On June 16, 2022, the Draper Decentralized Studio[1] hosted a demo day for their accelerator candidates to propose solutions to an invite-only group of 60-plus investment funds, angel investors and media. With Tim Draper, Alyse Killeen of Stillmark and Nic Carter of Castle Island forming the investor panel, this was an exciting opportunity for early-stage companies to share their work in contributing to bitcoin adoption on a global scale.
According to the website, Draper Decentralized Studio is a “three-month program for teams working on making Bitcoin not only a firm asset class, but also a global payment network, global money network and, eventually, a global social network.”
This program is evolving into what they are calling a “Bitcoin Club,” a format of working and pitching for early-stage startups, where experienced investors, advisers and operators focus on a certain mission that supports the companies in the club. The club hosts events, podcasts and other means of spreading the word about participating companies.
By participating in the program, startup founders worked closely with relevant industry experts from Advanced Blockchain AG, BDO, Texas Blockchain Council, Sovryn, HODL Capital, Galoy, Mimesis Capital, Fulgur Ventures, a41 Ventures and ONG Bitcoin Argentina, receiving guidance on strategy, compliance and fundraising.
DraperX Bitcoin Studio launched its pilot program in February 2022 with 11 teams on board. After the completion of the program, candidate companies pitched their products to a panel of investors: Draper, Killeen and Carter, with private equity firms, family offices, venture capital and angel investors in the audience.
Below are 10 companies that went through the program and some brief information about what they do.
Lightning Escrow
Lightning Escrow[2] is a fast, secure, affordable and non-custodial escrow built on top of the Lightning Network.
