Bitpanda and Leadblock Partners Launch New €50 Million Fund to Target Innovative Startups in the Blockchain Sector
Bitpanda, the Austrian-based cryptocurrency exchange, and Leadblock Partners, a Franco-British venture capital fund, have recently announced the creation of a new investment fund called Leadblock Bitpanda Ventures (LBV). With an initial capital of €50 million, this fund aims to finance emerging companies in the web3 sector.
The Rise of Web3 and the Purpose of LBV
This partnership seeks to fill a gap by providing financial resources and strategic support to startups specializing in blockchain technologies and crypto assets. According to David Chreng, co-founder of Leadblock Partners, the goal is to go beyond simple financial investment and offer comprehensive support to young companies. Eric Demuth, CEO of Bitpanda, supports this vision, citing his personal experience as an entrepreneur.
A Flexible Investment Mechanism
LBV plans to invest between €200,000 and €2 million per project, with a particular focus on innovative solutions such as roll-ups and bridges, indicating an interest in solutions aimed at making the blockchain infrastructure more efficient.
“For a long time, infrastructure was the priority for investors, and a significant amount of capital was deployed in this sector. Today, it is important for us to make this infrastructure layer more efficient to accommodate the next billion users and finance the applications built on top of this infrastructure.” – David Chreng, co-founder of Leadblock Partners
LBV has committed to investment periods of three to four years, targeting slightly longer vesting periods than the market average. The announcement of this fund coincides with a period of recovery in the cryptocurrency market, although the founders of LBV claim that the timing is more of a coincidence than a calculated strategy based on market conditions.
Despite Bitpanda’s affiliation with the fund, the exchange promises that LBV’s investment decisions remain independent of listing operations on Bitpanda, highlighting a clear separation between the two entities to avoid any conflicts of interest.
Positioning in Relation to Competitors
LBV positions itself not as a rival but as a complement to other market players such as Binance Labs, Coinbase Ventures, and others. The approach appears balanced, seeking to provide the necessary tools to support the development of startups without promising automatic exposure to the market through Bitpanda. This hybrid investment strategy, combining equity and tokens, adapts to the specific needs of the funded companies.
