor, bootstrapped a 100-employee venture, building distributed compute infrastructure for JPMorgan, London Stock Exchange, and the IRS – exiting to AI platform NGData.
A Hands-On Approach
"Our deep Stanford ties give us early access to high potential founders who value our hands-on approach," Gil Rosen, co-founder of Blockchain Builders, said. "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-one investors."
A Bright Future Ahead
As it looks ahead to Fund II, the team is expanding its support to the new IC3-Cornell accelerator which includes Berkeley, Carnegie Melon, Princeton, Yale, and UCL, and is collaborating on thought-leading events with the Ethereum Foundation, Solana, Starkware, BASE (Coinbase), and more, scaling its mission of supporting founders nationwide.
A Mission to Support Founders Nationwide
Blockchain Builders is a venture fund investing in pre-seed and seed-stage blockchain founders, primarily sourced from the Stanford ecosystem. Led by experienced builders and operators with a passion for early ventures, the team supplements its capital investment with hands-on support ensuring founder success.
A Message to Investors
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