• UAE-based VC Cypher Capital, has set up an ecosystem fund together with Ocean Protocol to which it will be allocating $5 million to invest in Ocean Protocol projects.
• The investment will be rolled out over two years to finance 20 projects by Ocean Protocol.
• Founded in 2017 by Bruce Pon, Ocean Protocol offers a decentralised platform for data exchange and monetisation, utilising Ethereum and its alternatives. 
• Earlier in March, Cypher launched a $100 million VC fund to invest in startups in blockchain, crypto and other digital assets. 
• It previously invested $1.5 million in Crypto Oasis Sentio, a UAE-based global hub for blockchain and crypto innovation.  

Press release 

Cypher Capital, a venture capital firm located in the UAE, today announced that it has set up an ecosystem fund together with Ocean Protocol according to which it will be allocating $5 million to invest in Ocean Protocol projects. Ocean Protocol is a platform for data exchange and monetization that builds on Ethereum and other EVM-compatible blockchains.

The open-source protocol facilitates the exchange and monetization of data and data-based services, allowing people to buy and share information securely while preserving privacy. Ocean Protocol makes use of “datatokens” to give businesses and individuals access to data, where tokens can be redeemed to access information.

Ocean Protocol aims to build a new Data Economy powered by a dynamic group of builders and start-ups. So far, over 150 projects have been funded via OceanDAO and Shipyard programs to encourage and support grassroots innovation. Projects like Algovera, DataUnion, Data Whale, DataX, Felt, Ocean Pearl, Swash and Transport Genie are some of the many funded initiatives that are now positioned as catalysts for Ocean’s wide scale adoption.

Bijan Alizadeh, Co-Founder and Partner of Cypher Capital, stated, “We are so excited to be investing in projects together with Ocean Protocol. We will support data marketplaces backed by top-tier corporations that are integrating Ocean Protocol into their data-driven business models and building applications tailored for data services through the Ocean Protocol platform.”

Cypher Capital’s investment team will review and evaluate Ocean Protocol's proposals, off of which decisions will be made. 

The $5 million investment will be spread out across 20 projects over 24 months, or two or three investments of a minimum of a quarter-million each per quarter if a project is highly recommended by the Ocean Protocol team.

Ocean Protocol Founder Bruce Pon commented: “Cypher Capital’s commitment to invest in the Ocean Protocol ecosystem is a recognition of the potential of a new Data Economy and Ocean’s leading role in the space. The Ocean ecosystem has generated a pipeline of promising projects which are nearing viability for seed funding. Meanwhile, Cypher Capital brings deep connections with the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia ecosystem that projects can leverage to springboard forward. With Dubai accelerating its push to be the node for global crypto-innovation, Cypher Capital’s extensive resources, and the innovation emanating from the Ocean community, we’re excited to see the next wave of adoption focused on data.”

Ocean Protocol is spearheading the move to unlock a new Data Economy by breaking down data silos and making quality data accessible. Ocean’s marketplace technology allows data to be published, discovered, and consumed in a secure, privacy-preserving manner. Ocean helps to give data owners the comfort and safety to share and monetize data without losing control.

With a hands-on approach of nurturing start-ups in their initial phase, Cypher Capital has played an important role in the growth of successful crypto and blockchain start-ups including Kilt Protocol, Sheesha Finance, PAID Network, Splinterlands, CasperLabs, Matterless Studios, Prasaga, AukiLabs and Cross The Ages.

Cypher Capital is building a 10,000 sq.ft. hub for crypto and blockchain start-ups which is set to open in Q4 2022 in Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai. The hub reflects the company’s commitment to the blockchain community and its vision to provide mentorship and guidance to its members in all matters relating to their projects.