In an innovative partnership, Walmart’s incubation arm, Store Nº8, has joined forces with Outlier Ventures to launch Store Nº8 Base Camp, a 12-week Web3 accelerator program showcasing five promising startups from the U.S., Italy, Poland, and the UK. The program’s primary aim is to transform Web3 marketing, advertising, and payment technology, thereby reshaping the landscape of global retail and commerce.
Thomas Kang, Vice President and General Manager at Walmart, emphasized the potential of “increasingly immersive virtual worlds” to create novel opportunities for customer engagement and commerce. He envisions a future where these virtual worlds seamlessly connect to physical stores and vice versa, paving the way for exciting retail prospects.
Promising Startups Set to Revolutionize Retail and Commerce Through Decentralized Commerce
The program’s central focus revolves around “decentralized commerce,” a concept aimed at enhancing the retail and consumer experience through the lens of Web3 innovation. The selected startups will delve into various blockchains, receiving $200,000 stipends courtesy of Synergis Capital, along with invaluable guidance from KPMG U.S. and access to Store Nº8’s extensive network.
Despite the challenges posed by the ongoing crypto market, the initiative remains optimistic about the future. Ruth Galvin, Program Manager at Outlier Ventures, underscores the potential for founders to refine their core value propositions and gain market traction in this challenging period. She sees it as an opportunity to foster a culture of innovation and efficiency.
Out of a pool of over 370 applicants, these five startups emerged as the final cohort:
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HypeLab: Pioneering Web3 Advertising for Enterprises
HypeLab’s mission is to simplify the process of reaching Web3 users for businesses. They offer design services such as a “self-service advertiser portal,” enabling the creation of campaign assets. Moreover, HypeLab provides both on-chain and off-chain options for advertisers to choose the ideal placement for their ads.
The startup also offers a software development kit that allows for the insertion of advertisements into decentralized applications within 20 minutes or less. Their investors include prominent names like Coinbase Ventures, Shima Capital, Dispersion Capital, OP Crypto, and others.
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Reveel: Revolutionizing Payout Infrastructure and Creator Tools
Reveel introduces an on-chain payout infrastructure and creator tool designed to automate accounting and payout processes for startups. The platform operates across various applications, brands, and networks such as Ethereum, Polygon, Alchemy, and Zora.
Startups can manage their revenue through a single dashboard, benefit from customizable payment flows, and employ Reveel’s revenue-sharing protocol in their projects using a software development kit. Investors in Reveel include Binance Labs, Moment Ventures, Anamcara, and Pixelynx.
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Tide Protocol: Data-Driven Web3 Marketing
Tide Protocol presents a marketing and analytics suite that empowers Web3 startups to design and customize marketing campaigns. Powered by Polygon Studios, it operates seamlessly on any Ethereum-compatible blockchain, eliminating the need for a coding background. Outlier Ventures backs Tide Protocol.
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Tokenguard: An Analytics Platform for Web3 Growth
Tokenguard specializes in providing an analytics platform geared toward the growth of Web3 projects. Their support extends to blockchains and crypto projects like Polkadot, Moonbeam, Aleph Zero, Astar, Kusama, and more.
The platform delivers decentralized applications, on-chain and off-chain analytics, ecosystem growth tracking, and crypto APIs. Notable investors in Tokenguard include Outlier Ventures and NCBR Investment Fund ASI S.A.
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Unblock: Streamlining Cross-Border Payments via Web3 Solutions
Unblock’s portal is dedicated to facilitating business payments within the Web3 space through its free API infrastructure. Additionally, it simplifies the on-and-off-ramping process into the realm of cryptocurrencies.
Unblock’s API-based solutions aim to alleviate complications associated with user KYC, offer assistance with compliance and risk monitoring, and more. Their platform is accessible to businesses, individuals, and applications through their white-label API, ensuring transfer speeds under 20 seconds and transaction fees starting at 0.5%. Investors supporting Unblock include Outlier Ventures, Celo Ecosystem, and others.
In conclusion, the Store Nº8 Base Camp Web3 accelerator program, in collaboration with Outlier Ventures, represents a significant step toward reshaping the landscape of retail and commerce. These innovative startups are set to revolutionize the Web3 marketing, advertising, and payment technology space, introducing a new era of decentralized commerce and ushering in a future where virtual and physical realms seamlessly interconnect.
