| Blockchain community |
The "Blockchain Community" cluster encompasses startups dedicated to creating, strengthening, and evolving communities within the blockchain sector. These companies focus on fostering education, networking, and collaboration in the Web3 ecosystem. By organizing events and developing platforms, they play a crucial role in accelerating blockchain adoption and innovation. |
| Blockchain consulting |
This cluster includes startups offering consulting services related to the Blockchain industry. These companies are typically not specialized on a single topic and their business focus on consulting services rather than the development and distribution of a proprietary business solution. A peculiar characteristic of Blockchain consulting startups is that they have strong in-house development capabilities to help companies and institutions with the design and creation of new products and solutions. |
| Blockchain solutions |
This cluster includes startups that offer a Blockchain service in the market to ensure traceability within the system. Blockchain solutions have a great impact where there is a need for trust between different actors to increase transparency and reduce inefficiencies. Usually, these companies go to the market selling their B2B solutions in order to improve business processes. Startups within this cluster will be presented by dividing them into the financial and logistical domains. |
| Cryptocurrency exchange and custody |
Startups in this cluster provide safe infrastructure for the custody of Digital Assets or enable exchange between cryptocurrencies and traditional currencies. These firms enable customers to exchange their currency without having to interact directly with the major crypto trading venues, and they can provide safe custody services to both retails and institutions. In this regard, safe custody and secure asset handling are the fundamental starting points for providing customers with additional value-added services. |
| DeFi applications |
Startups belonging to this cluster develop decentralized applications using a Blockchain-based solution that execute financial transactions. Building DeFi applications gives way to no longer needing intermediaries, providing users more flexibility, faster transactions, lower costs and the possibility to have more control on their assets. |
| Development tools |
This cluster includes startups which are creating tools that can be exploited to the creation of Blockchain-based platforms, services, or more in general any application which exploits the Blockchain. These can be any type of tool, from Blockchain analysis which can be integrated in a money laundering detection software, to Blockchain explorers which can be used as oracles, or to track transactions, to software development tools which guide companies and programmers in the creation of new solutions. |
| Mining and staking |
Startups belonging to this cluster mainly focus are the validation processes of Blockchain platforms. For Proof-of-Stake Blockchains, these companies might offer staking «as a service» to other players, run validation nodes, or manage a staking pool. As regards Proofof-Work Blockchain protocols, startups included in this cluster may directly own mining factories, offer mining «as a service» solutions, or offer products and consulting services related to mining activities. |
| NFT collectibles, Gaming & Metaverse |
Companies considered in this cluster are related to the creation of business solutions for gaming, metaverse and collectibles. These startups provide their services through the creation of new experiences where users can interact with each other, holding NFTs and playing in an immersive way. |
| Platforms and Protocols |
Companies included in this category are those which are developing new Blockchain protocols. The cluster definition does not impose any limitation on the characteristics of the network. Indeed, it potentially incorporates both permissioned and permissioned platforms, and both private and public ones. Furthermore, no discrimination is made on the Blockchain consensus mechanism, or whether it is a Layer 1 protocol, or a scaling solution such as Sidechains and Layers 2s. |