Placeholder VC
New York · Seed–Series A · 5 people tracked
Investment thesis
Placeholder invests in cryptonetworks and decentralized technologies. The firm focuses on early-stage projects that are building sovereign, minimally extractive protocols and networks. Their investment thesis emphasizes understanding crypto-economic mechanisms, governance structures, and the fundamental differences between cryptonetworks and traditional companies. The firm publishes extensive research on topics including DeFi, layer-1 and layer-2 protocols, token economics, and decentralized network governance.
Source: firm website, verified Jul 20, 2026.
Team · 5 people
from the firm's websiteWhat they invest in
from 22 of 28 portfolio companiesCrypto & Web3 ×20Fintech ×10Data & Infrastructure ×5Cloud Computing ×4Developer Tools ×3Enterprise Software ×3SaaS ×2AI & Machine Learning ×1
HQs:United States×2Finland×1
Investments · 28 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathArx develops secure chips that embed blockchain authentication into physical items like apparel, collectibles, and certificates, enabling decentralized provenance verification and digital experiences without centralized servers.
Crypto & Web3Deep TechHardware
Avantgarde Finance structures real-world asset (RWA) backed looping strategies to enhance capital efficiency for on-chain participants. The company offers DeFi strategies built around RWA collateral with on-chain risk controls, targeting teams and entities seeking capital-efficient yield optimization.
Crypto & Web3Fintech
Botanix is a Bitcoin-based blockchain platform for applications focused on Bitcoin financialization. The platform is shutting down on July 1, 2026.
Crypto & Web3
Celestia designs and operates custom, high-throughput blockchain infrastructure for enterprises, separating compute and storage to enable independent scaling. The company provides production-ready blockchain platforms and frameworks that support high-volume transactions for financial applications and payment systems.
Cloud ComputingCrypto & Web3Enterprise Software
Mustafa Al-Bassam(Chairman & CEO, Celestia Foundation)Nick White(Co-founder & CEO, Celestia Labs)Preston Evans(CTO, Celestia Labs)
Eclipse is an Ethereum Layer 2 using the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM) to provide high-throughput execution while leveraging Ethereum's liquidity and security. It enables developers to build and users to transact on a blockchain combining Solana's performance characteristics with Ethereum's ecosystem and assets.
Cloud ComputingCrypto & Web3
Neel SomaniVijay Chetty(CEO)Terry Chung(Head of Strategy)Ben Livshits(CTO)
Gearbox provides institutional credit infrastructure for tokenized real-world assets and stablecoins, offering margin, prime brokerage, and portfolio loan products. The protocol enables segregated accounts with issuer-aware mechanics to handle complex asset rules and compliance requirements on-chain.
Crypto & Web3FintechSaaS
Gyroscope operates a decentralized finance protocol enabling passive liquidity provision through concentrated swap yields on volatile and stable asset pairs, and issues GYD, a stablecoin designed for efficient liquidity. The platform serves cryptocurrency traders and liquidity providers seeking yield on deposited assets.
Crypto & Web3Fintech
Jito optimizes transaction execution and MEV (maximal extractable value) rewards on the Solana blockchain network. The platform allows validators and stakers to earn additional rewards while improving network transparency and fairness through its TipRouter consensus mechanism.
Crypto & Web3
Kamino is a DeFi protocol on Solana that combines lending, liquidity provision, and leveraged trading in a single platform. It allows users to borrow and lend crypto assets, leverage staking yields, and earn automated market-making returns.
Crypto & Web3Fintech
Magic provides an API for embedded wallet creation, transaction signing, and onchain automation, serving developers and applications building on blockchain infrastructure. The platform enables user onboarding via email, social, passkeys, or SSO with wallet provisioning and transaction execution capabilities.
Crypto & Web3Developer Tools
Matter Labs builds Prividium, an Ethereum-secured blockchain platform designed for banks and financial institutions to issue, settle, and manage digital assets with privacy and compliance controls. The company also develops ZKsync, a zero-knowledge scaling solution for Ethereum, and the open-source ZK Stack framework.
Crypto & Web3Enterprise SoftwareFintech
Obol provides distributed validator infrastructure and staking solutions for the Ethereum blockchain, serving institutional operators and AI agents. The platform secures cryptocurrency assets through decentralized validation on the Ethereum network.
Cloud ComputingCrypto & Web3Data & Infrastructure
Orca is a liquidity protocol and trading platform on the Solana blockchain that enables users to discover, deploy, and manage yield strategies across decentralized liquidity pools. It provides tools for portfolio management, performance tracking, and capital-efficient market access for cryptocurrency traders and liquidity providers.
Crypto & Web3Fintech
Pocket Network provides decentralized infrastructure for Web3 applications, enabling developers to access blockchain data without relying on centralized providers. The platform facilitates communication between applications and blockchains while maintaining decentralization principles.
Crypto & Web3Data & Infrastructure
Saga builds AI agents that enable creators, studios, and brands to deploy persistent character personalities across social platforms and messaging environments. These agents maintain identity and memory while engaging audiences and extending the lifespan of digital IP beyond traditional confined formats.
AI & Machine LearningCreator EconomySaaS
Solana is a blockchain network designed for high-performance internet capital markets, payments, and cryptocurrency applications. It serves startups, enterprises, developers, and users seeking a high-throughput distributed ledger platform.
Crypto & Web3Data & InfrastructureFintech
Anatoly Yakovenko(Founder)in
Squads delivers financial services to businesses, individuals, and developers using open infrastructure and global internet capital markets.
Fintech
ethereum.org is a public, open-source educational resource and community portal for the Ethereum blockchain network, maintained by a core team and thousands of global contributors. The site serves as an onboarding portal and knowledge hub for developers, users, and those new to Ethereum and cryptocurrency.
Crypto & Web3Developer ToolsEdTech
Monad is a high-performance EVM-compatible blockchain designed for fast, low-cost transactions. It enables decentralized applications and financial systems with instant transaction finality and thousands of transactions per second.
Cloud ComputingCrypto & Web3Data & Infrastructure<UNKNOWN>
Aleo is a Layer-1 blockchain platform powered by zero-knowledge cryptography that enables private, programmable, and scalable applications. The platform serves developers, businesses, and individuals building decentralized applications with privacy and compliance features.
Crypto & Web3Developer ToolsEnterprise SoftwareFintech
WeatherXM operates a decentralized weather network where station owners earn cryptocurrency tokens for providing hyperlocal weather data; the platform offers weather data APIs for businesses and research organizations while maintaining a global community-powered DePIN infrastructure.
Climate TechCrypto & Web3IoT
Zerion is a self-custodial, multichain wallet and data platform that aggregates assets and positions across 58+ blockchains in real time, offering swap routing, trading, and an API for wallet data access. The platform serves cryptocurrency users and developers building onchain applications.
Crypto & Web3Data & InfrastructureFintech
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Placeholder VC invest at?
- Placeholder VC invests at the Seed, Series A stages.
- What sectors does Placeholder VC focus on?
- Placeholder VC focuses on Crypto & Web3.
- Where is Placeholder VC located?
- Placeholder VC is headquartered in New York, US.
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