CARV, a blockchain data protocol designed for gaming and AI projects, announced Thursday that it is launching a $50 million accelerator program aimed at fostering innovation in decentralized data infrastructure. The initiative, called CARV Labs, will support startups working on projects that can drive mass adoption of CARV’s data protocol.
Backed by prominent blockchain venture capital firms including HashKey Capital and Ethereum software company Consensys, CARV Labs will provide financing, technical support and industry connections for select projects. (Disclosure: Consensys is one of 22 investors in an editorially independent Declutter.)
“Our goal is to enable a decentralized data ecosystem for broader innovation,” said Victor Yu, co-founder of CARV, in a statement. “Building a sustainable data infrastructure depends on creating a dynamic data flywheel, which requires a modular infrastructure and a critical mass of high-quality, post-product applications to market.”
CARV Labs’ first incubated project, an idle game called Banana, built as a Telegram mini app in The open network (TON) ecosystem, has attracted 10 million players since its launch in late July. Banana allows players to tap to earn points and unlock a variety of colorful and unique fruit collectibles, similar to a popular but unrelated PC game of the same name.
The accelerator has a number of gaming-focused partners, CARV said, including Netmarble subsidiary Marblex, Intella
CARV says it has generated more than $5 million in revenue to date from applications using its protocol. In August, CARV launched its Alphanet, operated by 40,000 community-run authentication nodes valued at $35 million.
The accelerator announcement follows CARV’s $10 million Series A funding round in April, led by Tribe Capital and IOSG Ventures. The company, which has raised $50 million to date, integrates with more than 900 games and AI companies and serves 9.5 million registered players across more than 40 blockchain networks.
Editor’s note: This article was written with the help of AI. Edited and fact-checked by Andrew Hayward.
