Leading RWA Ecosystem Players Launch Ascend Startup Accelerator to Fast-Track RWA Growth
New York, United States, August 4th, 2025, Chainwire
Plume, Galaxy Ventures, Morpho, OKX Ventures, Anchorage Digital, Centrifuge, Keyrock, Tokenized Asset Coalition, CBI, and RWA.xyz back a new 9-week accelerator to support early-stage protocols
A coalition of top fintech and crypto leaders announces the launch of Ascend, a high-impact accelerator program designed to fast-track institutional-grade Real-World Asset (RWA) startups.
The initiative is operated by Odisea and backed by a powerhouse group of ecosystem leaders: Plume, Galaxy Ventures, Morpho, OKX Ventures, Anchorage Digital, Centrifuge, Keyrock, Tokenized Asset Coalition, CBI, and RWA.xyz. These organizations will provide founders with hands-on mentorship and strategic guidance throughout the program.
“Real World Assets are gaining momentum, driven by support and interest from institutional investors, governments, and infrastructure providers looking for transparent, efficient capital solutions. RWAs are no longer speculative; the sector’s growth is strategic. We’re meeting this need by working together to develop the next generation of RWA leaders, equipping them with experience, resources, and access,” said Chris Yin, CEO and Co-Founder of Plume.
Ascend will select six to eight early-stage teams with live products, early traction, and a focus on tokenizing real-world assets for institutional use. Participants will receive tailored support across critical areas of growth, including:
- Product Architecture Guidance
- Tokenomics & Incentive Design Support
- Investor Readiness & Fundraising Strategy
- Legal & Regulatory Structuring
- Go-to-Market & Growth Playbooks
- Community & Ecosystem Activation
“Real world assets aren’t a future trend—they’re a present need. At Anchorage Digital, we’ve seen firsthand that institutional adoption hinges on more than just innovation. It requires infrastructure that’s regulated, resilient, and ready to scale. Ascend gives promising founders the tools to build not just with speed, but with durability. We’re proud to support the next wave of RWAs—and build together,” said Nathan McCauley, CEO & Co-Founder, Anchorage Digital.
Founders will work closely with mentors who’ve scaled billion-dollar asset platforms, gaining access to lessons learned, deep networks, and practical guidance across every stage of company building. These include Yzi Labs, Bankless Ventures, Sentora, and others.
“Real-world assets are becoming core infrastructure for digital markets. At Galaxy, we believe supporting early founders with institutional-level guidance and connectivity is essential to unlocking this next phase of growth. Ascend is providing exactly that, and we’re proud to back such a focused, high-impact initiative,” said Will Nuelle, General Partner at Galaxy Ventures.
The program will culminate in a showcase Demo Day, where founders will feature their progress to a curated audience of industry leaders and institutional investors. Teams that complete the accelerator will also be eligible to receive funding from a $500k discretionary fund organized by the Ascend’s sponsors.
“Real-world assets represent one of the most promising frontiers for blockchain adoption, and we believe that strong infrastructure and institutional alignment are critical to its success. By backing Ascend, we aim to empower early-stage teams building foundational RWA products that meet real market needs,” said Dora Yue, Founder of OKX Ventures.
Participants will gain direct access to mentors who have built and scaled billion-dollar asset platforms, offering not just theoretical advice but battle-tested expertise and network access.
“RWAs are moving from narrative to infrastructure. Ascend helps founders build the unglamorous but critical pieces, compliance, governance, distribution, and real liquidity—so institutions and retail can actually use onchain markets,” said Nicola Wang, Investment Director at YZi Labs.
Applications are open and will close on August 18, 2025. The selection process includes an online application, a screening round, and final partner interviews, with final selections announced on August 22, 2025. The program will run from September 1 – October 30, 2025.
About the teams:
Plume is the first full-stack blockchain and ecosystem dedicated to real-world asset finance. With 200+ projects building on its EVM-compatible infrastructure, Plume makes it simple to tokenize and integrate real-world assets into DeFi applications, enabling anyone to interact with global financial markets through intuitive, on-chain tools.
The Tokenized Asset Coalition seeks to unite traditional and crypto financial systems with the shared belief that many assets will eventually move on-chain. By addressing the inefficiencies, opacity, and fragmentation of the current financial infrastructure, the Tokenized Asset Coalition aims to spearhead the next wave of digital transformation. The founding Coalition members, including Aave Companies, Centrifuge, Circle, Coinbase, Base, Credix, Goldfinch and RWA.xyz, are on a mission to educate and advocate for shared principles and best practices and build the on-chain infrastructure of tomorrow.
Galaxy Digital Inc. (NASDAQ/TSX: GLXY) is a global leader in digital assets and data center infrastructure, delivering solutions that accelerate progress in finance and artificial intelligence. Our digital assets platform offers institutional access to trading, advisory, asset management, staking, self-custody, and tokenization technology. In addition, we invest in and operate cutting-edge data center infrastructure to power AI and high-performance computing, meeting the growing demand for scalable energy and compute solutions in the U.S. The Company is headquartered in New York City, with offices across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
Anchorage Digital is a global crypto platform that enables institutions to participate in digital assets through trading, staking, custody, governance, settlement, stablecoin issuance, and the industry’s leading security infrastructure. Home to Anchorage Digital Bank N.A., the only federally chartered crypto bank in the U.S., Anchorage Digital also serves institutions through Anchorage Digital Singapore, which is licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore; Anchorage Digital NY, which holds a BitLicense from the New York Department of Financial Services; and self-custody wallet Porto by Anchorage Digital. Recently, through the enactment of GENIUS, Anchorage Digital Bank became the only U.S., federally regulated, and GENIUS-compliant stablecoin issuer bank. The company is funded by leading institutions including Andreessen Horowitz, GIC, Goldman Sachs, KKR, and Visa, with its Series D valuation over $3 billion. Founded in 2017 in San Francisco, California, Anchorage Digital has offices in New York, New York; Porto, Portugal; Singapore; and Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Morpho is the most trusted onchain lending network with $9B+ in deposits. Businesses can connect to Morpho’s open infrastructure to power any lending or borrowing use case at scale, including embedded crypto-backed loans and custom yield solutions.
OKX Ventures is the investment arm of the global leading crypto exchange and Web3 technology company OKX, with an initial capital commitment of USD100 million. It focuses on exploring the best blockchain projects on a global scale, supporting cutting-edge blockchain technology innovation, promoting the healthy development of the global blockchain industry, and investing in long-term structural value. Through its commitment to supporting entrepreneurs who contribute to the development of the blockchain industry, OKX Ventures helps build innovative companies and brings global resources and historical experience to blockchain projects.
Founded in Brussels in 2017, Keyrock is a global crypto investment firm leading in market making, OTC, and options trading for digital assets. Providing liquidity to over 85 centralized and decentralized venues worldwide, their 170-strong team operates across 37 countries, with entities in Belgium, the UK, Switzerland, France, and the U.S. Keyrock’s commitment to the industry is practical, not theoretical. They offer in-depth industry insights, co-create DeFi ecosystems, and actively support Web3 startups.
With Keyrock, the future of digital assets is not just envisioned; it’s actively being built
Centrifuge empowers asset managers to tokenize, manage, and distribute their funds onchain, while providing investors access to a diversified portfolio of tokenized assets. Founded in 2017 and backed by leading VCs, Centrifuge has been a driving force in the institutional adoption of tokenized assets and has championed industry initiatives including the Tokenized Asset Coalition, the Real-World Asset Summit, and the creation of widely recognized token standards.
Commercial Bank International (CBI)
Commercial Bank International (CBI) is a leading UAE bank dedicated to empowering businesses and individuals through innovative, personalised, and growth-focused banking solutions. Established in 1991 and headquartered in Dubai, CBI offers a diverse range of services, including corporate, retail, and Islamic banking solutions. Leveraging its innovative capabilities, CBI provides bespoke banking services to help clients achieve their ambitions. CBI is listed on theAbu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and is regulated by the Central Bank of the UAE and the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA).
Media Contact
Leila Stein press@plumenetwork.xyz.