Zug, Switzerland – Velocity Labs, partnering with influential entities such as the Web3 Foundation, Parity Technologies, Wave Digital, Scytale Digital, and Hypernative, has announced the launch of the DeFi Builders Program. This innovative initiative aims to attract, support, and scale the future of decentralized finance applications on Polkadot Hub, an EVM-compatible chain set to launch in late Q4 2025.
The DeFi Builders Program is tailored to cater to developers at various stages, whether they come equipped with fully developed products or merely innovative concepts. By offering extensive support, the program goes beyond the conventional launchpad, encouraging teams to venture into novel DeFi primitives and explore groundbreaking models of financial coordination.
Nicolas Arevalo, co-founder of Velocity Labs, emphasized the initiative’s commitment to fostering genuine innovation rather than replicating past ideas. “We want teams to feel confident experimenting, iterating, and shipping new DeFi concepts that take full advantage of Polkadot Hub’s scalability, interoperability, and composability from day one,” he stated.
Spanning 12 weeks, the program guides projects from inception to launch. The first two weeks focus on onboarding and network access, followed by a six-week period dedicated to product development under the guidance of expert mentors. The final three weeks prepare teams for market strategy and fundraising, culminating in a Virtual Demo Day for investors.
Participating teams can expect a diverse array of benefits, including:
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Funding & Grants: Access to strategic grants to facilitate initial development and the possibility of KPI-based funding from the Polkadot Treasury and seed investments from venture capital partners.
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Technical & Product Support: Mentorship from Polkadot core developers, along with guidance on tokenomics, product design, scaling strategies, and architecture reviews through office hours with Velocity Labs.
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Liquidity Bootstrapping: Solutions to tackle the common cold-start issue in DeFi launches, such as subsidized yield farming, fee rebates, and institutional liquidity support from partners like Wave Digital and Scytale.
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Hiring & Team Building: Assistance with recruiting, stipends or grants for essential early hires, and advice on team scaling to ensure sustainable growth.
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Security Resources: Access to subsidized smart contract audits, bug bounty collaborations, connections with the Polkadot Assurance Legion, and specific monitoring via Hypernative for enhanced protocol security.
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Visibility & Community Access: Dedicated marketing support, conference participation, strategic AMAs, and promotional campaigns through official Polkadot channels.
- Education & Ecosystem Onboarding: Opportunities for developer boot camps, hackathons, and scholarships offered through the Polkadot Blockchain Academy to enhance skills for teams working on Polkadot Hub.
The program is currently inviting applications, specifically targeting teams across the complete DeFi stack, including sectors like lending markets, decentralized exchanges (DEXs), perpetual protocols, yield platforms, tokenization of real-world assets, cross-chain infrastructure, payment solutions, and onboarding systems. In addition to established products, the program encourages early-stage teams to iterate, experiment, and validate their ideas in a supportive environment.
Angie Darrow, Chief Marketing Officer and interim CEO at the Web3 Foundation, expressed enthusiasm for the initiative, stating, “The DeFi Builders Program embodies exactly what the Web3 Foundation champions: giving innovative teams the runway to experiment fearlessly on Polkadot and translate breakthrough ideas into the next generation of open, interoperable finance.”
The first cohort is limited to just five teams, and interested parties are urged to visit velocitylabs.org/defibuildersprogram for more information and to submit their proposals. Applications will be accepted from September 3 until October 3, 2025.
Velocity Labs remains a pivotal contributor to Polkadot, striving to elevate it as the leading platform for DeFi development in Web3. The organization empowers builders and infrastructure providers through comprehensive support across various domains, including business development, market strategies, engineering, and product strategies.
Polkadot serves as a robust foundation for Web3, unifying transformative applications and blockchains. Its advanced modular architecture allows developers to create tailored blockchain projects easily, ensuring pooled security and transparent governance that engages all participants in shaping a sustainable ecosystem.
