Coinbase, Google Ventures Raise $5M to Build ‘Blockchain’s LinkedIn’

Icebreaker, an open professional network co-founded by Coinbase and Google veterans, has raised $5 million in a round to build a blockchain version of LinkedIn.

Dan Stone and Jack Dille, co-founders of Icebreaker, have announced that they have secured a round of funding from crypto-native investment firm CoinFund.

Icebreaker will use the funding to assemble a world-class team as it continues its mission to launch a platform for building professional relationships on the blockchain.

Professional networking platform on blockchain

According to the announcement, IceBreaker is aimed at professional networks where users can benefit from a “cryptographically verifiable identity” in a market dominated by artificial intelligence-related noise and “fake people”.

Icebreaker helps recruiters find the best and highest quality talent, while users can take advantage of greater opportunities because existing platforms are loaded with engagement-driven profiles.

Icebreaker founder Dan Stone at A press release. “Until now, it's impossible to see because our networks facilitate signal-to-signal interactions. Yet every leader knows that the loudest or the most followed is rarely the best. Icebreaker lets you see who your immediate network can trust to cut through the noise to reveal quiet but unique skills and opportunities.

Stone and Dille both worked at Google before joining crypto exchange Coinbase and went on to co-found Icebreaker in 2023.

IceBreaker pilots have included engagements with Coinbase, Openea and Polygon Labs. Users can create profiles on the platform from one or more identities on LinkedIn, X, GitHub and Farcaster, among others.

The platform's seed round also attracted investment from venture capital firms Accomplish, Anagram and Legion Capital. More than 30 founding angels have also backed Icebreaker's funding.