The BeInCrypto Institutional 100 program—a yearly, research-based initiative that celebrates leading companies in the digital asset space—includes a category for the best Web3 ecosystem development. The program recognizes excellence in 26 different areas, built around six core themes.
These programs fall under our sixth key area: Tokenization and Enterprise Blockchain. The following ten programs are listed alphabetically, grouped by their base blockchain, and aren’t ranked in any particular order. We’ll announce a smaller selection of finalists in May 2026, and the ultimate winner will be revealed at Proof of Talk in Paris on June 2nd and 3rd, 2026.
Key Facts
- Long list: 10 named programs across grants, accelerators, hackathons, retroactive funding, gas rebates, incubators, AI-focused programs, and strategic ecosystem funds
- Initial pool: More than 25 chain-foundation programs screened; 10 advanced to the long list
- Order: Listed alphabetically by parent chain, not ranked
- Scoring: 30% quantitative data · 50% Expert Council · 20% disclosed company data
- Criteria assessed: Capital deployed, graduate impact, institutional focus, program quality, ecosystem growth, transparency
- Boundary scope: This category evaluates a specific named program, not the underlying chain or the chain’s wider ecosystem
| Program | Parent Chain | Program Scale & Structure | Representative Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aptos $50M Markets and Machines Commitment | Aptos
Run by Aptos Foundation and Aptos Labs |
Announced May 7, 2026
$50M+ strategic capital commitment across on-chain markets, protocol infrastructure, research, AI agents, and trading partners |
Decibel surpassed $1B cumulative volume after Feb 2026 mainnet launch
Shelby supports AI-agent workloads through hot storage and licensed dataset exchange |
| Arbitrum Trailblazer AI Grant Program + Trailblazer 2.0 | Arbitrum
Run by Arbitrum Foundation |
Trailblazer AI launched Nov 2024; Trailblazer 2.0 launched Jun 2025
$2M total budget across immediate grants and Vibekit-based agentic DeFi tooling |
Onboarded AI projects including Allora, ARC Agents, Eternal AI, Hyperbolic, Ora, and Eliza
Vibekit launched with integrations for Pendle, GMX, Aave, and Camelot |
| Avalanche Retro9000 Retroactive Grants Program | Avalanche
Run by Avalanche Foundation |
Launched Nov 2024
Up to $40M in retroactive grants plus $2M referral pool, with quarterly snapshots and C-Chain fee-based grant rounds |
Cohort 1 funded 19 grantees with more than $1M
Cohort 2 funded 8 grantees; Cohort 3 funded 4 grantees, including infrastructure and app builders |
| Ethereum ESP New Grants Program | Ethereum
Run by Ethereum Foundation Ecosystem Support Program |
Relaunched Nov 3, 2025 after redesign pause
Dual-track Wishlist and RFP model focused on cryptography, privacy, application-layer development, security, and community growth |
ESP database includes 1,039 funded projects since 2024
2025 Academic Grants Round expanded to $2M, alongside Office Hours and new grant tooling teams |
| Hedera Crypto Economy Fund + Thrive 2025 Grants + Verifiable AI Tooling | Hedera
Run by Hedera Foundation |
Crypto Economy Fund ongoing since 2022; Thrive 2025 grants launched in 2025
Multi-track structure across community innovation, enterprise grants, academic research, AI, tokenization, identity, and RWAs |
AI Studio and Verifiable Compute launched with EQTY Lab, NVIDIA Blackwell, Accenture Public Sector, and SCAN UK
Hedera donated its codebase to Linux Foundation Decentralized Trust as Project Hiero |
| NEAR AI x HZN Incubation Program + NEAR AI Agent Fund | NEAR
Run by NEAR Foundation and NEAR.AI |
Incubator launched May/Jun 2024 with follow-on phases through May 2025
$100K NEAR investment per team, up to $250K from Delphi Labs, $50K Aethir credits, and $20M AI Agent Fund |
Initial cohort funded Mizu, Pond, Nevermined, Hyperbolic, Ringfence, and Exabits
Hyperbolic raised $7M seed; Mizu launched beta with 20K users in its first week |
| Polygon AggLayer Breakout Program | Polygon
Run by Polygon Foundation and Polygon Labs |
Launched Apr 24, 2025
Structured incubator-to-graduation program for projects building around AggLayer, with 5–15% token airdrops to POL stakers |
Privado ID graduated after testing with HSBC and Deutsche Bank
Miden raised $25M seed; Katana became an AggLayer CDK chain with VaultBridge |
| Solana Frontier Hackathon 2026 + Colosseum Accelerator Series | Solana
Run by Solana Foundation and Colosseum |
Frontier ran Apr 6–May 11, 2026
Colosseum deploys more than $2.5M into select winners; up to 10 teams enter accelerator with $250K pre-seed funding |
Breakout Hackathon drew 10,000+ participants from 140+ countries and 1,412 final projects
Colosseum alumni have raised more than $650M in venture capital |
| Starknet Propulsion v2 Program | Starknet
Run by Starknet Foundation |
Original pilot launched May 2024; Propulsion v2 live Nov 27, 2025
Up to $1M per project in STRK, with gas-rebate funding tied to demonstrated user adoption |
Starknet user-centric projects grew from 72 to 193 between Nov 2023 and Nov 2024
Notable v2 participants include Ready, Focus Tree, AVNU, Endur, Ekubo, and Cartridge |
| Sui Foundation Ecosystem Development Program | Sui
Run by Sui Foundation |
$50M new grants announced Feb 2026
Multi-track structure across RFP grants, flash RFPs, research awards, Hydropower accelerator, Sui Overflow, and DeFi ecosystem funding |
Sui Overflow 2025 drew 352 project submissions
Monthly active developers reached 1,300 in Q1 2026, while Sui recorded $111B stablecoin volume in Jan 2026 |
About This List
The BeInCrypto Institutional 100 highlights the best Web3 ecosystem development programs, particularly those planned for 2026. It focuses on initiatives run by blockchain foundations that aim to expand the Web3 space. These initiatives include funding through investments, grants (especially those focused on AI and awarded retroactively), request for proposal (RFP) processes, funding from businesses, incubator programs, programs that turn hackathons into full-fledged startups, ways to reduce transaction fees (gas rebates), and funds specifically designed for certain industries.
This category assesses the program directly. The technology it’s built on is judged separately in the ‘Best Blockchain Infrastructure’ category. Enterprise blockchain projects using that technology are evaluated under ‘Best Institutional Enterprise Blockchain Implementation.’ Venture capital programs focused solely on financial investment are assessed as fund manager programs.
Methodology
This category’s score is calculated using the BeInCrypto Institutional 100 methodology, specifically Track B. The breakdown is as follows: 30% is based on measurable data, 50% comes from ratings by our Expert Council, and the remaining 20% is based on information the company has shared publicly.
The program’s success is measured by six key areas: the amount of funding distributed, the positive impact graduates have on their fields, the program’s commitment to its host institution, the quality of the program itself, how much it helps the broader startup community grow, and how open and honest it is about its activities.
As an analyst, I’ve noticed the way we’re weighting this data is largely due to a lack of transparency around how foundations actually operate. We don’t have a clear picture of how much money they’ve *really* spent versus what they’ve pledged, how their investments are performing after the grants are awarded, or what happens to the people and projects they fund long-term. This makes it difficult to get a complete and accurate understanding of philanthropic impact.
We confirmed the information by checking official sources like press releases, program websites, blockchain data, funding news for companies in the ecosystem, regulatory documents, reports from audited ETFs, filings with the Linux Foundation, and major financial news outlets.
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2026-05-20 02:58