Draper University Bets Big on In-Person Acceleration for Web3 Startups
Draper University is launching an in-person accelerator program called Apex Growth Accelerator, which will provide up to $70,000 in seed capital for early-stage Web3 startups operating on the Cardano network.
The 10-week residency program, created in partnership with the Cardano Foundation and Orion Fund, prioritizes high-growth financial verticals such as real-world asset tokenization, institutional DeFi, and enterprise-grade blockchain infrastructure.
According to Byron Murphy, Head of Growth at Cometa Labs, 'RWA tokenization and institutional DeFi are increasingly becoming the infrastructure through which consumers access, own and trade assets.' He noted that bringing traditional asset classes on-chain eliminates friction and reduces costs, making it a crucial step for mainstream financial adoption.
The program requires founders to complete the core 10-week residency on-site at Draper University's San Mateo campus, with an optional four-week extension available afterwards. Program officials emphasize that in-person proximity is critical for distributed decentralized teams, allowing founders to make decisions faster and accelerate investor relationships.