Monthly Roundup: October 2024
Pivot x TON partnership, updates on Startups under acceleration, ecosystem growth, new partner additions, “Build with Founders” masterclasses & more
October was a dynamic month for us at Pivot as we ramped up partnerships, adding over 20 new VCs and ecosystem allies — market makers, exchanges, launchpads, marketing firms, and agencies — all eager to engage in our shared mission. This momentum was fueled by our team’s active participation in Binance Blockchain Week and The Gateway by TON, setting the stage for Q4 with renewed energy and focus.
We also hosted two immersive TON bootcamps in India, held in Gurgaon & Bangalore and insightful sessions under our Pivot 0xHub “Build with Founders” masterclass series.
Here’s a look at all the exciting strides we made in October’24!
Highlight of the Month
Pivot & TON join hands to bootstrap the TON ecosystem in India
In October, we proudly announced our collaboration with TON via TON Society India to co-host the largest hackathon experience of 2024 — a month-long hybrid event featuring offline bootcamps and online workshops across 19 global cities.
Kicking off on October 5, this hackathon boasts a prize pool exceeding $2 million and aims to spark innovation, onboard early builders, and drive the TON ecosystem forward with new dApps, startups, and developer teams. As the primary partner for the two India-based TON bootcamps, Pivot was joined by its portfolio startups, Plena Finance and Exa Protocol, as sponsors while also presenting their technologies to support participating hacker teams.
Highlights of the events follows below.
Startup Spotlight & Updates
Our flagship acceleration program is alive with innovation as 14 promising startups work to disrupt their industries, with 7 officially announced: NFTFN, Cluster Protocol, MetaKraft AI, QuillAI Network, Turf, Chimp Exchange, and Exa Protocol. Here are some updates on the progress, milestones, and exclusive insights into some of the team’s journey.
Chimp Exchange
Chimp Exchange has had a vibrant beginning to Q4 with significant progress in development, partnerships, and community engagement. Key developments include integrating Boba Network’s Testnet, launching Liquidity Staking, the Chimp Confidential Launchpad, and a rewards program. Partnerships were strengthened with Boba’s Accelerator Program, Sending Network, FOX Wallet, and Bandit. The community also grew, surpassing 70K Twitter followers, Offline meetups and AMAs further bolstered outreach. Testnet activity shows promising traction, with over 41K unique addresses, 86K+ swaps, and 92K total wallet addresses — demonstrating solid user interest and growth potential.
Cluster Protocol
Cluster Protocol is evolving into a powerful engine for the AI economy, seamlessly enabling the build, training, and deployment of AI models in just a few clicks, while ensuring fair monetization for AI developers. Now backed by notable angels from SingularityDAO, Kraken, Binance, and VCs like Pivot, Mapleblock, Maven Capital, and Fairum, they boast 400+ ecosystem partners, 60+ SME clients, and a thriving community of 150K+. With their beta launch on the horizon, Cluster Protocol is on a fast track to transform the AI landscape!
Check their article on X | Click here and follow Cluster
Exa Protocol
Exa Protocol has made strides with the launch of ExaDrive — a cutting-edge solution tailored for developers prioritizing decentralization. Powered by a distributed file storage system (DFS) across mobile devices, ExaDrive allows seamless app deployment through an intuitive SDK, bringing together extensive data points in one unified, user-friendly interface. Notably, it surpasses AWS in cost, security, and speed, leveraging a decentralized model that mitigates risks associated with centralized data centers. With up to 1000 XAP credits offered for ExaDrive, 24 businesses have already come onboard in just four weeks, marking an impressive start!
Exa Protocol Accelerate Program | More on ExaDrive | Follow Exa for more
QuillAI Network
QuillAI Network is pioneering Web3 security through its decentralized LLM (D-LLM) and EigenLayer AVS, building a multi-chain Agent Marketplace that addresses critical security needs. Their flagship AI agent, QuillCheck, now integrates Arkham Intelligence’s on-chain analytics, enabling seamless, real-time protection for assets in Web3. The agent has already identified over 300,000 honeypots and scams, offering retail investors enhanced safeguards against fraudulent tokens. Recently launched on Solana, QuillCheck supports due diligence on some of crypto’s most popular coins, with a dedicated Telegram app to make security insights even more accessible.
Follow QuillAI Network | QuillCheck AI Agent
Stay tuned for progress and achievements as each of these teams advances through our flagship acceleration program.
Ecosystem Growth
We are expanding week-on-week — Our network of partners is growing on a steady rate, bringing valuable support to the Pivot-accelerated startups — now numbering 14 overall. In October’24, our team secured new collaborations to drive this growth. We warmly welcome these new partners to the Pivot Venture Circle & Pivot Partner Circle — each playing a vital role in amplifying the success of our startups under acceleration.
New VC Partners Onboarded
New Partners Onboarded
Masterclasses
We started our “Build with Founders” Series of Masterclasses this month. We brought in the visionary founders from our accelerated startups who did a deep dive into their projects and share valuable insights on the area of business that they are working on. This inaugural series was a spotlight on startups pioneering in AI innovations, with a special focus on Decentralized AI. The masterclasses provided a unique opportunity for the community to engage, contribute, and learn from these groundbreaking advancements.
Unlocking XR: From Images into Engaging interaction
Evolution and future of Extended Reality (XR). From the foundational concepts in human interaction to the cutting-edge tools and technologies that drive XR.
Masterclass Summary | Masterclass Video
AI Agents: The Hidden Architects of Tomorrow’s Innovations
Exploring the transformative potential of AI agents through their fundamentals, technicalities, business applications, industry impact and real-world applications.
Masterclass Summary | Masterclass Video
Shaping Future :: Bridging Physical and Digital with XR
A discussion on the innovative world of Extended Reality & merging of the tangible and digital realms to forge unprecedented experiences.
Masterclass Summary | Masterclass Video
Rebuilding Trust in Web3: The role of Decentralized AI
A masterclass on how DeAI can solve several key challenges in Web 3.0 — while also enabling a smart trustless execution to make the ecosystem truly trustless.
Events
TON Bootcamps — Bangalore & Gurgaon
🚀 Pivot @ TON Bootcamp in Bangalore🚀
The TON Bangalore Bootcamp brought together 150 talented participants from over 1,500 entries, all competing to create groundbreaking solutions on the TON Blockchain. Known as a hub for Web3 innovation, Bangalore was the perfect setting for three days of intense brainstorming, coding, and collaboration. The bootcamp featured inspiring presentations and insightful sessions, showcasing the latest in decentralized technology. This event was a true celebration of creativity and the drive to push Web3 forward.
🚀 Pivot @ TON Bootcamp in Gurgaon 🚀
Across three days of intensive workshops, brainstorming, and pitch sessions, over 120 selected hackers — chosen from more than 1,000 entries — immersed themselves in innovating within the TON Blockchain ecosystem, all competing for a $5,000 prize. The event featured impactful presentations, including Saurabh Singh from Exa Protocol introducing ExaDrive’s decentralized finance solutions, and Shantanu Sharma from Pivot sharing insights on startup acceleration. With relentless ideation and fresh pitches, this bootcamp showcased the creativity and potential within the Web3 space. Kudos to TON Society India for an inspiring hackathon experience!
Other events
Pivot @ Binance Blockchain Week
Team Pivot joined Binance Blockchain Week in Dubai, connecting with founders, investors, and industry leaders. This event was an excellent space for building synergies, exploring growth opportunities, and fostering relationships that will drive our startups forward.
Pivot @ TON’s The Gateway
In the several side events held around TON’s The Gateway event, Team Pivot engaged with visionary Web3 founders and developers. The event provided a platform for idea exchange, strategic partnerships, and exploring ways for TON to support innovation, strengthening growth avenues for our startups.
Upcoming Events
0xBrunch Founders Connect with Chimp Exchange
The Founders Connect event is back in NCR on 9th Nov in Gurgaon. We intend to continue with our talent hunt of great Founders in the Web 3.0 space, and working closely with our portcos to engage with new startups, founders & community for their growth and development.
🔅 Register here: https://tinyurl.com/pivotfoundersconnect-ggn
Devcon 2024, Bangkok
Team Pivot will be heading to Devcon in Bangkok, Thailand from 11th to 16th November. If you are heading to the event and bump into the team, stop by and talk to us about what you are building — we are very excited to learn and meet young founders and explore synergies.
Insights
At Pivot, we’re committed to staying at the forefront of Web 3.0, offering insights that drive conversations on blockchain and decentralized tech. Discover our latest articles covering pivotal milestones in our acceleration program and other key Web 3.0 developments.
Sector Analysis — Memes — Part 1
Exploring the evolution of memes from internet culture staples to valuable digital assets, their role as social catalysts in Web3, and the current market landscape shaping this dynamic sector.
🔅Read here: https://blog.0xpivot.com/sector-analysis-memes-part-1-1e83af4ec0dd
Strategies for a Killer Token Launch
An in-depth exploration of pre-launch strategies, best practices, and a 360-degree approach to executing a successful token launch — a pivotal milestone supported through the Pivot Axis.
🔅 Read here: https://blog.0xpivot.com/strategies-for-a-killer-token-launch-0e01295559eb
Markets in Uptober’24
Do you see the spike?
October 2024 recorded a remarkable boost in fundraising with $2.45 billion raised across 109 rounds, compared to just $450 million in 121 rounds in October 2023. This significant jump reflects renewed investor confidence and a strong influx of capital into Web3 projects. Such growth signals not only a financial boost but also a momentum shift in the sector, potentially paving the way for groundbreaking innovations and developments in the coming months.
Here’s looking forward to Moonvember!!
About Pivot
Pivot is a global venture accelerator firm dedicated to the Web 3.0 industry, created by founders, for founders. Pivot’s selected startups are focused on milestones & are not bound to periodic curriculum-based programs. Founded by Anshul Dhir, a 3x founder in the Web 3.0 space, and mentor and investor in over 50 companies in Web3. Pivot is being supported by some great founders & Angels in this industry including Polygon, Delphi Digital, Blockchain Founders Group, Liminal, Biconomy, BitsCrunch, Tegro, Router, QuickSwap & more. We are also supported by Tier 1 ecosystems such as BNB Chain, Polygon, Arbitrum, ICP, Manta Network, Mantle apart from many VCs, launchpads, Exchanges & many more.
