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dao5

North America, Utah, United States, Virgin

Description

dao5 is an innovative cryptocurrency investment fund that launched with a distinctive model, aiming to transition into a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) after a five-year operational period. Founded by Tekin Salimi, a former partner at Polychain Capital, the fund successfully raised $125 million from a select group of crypto founders and investors. This substantial capital pool is earmarked for strategic investments in the nascent and rapidly evolving Web3 ecosystem. Its unique structure sets it apart, as it intends to distribute its capital and governance rights to token holders upon its conversion, offering a novel approach to venture capital in the decentralized space.

The fund's investment thesis is sharply focused on early-stage crypto projects, encompassing a broad spectrum of the Web3 landscape, including decentralized finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and foundational blockchain infrastructure. dao5 has a clear investment strategy, planning to deploy its capital across approximately 25 projects. A key characteristic of its deployment strategy is a targeted check size of $5 million per project, indicating a preference for significant, impactful early-stage investments rather than a broad portfolio of smaller stakes. This focused approach allows dao5 to provide substantial backing to its portfolio companies, fostering their growth and development within the decentralized economy.

The long-term vision for dao5 is its eventual transformation into a DAO, a move that underscores its commitment to the principles of decentralization and community governance. After the initial five-year investment phase, the fund's assets and decision-making power will be transferred to its token holders, effectively decentralizing ownership and control. This pioneering model not only offers a new paradigm for venture funding in the crypto space but also aligns the interests of the fund with the broader decentralized community, creating a self-sustaining ecosystem where token holders directly participate in the future direction and value realization of the fund's investments.

Investor Profile

dao5 has backed more than 51 startups, with 10 new investments in the last 12 months alone. The firm has led 6 rounds, about 12% of its total and boasts 0 exits across its portfolio.

Investment Focus Highlights

  • Concentrates on Seed, Series A, Pre Seed rounds (top funding stages).
  • Majority of deals are located in United States, Singapore, Cayman Islands.
  • Strong thematic focus on Blockchain, Web3, Cryptocurrency.
  • Typical check size: $5M.

Stage Focus

  • Seed (69%)
  • Series A (22%)
  • Pre Seed (10%)

Country Focus

  • United States (59%)
  • Singapore (12%)
  • Cayman Islands (4%)
  • Canada (2%)
  • Australia (2%)
  • Switzerland (2%)
  • Israel (2%)
  • Argentina (2%)
  • Portugal (2%)
  • Finland (2%)

Industry Focus

  • Blockchain
  • Web3
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Information Technology
  • Internet
  • Artificial Intelligence (Ai)
  • Software
  • Bitcoin
  • Database
  • Privacy
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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn who this investor regularly partners with—both firms and angels—and explore their latest activity.

Who does dao5 frequently co-invest with?

OKX Ventures
Africa, Beau Vallon, Seychelles, Mahé
Co-Investments: 14
NC
North America, New York, United States, New York
Co-Investments: 12
Mirana
Asia, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Co-Investments: 8
Robot Ventures
North America, New York, United States, New York
Co-Investments: 7
NGC Ventures
Asia, Central Region, Singapore, Singapore
Co-Investments: 7
Co-Investments: 9
Hack VC
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 9
Polychain
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 18
Foresight Ventures
Asia, Central Region, Singapore, Singapore
Co-Investments: 11
Symbolic Capital
North America, New York, United States, New York
Co-Investments: 12

Which angels does dao5 often collaborate with?

Balaji Srinivasan
Asia, Central Region, Singapore, Singapore
Shared Deals: 6
Sandeep Nailwal
Asia, Indonesia
Shared Deals: 2
MA
Europe, England, United Kingdom, London
Shared Deals: 3
GL
North America, NA - Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico, San Juan
Shared Deals: 2
MD
North America, New York, United States, New York
Shared Deals: 2
PT
North America, New York, United States, New York
Shared Deals: 1
CL
North America, Colorado, United States, Denver
Shared Deals: 1
NM
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 2
GV
North America, United States
Shared Deals: 2
CL
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 2

What are some of recent deals done by dao5?

Mill City Venture III

Wayzata, Minnesota, United States

Mill City Venture III is a company that offers business investment services.

LendingReal Estate InvestmentVenture Capital
Post Ipo EquityJul 28, 2025
Amount Raised: $450,000,000
CEA Industries

Louisville, Colorado, United States

CEA Industries is an agriculture company that offers indoor cultivation services.

AgricultureCommercialFarming
Post Ipo EquityJul 28, 2025
Amount Raised: $500,000,000
Camp Network

Virgin, Utah, United States

Camp Network is a purpose-built Layer 1 blockchain to power AI agents.

Series AApr 29, 2025
Amount Raised: $30,000,000
Seismic

New York, New York, United States

Seismicy enables developers to establish innovative financial partnerships and investment instruments.

BlockchainDeveloper ToolsWeb3
SeedMar 6, 2025
Amount Raised: $7,000,000
Fluent Labs

California City, California, United States

Fluent Labs is a blockchain development company.

BlockchainCryptocurrencyWeb3
SeedFeb 19, 2025
Amount Raised: $8,000,000
DuckChain

Singapore, Central Region, Singapore

DuckChain engages in bridging telegram users into the blockchain space.

BlockchainFinTechWeb3
SeedDec 20, 2024
Amount Raised: $5,000,000
0G

San Francisco, California, United States

0G is a technology startup + foundation developing a web3 modular infrastructure platform to build applications on low-latency data feeds.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)BlockchainWeb3
SeedNov 13, 2024
Amount Raised: $40,000,000
StakeStone

Singapore, Central Region, Singapore

StakeStone is an omnichain liquidity infrastructure used to optimize crypto staking and asset management.

Asset ManagementBlockchainCryptocurrencyEthereumInformation Technology
SeedNov 11, 2024
Amount Raised: $22,000,000

Citrea is the first rollup to include zero-knowledge technology into the Bitcoin blockspace.

BitcoinBlockchain
Series AOct 31, 2024
Amount Raised: $14,000,000
Zerobase

Los Altos, California, United States

Zerobase is a real-time ZK prover network that prioritizes speed, decentralization, and regulatory compliance.

BlockchainConsultingCryptocurrency
SeedOct 18, 2024
Amount Raised: $5,000,000