I’m excited to announce the 21 startups we’ve selected to join our Crypto Startup Accelerator (CSX) Fall 2024 cohort, which starts this week. Over the next 8 weeks, they’ll get firsthand lessons from top crypto founders, receive guidance and support from @a16zcrypto’s investing and operating teams, and build connections with each other and the broader a16z network. The CSX Fall 2024 companies are coming to NYC from 11 different countries: Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Germany, Japan, Poland, Portugal, United Arab Emirates, UK and US (including Puerto Rico). They’re building on every level of the crypto stack, including AI, DeFi, infrastructure, and consumer applications such as photo sharing and mapping. Learn more about the Fall 2024 teams below: • Anera Labs (@hrojantorse): building liquidity infrastructure that unites all onchain liquidity • Banyan: uses AI to bridge communication gaps at work and bring clarity to the enterprise • Blocksense (@blocksense_): enables creation of oracles that can leverage internet data and CPU/GPU computations • Cork Protocol (@Corkprotocol): risk pricing protocol accelerating onchain credit • Dot (@dotdotfan): transforms user-created pixel art into game pieces for onchain games • Fermah (@fermah_xyz): building a universal zero-knowledge proof generation layer • Future Primitive (@futureprimitive): creating a new home for internet photo pals • Kuzco (@kuzco_xyz): a marketplace for LLM inference • MeshMap (@meshmapxyz): building a 3D map of the world and a network of AR content • Opacity Labs (@OpacityNetwork): privately verifies web2 data with zkTLS • OpenGradient (@OpenGradient): building a blockchain that aims to bring the world's compute onchain • PIN AI (@PINAI_IO): building an open platform for personal AI (data agents) • Pod (@poddotnetwork): a new L1 primitive that is blockless, leaderless and relaxes the notion of transaction total ordering • Sekai (@joinsekai): makes it easy to create, share, and monetize interactive narratives • Skyfire (@trySkyfire): an open payment protocol which enables AI agents to be able to pay for anything • Suave (@suave_money_): enables DApps to accept any token from any wallet on any blockchain • t1 (@t1protocol): real-time proof generation to unify Ethereum • TACEO (@TACEO_IO): MPC encrypted compute for Web3 • Term Labs (@term_labs): a DeFi lending platform that matches borrowers and lenders at fixed rates • vlayer labs (@vlayer_xyz): trustless verifiable data infrastructure powered by zero-knowledge proofs • zkSpin (@zkspin): building highly-parallel blockchain to run demanding DApps onchain This is our second CSX cohort this year; the Spring 2024 program in London culminated with our Demo Day in June. The next CSX will be hosted in San Francisco in Spring 2025; if you’re interested in joining, applications will be open in early January. a16z CSX invests a minimum of $500,000 in each company that’s accepted. Keep an eye on the CSX website and newsletter for more updates as we have them. Congratulations to all the CSX Fall 2024 companies! We’re thrilled to partner with you in your journey to product market fit.

When the World Goes Phygital In the future, fashion and commerce will be phygital. This essay from @aleksijavujicic paints a picture of our phygital future, exploring the frontier of social commerce, provenance, digital wearability, and more. Read: forefront.mirror.xyz/X6UvLqZ…