Together with Animoca Brands, Brinc is proud to welcome six new startups to the ZK Advancer cohort this fall. The successful applicants will each receive an investment of up to US$250,000; and exposure to industry heavyweights including Manav Gupta (Brinc), Yat Siu (Animoca Brands), Sébastien Borget (The Sandbox), Hristo Piyankov (FinDas), and Luna Javier (Altitude Games).
The virtual program received applications from 340 founders across 60+ countries including the United States, United Kingdom, France, India, Singapore, and Hong Kong. The program focuses on the blockchain and non-fungible token (NFT) space; and aims to identify and foster NFT innovation in culture, arts, entertainment, gaming, financial services, data management, decentralized finance (DeFi), and other related fields.
The six teams were selected for their capabilities around their technology and impressive team composition, as well as their alignment to Animoca’s thesis.
The six startups selected for the Fall 2022 debut cohort of ZK Advancer program are (in alphabetical order):
4pDAO — provides carbon credits and NFT rewards for ESG activities and transactions in carbon marketplaces, unlocking what was restricted to legacy institutions and corporations.
Enklu — an AR cloud platform (and Gold Tier Microsoft MR Partner) that enables users to accelerate 3D development and distribute immersive multi-user apps and content in real-time.
Foundry Six — creators of ARealm, an augmented reality MMORPG supported by the blockchain, that allows players to experience battling, crafting, and more through AR technology.
Lost Club Toys — a lifestyle brand devoted to electronic music culture that uses NFTs to build membership, and light coin exchange tokens (LCTs) to bring artists and fans closer together.
QXR Studios — veteran storytellers and game developers creating Web3 games, augmented reality, and narrative IP whose first major blockchain game is Metropolis Origins, an NFT tradable card game.
Sky Meta — builders of Web3 GameFi tools including a gamer platform, NFT management suite, exportable wallet, guild management and AI-based analytics for NFTs.
Brinc CEO and Founder Manav Gupta said: “With the Web3 space continuing to evolve, the type of startups accepted into Brinc’s blockchain program has been refined to build on previous parameters, as evidenced by the six forward-thinking businesses that have been accepted into the cohort. From 340 applications received, we landed on the six as a result of their size and capability now, their potential to grow into the Web3 space, and the value ZK Advancer and ongoing Brinc portfolio support will have to them. We’re excited to collaborate with these teams to accelerate their products and develop their businesses.”
Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands, commented: “Diversity of ideas is what builds culture and generates breakthroughs. By accelerating teams who possess different approaches to blockchain technology and its potential, we can catalyze development and advance diversity of ideation in Web3. These six teams selected by ZK Advancer show strong promise and we look forward to helping them to achieve their potential.”
If you are interested in connecting with our startups or becoming a program partner, please email Guillermo Ginesta (guillermo.ginesta@brinc.io).
Interested startups can learn more about the ZK Advancer program and register interest for the next cohort here: https://www.brinc.io/blockchain/
To learn more about Brinc’s latest updates, sign up for our newsletter on brinc.io.
About Brinc
Headquartered in Hong Kong, Brinc is a leader in global venture acceleration and has operated over 18 multidisciplinary accelerator programs across seven countries. Brinc accelerates startups focused on blockchain technology, artificial intelligence, connected hardware, robotics, clean energy and food technology, and Internet of Things (IoT), all within a sustainability mandate.
Brinc has a portfolio of 200+ companies with founders from over 35 countries. Brinc also supports corporations with investment services, distributed innovation strategies, sourcing of new startups and technologies, as well as venture-building Web3-enabled businesses. Global corporations (Manulife, Huawei, Schneider Electric, Puma, Batelco, Merck, Omantel, Linrun Group, Zhihui Park), government organizations (Hong Kong Science Park, NEOM, MBRIF, Guangdong Soft-tech Park), tertiary institutions (HK City University, National University of Singapore) and leading venture funds (Artesian, LeverVC, Tamkeen, EDB) have all run programs with Brinc. In 2021, Brinc launched a series of venture funds to invest in high-potential early-stage companies through accelerators and provide LPs with a dedicated innovation platform and access to Series A+ co-investment opportunities.
Learn more about Brinc
About Animoca Brands
Animoca Brands, a Deloitte Tech Fast winner and ranked in the Financial Times list of High Growth Companies Asia-Pacific 2021, is a leader in digital entertainment, blockchain, and gamification that is working to advance digital property rights and contribute to the establishment of the open metaverse. The company develops and publishes a broad portfolio of products including the REVV token and SAND token; original games including The Sandbox, Crazy Kings, and Crazy Defense Heroes; and products utilizing popular intellectual properties including Disney, WWE, Snoop Dogg, The Walking Dead, Power Rangers, MotoGP™, and Formula E. It has multiple subsidiaries, including The Sandbox, Blowfish Studios, Quidd, GAMEE, nWay, Pixowl, Forj, Lympo, Animoca Brands Japan, Grease Monkey Games, Eden Games, Darewise Entertainment, Notre Game, TinyTap, and Be Media. Animoca Brands has a growing portfolio of more than 380 investments, including Colossal, Axie Infinity, OpenSea, Dapper Labs (NBA Top Shot), Yield Guild Games, Harmony, Alien Worlds, Star Atlas, and others. For more information visit www.animocabrands.com or follow on Twitter or Facebook.
About ZK Advancer
Brinc and Animoca Brands launched the ZK Advancer (formerly Launchpad Luna) accelerator in mid-2021 to identify, mentor, and invest in promising blockchain and non-fungible token (NFT) startups that are shaping the future of the Internet and driving digitalisation. ZK Advancer collaborates with world-leading platforms, brands and experts to identify and foster Web3, blockchain and NFT innovation in the fields of culture, art, entertainment, media, gaming, streaming, collectibles, insurance, finance, data management and DeFi. Admission to the program prioritises climate-conscious projects that drive digitalisation, and accepted entrants receive training in optimising a blockchain business to minimise energy use and carbon emissions.
Learn more about ZK Advancer at: https://www.brinc.io/blockchain/
