Crypto Valley Venture Capital (CV VC), a new company founded by Zug-based Lakeside Partners and a group of private investors, is to invest in all stages of crypto and blockchain development, from incubation to late stage.
The CV Labs incubator will offer seed money and a three-month incubation program to blockchain startups.
“The time is ripe for CV VC”, says Mathias Ruch, Founder/Managing Partner at Lakeside Partners and Founder/CEO of CV VC: “After the initial phase of pioneers, traditional investors and big players of the ‘old economy’ are starting to take note, analysts now speak of a new dawn for the industry, with serious companies, serious people and serious money coming into the space.”
CV VC will invest a fixed amount of seed funding (USD125,000) in a large number of promising early stage blockchain companies in return for equity or tokens, starting in Winter 2018 with the first batch of a three-month high-level seed capital program.
Participants in the program will benefit from funding, education and coaching, the CV Labs network, workspace, shared living space and a series of major events all happening at the heart of Crypto Valley. Among the confirmed mentors and special guests in the incubation program are some of the most renowned blockchain pioneers, crypto finance specialists, crypto lawyers and investors in Crypto Valley, such as Nicole Anderson (Redsand), Ramon Recuero (ex-Ycombinator), Mona El Isa (Melonport), Stephan Karpischek (Etherisk), Daniel Qin (wecash) and Guenther Dobrauz (Lawyer, VC Investor). From day one of CV VC, Lakeside Partners will put its experience and knowledge at the service of the new company.
The three founders of Lakeside Partners are also the founders of CV VC and will be active in the new company: Mathias Ruch (CEO, Board Member), Marco Bumbacher (Chairman) and Ralf Glabischnig (Board Member). Olaf Hannemann, a corporate finance veteran with 20 years’ experience from JPMorgan has joined the management team as CIO. He is also a co-founder.
In addition, a group of highly experienced investors have co-founded CV VC: Daniel Grossen (Scout 24, Grossen Invest AG), Christian Jaag (Swiss Economics, Center for Crypto Economics), Alex Wassmer (Kibag, Club zum Rennweg) and Lorenz Furrer (furrerhugi, Swiss Blockchain Taskforce). “Since I’m an entrepreneur deeply rooted in the old economy, I found CV VC to be the perfect platform to invest in blockchain technology”, says Co-Founder Alex Wassmer.
CV VC’s investment division will consist of three pillars, each covering a specific stage of the current blockchain and crypto development cycle: incubation, pre-ICO und post-ICO investments. CV VC’s strategy includes international expansion by deploying CV Labs hubs in various global locations, ultimately leading to multiple specialised hubs. Switzerland as the ‘genesis hub’ will remain home base, where leading-edge projects benefit from the largest and most advanced blockchain ecosystem and community worldwide.
