Brinc Closes $130 Million Series B Fundraise Led by Animoca Brands The newly infused capital will be used to launch Web 3.0-focused accelerators and fuel global expansion
By S Shanthi
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Global venture accelerator, Brinc, announced today the closing of its $30 million Series B fundraise and a further $100 million for startup investments, led by Hong Kong unicorn Animoca Brands, a prolific investor in NFT-centric and Web 3.0 companies.
The new capital will fuel Brinc's global platform expansion across new locations and verticals – allowing more investors and corporate partners to leverage funds, accelerators and bespoke-deal sourcing to access high-quality investment opportunities and emerging technologies in food, health, energy, climate and deep tech. In addition, the capital will enable Brinc's expansion into Web 3.0 including the launch of new blockchain-focused accelerator programs across culture, music, art, collectibles, gaming, decentralized finance and data. Startups and corporates will also be supported in developing blockchain ventures to integrate sustainability, inclusion and equitability into their business models.
This investment represents a strengthening of the growing relationship between Brinc and Animoca Brands, who jointly unveiled the blockchain and NFT accelerator Launchpad Luna earlier this year. Its first cohort is in the process of closing investments into 30 game-changing Web 3.0 companies, supporting founders with tokenization, product development and fundraising. The program's panel of mentors and experts boasts leading names in the blockchain industry, including Binance, Dapper Labs, Enjin, The Sandbox and more. Next year, Brinc and Animoca Brands plan to accelerate over 100 companies through LaunchPad Luna.
"Web 3.0 technologies have the potential to democratise access to financial services and information, develop a more inclusive digital economy through aligned value capture mechanisms, and transform global business processes, just as the Internet did. Working with Animoca Brands to support leading companies in this space is an incredible opportunity, and underscores an increasing interest in utilising accelerators to access high-quality startup opportunities at scale," Manav Gupta, founder and CEO of Brinc.
"Brinc is the leading name in startup acceleration for emerging markets and technologies, and its sights are set firmly on the future and on sustainability. We share a common vision of an open future with blockchain adoption in traditional and growth sectors, and we look forward to the innovations that will emerge from its acceleration programs," added Yat Siu, the executive chairman and co-founder of Animoca Brands.
Headquartered in Hong Kong, Brinc has grown significantly since its 2014 launch — it has invested in and supported the growth of more than 200 startups to date, and currently operates 18 multi-disciplinary acceleration programs across seven offices around the world. In 2020, founder Manav Gupta announced Brinc's mission to invest in more than 1,000 startups that are developing solutions to combat climate change and build a more inclusive and equitable society within the next five years.
At the core of Brinc's business is the belief the world's toughest challenges can be solved by entrepreneurs, whom it calls "game-changers." Brinc's portfolio contributes to improving Food and Water Security, Healthcare, Climate Change, Urbanization, Connectivity, Transportation and Financial Inclusion. Applications for Brinc's spring 2022 acceleration program are now open. Interested startups can apply here.
