Stanford Alumni Launch $28 Million Fund to Incubate Web3 Startups

Stanford University’s graduate students have unveiled a $28 million venture fund, Blockchain Builders, aimed at fostering Web3 startups. The fund, embedded within Stanford’s blockchain ecosystem, has secured pre-seed and seed-stage capital for its inaugural deployment.

Founders Gil Rosen, Kun Peng, and Steven Willinger have already allocated over $16 million across 40 blockchain ventures, spanning AI, DeFi, infrastructure, and real-world assets. The remaining funds will be deployed by year-end, with several portfolio companies preparing for token generation events.

Notable investments include AI blockchain 0G, supercomputer venture Nexus Labs, and open-access AI cloud Hyperbolic. "This initiative stems from our hands-on experience scaling Stanford’s blockchain ecosystem," said co-founder Kun Peng, referencing their accelerator program and academic initiatives.