After seeing the lack of funding and resources for web3 founders in Atlanta, the 404 DAO team is proud to announce an early-stage accelerator focusing on pre-seed and seed startups, the 404 Accelerator. We have designed a 10-week program that empowers founders through access to expert mentors, workshops, and weekly speaker sessions. Cohort 01 of the 404 Accelerator kicks off June 5th and will culminate with an investor demo day on August 11th in Tech Square, Atlanta.

Our Principles

We Bet on People.
The 404 Accelerator is a founder-first program. Startup success ultimately comes down to the team and its ability to execute. We value principled founders with integrity and passion for building long-term solutions enabled by web3. The 404 Accelerator is a founder-first program. Startup success ultimately comes down to the team and its ability to execute. We value principled founders with integrity and passion for building long-term solutions enabled by web3.

Blockchain is a Feature, Not the Product.
The previous cycle saw a boom of crypto-specific blockchain companies; many failed because they focused solely on the financialization aspect rather than solving real-world problems. We look for startups that leverage blockchain in practical and meaningful ways to create new solutions rather than simply adopting it for the buzzword.

Prioritize the User.
As an industry, web3 still has a high barrier to entry. The path to mainstream adoption lies in abstracting away the technology while utilizing its key benefits. By prioritizing the user experience above all else, startups can create intuitive and impactful solutions that drive mass adoption. We seek out startups that share this vision and are committed to delivering seamless and user-centric experiences to their users.

404 Accelerator: Cohort 01

We are excited to announce the seven companies selected for Cohort 01 of the 404 Accelerator. These companies have been selected after completing a months long application and multiple interviews from the 404 DAO team. They range from building products in DeFi and tokenized loyalty programs to zero-knowledge infrastructure and layer-1 blockchains. Four teams have connections to Georgia Tech (student, dropout, or alumni) with others having founders who hail from MIT, Berkeley, and UPenn. Three companies are based right here in Atlanta and the others come from NYC, LA, SF, and Seattle.

1. Relayer amplifies and optimizes on-chain performance marketing through targeted wallet reward experiences. Founded by Thomas Sales and Kai Vickers, they are building a programmatic ad rail built around the modern web3 user.

2. DAuth Network is a decentralized authentication network empowering wallets and dApps to create authentication with a focus on privacy, permissionlessness, and decentralization. It’s core contributors and founders include: Michael Hanono, Howard Li, Dean Yan, and Kai C.

3. Opdefi is an institutional on-chain threat response platform, focused on executing on-chain exit strategies in response to exploit detection. Opdefi was founded by MIT grad, Harry Donnelly, and ex-Jump Crypto engineer, Jin Hong Kuan.

4. Keyspace Studio is a no-code web3 platform for marketers, allowing brands to create digital marketplaces and tokenized loyalty programs in under 25 minutes. Founded by Jonathan Hessing, Keyspace helps turn customers into collectors.

5. Adamnite is the first blockchain built for the rest of us. With their custom language A1 (Python and Web Assembly), any developer can start building complex applications without extensive blockchain knowledge. Adamnite and its custom A1 language was built by a team of developers led by Georgia Tech dropout, Archie Chaudhury.

6. WebFi is a social platform made for creatives, by creatives that is working to solve the Artist Dilemma: Compensation, Friction, Revenue, and Ownership. WebFi is built by a team of GT students and creators that includes Marcus Townsend, Alex Lee, and Arya Nahri.

7. Puzzle utilizes zero-knowledge technology to build privacy infrastructure, including private multi-sigs, private-public fundraising tools, private DeFi, and more. Puzzle was founded by Georgia Tech graduates, Matt Wyatt and Luke Newman. 404 DAO and Puzzle are excited to offer the ZK Builder’s Cohort this summer to help students, developers, and designers explore the frontier of private, multiplayer, onchain experiences. Over 10 weeks, “the Puzzlers” will participate in a web3 bootcamp followed by an introduction to developing with ZKPs where they learned Leo and Noir. Teams will then be split for a project build-phase where they will work together to develop a full stack private dApp.