By Pete Townsend, Managing Director, Techstars Web3

As we dive into this year’s program, it’s impossible not to reflect on where web3 stands today. The frenzy of 2021 is long gone, the reckoning of 2022-23 has left its scars, and what we’re left with in 2025 is something far more interesting: resilience, maturity, and focus.

This year’s cohort reflects a broader shift in the web3 landscape—we’re beyond the speculative hype cycles and into a phase where builders are solving real problems. The days of launching a token, throwing it into the wild, and hoping for the best are over. Instead, we’re seeing infrastructure being rebuilt from the ground up to support mainstream adoption.

A few things stand out to me:

• Web3 is embracing the real world. The projects in this year’s class show a growing demand for tangible, on-chain utilities that connect with traditional finance and enterprise operations. The "crypto casino" era is fading, replaced by startups focused on making web3 useful rather than just speculative.

• Privacy and security have become existential priorities. In an era where AI is accelerating data usage, and regulation is tightening, privacy-first solutions aren’t just nice to have—they’re necessary.

• DeFi is getting smarter. The last cycle exposed a hard truth: DeFi isn’t inherently safer, but it can be—if built correctly. Risk management and interoperability point to a new era of DeFi, one that’s structured, secure, and built for long-term sustainability.

• Developer tools are finally catching up. The next wave of adoption won’t come from new retail speculation—it will come from better tools making it easier for developers and enterprises to integrate blockchain. 

Despite the challenges of the last few years, web3 is alive and well—it’s just growing up. The startups we’re backing at Techstars Web3 aren’t here for quick wins; they’re laying the foundation for the next decade of decentralized technology.

As we kick off this accelerator program, I’m excited—not because Web3 is “back,” but because the people still building are the ones who never left. And that’s where real innovation happens.

Stay tuned, because this year’s cohort is about to do something special.

Announcing the Techstars Web3 Accelerator Class of 2025

I’m thrilled to introduce the six startups we’re investing in and accelerating through 2025 and beyond. Hugh McGirr and I dove deep into 650 applications, followed by countless hours of interview calls and then capped by investment committees to achieve consensus - all to drill down to the final six, and here they are:

0xBridge - Enabling seamless, non-custodial, and efficient two-way Bitcoin movement across blockchains, allowing users to mint 1:1 pegged BTC without relinquishing control of their original assets.

Autonom - Powering perpetual trading of real-world assets (RWAs) by incorporating a decentralized system to detect and resolve data inaccuracies, enabling seamless integration of market utilities into crypto economies.

DABL - Real-time monitoring and automated hedging platform that uses institutional-grade models to enhance risk management for crypto lending platforms and traditional financial institutions in digital assets.

Nera Systems - a comprehensive Privacy Enhancing Technology (PET) platform that enables enterprises to securely deploy AI and machine learning on sensitive data through encrypted, decentralized solutions that keep data within enterprise boundaries while maintaining utility⁠.

Nodes.garden - a one-click multichain node management platform that simplifies the complex process of setting up and managing blockchain nodes for both testnet and mainnet environments, requiring no technical expertise from users⁠.

TRUSTBYTES - Creates the world’s first security operations system allowing projects to see, understand and act on their risk posture with confidence.

The founders of these startups just completed Week 1 of the 13-week Techstars Web3 Accelerator. With our global cohort, we kicked things off in Dublin, one of the best places in the world to build relationships fast. In the pressure cooker of a mostly virtual program, it’s crucial that founders get their relationships off the ground early—both with the Techstars team and with each other. Your accelerator classmates should become the best founder support group you’ll ever have, and that all starts with a shared experience like this.

Mentors are the lifeblood of any Techstars program, and we've built a deep pool of web3 mentors over the past four years.  Each year, we curate the mentor pool focusing on three core mentor profiles: web3 product builders, web3 user growth and partnership experts, and those with strong web3 fundraising chops.  This year, the founders will have the opportunity to engage with 90+ web3 mentors who will help them move faster.

After an intense first week of workshops, mentorship, and live pitching at the Techstars Web3 launch night—doubling as the first-ever CryptoMondays Ireland event at Toners in Dublin—the founders have now gone virtual for the next five weeks. We'll regroup in London from April 21st-25th, then go back online for 5 more weeks, and wrap things up in New York City during NY Tech Week for Demo Day in the first week of June 2025. If you would like to connect in either city, we would love to hear from you!

Also, you can listen to each founder introduce themselves on a special episode of the MoneyNeverSleeps podcast that I produce.

If you’d like to learn more about the Techstars Web3 class of 2025, please get in touch with me at pete.townsend@techstars.com or with Hugh Mc Girr at hugh.mcgirr@techstars.com.

About Techstars

Techstars invests in early-stage startups led by unstoppable entrepreneurs with transformative businesses. With 45+ accelerators worldwide, an unrivaled network of alumni, mentors, commercial partners, investors, and dedicated operating teams, Techstars supports entrepreneurs throughout their entire startup journey while helping to build thriving startup communities. Since 2006, we have invested in more than 4,400 portfolio companies, accelerating the growth of businesses including Chainalysis, Zipline, DataRobot, Alloy, and many, many more. www.techstars.com

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