Robot Ventures

Robot Ventures is a venture capital firm established in 2019 and based in New York, specializing in early-stage investments in the fintech and blockchain sectors. The firm focuses on (pre-)seed funding for innovative companies that are led by founders with ambitious visions and unconventional perspectives. By targeting exceptional startups within the cryptocurrency and financial technology domains, Robot Ventures aims to support and nurture transformative ideas that challenge traditional business models.

Robert Leshner

Co-Founder and Partner

Past deals in Smart Contracts

Optimum

Seed Round in 2025
Optimum constitutes a decentralized, high-performance memory infrastructure tailored for use across various blockchains.

Ligero

Seed Round in 2025
Ligero, Inc. is a technology company based in Pittsford, New York, specializing in the development of a privacy platform for secure and confidential collaboration on and off blockchain. Incorporated in 2018, Ligero's offerings include a lightweight and scalable protocol that facilitates secure multiparty computation and zero-knowledge proofs. This enables clients to execute private smart contracts, engage in decentralized exchanges, and utilize private machine learning, thereby enhancing the security and privacy of transactions and collaborations in various digital environments.

GTE

Seed Round in 2025
GTE is a decentralized trading platform that offers end-to-end trading services.

Exponent Finance

Seed Round in 2024
Exponent Finance is a Solana Network DeFi fixed price market that creates time-locked tokens that can generate set returns or be traded for yield.

Phylax Systems

Seed Round in 2024
Phylax Systems is the operator of an open-source protocol platform designed to avoid hacking. Phylax System's platform censors hacks on L2 networks and supports all Ethereum virtual machine chains, giving corporations the confidence to invest in the decentralized market.

Semantic Layer

Seed Round in 2024
Semantic Layer improves incentive alignment in dApps, enabling MEV internationalization and sequencing sovereignty.

Huma

Venture Round in 2024
Huma is a decentralized finance platform that facilitates lending for businesses and individuals by connecting high-performing receivables with global financing. The company provides a transparent and accessible financial infrastructure, allowing clients to tokenize and trade cash flow using credit on the blockchain. Huma's innovative approach enables users to secure loans against tokens as collateral, fostering a thriving ecosystem for managing and leveraging assets in a digital format.

Ammalgam

Seed Round in 2024
Ammalgam is a technology company that specializes in decentralized finance (DeFi). It has developed a unique platform, the Decentralized Lending Exchange (DLEX), which combines lending and trading functionalities into a single protocol. This innovative solution enables users to increase their yield, unlock new utility, and enhance capital efficiency by integrating these services without the need for oracles. The platform allows market makers to provide liquidity to and borrow from the same contract, making it a comprehensive and efficient tool for DeFi participants.

G8keep

Pre Seed Round in 2024
G8keep is a Web3 token platform that allows consumers to discover and trade with all Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) networks.

zkMe

Seed Round in 2024
zkMe is a company that specializes in zero-knowledge (zk) Identity Oracles designed for decentralized and anonymous cross-chain credential verification. By ensuring that no personal information is ever processed by third parties, zkMe eliminates the risks of data leaks and misuse, granting users complete control over their digital identities. The platform enables users to selectively share their credentials with authorized parties while maintaining their privacy. As a fully decentralized provider, zkMe adheres to Financial Action Task Force (FATF) compliance standards and offers a comprehensive suite of products, including solutions for anti-bot and anti-sybil verification, as well as Know Your Customer (KYC) services.

Ion Protocol

Seed Round in 2024
Ion Protocol is a blockchain-based lending platform that enables users to deposit and borrow against a wide array of validator-backed assets, including staked and restaked holdings. Its decentralized platform employs zero-knowledge machine learning for credit risk underwriting, facilitating efficient management of user positions and enhancing staking returns.

Conduit

Series A in 2024
Conduit operates as a platform focused on providing crypto native infrastructure aimed at supporting developers in the cryptocurrency space. The company collaborates with leading crypto engineering teams to develop a comprehensive suite of tools that facilitate the creation, deployment, and maintenance of smart contracts, particularly on the Ethereum network. By offering a visual programming environment, Conduit enables developers to build, test, and deploy smart contracts efficiently, utilizing various programming languages and libraries. This streamlined approach enhances the overall development process, empowering builders in the rapidly evolving field of cryptocurrency.

Movement Labs

Series A in 2024
Movement Labs is a modular framework platform that builds and deploys move-based blockchains and applications in distributed settings. Its platform offers a composable and horizontally scalable network that provides unparalleled smart contract security and asset portability to help users solve the cold start problem with unprecedented interoperability.

Storm Labs

Seed Round in 2024
Storm Labs operates an open-source software development studio, specializing in building infrastructure for the next generation of finance. It empowers users to create and manage personalized DeFi investment portfolios autonomously, mitigating challenges such as losses and portfolio rebalancing.

Clique

Series A in 2024
Clique is a technology company focused on bridging the gap between web-two user behaviors and web-three applications through its innovative identity wallet and creator economy platform. The wallet is designed to enhance privacy and security by incorporating features such as privacy-preserving oracles, zero-knowledge proofs, and decentralized identity. This allows creators, sports figures, and brands to effectively manage their interactions with superfans, incentivize engagement, and explore shared ownership opportunities. Additionally, Clique operates a Compute Coordination Network that organizes diverse compute resources, enabling applications to access and utilize these resources dynamically. This network supports various functionalities, including verifiable computations, data integration from the internet, and specialized hardware for privacy and secure computation. By facilitating seamless access to compute resources and data, Clique empowers users to tailor their experiences based on trust, privacy, performance, and cost preferences.

INIT Capital

Seed Round in 2024
INIT Capital operates a liquidity hook money market designed to enhance unified liquidity for both end users and decentralized applications (dApps). The company focuses on facilitating decentralized finance (DeFi) activities such as lending, borrowing, and yield strategies. Its platform serves as a liquidity layer, enabling users to easily access and manage various yield strategies from dApps, thereby streamlining the process and enhancing the overall user experience in the DeFi ecosystem.

Axiom

Series A in 2024
Axiom enables smart contracts to securely compute over Ethereum's whole history, including transactions and receipts. Developers can send on-chain queries to Axiom, which are automatically completed with ZK-verified responses delivered back to the developer's smart contract.

Kinto

Seed Round in 2023
Kinto is the KYC'ed Layer 2 capable of supporting both modern financial institutions and decentralized protocols.

Fhenix

Seed Round in 2023
Fhenix is a pioneering company that specializes in homomorphic encryption technology, enabling the development of secure and private blockchain solutions. By leveraging its unique fhEVM, Fhenix allows Ethereum developers to create encrypted smart contracts and conduct computations on encrypted data using familiar programming languages like Solidity. This innovative approach enhances data security and privacy, facilitating trustless applications such as gaming, private voting mechanisms, privacy-preserving artificial intelligence, and confidential token transfers. Through its commitment to optimizing data protection, Fhenix is at the forefront of advancing blockchain technology and addressing the growing need for secure digital environments.

Essential

Seed Round in 2023
Essential is a company focused on developing intent-based infrastructure and tools designed to facilitate the shift from value extraction to intent satisfaction. The company offers a platform that comprises key components of intent-centric infrastructure, promoting ecosystem-wide composability. This approach aims to minimize extractive behaviors and enhance user satisfaction by providing clients with a domain-specific language for expressing intent, as well as a fully intent-centric blockchain protocol. Through its innovative solutions, Essential seeks to harness the full potential of the intent paradigm.

Olympix

Seed Round in 2023
Olympix is a startup focused on enhancing Web3 security. It offers a state-of-the-art developer tool designed to proactively identify and automatically rectify vulnerabilities in client code in real-time. The platform leverages security intelligence and a comprehensive vulnerability database, allowing clients to mitigate risks effectively, avoid costly smart contract rewrites, and maintain robust security measures at scale without compromising the Web3 environment.

Berachain

Series A in 2023
Berachain is a blockchain development company focused on creating an Ethereum-compatible platform designed for financial applications. Its innovative technology allows for the use of staked assets within decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols, enhancing on-chain liquidity and capital efficiency. The company employs a proof of liquidity consensus mechanism to ensure sybil resistance, which fosters alignment of network incentives between validators and various projects within its ecosystem. By leveraging staked assets like staked ether, Berachain enables these locked assets to support the network's security while simultaneously facilitating their use in DeFi applications. This approach aims to provide clients with robust blockchain services that promote quality and efficiency in financial transactions.

Cubist

Seed Round in 2023
Cubist is a company focused on enhancing the development of decentralized applications (dapps) within the web3 ecosystem. It offers a comprehensive key management platform that streamlines the creation, testing, and deployment of multi-chain and cross-chain dapps. Utilizing modern software engineering practices and robust security measures, Cubist provides a modular toolkit that simplifies the development process, allowing users to manage keys and sequencing efficiently. By automating pipelines, Cubist enables developers to build and deploy secure applications rapidly and effectively from a unified interface, promoting safer and faster innovation in the decentralized technology landscape.

Curio Research

Seed Round in 2023
Curio Research is a developer of blockchain games that emphasizes user-generated content and rich social interactions. By leveraging blockchain technology and smart contracts, the company creates on-chain games that allow players to co-create governance structures and economic systems. This innovative approach empowers players to draft game rules and engage with one another in dynamic ways, enhancing their creative experiences within the gaming environment. Curio Research aims to unlock new types of gameplay that foster collaboration and creativity among its user base.

Huma

Seed Round in 2023
Huma is a decentralized finance platform that facilitates lending for businesses and individuals by connecting high-performing receivables with global financing. The company provides a transparent and accessible financial infrastructure, allowing clients to tokenize and trade cash flow using credit on the blockchain. Huma's innovative approach enables users to secure loans against tokens as collateral, fostering a thriving ecosystem for managing and leveraging assets in a digital format.

Renegade

Seed Round in 2023
Renegade is a developer of a decentralized exchange platform that specializes in on-chain dark pool trading, offering a unique alternative to traditional non-custodial exchanges. The platform prioritizes complete anonymity throughout the trading process, ensuring user privacy. Renegade employs advanced technologies such as multi-party computation and zero-knowledge proofs to create a secure and trustless trading environment. This innovative approach enhances price execution while effectively mitigating risks associated with front-running, sandwich attacks, and statistical arbitrage. By catering to sophisticated traders, Renegade aims to provide improved pricing and a more efficient trading experience.

Sovereign Labs

Seed Round in 2023
Sovereign Labs operates a blockchain platform focused on enhancing user experience and scalability within the blockchain community. It offers a framework of interconnected zero-knowledge rollups that can function across various blockchains, facilitating secure and interoperable transactions. The platform automatically converts business logic into a cryptographically verifiable format, utilizing a roll-up system to connect with data availability layers. This integration allows users to leverage specialized components designed for rollups, while also benefiting from advancements in proof-generation parallelism and scalability, all without compromising end-user verifiability.

Exponential DeFi

Seed Round in 2022
Exponential DeFi platform makes it easy to discover, assess, and invest in DeFi yield opportunities. Anyone can become a lender or market maker with DeFi. Financial freedom is within everyone's reach when individuals have the ability to grow their wealth exponentially. Its platform helps investors assess the risk of DeFi yield opportunities so they can invest with confidence. Exponential DeFi platform was founded in 2021 and is based in San Francisco, California.

Eclipse

Seed Round in 2022
Eclipse is building Ethereum's first Solana Virtual Machine Layer 2. While other L2 networks on Ethereum focus on providing Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatibility, Eclipse leans into performance improvements developed by the Solana Layer 1 and adds additional verification features to deploy the blockchain as a rollup. The Eclipse team includes veterans from dYdX, Uniswap, Citadel, and Airbnb. Eclipse Labs is backed by top investors including Polychain, Placeholder, and DBA.

Eclipse

Pre Seed Round in 2022
Eclipse is building Ethereum's first Solana Virtual Machine Layer 2. While other L2 networks on Ethereum focus on providing Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatibility, Eclipse leans into performance improvements developed by the Solana Layer 1 and adds additional verification features to deploy the blockchain as a rollup. The Eclipse team includes veterans from dYdX, Uniswap, Citadel, and Airbnb. Eclipse Labs is backed by top investors including Polychain, Placeholder, and DBA.

Skip

Seed Round in 2022
Skip is a blockchain company that provides infrastructure to help blockchains leverage Miner Extractable Value (MEV) for financial sustainability and improved user experiences. The company has developed a platform featuring a sealed-bid closed auction system, allowing traders to submit tipped transactions to validators. This system prioritizes these transactions at the top of blocks, facilitating long-term financial viability for blockchains. Additionally, it enables traders to implement more sophisticated and profitable trading strategies. Through its innovative approach, Skip aims to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of blockchain transactions.

Primitive

Series A in 2022
Primitive is a developer of an innovative software platform focused on the Ethereum decentralized finance ecosystem. The company has created Arbiter, an open-source software framework that facilitates crypto transaction simulation. Additionally, Primitive offers a crypto asset management platform that provides users with non-custodial options protocols for any Ethereum asset, allowing them to earn upfront returns. By emphasizing open-source solutions, Primitive aims to empower users in the rapidly evolving landscape of digital finance.

Jito Labs

Series A in 2022
Jito Labs is a blockchain infrastructure company focused on enhancing the Solana network through the development of systems that maximize miner extraction value (MEV) while mitigating its adverse effects. The company provides an open-source, third-party validator specifically designed for the Solana blockchain, facilitating the creation of efficient and profitable blocks. Jito Labs aims to enable users to increase their revenue and optimize hardware utilization through its innovative validator client. By prioritizing both network scalability and validator rewards, Jito Labs plays a critical role in advancing the capabilities and profitability of the Solana ecosystem.

LiquiFi

Seed Round in 2022
LiquiFi is a digital crypto management platform that specializes in automating token vesting, lockups, and cap table management for cryptocurrency companies. By streamlining these processes, LiquiFi allows organizations to focus on their core priorities rather than on the complexities of smart contract development, audits, and manual token transfers. The platform simplifies tax compliance and reporting, providing a user-friendly solution that enhances efficiency in managing token equity ownership. Trusted by leading teams in the cryptocurrency sector, LiquiFi addresses the security and compliance challenges associated with token management, positioning itself as a vital tool in the rapidly evolving digital asset landscape.

Scroll.io

Series A in 2022
Scroll, founded in 2021 and based in Victoria, Seychelles, is focused on developing an EVM-equivalent zk-rollup, which utilizes a robust proving network. The company operates within the technology sector, with an emphasis on enhancing blockchain scalability and efficiency. By leveraging zero-knowledge proof technology, Scroll aims to facilitate faster and more secure transactions on decentralized applications. The firm's innovative approach positions it as a key player in the evolving landscape of blockchain infrastructure.

Spruce

Series A in 2022
Spruce is building a future where users control their identity and data across all digital interactions.

Nomad

Seed Round in 2022
Nomad is a novel approach to blockchain interoperability that leverages an optimistic mechanism to increase the security of cross-chain communication.

Moonwell

Seed Round in 2022
Moonwell is an open lending and borrowing decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol operating on the Moonbeam and Moonriver blockchain networks. The company provides a digital financing platform that enables users to engage in peer-to-peer lending and borrowing without the burden of monthly payments or additional fees. Focused on security, Moonwell offers a variety of funding options, catering to the needs of individuals seeking flexible financial solutions within a decentralized framework.

Voltz

Seed Round in 2022
Voltz Labs, established in 2021 and based in Road Town, British Virgin Islands, specializes in decentralized finance (DeFi) infrastructure. The company develops a non-custodial automated market maker platform for interest rate swaps, utilizing a concentrated liquidity virtual AMM for price discovery and a margin engine for asset management. This enables users to efficiently create and trade fixed and variable rate swaps.

B.Protocol

Seed Round in 2021
B.Protocol is a developer of a decentralized backstop liquidity protocol aimed at enhancing the security and efficiency of lending platforms. The company's blockchain-powered platform seamlessly integrates with existing lending systems, allowing users to engage through a dedicated smart contract interface. This innovative approach provides users with priority in the liquidation process by offering a protective cushion to their accounts as they approach liquidation prices. By doing so, B.Protocol enables both lenders and borrowers to mitigate financial risks and improve effective interest rates, thereby unlocking higher capital efficiency within the decentralized finance landscape.

Lyra Finance

Seed Round in 2021
Lyra Finance operates a decentralized platform focused on trading cryptocurrency options and perpetual contracts. Built on Ethereum, Lyra Finance combines traditional options market-making principles with the advantages of the crypto space, such as scalability and composability. The protocol offers unique and programmable on-chain options and structured products, allowing users to buy and sell options that are priced using an innovative market-based, skew-adjusted pricing model. This approach enhances the accuracy of pricing in the options market, catering to the needs of traders in the evolving cryptocurrency landscape.

Axelar

Series A in 2021
Axelar is a company focused on developing interoperability software that facilitates communication between various blockchain ecosystems and applications. Founded in 2020 by Sergey Gorbunov and Georgios Vlachos, Axelar Network offers a suite of protocols, tools, and APIs aimed at overcoming the challenges of cross-chain interactions. The company's solutions leverage Byzantine consensus, cryptography, and mechanism design to enable decentralized applications to operate across different blockchains seamlessly. By providing developers with the necessary resources, Axelar empowers them to select the most suitable platforms while enhancing cross-chain composability and liquidity.

Jet Protocol

Seed Round in 2021
Jet Protocol Holdings is a developer of a decentralized lending and borrowing platform that aims to reduce transaction costs and enhance efficiency in financial transactions. The company specializes in creating innovative loan products and facilitates cross-chain interest rate arbitrage, allowing users to streamline their borrowing and lending activities. Through its platform, Jet Protocol Holdings provides a borrowing agreement designed to simplify the complexities often associated with traditional financial systems, making it easier for users to engage in lending and borrowing transactions.

Alkimiya Protocol

Venture Round in 2021
Alkimiya Protocol is a developer of an open-source, permissionless platform that focuses on creating financial instruments backed by actual hash power production. The protocol utilizes smart contracts to enable miners to sell their future production rewards for a predetermined amount. This innovation allows users to design and deploy hash power-backed financial instruments from any location, leveraging the latest web and mobile technologies to generate revenue. By facilitating a new way for miners to monetize their production, Alkimiya Protocol aims to enhance the financial landscape within the cryptocurrency sector.

DELV

Seed Round in 2021
DELV is a company focused on advancing the safe adoption of decentralized financial systems by developing a crypto-asset trading platform. This platform facilitates the buying and selling of yield and principal tokens, which do not require a minimum investment. By integrating various protocols, DELV aims to create innovative infrastructure that supports users in growing their savings at a fixed rate, enhancing capital efficiency. Through its research-backed and open-source approach, the company seeks to play a pivotal role in ushering in a new financial system.

Syndicate

Seed Round in 2021
Syndicate is a decentralized asset management platform and social network that aims to democratize the investment process. By facilitating the creation of investing syndicates, it enables users to raise and invest capital with significantly reduced time and cost. The platform supports the establishment of decentralized autonomous organizations, empowering communities to collaborate effectively in value creation. Through its innovative approach, Syndicate transforms traditional investing practices, making it more accessible to a broader audience.

SIREN

Seed Round in 2020
SIREN is a distributed protocol creating a decentralized blockchain exchange for options trading on Ethereum. The company is focused on creating a high-quality, seamless experience for sophisticated users and requires no third-party settling mechanism or order matching to complete option settlement on-chain. It allows for both buyers and sellers to mint, buy, and trade in and out of options positions at any time. SIREN was founded in 2020 and is based in San Francisco, CA.

PoolTogether

Seed Round in 2020
PoolTogether Inc. is a company that operates a decentralized application on the Ethereum blockchain, designed to facilitate saving money through a gamified approach. Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, PoolTogether offers an audited savings game that allows users to deposit Ethereum assets into a pool. The deposited funds accrue interest through a compound protocol, and at the end of each week, one participant is awarded the collective interest, while all participants retain their initial deposits. The platform emphasizes a no-loss principle, making savings more transparent and accessible, and aims to provide a more advantageous alternative to traditional lottery systems.

Horizon Finance

Seed Round in 2020
Horizon Finance is a platform dedicated to decentralized interest rate and protocol cash flow markets. It enables users to deposit their assets with either fixed or floating interest rates, providing a unique opportunity to compete for preferential payment by capping their yield. The platform offers a trading toolkit for participants in the decentralized finance ecosystem, facilitating engagement with key yield streams while rewarding users for their participation. Through its innovative approach, Horizon Finance aims to enhance user experience in managing and optimizing financial returns.

Liquity

Seed Round in 2020
Liquity is a decentralized borrowing protocol built on the Ethereum blockchain that provides interest-free loans to users. By allowing borrowers to use Ethereum as collateral, Liquity issues loans in the form of its USD-pegged stable coin. The protocol operates with a minimum collateralization ratio, ensuring that loans are secured while enabling users to access liquidity without incurring interest charges. This innovative approach facilitates borrowing in a decentralized manner, aligning with the principles of blockchain technology.

Cozy Finance

Seed Round in 2020
Cozy Finance, Inc. is a Seattle-based company that specializes in developing risk management software tailored for the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector. Founded in 2020, the company offers a permissionless, peer-to-peer protection solution that enables users to invest in DeFi while safeguarding their assets against potential hacks and exploits. Additionally, Cozy Finance allows users to deposit funds, which can then be utilized by others for protected investing. By providing innovative tools and solutions, Cozy Finance aims to enhance the security and value management of cryptocurrency investments for developers and investors alike.
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