Ga^3in's Web3+AI Competition Bridges Gap Between Startups and Institutional Capital

Ga^3in Ventures, in collaboration with Boosty Labs, concluded its Web3 + AI Pitch Competition at Boston Blockchain Week 2025, marking a significant milestone in the convergence of artificial intelligence and decentralized technologies. The event, held in Boston, featured a $44,000 prize pool and attracted startups from a global ecosystem of innovators. Ga^3in Ventures, a Web3 syndicate with a 16,000-member audience, highlighted the competition as a platform to bridge the gap between emerging AI-driven Web3 projects and institutional investors. The competition’s agenda included a 10:15–11:30 AM pitch session, followed by a winner announcement, with founders gaining direct access to venture capitalists and industry leaders.

The judging panel comprised prominent figures in the crypto and AI sectors, including Keli Callaghan (Arrington Capital), Manuel Rinaldi (QUBIC Labs), and Constantin Kogan (TDVC), among others. Past judges from the event’s global circuit, such as Michael Broderick (NEAR Foundation) and Elliana Jin (TBV), underscored the competition’s role in fostering cross-border collaboration. Sergey Khusnetdinov, managing partner at Ga^3in Ventures and SKEMA professor, served as the event’s master of ceremonies. The competition’s rules emphasized innovation in Web3 + AI integration, with startups required to demonstrate scalable, real-world applications of their technologies.

The Boston event aligns with Ga^3in Ventures’ broader strategy to host pitch competitions across key blockchain hubs, including upcoming stops at TOKEN2049 in Singapore and Messari Mainnet in New York. These events are part of a 2025 global tour that has already engaged communities in ETHGlobal New York, The Science of Blockchain Conference, and Web3 Investors Day in Chicago. The Boston iteration, however, stands out for its focus on AI’s role in decentralizing finance and infrastructure, a theme echoed in concurrent discussions at Boston Blockchain Week about AI’s impact on enterprise use cases and regulatory frameworks.

The competition’s success reflects growing investor appetite for AI-native Web3 projects. According to Ga^3in’s data, startups leveraging AI in blockchain applications have seen a 40% increase in funding rounds since 2024, driven by demand for solutions in decentralized identity, automated governance, and data privacy. The event’s sponsors and judges, representing firms like Draper.vc, Polygon Ventures, and LayerZero, emphasized the need for projects that address scalability and interoperability challenges. This aligns with broader industry trends, as noted in analyses of Web3 financing models, which highlight the integration of AI in optimizing smart contracts and tokenized assets.

Ga^3in Ventures’ approach to fostering innovation through pitch competitions has generated measurable outcomes. Past winners, such as those featured at ETHGlobal New York, have secured follow-on funding exceeding $2 million within six months of pitching. The Boston event’s participants, while not disclosed publicly, were vetted through a rigorous selection process, with startups required to submit detailed proposals outlining technical feasibility and market potential. This structured approach mirrors best practices in venture capital, where due diligence on AI-driven projects has become increasingly data-centric.

The intersection of Web3 and AI is reshaping both sectors, with Boston Blockchain Week serving as a microcosm of this evolution. The pitch competition exemplifies how decentralized technologies are enabling democratized access to capital and resources, a trend corroborated by recent studies on tokenized infrastructure and AI-augmented governance models. As the event concluded, organizers announced plans to expand the competition’s reach in 2026, with a focus on underrepresented regions and early-stage founders.