Anchorage Digital Aims to Build Tomorrow’s Institutional Crypto Infrastructure, One Startup at a Time

Anchorage Digital, a prominent crypto custody platform and the first to secure a U.S. federal bank charter, has introduced Anchorage Digital Ventures, a venture unit aimed at supporting early-stage onchain protocols. This initiative seeks to help protocol teams develop infrastructure ready for institutional use from the outset by offering not only financial backing but also strategic guidance and technical support. Anchorage Digital Ventures will focus on projects addressing institutional adoption challenges, particularly in areas such as Bitcoin DeFi, real-world assets, and decentralized identity [2].

Anchorage Digital’s venture program emphasizes a comprehensive approach, providing one-on-one mentorship with the firm’s product, engineering, and go-to-market teams. It also assists in liquidity strategies and market-making, enabling selected projects to gain traction with major institutional clients. The firm stated that the program is designed to reduce the complexities associated with protocol launches by offering structured support, ensuring that projects are equipped to scale effectively from day one [1].

The move aligns with broader trends in the crypto industry, where major infrastructure firms are establishing venture arms to support early-stage innovation. Anchorage Digital’s initiative joins efforts from entities like Coinbase Ventures and Circle Ventures, which are also focusing on early-stage teams that align with their broader infrastructure or ecosystem goals. According to Nathan McCauley, co-founder and CEO of Anchorage Digital, protocols developed today will play a crucial role in shaping the global economic landscape of tomorrow [3].

Applications for the program are currently open, and a select group of founders will be invited to present their projects at an exclusive demo day during Token2049 in Singapore. Anchorage Digital plans to announce grant recipients on a rolling basis, ensuring continued support for emerging onchain solutions with the potential for global impact. The venture unit is particularly interested in teams addressing foundational infrastructure and pain points for institutional adoption, reinforcing Anchorage’s commitment to fostering innovation that aligns with institutional interests [2].

Anchorage Digital has positioned itself as a key player in the institutional crypto market, leveraging its experience and resources to support protocols that can redefine value transfer mechanisms. The firm is especially keen on projects that enable new use cases or primitives, such as Bitcoin DeFi and real-world asset tokenization, while also supporting breakthroughs in engineering or systems architecture. This strategic focus highlights its broader ambition to contribute to the evolution of the onchain ecosystem by backing teams that are redefining how value moves through decentralized systems [3].

Source: [1] Crypto unicorn Anchorage Digital launches venture unit to back early-stage onchain protocols (https://www.theblock.co/post/368138/crypto-unicorn-anchorage-digital-launches-venture-unit-to-back-early-stage-onchain-protocols) [2] Anchorage Digital Introduces Venture Unit to Back Institutional-Ready Onchain Protocols (https://crypto-economy.com/anchorage-digital-introduces-venture-unit-to-back-institutional-ready-onchain-protocols/) [3] Anchorage Digital Ventures (https://www.anchorage.com/ventures)