Ecosystem
Funding Program

Learn how the Ecosystem Funding Program initiative supports projects that contribute to the growth and adoption of Aleph Zero ecosystem.

Apply to EFP

The purpose
Program resources
Available grants
Consideration criteria
Request for proposals
Evaluation process
EFP supporters

The purpose of the program

The goal of the Aleph Zero Ecosystem Funding Program is to fund innovations from developer teams that expand the capabilities, functionalities, and adoption of the Aleph Zero blockchain. Project ideas can range from proof-of-concept and early-stage companies to experienced teams with solutions deployed on different platforms.

Ecosystem Funding Program

Grant

by the Aleph Zero Foundation

Incubation

by the core team and Aleph Zero partner network

Follow-up

by angel and venture capital investments

EFP resources

The Ecosystem Funding Program consists of a broad range of initiatives that support the development of your idea–from grants, to know-how.

Early stage

Legal and operational workshops

Early-stage token-free and equity-free grants

Access to venture capital and angel investors

Economy design workshops

Fundraise structuring workshops

R&D stage

Research and development workshops

Security design support

Infrastructure resources

Code audits

Front-end product management

UX workshops

Launch stage

Marketing support

Active community eager to welcome any ambitious project

Available pool of support

The grants and investments pool:

50 million USD

The grants will be distributed in various tiers, depending on several factors, depending on your project's needs and the applicability of the idea.

Following application, verification, and the approval process, grant tiers are chosen by the project team in conjunction with the representatives of the Aleph Zero Foundation.

Tier 1

$10-50K

for simpler projects, basic tooling improvements, research work, education, events, and more

Tier 2

< $150K

For regular applications needed throughout the ecosystem, more complex tooling, larger-scale developer conferences

Tier 3

< $500K

For projects and initiatives providing significantly more value and visibility to Aleph Zero

Consideration criteria

Any project that adds value to the Aleph Zero ecosystem is welcome to apply. However, we are particularly interested in supporting teams focused on use cases leveraging the unique features of Aleph Zero. These can range from novel ZK-SNARK applications, DeFi use cases, to improvements on the network

Adoption

As the Aleph Zero’s Foundation mission is to further the usefulness and adoption of the network, grants will be awarded to projects seeking to honestly increase the level of network’s usage and utility.

Anonymity

While it’s okay for you to remain anonymous in public, the Aleph Zero Foundation will need to execute a KYC/KYB background check before making the decision about providing you with grant funds.

Ability to execute

Experience, skills, or the ability to learn quickly are what’s being considered by the grant committee in approving your application.

Milestones

While reaching out and indicating your interest initially is okay, the Aleph Zero Foundation will not consider applications from projects without a clear cost breakdown and a clear development plan/roadmap.

Uniqueness

the Aleph Zero Foundation prioritizes unique use cases.

Sanctioned jurisdictions

unfortunately, grants cannot be provided to builders from sanctioned jurisdictions.

Open Source or Open Learning

while not all projects will be able to open-source the entirety of their code, we do strongly recommend doing so if possible. If your project doesn’t require code, please ensure you share your learnings along the way for the benefit of the broader community.

Request for proposals

The Ecosystem Funding Program is designed to support any activities leading to further adoption of the Aleph Zero network. While new products are the cornerstone of making Aleph Zero network the go-to platform for developers and users, several categories can be supported by the EFP. Details on RFPs are to come in the near future.

Developer Tooling

Education

Private DeFi apps

Sustainability

DAO Tooling

Academic Research

Metaverse

Application process

The Ecosystem Funding Program application review takes approximately 3 weeks, but it can also take longer depending on the complexity of your submission and project.

The best projects that complete the Ecosystem Funding Program may be chosen to pitch Aleph Zero’s VCs and secure further funding. There are also opportunities to have your project audited or receive marketing support.

Submissions should include information about deliverables, projected milestones, and justification for funding requests. Possible deviations from the specified scope of the project should be discussed with the Aleph Zero Foundation.

Application

You send the application to the Aleph Zero Foundation

Evaluation

The Foundation evaluates the project according to the criteria

Pitch

After successful verification, you'll pitch the project to the Foundation

Decision

We'll get back to you with the decision in ~3 weeks.

EFP supporters

A program covering infrastructure and growth costs of select Aleph Zero projects with AWS credits worth up to $100,000.

A holistic cybersecurity support for the projects in Aleph Zero Ecosystem Funding Program, active on all the development stages.

Leading web3 marketing firm, specializing in companies both native and new to web3. Serotonin's services take products and brands to market with brand positioning, visual design, content, PR, community, growth, events, and more.

A founder-centric venture capital fund operated by Maciej Skrzypczak, Yuri Drabent, and Maciej Bielicki—who've won over 50 awards for their marketing work together and ideated campaigns for brands such as Fortnite, ASUS, or PepsiCo.

Pragma Ventures is supporting cryptocurrency start-ups with talented teams who target disrupting specific niches of the blockchain space and aim to have real-world potential to enrich our daily life outside of blockchains.

Cardinal Cryptography serves as a core developer of Aleph Zero and supports ecosystem teams in cryptography, technology, and economy design.

HR Hints is a people and culture advisory company working with the best fintech and web3 startups in Europe and United States.

A group of 200 software and product design experts who have served more than 500 international clients.

The RR² investment thesis is centered in a deep conviction around the ‘new internet’, which is being innovated through Blockchain Technology, AI, Machine Learning and the Digital Asset revolution.

Network of angel investors supporting the growth early-stage web3 companies.

Social capital web3 fund supporting early-stage innovations.

NxGen provides human, financial and social capital to founders, VC investors and DAOs to build the third generation of the internet.

Pre-seed and seed network of angel investors focused solely on the Aleph Zero ecosystem.

Algorithmic trading and investment firm in the digital assets market. Participants of various ecosystem funds.

3DOTS offers complex tax, legal, and regulatory consulting services for companies wanting to reduce their business, legal and reputational risk related to implementing blockchain/web3/metaverse projects.

Hodl.nl Group consists of several funds, with Hodl Ventures being the venture arm supporting the brightest minds in Web3 by providing them with necessary guidance, relationships, and funding.

Necker Ventures is maximising value creation by working closer with founders on protocol design, market initiative and global reach.

Blackdragon seeks to empower projects offering real-world solutions with the support of their in-house marketing, development, and research teams.

Properly Studio is an experienced Web3 product and branding studio based in Warsaw that supports projects within the EFP with their design resources.

Diamond Atlas Capital is a venture capital fund which provides advisory services, investment opportunities, research, and community engagement to help innovators build long-term value.

A collective of blockchain fanatics, Offbeat ventures collaborates with promising projects to build a better tomorrow.

Venture studio helping the next generation of web3 visionaries create, build and innovate.

Bellwether rocks seeks to support projects in the gaming, metaverse and digital asset landscapes.

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Ecosystem
Funding Program