Overview
- The Base accelerator will choose 10 startups for its eighth cohort.
- Each selected startup will receive an upfront investment of $100,000 from the Base Ecosystem Fund.
- The program focuses on startups developing AI agents, trading, payment, and financing solutions.
The team behind Base, the Ethereum layer-2 network created by Coinbase, is refining its startup accelerator to include 10 teams in its latest cohort, each of which will be awarded a $100,000 investment at the outset, as announced by Coinbase on Wednesday.
Applications for Base Batches 004 will be accepted until September 9, with the eight-week virtual program set to culminate in a Demo Day in New York in November.
Myriad: What’s the next price move for Ethereum? Share your prediction.According to Daniel Bronheim, the Lead of the Base Ecosystem Fund, “We’ve discovered that more significant outcomes arise from a concentrated effort with a smaller group of outstanding builders. For Batches 004, we are moving away from broad cohorts and focusing on high-potential teams, providing them with direct support and extensive integration within the Base ecosystem.”
The accelerator is specifically looking for pre-seed startups that are engaged in trading, payments, financing, and AI agents, including products that utilize stablecoins for agent-driven transactions and infrastructure for lending, e-commerce, and decentralized AI applications.
Bronheim noted, “Blockchains serve as the foundational financial systems for AI, and in the near future, agents are expected to generate significantly more on-chain activity than humans. With our emphasis on stablecoins and instantaneous programmable payments, Base provides the perfect setting for this innovation. We hope this cohort will include several exceptional builders in this field.”
While teams may support various blockchains, Base must be their primary network.
Base is also looking for founders with fintech experience who can introduce new financial solutions to its platform.
In addition to the $100,000 investment, selected teams will partake in an eight-week virtual program with assigned advisors and weekly support, gain assistance in enhancing their visibility within the Base ecosystem, and pitch to investors during the Demo Day in New York in November.
This announcement comes as Coinbase and other crypto companies, like MoonPay, are developing projects enabling AI agents to manage and spend funds.
Earlier this year, Coinbase introduced Agentic Wallets on Base, allowing AI agents to hold USDC and make payments through its x402 protocol, followed by the launch of Coinbase for Agents in June, which directly links AI agents to user accounts.
Bronheim remarked, “The rapid growth of regional fintechs quietly emerging on Base is one of the most thrilling developments in our ecosystem, and we believe it will unlock substantial global value.”