Announcing the Polkadot Ecosystem Fund

San Francisco and Zug — Web3 Foundation and Polychain Capital are joining forces to launch the Polkadot Ecosystem Fund during San Francisco Blockchain Week. The fund is a Polychain-operated investment vehicle jointly capitalized by Web3 Foundation and Polychain.

By Polkadot•October 29, 2019

The fund is a Polychain-operated investment vehicle jointly capitalized by Web3 Foundation and Polychain.

The two organizations aim together to expand Polkadot’s ecosystem by making strategic deployments into investment targets at all stages of growth.

"Even before launch, robust funding channels are becoming available for development teams building within the Polkadot ecosystem,” said Dr. Gavin Wood, the founder and president of Web3 Foundation.

“The Polkadot Ecosystem Fund offers an important outlet for teams at all stages to get the support they need," he said.

Investment Targets

Attractive investment targets include projects building with Substrate; projects signalling intention to deploy a parachain; and projects building technologies further up the Web 3.0 stack that will contribute to the broader growth and adoption of the Polkadot network.

“We are excited to invest and partner with hardcore engineers and entrepreneurs to catalyze the development of economic software built for Polkadot,” said Polychain Capital founder and Chief Investment Officer Olaf Carlson-Wee.

Builders can contact the fund at fund@web3.foundation.

About Polkadot

Polkadot is the first interoperability protocol that enables blockchain networks to work together under the protection of shared security.

By parallelizing transactions, Polkadot solves major scalability issues that have thus far hampered blockchain development. Polkadot also introduces a highly advanced, open governance system that will allow the network to innovate and grow at a much more rapid pace than legacy networks. Applications from decentralized finance and energy to gaming and communications will thrive on Polkadot, forming the basis of digital jurisdictions in Web 3.0. Polkadot is the first project spearheaded by Web3 Foundation.

For more information on Polkadot, visit polkadot.com.

About Web3 Foundation

Established in Zug, Switzerland by Ethereum co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Dr. Gavin Wood, Web3 Foundation funds research and development teams building the stack of technologies behind the decentralized web.

For more information on Web3 Foundation, visit web3.foundation.

About Polychain Capital

Polychain accelerates the global adoption of cryptocurrency with investment and active participation in blockchain networks.

Read the full press release here.

From the blog

The best Web3 games to play in 2025

2025 is shaping up to be a breakthrough year for Web3 games. These are the top titles delivering fun, ownership, and real rewards—with no hype required.

What is decentralized AI? A beginner’s guide to blockchain-powered intelligence

Decentralized AI distributes data, compute, and control. It makes AI more open, private, and community-driven. Learn how Polkadot supports this shift.

How to get involved with Polkadot DAO: A beginner’s guide to OpenGov and Polkassembly

A step-by-step Polkassembly guide for beginners looking to vote, delegate, and participate in Polkadot’s onchain governance system.

Identity on your terms: How decentralized digital identity works

Explore how decentralized identity works and why Polkadot is powering the next era of user-controlled credentials.

Build your own chain, your way: Meet the Polkadot SDK

The Polkadot SDK gives builders full control over blockchain development. Learn how teams use this modular, open-source framework to launch fast, secure, and interoperable networks.

Polkadot's Web3 Philosophy: A legacy of digital freedom from Jobs to Wood

Web3 is the next evolution of personal technology and digital freedom. From Steve Jobs and personal computing to Gavin Wood's vision, explore how Web3 vs Web2 represents individual empowerment over corporate control.

Polkadot at Consensus 2025: Demos, DAO talk, and new audiences

Consensus 2025 leaned into real-world adoption with a crowd that cared about practical use cases and tangible outcomes. Polkadot showed up with demos, onboarding, and a message that kept things grounded.

The gamer’s guide to blockchain: Ownership, influence, and what comes next

Web3 gaming is redefining ownership, player agency, and game design. Discover what’s changing and how Polkadot is helping build more immersive, community-first experiences.

How DePIN is bringing real infrastructure and real users to Web3

Decentralized Mic brought together leaders from Silencio, Acurast, and DePIN Hub to explore how decentralized infrastructure networks are creating real-world utility, rewarding users, and reviving Web3’s original values.

What is the Polkadot DAO? A beginner’s guide to decentralized governance

Get a high-level overview of the Polkadot DAO, including how it coordinates funding, decision-making, and participation across the ecosystem, and how you can get involved.

Chain abstraction and the future of Web3 UX: Insights from Decentralized Mic

Discover how chain abstraction can remove complexity from Web3, improving user experience and enabling multichain applications. Featuring insights from Agoric, Polytope Labs, Sommelier, and Polkadot.

The rise of AI agents in crypto: how DeFAI is reshaping finance

AI agents are transforming DeFi into a more intelligent, autonomous system. Discover how DeFAI is redefining finance, and how Polkadot’s modular design supports this shift.