Brinc: 2023 Year in Review

Dear Brinc Community,

As we look back on 2023, it’s fair to say that while we celebrated successes, we also faced our share of hurdles. This year was about laying the groundwork for a future where Brinc can offer even more robust support and empowerment to startup founders. Our journey through 2023 saw the introduction of 3 new powerful AI-based tools, the acceleration of 190 startups worldwide, and the expansion of our ecosystem with 55 new partnerships across our acceleration programs in Hong Kong, India and MENA.

Our engagement in 80 global events highlighted our dedication to leading the way in diverse sectors, from climate tech to web3. We went beyond attendance, playing a pivotal role in thought leadership, spearheading discussions, and leading initiatives on critical issues like sustainability in agrifood, innovation in healthtech, and ethical practices in blockchain. Our efforts in these events have been instrumental in catalyzing partnerships, fostering collaborations, and empowering startups with the tools and connections necessary to accelerate their growth and impact within their respective industries.

Reflecting on the milestones achieved by our portfolio companies, these successes are part of a larger narrative that includes facing and overcoming challenges, continually learning, and adapting to better serve our community.

As we move into 2024, our focus is sharpened on building upon this foundation to deliver enhanced partnerships, products, and offerings. We’re committed to empowering startup founders with the tools, connections, and support needed to thrive in an ever-evolving landscape. Our mission remains to drive the transformative power of innovation, with an eye towards creating lasting impact across industries and communities globally.

The path ahead is filled with potential. With your continued support and engagement, we look forward to making 2024 a year of unprecedented growth and success. Here’s to building a transformative future, together.

– Manav Gupta (Founder & CEO)

This overview provides an extensive look at Brinc’s activities throughout 2023. The information presented is accurate as of the date of publication. Readers seeking specific information may wish to reference the contents section and scroll through accordingly but we highly encourage readers to learn about Brinc’s work with breakthrough founders over the last year by consuming this publication in its entirety.

Contents

Brinc’s 2023 at a Glance
Regional Highlights
Companies to Watch: Brinc’s 2023 Cohort
Brinc’s Portfolio Companies in 2023
New Partnerships
Program Applications
Global Events Roundup

Brinc’s 2023 — a glance at a year gone by

• In December, 2023, Brinc unveiled a suite of powerful AI-based tools aimed at empowering founders and investors. These tools built on top of the OpenAI platform and Brinc’s own proprietary data from the last decade of venture acceleration include the Co-Founder platform, Pitch Deck Advisor, and Brinc Venture Analyst. These tools and many more coming soon were designed to provide tailored support to startups across various stages of development. It has been great to see them in the wild being utilized across various use cases.
• Brinc accelerated a whopping 190 startups in 2023, via its acceleration programs globally.
• Brinc’s ecosystem partnerships also had substantial growth, with 55 new partners joining us to forge paths in burgeoning fields such as gaming, Web3, and climate technology. Key partnerships including industry leaders like Hatcher+, Theia Ventures, AeraVC, and Mulana Capital, as well as Blockchain Founders Fund, JetSynthesys, and GVFL Limited came onboard to further scale Brinc’s value proposition to founders globally.
• In 2023, we took significant strides in industry engagement by participating in over 80 events globally, not just showcasing our presence but actively facilitating startup to investor matchmaking across diverse sectors such as healthtech, climate tech, agrifood, gaming, web3, and blockchain.
• Brinc’s portfolio companies continued their groundbreaking work with notable companies raising US$53M+. Notable funding rounds included Ajuna Network’s US$5 million and CellX’s US$6.5 million. Our portfolio companies didn’t just grow financially; they forged ahead to achieve significant milestones and solidify key partnerships. Among the standout achievements were Zeta Surgical’s FDA clearance, Umami Bioworks’ launch of CellForge I, Amino Rewards’ new partnership with the San Francisco 49ers, Strados Labs’ recording of 10 million breaths via their innovative sensor technology, and Good Food Technologies’ new partnership with Cathay Pacific to onboard Plant Sifu for in-flight meals. These accomplishments are a snapshot of the strides made by Brinc portfolio over the year, highlighting the tangible impact of our collaborative ecosystem and a commitment by the founders on building a better tomorrow.

Brinc’s Global Accelerator Program Performance in 2023
As we reflect on 2023, Brinc proudly showcased strength across its global footprint that spans continents and cultures, unified by the core spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship. Our statistics are a testament to our vigorous engagement and the dynamic ecosystems we have nurtured globally. In 2023, Brinc accelerated a total of 190 startups across its accelerator programs. From the bustling innovation hub of Hong Kong to the vibrant landscapes of India and the strategic pivot points in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, our impact resonates through these numbers.

By conducting an array of workshops, pitch rehearsals, and mentorship hours, accelerating 190 global startups from our Hong Kong, India, and MENA offices, and performing due diligence on applications that came from all over the world, Brinc has embodied the collaborative force that is driving the future of tech and business.

Regional Program Highlights

Brinc Hong Kong Launches a New Global Climate Tech Accelerator with a focus on Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)

The mission of this program is to increase global collaboration on, and awareness of, carbon dioxide removal (CDR), enabling gigaton-scale deployment by providing tailored support to selected global startups so they can scale faster and reach their next fundraising round and connecting startups from emerging and established markets to Asian capital and markets. 2023’s inaugural CDR cohort accelerated four exceptional startups:

1. Airhive, a London-based company founded in 2022 with a modular direct air capture (DAC) system
2. Formwork.io, a Hong Kong-based company founded in 2020 that is utilizing industrial byproducts with carbon dioxide to produce carbon-negative concrete
3. CarbonBridge, a company from the U.S. founded in 2021 that produces renewable, microbial methanol
4. Poás Bioenergy, a company from Costa Rica founded in 2021 that transforms agricultural waste residues into biochar and syngas

Brinc India Announces New GVFL A4X Accelerator Program

Brinc India introduced the cutting-edge GVFL A4X Accelerator Program, in collaboration with GVFL Limited, a pioneer among India’s sector-agnostic venture capital firms. This 12-week intensive program is expertly designed for startups that are keen on tapping into India’s growing market opportunities. The A4X Accelerator Program strategically focuses on four key thematic areas: consumer markets, enterprise and industrial innovation, emerging technologies, and sustainable solutions for environmental betterment. It offers a unique blend of funding, mentorship, and strategic support to empower the next wave of entrepreneurs set to make a significant impact across these vital sectors.

Brinc Hong Kong and Brinc India Announced a Global Gaming Program with JetSynthesys

Brinc’s Gaming program is an accelerator run in partnership with JetSynthesys, a new age digital entertainment and technology company, to empower pre-seed and seed-stage gaming founders. Through a combination of education, mentorship, community, and investment the program helps turn gaming startups into successful businesses, and leverages the distribution capabilities of JetSynthesys to access billions of gamers in Asia. JetSynthesys aims to invest around US$200,000 each across more than 25 companies over 3 years.

Brinc MENA Announces New Programs in Saudi Arabia: E-commerce and Soft Landing

The Global Expansion Program in partnership with BIM Ventures, strategically supports successful startups from KSA in expanding into the UAE market. Through tailored education in workshops and mentorship sessions, founders gained essential insights into the nuances of the UAE market. Emphasizing economic and regulatory aspects, the program equipped startups to make informed decisions for a successful expansion. The Young Entrepreneur Program, MASHROO3I 2.0 is a national entrepreneurial boot camp that aims to target idea-stage startups produced by aspiring Bahraini entrepreneurs to help kick off such ideas within the local market today. This boot camp was split into two different phases:

• Phase 1 (Ideation Bootcamp): 2-week boot camp where teams focused on refining their ideas & producing effective solutions to existing problems and coming up with a refined version of their original ideas. The top 20 out of the 60 participating teams moved on to the Advisory boot camp.
• Phase 2 (Advisory Program): 4-week boot camp where the 20 finalists worked on their Minimum Viable Product (MVP), brand identity, go-to-market strategies, product design, financials, and more, guided by a large set of mentors, consultants, entrepreneurs & subject matter experts.

Portfolio Companies to Watch: Brinc’s 2023 Cohort

Brinc accelerated 190 companies across 20 countries and 7 industries in 2023, via its global accelerator programs. These are the innovators at the forefront of transforming sustainable food systems, creating fair financial systems, reducing carbon emissions efficiently, expanding healthcare access, and pioneering in digital content and immersive experiences. Brinc is steadfast in its conviction that its customized programs, top-tier mentors, corporate partners and supplier networks are key to enabling founders to navigate essential challenges swiftly and to expedite their paths to market.

These are 31 game-changing companies that Brinc accelerated via its equity acceleration programs in 2023.

Climate Tech Companies

Airhive (United Kingdom) — is building a breakthrough geochemical direct air capture (DAC) technology to accelerate carbon removal. Its modular DAC system, based on a fluidised, nano-structured sorbent, achieves market-leading capture speed, energy efficiency and affordability.

CarbonBridge (United States) — harnesses carbon dioxide and clean hydrogen to produce eco-friendly methanol through an innovative microbial conversion process. This groundbreaking approach not only reduces energy consumption but also enables a cost-effective production process that competes favorably with mainstream methanol derived from fossil fuels.

Formwork IO (Hong Kong) — employs a circular economy approach, utilizing waste carbon dioxide and materials as binders to reduce cement usage and create carbon-negative concrete. This innovative mineralization technique involves the permanent storage of carbon dioxide through carbonation, ensuring a sustainable solution. As a pioneering player in the Asian market, where more than 70 percent of cement is produced, Formwork IO has the flexibility to tailor its process to various applications.

MUU (Thailand) — a food biotechnology startup that uses precision fermentation technology and proprietary microbes to create milk and dairy products that offer the same taste, texture, and properties as cow’s dairy, but are made without using a single cow. Their ultimate goal is to create a better and more sustainable food production process.

Poas Bioenergy (Costa Rica) — employs an innovative and adaptable reactor system to transform agricultural waste, such as coffee and pineapple residue, into valuable resources. With a focus on sustainability, its technology enables the production of biochar and energy (syngas) in a modular and efficient manner. This circular economy solution not only addresses waste management but also holds promise for generating clean, local energy.

Web3 Companies

DeFi

Finceptor (Turkey) — a capital, liquidity and community bootstrapping platform natively built for Web3 protocols to access token financing at pre-token, token launch, and post-token stages. Aiming to provide a seamless, barrier-free and secure platform, retail investors can discover, invest and provide early liquidity to Web3’s rising stars.

MC² Finance (Portugal) — a DeFi portfolio infrastructure designed to build, find, and share Alpha. Traders are empowered to create and execute successful strategies across various DeFi protocols and chains via Drag&Drop. Traditional wealth management standards are brought to crypto natives, enabling institutional capital to access DeFi with ease.

Robox.Fi (United States) — is the first escrow-less NFT-leveraged trading platform on Solana that aims to democratize access to high-value assets by allowing users to trade them for a fraction of their price, thus increasing market liquidity and making it easier to buy and sell NFTs. Users can customize and manage their positions based on their needs and risk tolerance in an easy-to-use environment.

Zoth (Singapore) — a DeFi ecosystem that provides access to global trade finance in emerging markets. Acting as a bridge between small businesses and access to funding and crypto lenders, its first product offers fixed income, secured and insured opportunities to entrepreneurs in emerging markets.

Entertainment & Loyalty Platforms

Beam Ads (USA) — Solving society’s predatory targeted advertising ecosystem by creating blockchain-driven ads that compensate consumers for the use of their data.

BentleyRecords.io (UAE) — the world’s only AI-powered music development program dedicated to helping artists grow their career online, offering 35+ tools for music production and distribution. A variety of Web3 features are integrated into the platform to expand the product offerings, such as Listen-2-Earn gamification, NFT contracts for music, video, and advertisements.

Clozer (UAE) — is music artists’ go-to platform to directly sell experiences with them. This all-in-one solution enables artists to sell, manage, and execute experiences efficiently on-platform.

Gaming

AMG DAO (Hungary) — an AI platform that allows game publishers to co-create with their communities, to provide shareable, rentable, and moderated content for their titles. By incentivizing player involvement and in-game content creation, new revenue channels are created while engagement is increased, solving the problem of providing moderation, security, and monetization tools for user-generated content.

Cyber Syndicate (Canada) — a pioneering network, uniting builders and communities, to unlock opportunities for billions through the dynamic fusion of advertising and GameFi.

Golden Griffin (Poland) — is a unique edutainment platform where games and education are fused to create new Web3 adventures. By collaborating with top PC manufacturers on preinstalled devices and distribution, it will usher in the next generation of Web3 gaming.

Klearcoat Labs (United States) — enables automotive brands to connect with new customers through NFTs by fusing these brands’ IP with blockchain technology to create a suite of decentralized automotive assets and experiences.

Lost Lore (Czech Republic) — an AI-driven entertainment and game development company that specializes in crafting captivating stories across various formats, including games, short films, and VR experiences. With advanced AI technology, Lost Lore successfully delivers mobile and console titles that immerse and engage players worldwide.

LuLuLand World (United States) — A next-gen open-world platform for digital content. Lululand is building a social content platform that allows users to co-create and share stories with the help of AI and blockchain technology.

Union Avatars (Spain) — offers the fastest and easiest tool to create realistic avatars from a single selfie. Users can upload a photo and receive their 3D avatar in real-time, ready to use in video games, virtual reality, augmented reality apps, or in the metaverse.

Wild Meta Earth (France) — is a nature and wildlife-themed metaverse that enables user interaction with AI characters inspired by real environmental activists and authors. With an ecological farming and exploration game at its core, this Web3 platform connects players with local impact initiatives; where 50 percent of in-game transactions and NFT sales will directly fund environmental and conservation efforts.

Healthcare

Amino Rewards (United States) — a health/fitness-focused shopping and rewards platform that leverages blockchain technology to promote healthy living. Members are rewarded with cashback opportunities and bonus tokens for shopping at its affiliated retailers. Whilst its business model centres on Amino Shop, its move-to-earn marketing app, Amino Move, is available for all to use.

Aria Health (Cyprus) — a patient-driven health data marketplace that uses blockchain to unlock the value of healthcare metrics. Patients are empowered to take control of their health and contribute to medical advancements. It introduces new economic models that share revenue between patients and healthcare providers, all whilst incentivising data integrity and health engagement through tokenisation. Aria brings unprecedented connectivity, transparency and fairness to the healthcare system.

Growfitter (India) — is a blockchain-powered loyalty token rewards platform with 1M+ users, revolutionizing brand promotions through a low-cost, dual-economy model. With the potential to receive free rewards from 100+ premium brand partners, Growfitter promotes personal health and wellness habits that positively contribute to the health of the planet. By leveraging blockchain technology, the platform’s security and transparency are ensured.

MetaCare (Philippines) — is a pioneering health and wellness marketplace utilizing blockchain technology to offer affordable products and services for the new workforce, in the growing gig economy. The power of community is leveraged to bring corporate pricing directly to retail. These pricing benefits are unlocked by care points, earned by completing quests or purchased using $Care tokens. In the true spirit of health and wellness, MetaCare aligns incentives and healthy behavior by shifting play-to-earn to a move-to-save model.

PUML Better Health (Australia) — leverages the move-to-earn model to incentivise healthy habits through gamified health/fitness challenges (such as steps, meditation, hydration, journaling), while providing users with insights generated from wearables’ data integration. Its unique PUML coin-rewards system and blockchain-based gamification engine targets both individuals and corporations. Unlike traditional corporate wellness programs, PUML actively engages employees and offers predictive insights and constant feedback.

Technology & Infrastructure

Certified (France) — a portal where all apps are categorized and sorted by ratings and reviews from real users. Certified shares its revenue with content creators and addresses the challenges faced by current review platforms, such as trust issues and fake testimonials, by utilizing Web3-native instruments.

Evolv (India) — a B2B SaaS platform that enables businesses to create value-focused, immersive experiences that drive consumer engagement and profitability. Through evolv, brands can effortlessly launch digital assets that enhance user-brand touchpoints (such as purchases, feedback, loyalty programs, etc.) by making them interactive and rewarding.

Eye Labs (United States) — a pioneering platform dedicated to guiding brands into the Web3 realm, simplifying blockchain infrastructure while emphasizing storytelling and user journeying to make the transition more accessible to a wider audience.

Newwit (Hong Kong/Singapore) — the world’s first Predict-to-Earn project dedicated to AI-powered future prediction. Its prediction game systematically collects prediction data and concurrently rewards users, to help train and build their proprietary AI model.

SuperSight (UK) — is building crypto-specific Large Language Models (LLMs) to streamline the crypto data discovery process. In a sea of 420 million crypto wallets, where only an estimated 30,000 users can keep up with the blockchain narratives, SuperSight provides a one-click search platform across both on-chain and off-chain sources.

Top Tier Authentics (United States) — a fast, blockchain-based, cost-efficient authenticator that’s the first to be approved by Amazon and Pristine Marketplace for verifying official sports memorabilia.

Brinc Portfolio Companies in 2023

Brinc has invested in 241 companies since its inception, and these companies come from 48 countries, including Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, Dubai, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Latvia, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States.

They operate within a range of verticals, particularly in Climate Tech & Agrifood and Web3 & AI, which account for 35.3 percent and 24.1 percent of our portfolio companies respectively. Others include Smart Cities (17.8 percent), Healthcare (16.6 percent), and Hardware & IoT (6.2 percent).

In 2023, 15 notable portfolio companies to watch that raised funds in public rounds include Ajuna Network (raised US$5M), CellX (raised US$6.5M), Zero Cow Factory (raised US$4M), SuperSight (raised US$1M), TROES (raised US$1M), Aether Biomedical (raised US$5.8M, and Jala (raised US$13.1M). It’s important to note that all other raises were not publicly announced.

Brinc Portfolio Companies — News from 2023

Below, we cover some of the other biggest news that came from our portfolio companies last year, providing some insight into what you can expect from these businesses in the year to come.

AgriFood

1. Zero Cow Factory, a biotechnology company based in Surat, India producing India’s first animal-free milk protein and dairy products, raised US$4 Million for its precision fermentation casein.
2. Meat. The End, a company that develops protein ingredients that transform the texture of alternative meat, introduced the first-of-its-texturized chickpea burger.
3. Shandi Global, a plant-based functional ingredients innovation and manufacturing company, introduced plant-based Shawarma with its consumer brand FOREVER at the University of Melbourne night market in collaboration with UMSU International and Melbourne Alternative Protein Project. FOREVER was made available at selected outlets in Melbourne, and all over Australia in supermarkets, food services and canteens in July 2023.
4. Umami Bioworks, a company that combines breakthroughs in genomics, stem cell biology and machine learning to create the next generation of cultivated production, and Steakholder Foods debuted the world’s first 3D-Printed cultivated grouper fish.
5. Grounded, a plant-based protein drinks product line, was made available in Waitrose & Partners stores across the UK in May 2023.
6. Ambrosia Bio, a biotech venture that develops an enzyme-based technology that converts fruit (or vegetable) sugar reservoirs to various low- to no-calorie rare sugars, partnered with Ginkgo Bioworks on developing novel bioprocesses for the global sugar replacement industry.
7. Cellx, a cellular agriculture startup, announced the completion and operation of China’s first large-scale cultivated meat pilot plant, FX or Future Food Factory X, in partnership with Tofflon Group.
8. Clear Meat, India’s first lab-grown meat company focused on developing harmless, safe and affordable solutions for the meat industry, launched ClearMeat®-India’s 1st Pet Meat, entirely cell-based chicken cultivated meat with superior nutrition.
9. abillion, a foodtech venture that created a global review and discovery platform designed to allow users to voice opinions about anything plant-based or cruelty-free and find plant-based recipes, perspectives and tips, reached 10 million people since their launch in 2018.
10. Umami Bioworks announced the launch of ALKEMYST™, a machine learning toolkit that leverages computational biology, machine learning, and process and bioreactor digital twins to accelerate process development and inform product optimization.
11. Good Food Technologies, a venture that innovates and manufactures high-quality plant-based meat products, partners with Cathay Pacific to onboard Plant Sifu for in-flight meals.
12. Umami Bioworks launched FuturFISH — a seafood Innovation and Sustainability Hub led by UMAMI, set to be the world’s first industry-led center for sustainable seafood innovation.
13. Umami Bioworks introduced CellForge I, their first licensed factory. UMAMI and their partner Cell AgriTech unveiled plans for the largest cultivated factory in APAC. Set to open in early 2025 in Kedah, Malaysia, CellForge I will be the first factory built upon UMAMI’s proprietary cell cultivation platform technology.
14. Journey Foods, a food tech company, partnered up with Stripe on their mission to eliminate CO2 from the atmosphere by contributing 0.5 percent of every customer purchase.
15. Aonic, a business that has built custom UAV solutions and remote sensing technologies, as well as machine learning algorithms to gather data which can be used to provide aerial insights for plantations and other industries, acquired Gaorai, an agriculture drone service platform.

Climate Tech

1. Wildfire Energy, a company that has found a way to convert waste into hydrogen, was awarded AU$1M by the Accelerating Commercialisation grant from AusIndustry’s Entrepreneurs Programme within the Australian Federal Government’s Department of Industry, Science and Resources.
2. TROES, a customized energy storage tech company, received funding support of US$1.5M for groundbreaking Mobile Portable EV Charging Solution.
3. TROES was the proud winner of the Ontario Centre of Innovation’s M2M (Mind to Market) 2023 Awards.
4. Airhive, a venture building faster, lower cost and more energy efficient direct air capture technology, partnered with Deep Sky to bring their fluidized direct air capture technology to Canada.

Web3

1. Another-1, a one-stop shop to design, produce, crowdfund, and trade digital units of hype fashion backed by physical goods, announced the launch of $AN1 token
2. Striga, Lastbit’s payment platform that allows startups in Europe to embed crypto and fiat financial flows in their applications without any compliance overhead, partnered with Wallester to introduce virtual and physical cryptocurrency Visa Cards to the masses.
3. Smobler, a Web3 and metaverse architecture agency headquartered in Singapore with offices in Canada, US and Bhutan, launched Bhutanverse, a metaverse-based virtual space that celebrates Bhutan’s rich culture and heritage, with DHI and Sandbox.
4. Coinmiles, one of the most advanced platforms for crypto rewards, partnered with Walmart Canada, allowing shoppers to earn 1.5 percent back in Bitcoin on everything at Walmart, online and in-store.
5. Striga announced partnership with Bitwala on launch of the new version of Bitcoin Neobank, targeting the European market, utilizing Striga’s infrastructure.
6. Amino Rewards, a health and fitness focused shopping and rewards platform that leverages blockchain to promote a healthy lifestyle, announces a partnership with the San Francisco 49ers to revolutionize its players’ health, fitness, and fan engagement.
7. Amino Rewards launched their $AMO token and quickly hit a new milestone of 5,000 $AMO holders.
8. Finceptor, Web3’s first all-in-one capital, liquidity, and community bootstrapping platform natively built for Web3 protocols to access token financing at pre-token, token launch, and post-token stages, launched $FINC, becoming tradable on KuCoin Exchange.
9. BentleyRecords, an online artist development platform, offering 35+ tools ranging from mastering to artwork design, distribution, publishing, and video publishing for artists to complete the full cycle of music production and distribution, reached a milestone of 33 million streams globally.

Health Tech

1. CEO Andrey Kuropyatnyk and Chief Medical Officer Maria Znamenska of Altris AI, a health tech company that applies computer vision and deep learning algorithms to build innovative ophthalmology diagnosis for detection of retinal diseases, shared that Altris AI was installed in 70+ eye care businesses around the world.
2. Altris AI received FDA Clearance of Altris IMS Platform for OCT Scan Analysis.
3. Strados Labs, the company that developed the world’s first clinical-grade wearable e-stethoscope, partnered with Clario to help clinical trialists objectively monitor cough and lung sounds alongside other solutions such as spirometry, DLCO, and eCOA.
4. Zeta Surgical, an augmented reality surgical navigation company, announced successful treatment of its first patient with the Zeta Navigation System.
5. Zeta Surgical’s Zeta Navigation System received FDA Clearance.
6. Strados Labs’ RESP™ Biosensor became part of a clinical trial at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, demonstrating its effectiveness in detecting asthma symptoms such as wheezing in children.

Smart Cities, Mobility & IoT

1. Soundbrenner, the maker of the world’s first wearable device for musicians, debuted Core 2, a vibrating metronome.
2. BotSync, a robotics startup that builds heavy duty autonomous mobile robots to automate point to point goods movement for the logistics and manufacturing industry, implemented an innovative, first-of-a-kind AMR automation solution to automate the feed of car parts to the production line in an automotive factory.
3. Xeleqt Technologies, the first IoT-powered platform that helps and allows business owners to dynamically manage, mobilize, and match their assets and resources with every customer-demand, emerged as one of the winners in the Philippines Startup Week 2023’s Slingshot x Venture Pilipinas pitch competition.
4. Our portfolio company Drone Delivery Systems’ Airbox Technologies, known as a solar-powered mailbox for autonomous drone delivery, was acquired by Arrive (formerly Dronedek).
5. SkyeBrowse, which provides simple, fast, and accurate car crash forensics using drones for accident site investigation, released a brand-new, completely free rapid 2D mapping software.

New Partnerships

In 2023, Brinc expanded its ecosystem to include 55 new partners across a range of disciplines and industries. The partnerships and collaborations aim to foster innovation and support startups in various fields, including blockchain technology, gaming and climate tech. The addition of these partners reflects Brinc’s continued efforts to expand its value proposition to founders through its growing global ecosystem.

Perks Partnerships
These partnerships not only offer tangible cost savings and expert support across various business functions but also equip founders with the tools, knowledge, and networks needed to navigate the startup ecosystem successfully. The diversity of support — from workspace access and legal services to financial modeling and cloud solutions — ensures startups are well-positioned for growth, innovation, and scaling, making our accelerator program an attractive choice for founders aiming for rapid, sustainable growth.

1. Letswork: Letswork fills a void in the commercial real estate market by offering a worldwide platform for accessing co-working spaces without the need for heavy investment in assets. It allows users to work from workspaces in hundreds of cafes, hotels, co-working spaces and airport lounges across the globe with benefits like unlimited tea, coffee, water and more.
2. Clara: Clara is a legal operating system that provides digital tools to help founders form, manage and scale their startups. Users can digitally form companies in Cayman, Delaware, ADGM and DIFC, as well as generate key startup legal agreements, including SAFEs, founders’ agreement, IP assignment agreements, consulting agreements, advisor agreements and others.
3. StageXX: Offering 5 to 10 percent off on various services, StageXX is a focused presentation design agency helping businesses and individuals communicate through memorable presentations, using presentation design, storytelling services and more.
4. Beta Launch: Consulting on and developing digital products and software for financial services, legal, and culture, Beta Launch helps clients achieve difficult business outcomes in challenging economic conditions. Offering up to 34 percent off on services such as Product UX Redesign, MVP Design and Development, Software Product Engineering / Support Retainer, Digital Sales Funnel and more.
5. WeScaleVentures: WeScaleVentures specializes in collaborating with B2B founders throughout the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) region, offering fractional Chief Revenue Officer services. Their primary focus is assisting founders in strategically expanding their sales funnel, from lead generation to successful closures. WeScaleVentures is offering 25 percent off on all their services.
6. Nalikes Studio: A software development studio with a strong focus on web3 development, Nalikes Studio specializes in smart-contracts, game development, d-apps development, UI/UX design, web-app development and other custom solutions. They offer 15 percent off on select services for program participants.
7. CrossVal: CrossVal is a SaaS platform that automates the process of financial modeling for early-stage companies, enterprises, and investment funds. Services include valuations, projections & budgets, metrics and financial statements. A key feature is a WhatsApp CFO Bot, which allows direct communication for on-the-go insights. All Brinc portfolio companies get access to discounted pricing and early access to the latest features.
8. Caena: Caena is a financial literacy and fundraising platform for startups, simplifying financial planning and fundraising with their easy-to-use, web-based tools. They offer Brinc startups a 50 percent discount for up to 6 months on their Thrive and Scale plans.
9. Numuun: Headquartered in the UAE, Numuun has been built to enable tech companies from seed to post IPO to solve some of the biggest challenges facing companies across the world. From building and scaling great tech to hiring and retaining great people, they partner with investors, founders and startup leaders to remove risk around the hiring process and provide essential services to companies in making the right choices to scale technology. They offer relevant Brinc startups a 60-minute discovery session and up to 25 percent off their services.
10. Applicature: A blockchain development agency working on projects in the blockchain and cryptocurrency industries, they provide full-service blockchain development, marketing, funding, key relationship development, and advisory services to accelerate growth. Since 2017 companies have trusted Applicature with MVP development, token economics and launches, security audits, and introductions to its large community of top Launchpads, influencers and investors.
11. Crayon: Crayon is a multinational technology company that helps its customers build the commercial and technical foundation for a successful and secure cloud-first, digital transformation journey. They offer qualifying Brinc startups free Cloud Migrations (maximum 10 Virtual machines in their environment), free onboarding and access to Crayon Cloud Management tools, a discount on Cloud Consumption Guidance and support on any/all startup programs with Microsoft and AWS.

Accelerator Funding Partners & Ecosystem Partners
Our venture accelerator programs are significantly enriched by the involvement of diverse investment and ecosystem partners. They play a crucial role in supporting and elevating the startups participating in our program through:

1. Investment Insights and Opportunities: These partners not only scrutinize and invest in promising deals emerging from the Brinc platform but also provide startups with essential capital infusion opportunities. Their active participation ensures that founders have access to a broad spectrum of investor interests and funding possibilities, crucial for scaling their ventures.
2. Ecosystem and Sector-Specific Expertise: From cross-vertical to specialized sectors like climate tech and gaming, our partners bring in-depth knowledge and tailored support, helping startups navigate industry-specific challenges and leverage growth opportunities. This sector-specific expertise is invaluable for startups aiming to make significant impacts in their respective domains.
3. Strategic Networking and Mentorship: The extensive networks of these partners facilitate meaningful connections, opening doors to potential customers, collaborators, and additional investors. Mentorship from seasoned industry professionals further enhances the startups’ strategic direction and operational capabilities.
4. Market Expansion and Global Reach: Participating startups gain insights and support in expanding their market presence globally, essential for achieving widespread adoption and impact.
5. Technological Advancement and Innovation: Partners specializing in Web3, blockchain, and climate tech offer startups cutting-edge technological support, accelerating innovation and ensuring that the ventures stay ahead in highly competitive and rapidly evolving sectors.

Cross-Vertical Funding Partners

1. GVFL Limited: An independent, autonomous board-managed venture finance company based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, this strategic partnership saw the launch of Brinc’s multi-sector startup accelerator, branching into four programs: consumption, enterprise & industrial, emerging tech, and solutions for a better planet.
2. BIM Ventures: Empowering startups from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to scale and expand to international markets by getting them the support and counsel required to grow organically.

Climate Tech Funding & Ecosystem Partners

1. AeraVC: An early-growth fund investing in deep tech ventures that accelerate the world towards a sustainable future.
2. Anthropocene Ventures: A global, early-stage VC firm investing in founders that leverage exponential technologies & hard science to make humanity more resilient.
3. Hatcher+: A global data-driven early-stage venture firm, Hatcher+ develops software and data models that support fast fund creation, AI-powered deal analysis, intelligent capital deployment, and real-time management and administration of alternative investment vehicles and strategies.
4. Satgana: A next-generation Climate Tech Venture Capital firm dedicated to investing in planet-positive startups and building a sustainable future.
5. Theia Ventures: An early-stage venture fund investing in climate tech companies focused on decarbonization.

Gaming Funding & Ecosystem Partners

1. Bixin: A blockchain-focused investment firm, with a mission to accelerate the global adoption of blockchain technology. They invest in and provide support to Web3 projects to help them achieve commercial and social success.
2. Crypto Times: A leading Japanese blockchain and cryptocurrency media platform, covering the latest crypto news and updates on Web3 trends.
3. JetSynthesys: A new-age digital entertainment and technology company that will provide guidance, mentorship, access to their extensive resources, and the opportunity for financial support to over 25 companies based on their individual requirements.
4. Cyrex: Leader in cybersecurity, load testing, and software development, positioning itself as a premier partner for a global array of clients. Cyrex caters to cutting-edge industries, including Online Gaming, Blockchain, and SaaS.
5. Earn Alliance: Earn Alliance is the largest web3 game aggregator and discoverability platform that empowers gamers with opportunities to discover blockchain games. Startups going through our accelerator will be able to list and showcase their games to a 100,000 strong monthly active user base.
6. Magic Media: An international gaming, tech and entertainment group, powered by building creativity and protecting innovation. Based in 14 countries with 1000+ employees, and its specialization in full cycle game development and co-development, Magic Media prides itself with being the A-Z service provider to both traditional and Web3 gaming studios and publishers.
7. TON Play: Currently building its core product: PlayDeck, a toolkit that empowers game developers to harness the potential of the TON blockchain and Telegram — a social platform with over 800 million users. It allows game developers to launch their games on Telegram and offers users a game catalog.
8. Yield Guild Games: The world’s first and biggest Web3 gaming build, where players can enrich themselves as they find their community, discover games and develop vital skills for Web3.

Web3 Funding & Ecosystem Partners

1. Bixin: A blockchain-focused investment firm, with a mission to accelerate the global adoption of blockchain technology. They invest in and provide support to Web3 projects to help them achieve commercial and social success.
2. Blockchain Founders Fund: Focused exclusively on adding value to Blockchain & Emerging Technology projects with real-world applications.
3. CoinSwitch Ventures: A leading blockchain investment firm fueling innovation and fostering growth, CoinSwitch Ventures is the Corporate VC arm of CoinSwitch, India’s largest crypto app
4. Chain Capital: A new digital fund focusing on the investment of blockchain head projects and the management of professional digital assets.
5. Crypto Times: A leading Japanese blockchain and cryptocurrency media platform, covering the latest crypto news and updates on Web3 trends.
6. Genesis Capital: Supports and invests in founders and entrepreneurs who are building for the blockchain ecosystem, supporting both proven and emerging talent while unlocking new possibilities and driving Web3 innovation.
7. Gate Labs: An accelerator department of Gate.io, that provides entrepreneurs with various resources, to support and invest in startups participating in our ZK Advancer Accelerator Program.
8. Mulana Capital: A blockchain and web3-focused venture capital firm, offering the opportunity to receive funding for selected early-stage businesses participating in Brinc’s Web3 programs.
9. New Tribe Capital: A Web3 venture firm specializing in early-stage Web3 investments, committed to powering the next wave of open, secure, and decentralized technology.
10. Tykhe Block Ventures: A leading investment firm established in the United States with a focus on distributed ledger technology, digital assets and their key enabling infrastructure.
11. WTG Ventures: A venture firm focused on driving adoption and market success in Web3 with a specific interest in DeFi. They work directly with ventures at any stage, providing go-to-market expertise and execution.
12. Arcanum Ventures: A blockchain venture capital studio and advisory firm focused on bringing emerging web3 technologies to market, supporting our founders in tokenomics, go-to-market strategy, and a number of other focus areas.
13. Artiffine: An award-winning Web3 venture studio committed to supporting visionary venture founders in our program through concept development, consultation, custom smart contracts, web design, legal agendas, and marketing.
14. Aurora Network: A next-generation Ethereum compatible blockchain and ecosystem that runs on the NEAR Protocol, and powers the innovations behind Aurora Cloud — the fastest path for Web2 businesses to capture the value of Web3.
15. BeinCrypto: Provides breaking news and unbiased analysis of developments in cryptocurrency, blockchain and Web3. As one of the world’s most reliable sources of information about crypto, their goal is to share the most accurate, trustworthy, information through 14 languages.
16. Blockbase Ventures: Aims to offer exclusive access to carefully curated investment opportunities in the Blockchain industry, supporting early stage Web3 projects and providing support in accessing the Vietnamese market.
17. Celo Network: A carbon-negative, emerging Ethereum layer-2 blockchain with a rich ecosystem of global partners building innovative Web3 applications within the DeFi, ReFi, and NFT sectors on Celo.
18. ChainGPT: An advanced AI model designed specifically for Blockchain Technology and Crypto related topics, ChainGPT uses the latest algorithms and high speed computing capabilities to address challenging issues in the Blockchain and Crypto space.
19. CoinTelegraph Accelerator: Works with early-stage Web3 projects to boost their growth by leveraging its access to a native Web3 audience, marketing expertise, and a broad network of partners in the industry. Our program participants get access to media products of the Cointelegraph ecosystem.
20. Covalent: Specializes in a Unified API that streamlines access to historical data across 190+ blockchains, easing Web3 development challenges. It offers fast, scalable solutions with an emphasis on user experience.
21. Enya Labs: Helps their partners unlock new opportunities enabled by hybrid blockchain solutions and understands the challenges to scaling Web3 solutions. Enya Labs is a core contributor to Boba Network, a multichain layer 2 optimistic rollup that aims to unlock the potential of rollup technology and enable interoperability.
22. Esquare Legal: Leading firm in the web3 space with its extensive services including providing expertise on matters of digital assets. Esquare Legal has also successfully established Dapp governance models and constitutions, having assisted in making highly complex commercial and trade smart contracts on the Ethereum Blockchain.
23. Gotbit: A blockchain development, advisory and research studio focused on bringing innovative solutions to the web3 space. Their primary goal is to facilitate the growth of their clients through goal-oriented token architecture, product design, and business model solutions.
24. Kairon Labs: A trusted market maker and advisory firm, fostering partnerships with digital assets and exchanges to drive web3 adoption and serving over 300 clients and collaborating with more than 300 digital asset issuers. Their platform operates on a diverse network of 100+ exchanges, ensuring active trading and availability.
25. Mamoru: To safeguard assets in web3, Mamoru comprises a decentralized network of independent node operators who monitor blockchain events based on rules set by the subscribers.
26. Magic Square: The source for the finest, community-vetted web3 apps and games. Their Magic Store — The Web3 App Store, bridges the gap between Web2 and Web3, making it seamless and intuitive for everyone to explore and enjoy the countless possibilities of decentralized applications, games, and experiences.
27. Netfork: Known for its pragmatic and seasoned 1000-strong team, Netfork expertly bridges AI/ML solutions with crypto-business needs. Their focus on practical, scalable tech solutions makes them a top pick for the crypto sector.
28. SL2 Capital: A venture capital firm that focuses on assisting founders in the crypto and DeFi space from a modular tech stack perspective.
29. Telos: Home to the tEVM, (a high-speed Ethereum Virtual Machine) launched in 2021, Telos has repeatedly demonstrated its commitment to advancing blockchain technology. Now evolving into a Layer 0 network, Telos prioritizes scalability, security, and decentralization, supporting over 15,200 transactions per second with minimal fees.
30. Vanar Chain: A groundbreaking blockchain platform that offers a carbon-neutral, high-speed, and low-cost L1 chain designed for entertainment and mainstream purposes. From new engagement experiences to AI-driven IP tracking, Vanar provides modules that can create compelling customer journeys.
31. Zokyo: A cybersecurity firm, excels in conducting comprehensive smart contract security reviews and penetration tests designed for blockchain and Web3 projects.

Program Applications in 2023

In 2023, Brinc received over 1,600 program applications, with the majority of applications coming from the MENA region. The top five countries with the most applications were India, the United States, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom.

A Brinc Roundup of Global Events in 2023

In 2023, following the global relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions, people began enthusiastically returning to face-to-face interactions and events across various sectors. Brinc seized this potential, having hosted and participated in 80+ events worldwide, showcasing our presence and strategically engaging with a growing global innovation ecosystem.

Brinc actively participated in a series of sustainability-focused events, including Hello Tomorrow and Agrifood Week in Singapore, VERGE23 in California, USA, and ReThink in Hong Kong. Through these participations, Brinc demonstrated its active role in the global sustainability dialogue, leveraging these platforms to foster collaborations, innovations, and solutions aimed at creating a more sustainable world. Our involvement in Web3 was highlighted through our presence at the Cyberport Web3 Connect event and at Hong Kong Crypto Week, aimed at elevating Hong Kong’s Web3 companies, as well as our presence at India Blockchain Week in Bangalore and Global Fintech Fest in Mumbai, and the YGG Summit, a week-long web3 gaming event, which took place in Manila, Philippines.

In the Middle East, collaborations with major platforms and organizations, such as “Start, Create, Grow” with TikTok For Business and “The Overcomers” series, highlighted founder journeys, emphasizing the highs and lows of startup life. Brinc also contributed to educational outreach through Batelco PR Workshops, focusing on entrepreneurship basics. Our dedication to mentorship and continuous learning was also showcased in our Webinar series, including the Mentor Spotlight Webinar Series and the thematic webinars on starting, creating, and growing in the entrepreneurial world. Throughout 2023, the MENA office also focused on construction and architectural advancements through its BIM Pitch Days, run in collaboration with BIM Ventures, and automotive innovations through three iterations of our Open Innovation Workshop.

From the Asia Health Innovation Summit hosted in Hong Kong to the Global Blockchain Congress powered by our MENA team, Brinc’s strategic approach during this pivotal time allowed for the nurturing of meaningful relationships between industry leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, and other stakeholders.

Key Event Highlights

Global Blockchain Congress + Dubai Roadshow

On March 6 to 7, 2023, Brinc participated in the 11th annual Global Blockchain Congress (GBC) in Dubai, which played host to some of the most influential figures in the world of Web3. At the congress, Karim Banna — Brinc’s Web3 Program Manager (MENA) spoke on a panel about Dubai’s Metaverse Strategy, deliberating on the metaverse’s potential to revolutionize a wide range of industries in ways that few of us would have ever considered.

APAC Climate Tech Showcase
On March 28, 2023, Brinc co-hosted the first Asia-Pacific Climate Tech Showcase alongside the Global Institute For Tomorrow (GIFT), which aimed to highlight the pioneers in climate tech investment and carbon removal in order to raise awareness, reduce barriers, and drive system-wide innovation within the region’s climate tech ecosystems. The event covered key themes such as how to scale faster, the role of technology in solving pressing sustainability issues like carbon removal, and the importance of considering local context, like accounting for regional emissions, when discussing climate solutions. Stacy Kauk, Head of Sustainability at Shopify, Mike Lim, Partner at TRIREC, Nick Martin, Co-Founder and COO, Carbon Reform, and Jonathan Schieber, Venture Partner at Footprint Coalition were among the speakers.

Brinc & Outlier Ventures — Investor Pitch Day
Brinc & Outlier Ventures — Investor Pitch Day was held on March 31, 2023 during Hong Kong Crypto Week. Our combined portfolio teams, based in Hong Kong or have traveled there, shared their exciting Web3 projects, inviting Web3 investors to meet startups who are shaping the future of Web3. Featured startups included Another-1, ​Auki Labs, ​Coinmiles, ​Lost Club Toys, ​MetaGameHub DAO, PONS.ai, Re:Dreamer, ​Scrye and ​Sky Meta.

Carbon Unbound
Carbon Unbound took place in New York on May 11 and 12, 2023. The Brinc team, alongside their inaugural climate tech cohort, engaged deeply with key players in the carbon removal space, fostering connections and exchanging insights. Notably, insights from industry experts like Anna Stukas of Carbon Engineering, Lisa Coca of Toyota Ventures, and Philip Moss of South Pole highlighted the multifaceted challenges and opportunities within the CDR domain. The event was a significant opportunity for face-to-face interactions, underscoring the importance of collaboration, the necessity of scaling responsibly, and strategies to attract more funding to the sector. Themes such as the need for meticulous measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV), community engagement, and cross-industry skill-sharing dominated discussions. Participants also explored the geographical suitability of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) pathways, the misconception linking carbon credit prices to quality, and the vital role of corporate buyers in the ecosystem. The event underscored the critical need for building robust brands for startups, a focus area for Brinc’s support in upcoming programs, emphasizing the foundational question of scalability and authenticity in climate tech innovations.

Asia Health Innovation Summit

On November 9, 2023, the Asia Health Innovation Summit 2023, hosted by Brinc as part of the StartmeupHK Festival curated by InvestHK, attracted over 1,200 (virtual and in-person) attendees. The third-annual event solidified its position as a premier gathering for industry leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, and professionals in Asia’s health innovation space.

The summit kicked off with opening remarks from Hon. Duncan Chiu, Hong Kong’s Legislative Council Member for the Technology and Innovation Constituency, and Andy Wong, Head of Innovation and Technology at Invest Hong Kong. They highlighted Hong Kong’s commitment to bolstering its position in the healthcare industry and emphasized that it is an opportune time to establish a tech company in the city. The government’s determination to support startups and accelerate innovation through new policies and initiatives was a key focus of their remarks.

Aimed to foster greater ideations and collaborations, the event featured a full day of on-stage panel sessions featuring 38 speakers from Hong Kong and overseas, as well as networking sessions for all attendees to directly connect, and announcements made by key partners. Panel discussions delved into crucial subjects like commercialization strategies and the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain in healthcare. The expert guest speakers shed light on how generative AI can significantly reduce timeframes and improve safety measures and advocacy efforts. These insightful discussions highlighted the immense potential for innovation and advancements in the healthcare sector in Asia.

Brinc InnoCircle Roundtable — China SH Grand Opening & Innovating in China

On August 7, 2023, Brinc celebrated the grand opening of its new Shanghai office, marking a significant milestone in the company’s journey. The opening was highlighted by a successful Corporate Innovation Roundtable that drew excitement and a strong commitment to innovation from participants. The Shanghai office, a strategic new location for Brinc, is set to harness China’s dynamic ecosystem, further empowering our mission to accelerate high-impact startups globally.

TOKEN2049

TOKEN2049 Singapore, which took place on the 13th and 14th of September, 2023, provided a captivating glimpse into the ever-evolving world of decentralized technologies. Industry leaders, blockchain enthusiasts, and innovators from across the globe came to explore the latest trends, innovations, and breakthroughs in the Web3 space. While TOKEN2049 was a two-day conference, the entire week was filled with numerous side events and networking engagements for the crypto community to discuss the trends and challenges on the path to widespread adoption.

Web3 in the Asia-Pacific region has gained significant traction, particularly in Southeast Asia, where there is a high demand for decentralized models underpinned by crypto. The region is witnessing fast-paced digitalization, with Southeast Asia leading in the adoption of future technologies, including fintech and web3. The Brinc team was on the ground to seize the potential of this growth, taking the opportunity to connect 27 of Brinc’s accelerator graduates and portfolio companies with key investors at its Web3 Investor Breakfast. The event was oversubscribed — offering over 100 investors and partners a buzzing coffee setting with exclusive networking opportunities and carefully curated 1-on-1s with some of Brinc’s exciting Web3 startups.

India Blockchain Week Bangalore & TechSparks Bangalore

At the prestigious India Blockchain Week (IBW) held from December 4 to 10, 2023, Brinc played a pivotal role in bringing together the brightest minds and the most innovative startups in the blockchain and web3 spaces. Our active participation and co-sponsorship of the 7-day long Web3 Carnival underscored our commitment to fostering innovation and collaboration within this dynamic ecosystem. The carnival itself was a resounding success, drawing an impressive footfall of 2,000 attendees, demonstrating the growing interest and enthusiasm in web3 technologies.

Understanding the critical need for clarity in the investment landscape of blockchain ventures, we initiated an investor-specific panel that ran daily throughout the event. Our primary goal was to demystify the funding scenario for startups in this space, providing both newcomers and seasoned entrepreneurs with the insights needed to navigate the complexities of securing investment. These sessions were graced by several prominent personalities, lending credibility and depth to the discussions.

The culmination of this week-long event was the exclusive after-party, “Brinc it on Web3,” held in Bangalore. This gathering was specially arranged for all the investors who participated in the IBW, offering a unique opportunity for networking and celebrating the week’s achievements.

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Thank you for making it to the end of our 2023 recap. We hope this provides you with insights into the breadth of Brinc and its notable portfolio companies’ activities throughout the last year. We are thrilled about several exciting initiatives planned for the rest of 2024 and are proud to expand our ecosystem and continue empowering the world’s game changers. With our expanding presence and team, we have established a solid foundation and feel prepared for the year ahead.

To find out more about Brinc’s programs, please visit www.brinc.io. If you’d like to get in touch regarding partnership opportunities as an investor, mentor or otherwise, please contact us at info@brinc.io.

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Read Brinc’s predictions for 2024.