Symbolic Capital

Variant is a venture firm built for the ownership economy. We take a decentralized, network-driven approach to scaling our operations and value-add, from sourcing new opportunities to supporting the portfolio. Our investor base is comprised of 100+ builders in crypto, who each own a piece of the fund.

We started our journey as a technology hub and co-working space in the heart of Soho in 2018. Through years of experience in early-stage investing and community building, we gradually evolved into a marketplace of ideas, talent, and capital. As both venture capitalists and operators today, we pride ourselves on being "founder-first" and aim to add value and catalyze growth for projects by leveraging our extensive network, providing tailored solutions, and working alongside our founders at the forefront of the blockchain and crypto space. OUR EDGEDIVERSIFIED NETWORK: Our general partners leverage both their operational experience and network to capture this wave of web 2.0 entrepreneurs entering the space. STRATEGIC VALUE-ADDITION: We prioritize investments with arbitrage opportunities within our network, adding value through our ecosystem and portfolio companies as well. DEAL FLOW PLATFORM FROM START TO FINISH: We can capture startups and founders at a much earlier stage thanks to our in-house accelerator and incubation program, which assure a minimum of 5X returns on each deal TEAM OF IN-HOUSE ENGINEERS: We build in-house engineering teams of experienced developers to help us gain better control over the technology audit and development process. SUPPORT FOR OPERATIONS: We reserve board seats or executive positions to help our founders strategically with fundraising, product development, cross-border market access, team growth, and partnerships. GLOBAL IMPACT: We developed strong relationships with local venture capital firms, investors, and entrepreneurs in markets such as Asia, Africa, and North America, allowing us to identify and invest in new technologies and trends around the world.

We're not your typical VC outfit. We're a crypto native founder/investor collective on a mission to democratize the world of venture capital. We believe that the next generation of analysts, associates, and partners in the VC world should have access to top-notch education, hands-on experience, and a network that will catapult them to success. Founded by Joseph Argiro is a 3x founder with a background in marketplace technologies and blockchain. He was employee #2 at ICO Alert, scaling the company to 30+ and multi-millions in revenue. He then worked in the blockchain innovation lab at Hewlett Packard before founding Enter the Void(https://enterthevoid.io/), an NFT protocol, and Iron Key Capital, a digital asset investment company across liquid tokens and venture.

We make high-conviction, thesis-driven bets in ambitious & visionary crypto founders at the earliest stages. BTVC is a $150m fund that leads / co-leads rounds in pre-seed to Series A stage crypto companies globally, including Lighthouse, Centrifuge, Aptos, and Superform. You can read more about our recent Forbes coverage here. BlockTower VC is one of three primary funds comprising BlockTower Capital, an institutional investment firm founded in 2017. Our family of strategies spans liquid token, quantitative, venture, and credit, and allows us to support teams throughout their entire lifecycle. Beyond providing capital, this unique structure allows us to become active participants and power users of their products and services.

Our investment philosophy is built on four key pillars: ➀. Teams and founders with ambition and resilience, who we believe are crucial to success in the competitive world of Web 3.0. ➁. Groundbreaking and innovative projects that can add value to the entire Web 3.0 ecosystem, which we see as key drivers of growth in the industry. ➂. Operational excellence and the ability to deliver, which we prioritize in startups with a track record of execution and a clear plan for scaling. ➃. Building strong communities and users, which we believe are essential for the success of any project or company in the Web 3.0 space. By adhering to these ✤ principles, we seek to identify the most promising startups in the Web 3.0 space and drive the development of this exciting and rapidly evolving industry.

CV VC is an early-stage venture capital investor with a focus on global startups that build solutions using blockchain technology. Crypto Valley Venture Capital, better known as CV VC, originated in 2016 and was officially founded in 2018. Accelerate Our mission is to identify the most promising minds, disruptors, pioneers, and mavericks alike that have successfully untapped the potential that blockchain offers. We understand that it takes courage to launch a startup, but we know that it takes bravery and conviction to launch a blockchain startup. CV VC invests in Blockchain because it is more than just a technology. CV VC is among the founding fathers of the Swiss Crypto Valley and our resources and network offer the necessary firepower to identify, incubate, and accelerate the journey of any blockchain start-up. Switzerland provides the perfect combination of leadership, forward-thinking, and the world’s most progressive regulation, which ensures a hospitable environment that encourages invention and transformation. The world's blockchain-specific disruptors From our home in the heart of Crypto Valley, Zug, Switzerland, and from our international ecosystem hubs, we are identifying and accelerating the world's blockchain-specific disruptors. Why Blockchain? Change is the only constant, and through circumstance comes evolution. Blockchain is without a doubt, the foundation step in the evolution of the internet to Web3. The world, the way it records things, and the way it is organized, is changing for the better. The new technological age is upon us, and as a society, we are well on our way to embracing the fourth industrial revolution. It is undeniable that blockchain technology is reshaping the world, and its many applications lie beyond the simple use of cryptocurrencies. Blockchain: the native language of Crypto Valley Since its inception, Crypto Valley has been one of the biggest and most attractive blockchain hubs in the world. Switzerland has decentralization, consensus, leadership, and precision in its DNA. Such philosophies have aligned to create an exceptional regulatory compliant environment that encourages innovation and allows blockchain businesses to thrive. Crypto Valley is the home to over 1000 blockchain companies and it is no stranger to Unicorns, boasting an impressive 12 to its resume, 3 of which are located at the CV Labs offices (Tezos, Cardano, and Velas). Right in the heart of Crypto Valley, CV VC’s founders were strategically placed to witness and play a role in the rise of the blockchain movement. CV VC is an expert in transformative innovation.