Sei Foundation Launches $65 Million Fund to Boost DeSci Startups

Key Notes

• The fund will deploy investments ranging from $100K to $2M over 3-4 years, focusing on both token and equity opportunities in DeSci projects.
• The initiative targets collaboration with academic institutions to bridge the gap between blockchain innovation and traditional scientific community.
• The growing interest from major players like Binance Labs and a16z signals increasing momentum in decentralized science development.

The Sei Foundation has launched a $65 million venture fund to support decentralized science (DeSci) startups. The fund, named “Sapien Capital—Open Science Fund I,” will focus solely on DeSci startups building on the Sei blockchain.

According to The Block, Justin Barlow, the head of business development and investments at Sei Foundation, stated that the fund will invest in both DeSci startups’ tokens and equity, with investments ranging from $100,000 to $2 million. He noted that the full $65 million will be deployed over the next three to four years.

Sei Foundation Targets Key Areas in Health Tech and Scientific Innovation

The fund will target areas including wearables, user-owned data collectives, and gamified drug discovery. Barlow believes these innovations could help bridge the gap between specialized scientific fields and wider adoption, addressing issues faced by traditional life sciences and biotech. He explained:

“Key areas of interest for the fund include more sophisticated wearables, user-owned data collectives, and gamified drug discovery, all underpinned by the innovative funding and ownership models crypto has developed over the last decade. These advancements have the potential to bridge the gap between niche scientific communities and mainstream adoption, addressing numerous systemic challenges affecting traditional life sciences and biotech today.”

DeSci Gains Traction as a Game-Changer for Scientific Research and Innovation

DeSci, a concept that merges blockchain technology with scientific research, is gaining traction by offering new ways to fund and share research. The initiative fosters decentralized communities using technologies like decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) to make funding decisions transparently, unlike traditional institutions where centralized bodies control funding distribution.

Barlow believes DeSci could experience significant growth due to its potential impact on healthcare, science, and biotech. He noted:

“DeSci has the potential to scale massively due to its universal impact and the vast number of stakeholders across healthcare, science and biotech. Our goal is to empower visionary founders who are building the infrastructure, applications and communities needed to support and scale this emerging vertical.”

Recent investments from major players like Binance Labs and a16z reflect growing interest in DeSci. Despite its expansion, Barlow acknowledged that mainstream adoption will face challenges, particularly in gaining acceptance from the broader scientific community. To address this, the Sei Foundation plans to collaborate with well-respected academic institutions and leading life science companies to lend credibility to the sector.

SEI, the foundation’s native currency, has seen a significant rise in trading volume, surging by over 45% in the past 24 hours. This indicates growing activity around the token. It could also play a crucial role in driving the future of decentralized science, potentially boosting its adoption rate and further increasing the token’s value. As of writing, the price of SEI $0.18 24h volatility: 17.9% Market cap: $892.03 M Vol. 24h: $167.44 M is $0.314, up more than 2% in the last 24 hours.

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