tl;dr
**Anchorage Digital Launches Venture Arm to Fuel Bitcoin DeFi and Real-World Asset Innovation**
Anchorage Digital, the $3 billion crypto custody giant, is doubling down on its commitment to the blockchain ecosystem with the launch of Anchorage Digital Ventures. This new venture arm aims to be mor...
**Anchorage Digital Launches Venture Arm to Fuel Bitcoin DeFi and Real-World Asset Innovation**
Anchorage Digital, the $3 billion crypto custody giant, is doubling down on its commitment to the blockchain ecosystem with the launch of Anchorage Digital Ventures. This new venture arm aims to be more than just a funding source for early-stage onchain protocol teams—it’s positioning itself as a strategic partner, offering hands-on support in product development, engineering, and market strategies. The move signals a bold step into the future of decentralized finance (DeFi) and institutional adoption.
The venture arm’s focus is laser-targeted: Bitcoin DeFi (often called BTC Fi or BitFi), real-world assets (RWAs), and decentralized identity. These areas represent some of the most promising frontiers in blockchain, where innovation could bridge the gap between crypto and traditional finance. Anchorage’s backing isn’t just about capital; it’s about helping startups build foundational infrastructure that can scale and thrive in the institutional world.
“Protocols launching today will define how value moves through the global economy tomorrow,” said Nathan McCauley, Anchorage’s co-founder and CEO, in a tweet celebrating the launch. His words underscore the firm’s belief that the next wave of blockchain innovation will be driven by protocols that solve real-world problems—whether it’s enabling Bitcoin-based lending, tokenizing physical assets, or securing digital identities.
For startups, the benefits go beyond funding. Anchorage’s product, engineering, and go-to-market teams will work directly with selected projects, guiding them through the complexities of institutional readiness. This includes everything from designing scalable architectures to crafting liquidity strategies and selecting market makers—critical steps for protocols aiming to attract institutional investors.
A key differentiator of Anchorage Digital Ventures is its access to a vast network of institutional clients. Startups in the program will gain visibility with large-scale institutions, opening doors to partnerships and adoption that could accelerate their growth. This is a game-changer for early-stage teams, many of which struggle to navigate the opaque and demanding world of institutional finance.
Applications for the venture program are already open, with selected projects set to pitch at Token2049 in Singapore in early October 2025. The event, a hub for blockchain innovation, will serve as a launchpad for these startups to showcase their ideas to a global audience of investors, developers, and industry leaders.
Anchorage’s venture arm is part of a broader trend in the crypto space, where firms like Coinbase and Circle are also investing in ecosystem growth through venture capital. By entering this arena, Anchorage is not only diversifying its offerings but also reinforcing its role as a leader in the blockchain industry.
Founded in 2017, Anchorage has long been a trusted name in crypto custody, serving institutional clients with services like trading, staking, and secure storage. Now, with Anchorage Digital Ventures, the firm is expanding its mission to support the next generation of onchain protocols—ones that could redefine how institutions interact with digital assets.
As the crypto market evolves, Anchorage’s bet on venture investing reflects a vision of a future where blockchain isn’t just a niche technology but a cornerstone of global finance. For startups, this partnership could mean the difference between survival and success. For the industry, it’s a sign that the road to mass adoption is being paved—one protocol at a time.