Called The Garage, this brand new Parisian incubator, founded by Starchain Capital, The Family and the Dune Network team, aims to support future unicorns in the blockchain sector.
The blockchain ecosystem is structured. The American investment fund dedicated to BC, Starchain Capital, the European entrepreneurial incubator The Family and the dune Network team, a blockchain platform created by French researchers, launched together, in mid-November, a new Incubator. Called The Garage, this 450 m2 venue nestled in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris presents itself as “a hub in which start-ups and large companies can make appointments with different specialists to answer their problems on technology blockchain,” explains Damien Dabe, director of the new structure.
The three-storey platform already brings together a dozen people including a scientific team, but also lawyers or designers. It will operate on four lines of development: “The first step will be to design products in the manner of a start-up studio,” says the manager. We have apprehended two or three market verticals specific to blockchain technology such as the tokenization of real estate securities or the digitalization of the land registry in Africa. We will therefore recruit a CEO and a COO and entrust them with a roadmap so that they can then roll out the strategy produced on these verticals. We plan to develop two or three products a year on this model.”
Advising large groups and supporting nearly 25 start-ups a year
Second axis, the council. The incubator proposes to support large groups in the creation of POC until the production of solutions. It also launches training programs for developers. “The first one will be on Dune network. Spread over three days, it will allow to understand what the Dune blockchain is and its differences compared to other protocols. More advanced modules will follow,” says Damien Dabe.
Finally, The Garage intends to support between 20 and 25 start-ups per year. “It will be French start-ups at first, but we also want to welcome European and even global start-ups quickly. We are currently prospecting in the United States,” the official said.
Currently, the incubator already accompanies fifteen start-ups, including Ipocamp, which guarantees intellectual property via a blockchain solution, Ticket 721, which ensures the resale of tickets between individuals, or Mother, which proposes to convert its loyalty points in tokens… “We take a 5% stake in each of them,” says Damien Dabe. Start-ups will not be hosted on site, as proposed by the F station incubator, Chain accelerator.
They also do not have to develop their applications on Dune Network. “We are agnostics. We are not meant to convert businesses. Ipocamp, for example, turns to Ethereum, which remains a model for us, points out the manager. We are well aware that each protocol can be consistent depending on the use. On the other hand, we really want to create a link with a platform on Dune that is more business oriented.” “Being in contact with start-ups that develop on other blockchains will allow us to better discern the features that interest them in our competitors and thus understand how to improve our own solution”, stresses for its part Fabrice Le Fessant, president of Dune Network.
Dune, a French blockchain with global ambitions
Launched last June, Dune Network is a fork of Tezos software, a platform developed by the French Arthur Breitman, which allows to program financial contracts on the blockchain. Dune is a blockchain based on proof of stake, a method of validating transaction blocks alternative to the energy-intensive proof of work used by the Bitcoin blockchain. “The technical team – made up of Inria alumni and polytechnics – as well as the association that manages the protocol are located in France. This is a real differentiator for the large cybersecurity industry groups with whom we are in contact. Especially on the legal side,” stresses Fabrice Le Fessant.
