Core Ventures, a Bitcoin-driven enterprise fund has launched a brand new accelerator program, BTC-FI – an accelerator designed to spur innovation on the intersection of Bitcoin and decentralised finance (DeFi).
This 14-week distant accelerator presents as much as $100k in funding, hands-on mentorship, and entry to an unlimited trade community to assist founders scale from Day 1.
Functions are actually open and can shut on the finish of August. Web3 builders innovating in BTC DeFi are extremely inspired to use
Why This Accelerator and Why Now?
Core is an EVM-compatible Layer-1 blockchain purpose-built as Bitcoin’s complementary and hyper-scalable sensible contract platform. By leveraging Bitcoin’s safety and enabling self-custodial Bitcoin staking, Core unlocks BTC as a productive asset inside DeFi ecosystems. This enables builders to construct decentralised functions that straight faucet into Bitcoin’s liquidity and safety, increasing what’s attainable with the world’s most trusted digital asset.
This confirmed acceleration framework helps early-stage groups transfer swiftly from concept to product-market match. The founder-first method contains operational assist, offering tailor-made steerage on product growth, tokenomics, go-to-market execution, authorized structuring, and investor readiness. This founder-centric philosophy shapes how every startup cohort is nurtured, with a collaborative and growth-oriented mindset: “We succeed solely when our founders succeed.”
Focus Areas: What We’re Wanting For
This program is grounded in a transparent thesis: supporting the foundational DeFi pillars that may form the Core ecosystem and meet the calls for of the subsequent wave of adoption. We’re backing groups constructing high-impact merchandise that unlock new utility for Bitcoin inside DeFi.
Eight groups might be chosen, with Core Ventures deploying as much as $100,000 in funding to these most aligned with Core’s long-term imaginative and prescient and demonstrating sturdy execution.
In case you’re constructing in any of the next classes, that is your name to use:
- Yield Protocols: Platforms that make it easy, safe, and accessible for on a regular basis customers to earn passive returns on BTC. This contains staking, lending, or new yield-generation mechanisms native to Core.
- DeFi Buying and selling Functions: Quick, scalable, and user-friendly buying and selling instruments designed for contemporary crypto individuals. We’re particularly fascinated by high-velocity execution layers and intuitive frontends that improve DeFi entry with out compromising decentralisation.
- Launch Platforms: Instruments that simplify and democratise token or product launches. The perfect ones decrease the barrier to entry for creators and customers alike, whereas aligning incentives and fostering long-term worth.
- Excessive-Yield Progress Experiments: Daring experiments in incentive design that may drive early traction and scale, whereas evolving towards sustainable economics. In case you’re innovating round artistic progress loops or novel reward fashions, we wish to see it.
Selective Funding & Founder-Centric Assist
A complete of eight groups might be chosen to take part in this system. All chosen groups will achieve entry to:
- Fingers-on acceleration and mentorship from Core Ventures
- Connections to Core Ventures VCs, mentors, developer ecosystem, tooling, and companions
- Strategic assist throughout token design, product, authorized, progress, and fundraising
- Investor visibility via demo day publicity
As well as, Core Ventures will deploy as much as $100,000 in funding to pick out groups that show sturdy alignment with Core’s long-term imaginative and prescient and the potential to drive significant impression throughout the ecosystem. Funding might be allotted primarily based on execution, technical power, and founder-market match, with a give attention to backing groups positioned to ship actual worth over time.
The right way to Apply and What to Count on
The applying window will run for six weeks, beginning on July 21, and can shut in late August. This system will start in Q3 2025 and run for 14 weeks just about, with tailor-made weekly assist and a closing Demo Day.
To use, founders should submit a pitch deck, product roadmap, crew information, and why their concept aligns with Core’s imaginative and prescient and this accelerator’s focus. Early submissions are inspired for suggestions and early conversations.
Be part of Us – A Name for Builders
This accelerator is a chance to construct alongside two of probably the most aligned and founder-focused forces in crypto. In case you’re creating the subsequent frontier of Bitcoin DeFi, yield era, viral launches, or Rune instruments, we wish to hear from you.
Apply right here: Utility Type
For inquiries, contact:
- Core Ventures: [email protected]
About Core
Core is the Bitcoin Every little thing Chain, reworking idle Bitcoin right into a productive, yield-generating asset that powers Bitcoin DeFi at scale. Core’s Self-Custodial Bitcoin Staking permits holders to timelock Bitcoin straight on the Bitcoin blockchain to earn rewards—with out taking up new threat. This trustless yield mechanism helps to safe the high-performance, EVM-compatible Core blockchain, the place customers can entry an increasing universe of Bitcoin-focused decentralized functions.
Core powers first-of-their-kind merchandise like Valour’s yield-bearing Bitcoin ETP and lstBTC—the primary liquid, yield-generating Bitcoin asset. The community helps over $500M in DeFi TVL, backed by 7,000+ timelocked Bitcoin and ~75% of Bitcoin mining hash energy.
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