Venture capital firm Lakeside Partners, blockchain firm Blockhaus, and business law and tax firm MME, have teamed up to launch Crypto Valley Labs, with its first location in Zug, Switzerland, also known as Crypto Valley.
The hub in Zug, called Genesis Hub, aims to serve as the home for blockchain and crypto startups in the region, as well as to companies from other sectors that are interested in connecting with these blockchain companies. The space can support more than 30 teams.
Several local businesses such as Grunder Law, Fineac Treuhand and Brand Leadership Circle have already joined the hub, in addition to its founding members, which include Singular DTV, Bancor, Etherisc and Melonport.
Teams operating from the lab gain access to a range of services including marketing, legal and development support, in addition to the shared desks and office space, as well as the attached living facilities.
“We like to think of it as co-working meets crypto,” explains Mathias Ruch, a managing partner of Lakeside Partners. “Talented teams may be everywhere in the world, but ideas only really come to life when people get together and feed off each other. It really does take an ecosystem to make something great.”
Crypto Valley Labs plans to launch additional hubs across the world in locations such as London, Amsterdam, and Hong Kong, enabling members to benefit from its global network.
Crypto Valley is an ecosystem centered in and around the Swiss canton of Zug, a location that’s known for its higher concentration of blockchain and crypto startups. Zug’s business-friendly regulatory framework, deep talent pool and sophisticated infrastructure have attracted dozens of leading companies and organizations in the space including Ethereum, Monetas, Bitcoin Suisse, Xapo, ShapeShift and ConsenSys.
Crypto Valley was initiated by Johann Gevers, the CEO and founder of Monetas. Gevers moved its startup Monetas to Zug in July 2013, and defined the vision for Crypto Valley as a global hub for crypto technologies modeled on the success of Silicon Valley.
Crypto Valley quick developed relationships with the local authorities as well as international blockchain centers in London, Singapore, Silicon Valley and New York.
Earlier this year, the Crypto Valley Association was established as an independent, government-supported association to build Crypto Valley as the world’s leading blockchain crypto technologies ecosystem. Founding members include UBS, Thomson Reuters, PwC, and the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
“Blockchain and cryptographic related technologies and businesses are the wave of the future,” said Oliver Bussmann, the president of the association and the former CIO of UBS.
“With the Crypto Valley Association, we are promoting more than a region: we have founded a global association as a base for the sector’s most innovative and forward thinking companies, further strengthening Switzerland’s position as a leading center of innovation in this sector.”
