Former NEA Partner Amit Mukherjee launches Chainforest DAO to invest in early-stage web3 startups

• Founded by Amit Mukherjee, former NEA Partner and Forbes 30 under 30 alum
• As a “Venture DAO,” aims to be “The New Standard in Community + Capital”
• Community members earn tokenized carry for supporting Chainforest’s process
• Already invested in eight promising web3 projects: Arkive, Magna, Syndicate, and Utopia

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Chainforest is a first-check web3 VC firm supported by the Chainforest DAO and its community. The organization launches today, and applications to join its community and DAO are now open to the public. The Chainforest community consists of more than 400 full-time web3 operators from organizations such as Polygon, Solana Foundation, Ava Labs, Consensus, Poolsuite, and Friends with Benefits. Community members, dubbed “Rainmakers,” can earn $RAINDROP (tokenized carry in the fund) for supporting the Chainforest investment practice. Because of Chainforest’s unique structure, unlike other investment DAOs, its membership is not limited to 99 members, and anyone may receive admission to the DAO without necessarily contributing capital to the fund.

Founded by Amit Mukherjee, who spent more than nine years at the top-tier VC firm NEA, Chainforest began as a Telegram chat filled with thoughtful, daily discussion about all areas of web3. The community members enjoyed the discussion and network so much, they urged Amit to invest more of his time into building it and suggested he convert it into a DAO. Because community involvement is such a critical component of most web3 projects, a community-supported investment firm felt like a natural evolution for web3 VC.

Pioneering a community-driven VC concept

Founders of Chainforest portfolio companies can harness its network of more than 400 Rainmakers for support with any area in which a community member has expertise. Rainmakers are incentivized to support founders as they receive tokenized carry ($RAINDROP) for working with Chainforest portfolio companies. $RAINDROP reflects carry earned in the fund. Additionally, Chainforest’s most popular offering for its founders is its Conscious Leadership Group Forum, led by world-renowned executive coach Diana Chapman. Chainforest also has a deep partnership with the venture studio SuperLayer, which Chainforest founders can access for operational advice and support.

Chainforest’s community model has already resulted in unique insight and deal access.

• 50 percent of Chainforest investments have been founded by community members (Arkive, Stelo, STATION, Zestworld)
• As a DAO, Chainforest is frequently asked to beta test products, which has led to investments in Utopia and Syndicate
• Two additional investments in the portfolio were sourced by Rainmakers

Chainforest intends to continue strengthening its community of builders and thought leaders who are developing the future of web3. To apply to be a Rainmaker and join the network, please visit: http://www.chainforest.xyz/apply.

Amit Mukherjee, Founder of Chainforest, said: “Community-native design is the future of VC, particularly for web3. Chainforest’s unique DAO structure is materially changing the face of venture capital. By tapping on our Rainmakers’ collective professional expertise, we are able to scale faster and invest with greater efficiency to create an impact in the web3 investment landscape.”

Mahesh Vellanki, Managing Partner of SuperLayer, added: “Chainforest’s spirit of collaboration aligns with SuperLayer’s mission to democratize opportunity and ownership of the internet. We’re thrilled to be partnering with Amit and the Chainforest DAO to redefine the future of venture capital.”

Amira Valliani, Policy Lead for the Solana Foundation, said: “Chainforest is the best professional community I’ve ever been a part of, bar none. It laid the foundation for my leap into web3, and I would not be in my current role at the Solana Foundation without Chainforest and its incredible community.

Chainforest is a high-signal, low-noise environment in an industry where there’s a lot of noise. Through the community, I’ve learned about topics ranging from the technical merits of various L1s to frameworks for sizing the DeWi market, and leadership principles I use regularly in my personal or professional life. Whenever I talk to someone in Chainforest, I feel confident that they will be smart, thoughtful, kind, and that I will learn something from them that blows my mind.

Whether you’re a founder, an operator, or an analyst, Chainforest is a place where you can meet amazing, friendly web3 natives. The culture of the community is unlike any I’ve come across in web3. You won’t regret getting involved.”

Kaito Cunningham, CEO and co-founder of Utopia Labs: “Chainforest has added unique value as a Utopia investor. Amit has a set of special experiences with DAOs, both as co-leader of FWB’s treasury team and as founder of Chainforest, which operates as a Venture DAO and uses our software. Because of this background, Amit and Vasanth Thiruvadi (Chainforest Head of Finance) have been able to provide us with highly-specific product feedback that few others can offer. I’ve been a member of the Chainforest community for months now and it is a special, highly-engaged ecosystem. I’d recommend Chainforest to any founder as a source of capital and to any web3 native looking to build deeper relationships in the space.”

Chainforest Founder Amit Mukherjee is available for interviews

About Chainforest

Chainforest is a venture capital firm that is supported by Chainforest DAO. Our mission is to build the most powerful ecosystem in the world that leverages an exceptional community of leaders to build, grow, and invest together to create the future of web3. We harness the collective power of the Chainforest community to create incredible value for our Rainmakers, the ecosystem, and our LPs and other partners. The outsized performance will create a flywheel effect, allowing us to build an elite ecosystem that attracts, develops, and inspires high-caliber talent to be their best selves and to collectively contribute to the future of web3.

For more information, please visit: www.chainforest.xyz/.

About SuperLayer

SuperLayer is a web3 venture studio that builds and supports new multi-chain, tokenized consumer products and applications powered by the RLY protocol. Led by Managing Partners Kevin Chou and Mahesh Vellanki — the founders of Rally and Forte who have more than $1 billion+ in exits between their combined venture and operating experience — SuperLayer works with founders to facilitate the launch, staffing, go-to-market, compliance and fundraising for web3 projects. The studio’s mission is to attract and support the next 100 million people using crypto.

For more information, please visit: www.superlayer.io/

Contacts

KC Maas

kc.maas@wachsman.com