Web3 accelerator Beacon has announced the launch of its fourth and largest cohort to date. The program, which supports projects from pre-seed to Series A, has selected 17 promising companies for its latest three-month cycle.
Program Expansion and New Companies
The latest cohort includes the highest-profile firms in the history of Beacon, launched by Polygon co-founder Sandeep Nailwal in 2022. Among the participants are several Series A companies backed by heavyweight VC firms like Pantera, Founders Fund, Framework, and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). Sectors covered include DeFi, infrastructure, and AI. Notable participants include Stakestone, EXO, Nubit, Aligned Layer, and eoracle.
Management Commentary
“We’re thrilled to welcome our largest and most diverse cohort so far,” said Sandeep Nailwal, Co-Founder of Polygon and Beacon. “The caliber of companies joining us in the latest program is truly exceptional, and we’re excited to see how, with the aid of our mentorship and resources, they’ll go on to shape the future of web3 and beyond.”
Previous Cohort Success and Expectations
The announcement follows the graduation of Beacon’s highly successful S23 cohort, which consisted of 10 companies, many of whom have made a major impact since being selected. S23 alumni included scalable data availability layer 0G and verifiable oracle protocol ORA, both of whom have achieved unicorn status. ORA secured $20 million in a round led by Polychain Capital, while Inco, a universal confidentiality layer, closed a $4.5 million seed round led by 1kx, with participation from dao5 and Robot Ventures. Ethereum L2 solution Fluent raised $7.5 million in a seed round co-led by Polychain Capital and dao5. These success stories have set the bar high for the latest cohort, particularly given the impressive background and early traction of the participating companies. Both Aligned Layer and Nubit have already conducted Series A rounds, raising $20 million and $12 million respectively.
Beacon’s biannual three-month program provides startups with mentorship, resources, and capital to accelerate their growth and development, having established itself as a premier launchpad for web3 innovation.
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