NEAR Foundation launches NEAR Horizon in collaboration with Dragonfly, Pantera, Decasonic, Blockchange, Fabric Ventures, dLab, Hashed, and Factomind

The accelerator will support Web3 founders with resources and a support marketplace as they build game-changing projects on NEAR

The NEAR Foundation today announced NEAR Horizon, an accelerator revolutionizing how founders are supported in Web3. NEAR Horizon will enable founding teams to scale their project with the support they need, increasing the number of founding teams building great products with real-world value, on the NEAR Protocol.

Startups will interact with NEAR Horizon through a double sided marketplace application built on the NEAR Blockchain Operating System. The marketplace will connect founders to people and organizations able to accelerate their growth, including over fifteen service providers, forty mentors and over three hundred backers. NEAR Horizon was made possible by partnerships with Dragonfly, Pantera, Decasonic, Blockchange, Fabric Ventures, dLab, Hashed, and Factomind working together to develop a marketplace that levels the playing field, allowing the best ideas and teams to win.

NEAR Foundation has also developed an extensive collection of content and tooling resources for Web3 startups, including go-to-market examples, tokenomics guides and legal and hiring frameworks. NEAR Horizon is initially focused on founders building on the NEAR Protocol, with the goal of opening up the NEAR Horizon marketplace to founders building cross-chain products.

“The NEAR Foundation’s objective is to support the NEAR ecosystem and enable founders to build great products,” said Marieke Flament, CEO of the NEAR Foundation. “Scaling products in Web3 is a momentous undertaking, with no blueprint and limited success stories to guide startups. NEAR Horizon will accelerate startup growth and support teams at every stage of their journey.”

Upon launch, every founder in the NEAR ecosystem will have self-service access to NEAR Horizon, allowing them to find and connect with people and resources that can help them succeed. Founders will also be able to apply for credits to cover the cost of service providers across marketing, legal, back-office finance, product and infrastructure, significantly accelerating the growth of projects building on the NEAR Protocol*.

Founders searching for a more guided pathway may also apply for intensive programmes supported with a NEAR Foundation partner, providing extensive mentorship, business resources and access to start-up capital. Programmes are available from Antler, Brinc, FabricX, CV Labs, Blockchain Founders Group and many more industry-leading startup investors. Founders accepted into a guided pathway will also have direct access to the NEAR Foundation’s team and ecosystem support.

Laura Cunningham, General Manager of NEAR Horizon, added: “We are thrilled to increase the  support available to teams creating real world value with NEAR. Our openly available resources and innovative marketplace will lower the hurdles for founders, decreasing the cost of building on the NEAR Protocol and encouraging entrepreneurs to join the ecosystem.”

NEAR Protocol is steadily gaining momentum among founders and investors in the Web3 community, boasting higher transaction speeds than Ethereum and a strong commitment to its ecosystem. The NEAR Protocol recently launched Blockchain Operating System, creating an industry-first category and providing Web3 with a common layer for browsing and accessing any blockchain.

Over the coming months, NEAR Foundation will reach out to 120 projects currently on the NEAR Horizon waitlist, introducing founders to the marketplace and ensuring that there will no longer be missed introductions, advice, capital or hires.

Here’s how to get involved:

• Founders: Join NEAR Horizon here
• Accelerator Programmes: Register your interest in a partnership here
• Backers: Register your interest in partnering here

*Disclaimer: Participation in NEAR Horizon (the "Program") is at the sole discretion of the NEAR Foundation and subject to the applicable terms and conditions of the Program and compliance with all applicable laws. The Program can be modified or terminated at any time. NEAR Foundation makes no guarantees about the success of any applications or projects built on the NEAR Protocol.