Web3 startups launched the second cohort of the Cointelegraph Accelerator

Cointelegraph Accelerator, a startup accelerator leveraging Cointelegraph's capabilities as a media and strategic partner, has announced the launch of its second cohort in October 2023 for up-and-coming Web3 startups.

Selected from over 1000 startup applications, the second batch of Cointelegraph Accelerator program's 16 participants represent a wide range of Web3 verticals, including Decentralized Finance (DeFi), FinTech, Wallet, Entertainment, Social and GameFi.

By joining Cointelegraph's accelerator program, Web3 startups will gain marketing strategy expertise, access to Cointelegraph media products, and mentorship programs with industry experts on key startup development topics, token design, fundraising, legal frameworks, liquidity management, security, etc. Participants will benefit from access to Cointelegraph's extensive network of investors, foundations, infrastructure partners and other industry leaders.

The current batch of the Cointelegraph Accelerator program includes 16 Web3 startups focused on bringing innovation to the big sectors in the blockchain space. Learn more about them below:

DeFi and marketing

In a world where traditional and decentralized finance coexist, bridging the gap between them is critical. The latest Cointelegraph Accelerator participants focused on DeFi services are pioneering solutions to increase accessibility, transparency and efficiency, thereby redefining business and personal finance management for end users.

Changex is a personal finance mobile app that aims to bring traditional finance users to the Web3 by combining centralized and decentralized finance on one screen. As an all-in-one self-sustaining wallet solution, Changex offers crypto exchange, buying, selling and warehousing. The platform has 2,500 monthly active users (MAU) with over $3 million in investors.

Cryptorobotics is a crypto trading platform with advanced tools that aims to bring the crypto community together. Users can use signals and trading strategies directly from professional traders and analysts. The platform uses trading robots powered by smart algorithms along with risk management systems to enable automated trading. The group has registered more than 50,000 users and reached more than $1 billion in business by 2022.

Clip Finance is a DeFi protocol that integrates and benefits from investment strategies available to mainstream and other protocols. Users can deposit their stablecoins with one click and earn from various DeFi protocols Pool, Ave, Tena, Stargate and Biswap. The platform aims to simplify the creation of risk-analyzed product portfolios and is currently preparing for its main launch based on feedback from the private beta phase.

Renegade is bridging the gap between traditional banking and cryptocurrency. The user-friendly platform offers both a full IBAN account and a Visa card, allowing users to effortlessly pay with major currencies such as BTC and ETH. A central product component that ensures users have full control over their crypto assets is a non-custodial wallet. After a promising beta test with 2,500 users, the company is gearing up for an open market launch in Q4 2023.

MC² Finance is a non-custodial, cross-chain token strategy platform. It aims to democratize access to on-chain crypto asset management through easy-to-use tools and integrated crypto portfolio strategies with a user-friendly UI. The European-based MC² Finance Group aims to launch the mainnet after hosting more than a thousand users during the platform's testnet.

Nolus is a semi-permissioned, blockchain-powered platform that connects lenders and borrowers in the DeFi money market. With DeFi Leasing, borrowers can secure capital that generates 3x the leveraged yield. Inspired by traditional leasing, where one pays a dividend up front and gets ownership after it's paid, Nolus' approach lowers the definit sector's high co-op standards, increasing capital efficiency and providing borrowers with better credit terms.

Velvet Capital is a DeFi platform on the BNB Chain that helps create and manage on-chain funds and structured products. Asset managers can create a portfolio of digital assets and the synthetic tokens that represent them. Users can invest in tokenized portfolios and receive returns from loans, stocks, capital gains or liquidity. The company offers a Web3 application for regular users and “DeFi-as-a-service” (with SDK and APIs) for institutional customers. The platform has a live MVP with over 550 active investors.

The Whitelist Zone is a marketplace where crypto investors and enthusiasts can buy “front row seats” to upcoming Web3 projects. Its mission is to democratize previous Web3 investments in the most efficient and accessible way. Users who are granted special rights to participate in launch events such as Initial DEX Offerings (IDOs) can buy and trade whitelists. The platform hosts more than 50 projects and more than 7,000 approved listings, attracting nearly 4,000 users.

Data storage and digital assets

Data sovereignty and security are vital in the digital age. By providing decentralized data storage and robust digital asset management solutions, these projects ensure a seamless transition to digital ownership and secure data management.

GhostDrive is a Web3 native data storage platform and user application based on Interplanetary File System (IPFS) and Filecoin, a decentralized alternative for Google Drive users to store, share and access data. Users can join and start storing data securely in the decentralized cloud by logging in with MetaMask or the traditional email and password combination.

NGRAVE is the first complete solution for complete control of digital assets, focusing on self-retention, high security and ease of use. Hardware wallet Ngrave Zero, a secure operating system with high security certification: EAL7, is the world's only financial product featuring world-renowned cryptography and security experts. The company offers its users a stainless steel encrypted backup for their keys and a mobile app to track their digital assets.

SocialFi and marketing technology

A typical social media landscape often explores fair distribution of income and user control. However, new platforms are being developed to integrate social interactions with financial incentives, creating a more equitable social media ecosystem for content creators and users.

Pop Social is an AI-powered social gateway to the Web3. The platform explores a new approach to social media where users can create and share content, interact with each other and be rewarded with PopTokens for active engagement with the app. AI algorithms are used in the content creation features and in the process of generating individual posts. Pop Social has already reached over 250,000 downloads on the App Store and Google Play Store and has over 40,000 daily active users.

ReadON is a social app with a Web3 sharing economy where content is owned by creators and a portion of the advertising revenue is distributed to them. Creators get tokens for sharing, users get tokens for reading, and advertisers buy and burn tokens to place ads and access data that targets users' interests. The app has reached over 510,000 user registrations and app downloads, 45,000 daily active users and over 563,000 content pieces.

GAMI is a web3-focused venture developer that hosts a variety of products tailored for the blockchain industry. Gami's flagship product is Middle, which helps facilitate user acquisition and community engagement, working with 100+ Web3 space partners. Middle has reached over 22,000 unique users who have completed over 400,000 missions.

EdTech and HRTech

Diversity and lack of proven talent pools hinder growth in the Web3 domain. Some projects, however, are working to democratize access to Web3 solutions and education, bridging the gap between academic institutions and the blockchain industry, and facilitating continuous innovation.

Talentr is a Web3 talent platform where users can access blockchain education courses, events, certifications and an intuitive achievement system. At the same time, Web3 companies and projects get access to a proven talent pool. With more than 50 universities partnering with Talentre, the platform reaches more than 170,000 registered wallets and more than 50 business customers, including Circle, BNB Chain, Solana and many others.

Entertainment

Monetization and user engagement are pressing challenges in the entertainment industry. By incorporating blockchain technology into streaming and gaming platforms, these innovative projects are creating a rewarding and engaging entertainment ecosystem for modern audiences.

Replay has developed a blockchain-powered streaming service called RewardedTV that allows viewers and creators to take control of their video streaming experience. RewardedTV uses blockchain technology to reward viewers with digital tokens and collections to drive engagement. The platform has more than 100,000 registered users and more than 4,000 video-on-demand (VOD) live TV channel options, with more partnered streaming apps on the way.

Fanton is a web3 fantasy football game that can be played via Telegram and integrated with the Open Network (TON) blockchain. Similar to traditional fantasy sports games that comprise the $25 billion market, the game allows players to create their dream team of NFT football superstars and earn points based on players' real-life performances. The product launched successfully with over 11,000 registered users to date.