Web3 Startups and Founders Worth Exploring - Insights and Recommendations for Entrepreneurs.

Katarzyna Hasnik
May 12
3 min read

Updated: Jul 4

1. Top Blockchain Entrepreneurs & What Sets Them Apart

1. Gavin Wood

Co-founder of Ethereum, creator of Polkadot & Kusama, leader at Parity Technologies and Web3 Foundation.
Outstanding Traits: Deep technical pioneer, bridging foundational protocols (Ethereum) with next-gen interoperability (Polkadot).

2. Hayden Adams

Founder & CEO of Uniswap Labs, introduced the Automated Market Maker model.
Outstanding Traits: Innovative design of decentralized exchange architecture, democratizing access and liquidity.

3. Muneeb Ali

Co-founder of Stacks (formerly Blockstack) on Bitcoin, first to secure SEC-qualified token offering.
Outstanding Traits: Legal-first approach, enabling regulated token launches & connecting smart contracts to Bitcoin.

4. Jaeson Ma

Co-founder of OP3N, blending NFT-based social media with entertainment ecosystems
Outstanding Traits: Cross-disciplinary innovation (CultureTech), ecosystem partnerships (Avalanche, Warner Music).

Web3 Startups and Founders Worth Exploring - Insights and Recommendations for Entrepreneurs.

2. Five Blockchain Startups in Germany (and Investment Considerations)

1. Retraced (Hamburg)

Focus: Supply chain transparency in fashion via blockchain tracking.
Investment POV: Sustainable value alignment; early traction but needs scale - potential invest.

2. Tracifier (Hamburg)

Focus: Food provenance & fraud prevention using blockchain.
Investment POV: High-demand sector; consider watch or invest, depending on growth metrics.

3. Cirplus (Hamburg)

Focus: Marketplace for recyclable plastics powered by blockchain.
Investment POV: Strong circular economy play, but competitive - cautious optimism.

4. Gnosis (Berlin)

Focus: DeFi infrastructure (Gnosis Safe, DAO governance, prediction markets).
Investment POV: Leading DeFi protocol with established usage; strong invest.

5. Matter Labs (Berlin)

Focus: zk-rollups for Ethereum scalability (zkSync).
Investment POV: Massive technical promise and funding ($258M); high conviction invest.

Discover Web3 Talents https://web3-talents.io/ and find your road to it:

Web3 Talents: Fundamentals of Bitcoin, and Ethereum (public blockchain systems) - Discovery & Define Stage.

3. German Startups: Which to Invest, Which Not?

Startup Investment Rating Rationale

Retraced Invest ESG and traceability aligned with global trends.

Tracifier Watch/Invest Clear market fit in food supply chain but needs validation.

Cirplus Watch Good mission, yet faces execution and competition risk.

Gnosis Invest Proven tech/product-market fit in DeFi.

Matter Labs Invest Critical infrastructure for scaling Ethereum ecosystem.

Dive into Fundamentals of Web3, the Metaverse and Non-Fungible Tokens as a Total Beginner. Why does CX/UX Research matter when creating a new startup? Put yourself into the customer's & user's shoes.

4. Five Blockchain Startups worldwide (and Investment Considerations)

1. Aptos Labs (Layer‑1 blockchain)

What they do: High-performance blockchain built with Move, targeting dApps and DeFi with scalability and speed.
Funding: ~ $400 M from top VCs including a16z, Apollo.
Why invest: Strong tech pedigree from ex‑Meta/Facebook, large backing, positioned to rival Solana/Ethereum.

2. LayerZero (Cross‑chain interoperability)

What they do: Enables secure communication between chains, bypassing bridges.
Funding: $135 M, unicorn status.
Why invest: Solves critical fragmentation problem in multi‑chain ecosystems.

3. StarkWare Industries (Zero‑knowledge scaling)

What they do: Develops ZK‑rollups (StarkEx, Starknet) to massively improve Ethereum scalability.
Funding: Raised $150 M+; valuation jumped from $2 B to $8 B.
Why invest: World‑class crypto team; foundational for Ethereum L2 adoption.

4. Securitize, Inc. (Tokenized securities platform)

What they do: Helps tokenize real‑world assets (RWA), handling issuance, compliance, secondary trading.
Recognition: On 2025 Forbes Fintech 50 and Fast Company’s most innovative list.
Why invest: Bridging TradFi and DeFi with full-stack regulatory support.

5. Crossmint (Blockchain + AI infrastructure)

What they do: Plug‑and‑play blockchain payments, wallets, minting with built‑in AI layers.
Funding: €20.7 M backing led by Telefónica’s Wayra.
Why hesitant: Great traction (40 k+ businesses), but crowded infrastructure space, requires differentiation.

5. Worldwide Startups: Which to Invest, Which Not?

Startup Investment Rating Rationale

Aptos Yes Layer‑1 blockchain

LayerZero Yes Cross‑chain interoperability

StarkWare Yes Ethereum ZK scalability

Securitize Yes Tokenized real‑world assets

Crossmint Wait & watch Blockchain + AI infra

6. Advice for Analysis - Bonus

Advice for Analysis

Market Fit: Is the startup solving a core pain‑point (e.g., scalability, interoperability, compliance)?
Founders & Funding: Deep technical teams backed by top-tier investors are a strong signal.
Traction: Look for real-world usage (e.g., Securitize’s partnerships, Crossmint’s 40 k clients).
Competition & Moat: For infrastructure plays, assess differentiation and defensibility.