With nearly a million developers, a flourishing cross-industry entrepreneurial mindset, and a remarkable surge in blockchain adoption, Africa’s ability to lead blockchain technology impact is undeniable. Yet, technology entrepreneurs face barriers like limited access to finance and expert mentorship. Lisk’s Blockchain Incubation Hub intends to solve that issue.
- Lisk and CV Labs have launched the Lisk Blockchain Incubation Hub to support African entrepreneurs in developing high-quality blockchain solutions tailored to the African market
- Projects will be pre-vetted by VC professionals with 10+ years of blockchain investment experience
- Selected projects can receive up to USD 2m in Lisk grants and benefit from the lowest L2 fees available
- Participants will receive expert mentorship, strategic market expansion support, and facilitated investor engagements to enhance market presence and investment readiness
- Successful projects will join Lisk and CV Labs’ extensive global community of industry veterans, investors, and partner networks for ongoing growth opportunities
Lisk is a fast and scalable Layer 2 (L2) network secured by Ethereum. As a member of the Optimism Superchain, Lisk provides builders and users some of the cheapest fees possible in the Ethereum ecosystem (currently sub 1 cent) and is actively contributing to the larger Superchain mission of onboarding the next 1 billion people to Web3. Lisk’s strategic decision to focus on emerging markets stands as a testament to its commitment to innovation and inclusivity. By prioritizing these regions, the team acknowledges the transformative potential they hold for the global community.
Dominic Schwenter, Chief Project Officer at Lisk, speaking of the incubation program, said “As an established infrastructure project, that has long focused on making Web3 technologies more accessible to builders and users around the world, we fully understand the tremendous opportunity the African continent represents for the future of the blockchain industry. By working with established partners such as CV Labs and its VC pillar, CV VC, we intend to bring our mutual excellence to support African pioneers who harness ingenuity to empower their communities. Blockchain is the engine for propelling local economies across the continent and we are well aware of the great quality of the developer community in Africa. There’s no one better to solve challenges than local developers, founders, and entrepreneurs”.
CV Labs is a renowned blockchain accelerator and ecosystem builder within the Web3 space. CV Labs is a business pillar of CV VC, the Swiss headquartered blockchain venture capitalist. Lisk and CV Labs both originate from the world’s most mature blockchain hub – Crypto Valley. Each has local and active teams on the ground in Africa, committed to harnessing Africa’s ability to drive the future of the web – one that enables data transparency, new economies, and, most of all, a better way of interacting and transacting for Africans.
Gideon Greaves, MD of CV VC Africa, said “Our experience in creating interconnectedness among our African and global portfolio companies is a bedrock for their growth. As Africans ourselves, we are very excited to empower the Lisk Blockchain Incubation Hub with our ecosystem pillar CV Labs, leveraging local insights and global understanding for maximum impact. Importantly, CV VC’s investor-focused curation will support the appropriation of grant funds to ensure projects with impact and utility succeed”.
African nations are among the strongest adopters of cryptocurrencies, utilizing them both as a store of value, payment, and exchange purposes. Concurrently, the technology behind crypto, blockchain itself, is increasingly important in other ways for Africa due to its immutability which can address longstanding issues such as corruption, lack of transparency, and inefficiencies in sectors like finance, supply chain, and governance. Builders on blockchain technology can enhance trust, promote financial inclusion, enable secure transactions, and streamline processes, particularly in regions with unreliable infrastructure and weak institutions. Additionally, blockchain can support individuals by enabling access to financial services and property rights, fostering their socioeconomic growth, and unlocking new opportunities.
Despite restricted global funding, technology ecosystems in Africa are emerging, and 15 African countries feature in the Top 100 Global Ecosystems. As Africa accounts for nearly 20% of the global population and a median age of 18.8 years, the continent’s youthful demographic presents a potent force for innovation. While 77% of VC funding in Africa comes from outside the continent, The Lisk Blockchain Incubation Hub is committed to enabling African entrepreneurs to achieve self-fulfilling revenues and new funding sources by becoming market-ready with viable products that meet African needs.
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