Placeholder Ventures

Placeholder Ventures is a New York-based venture capital firm specializing in early-stage investments in decentralized information networks and Web3 services. Founded in 2017, the firm has invested in over 75 companies and networks, including notable projects like 0x, Agoric, Aleo, API3, Aptos, Arweave, Avalanche, and Balancer. The team comprises partners Joel Monegro and Chris Burniske, with Brad Burnham serving as a venture partner. Mario Laul leads research, supported by Research Analyst Gurnoor Narula. Shelly Gogol acts as General Manager, and Crystal Kwan oversees operations. Placeholder's investment thesis focuses on supporting decentralized networks and protocols that aim to reshape the internet's infrastructure. The firm emphasizes a long-term perspective, seeking projects with strong technical foundations and visionary teams. Their portfolio reflects a commitment to projects that prioritize decentralization, scalability, and user empowerment. Placeholder maintains an active presence in the blockchain community, sharing insights through their blog and engaging with industry developments. The firm has a rigorous selection process for founders, attracting experienced engineers to run an intense founder selection and matching process spanning 12 weeks. During this period, top engineers choose from high-potential vertical SaaS opportunities and achieve key customer exploration milestones. Successful teams receive an initial budget of $5,000, and upon meeting go-to-market milestones, they receive an investment of $200,000, transitioning to the growth phase of the program. Placeholder Ventures' approach aims to uncover founders' ability to execute, their founder-market fit, and their ability to build teams with complementary skill sets. By the end of the twelve-week intensive, successful teams are funded and transition to growth, leveraging Placeholder Ventures' playbooks and resources to rapidly prototype, iterate, and scale.