Proposal Summary
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Two Pebbles is proposing Polkadot for New Ventures acceleration program. This program will increase the number of mainstream startups adopting Polkadot as the foundation for compelling real-world applications beyond traditional crypto use cases, and create a virtuous cycle of success stories driving further Polkadot innovation and adoption.
Polkadot for New Ventures by Two Pebbles combines in-depth knowledge of Polkadot, marketing, and startup leadership to answer the question: “How can we increase Polkadot adoption by businesses?” We believe the answer lies in engaging new business ventures as they make their technology choices and helping them adopt and succeed with the Polkadot platform.
Polkadot for New Ventures will target startups in segments where the Polkadot platform can offer significant benefits, but who are unaware of Polkadot. First, the program will generate awareness and interest through targeted marketing efforts, based on high-value use cases. Then, the program will extend beyond marketing to provide business incubation and acceleration, driving success for qualified new ventures. Research* indicates that new ventures supported by business incubators experience a dramatic decline in failure rates—from the typical 60–80% down to just 10%.
Polkadot for New Ventures is a business accelerator with two programs designed to onboard mainstream startups (Web2 founders) onto Polkadot. The Incubator program is designed to have broad reach, engaging startups in a co-hort based workshop program for 12 - 16 weeks. Startups will graduate with a plan for their business to develop on Polkadot. The Accelerator program is a longer, more selective program that accepts qualified startups and provides a range of mentoring and support to grow their business. Together these accelerators will help promising startups design, build, and scale real-world applications that leverage decentralized ownership, built-in data security, and low-cost, fast transactions. The program will generate and convert interest in Polkadot into production-ready businesses through hands-on technical support, business mentorship, Polkadot grant assistance, and access to investor networks.
Polkadot for New Ventures will begin with a single cohort, learn from this cohort, and then expand the program globally through partnerships with existing business incubators and accelerators. Through this expanded network of accelerators and growing numbers of successful new ventures, we aim to create a virtuous cycle, where each success sparks increasing interest and adoption.
This proposal requests funding to design the Polkadot for New Ventures incubation program, plan marketing to attract prospective new ventures, establish target market segments based on Polkadot's fit, and produce a comprehensive proposal to implement the program globally. This proposal is linked to the proposal submitted to the Events and Marketing Bounties, Polkadot at Web Summit Lisbon 2025, which is targeted to secure startup leads for the first cohort of the pilot program for 2026.
Background
In May 2025, José Rabassó attended Web Summit in Vancouver, where hundreds of global startups were present. During the event, he engaged with more than 15 startups across a range of industries, including health, retail, gaming, mineral collective ownership, and education.
As he explored opportunities for applying blockchain technology to their business models, he was struck by a consistent pattern. While many founders had limited knowledge of blockchain, there was overwhelming interest in its potential.
Startups were especially excited about three key value propositions, ranked by level of interest:
In summary, the startups were impressed by the possibilities and were keen to understand how they could leverage the technology to develop their solutions more quickly, with fewer resources, and at more affordable operating costs. This initiated focused dialogue with startup mentors, accelerator leaders, and ecosystem experts. A key insight emerged—startups building in blockchain face a significant gap in support as there is no clear path for a new venture to follow - from idea to building on Polkadot to commercialization. There isn’t infrastructure to help them both develop their applications, as well as build and grow sustainable businesses around them. This is what we propose to create with this proposal.
Proposal Highlights
Polkadot for New Ventures is a two-stage business accelerator program designed to onboard high-potential mainstream startups into the Polkadot ecosystem and support them through to business growth.
Why fund a Business Accelerator?
The most powerful driver for Polkadot adoption will be examples of successful mainstream businesses using Polkadot. A targeted business accelerator will achieve these successes and be the catalyst for broader adoption.
Why the Two Pebbles
Two Pebbles leadership has more than 120 years of combined experience in marketing, technology business leadership, successful startups, and Polkadot. They bring the knowledge, experience, and networks necessary to design and deliver a successful business accelerator program.
How will the program be developed and rolled out?
The proposal is presented in 3 phases. The first phase will create both a marketing plan to attract prospective startups and a plan for the incubator and accelerator programs. The second phase will pilot the incubabor program, and fine-tune the plan for the accelerator. The third stage will extend the reach of the incubator program, and introduce and establish the accelerator.
How much will it cost to get started on this proposal?
This proposal requests $108,000 for Phase 1 - Discovery and Design.
What are the deliverables for Discovery and Design?
Polkadot for New Ventures Programs
This section highlights key aspects of the proposed incubator and scale-up programs for New Ventures.
New Venture Incubator Program (12–16 Weeks)
A cohort-based program focused on equipping early-stage startups with the tools, mentorship, and technical support needed to build and launch successfully on Polkadot. The program will include:
1- Business Fundamentals & Mentorship
2- Web3 & Polkadot Integration Support
3- Polkadot Grant Application Support
4- Fundraising & Ecosystem Access
New Venture Acceleration Program
A selective, application-only growth acceleration program for startups with strong traction and validated use cases. Participants pay a nominal program fee and receive targeted support to scale their operations.
This accelerator is designed to go beyond onboarding startups by helping a select group of high-potential ventures thrive long-term within the Polkadot ecosystem, becoming contributors to its growth and innovation, and examples for future mainstream users.
Program Development Roadmap
This initiative will be implemented in three phases: Design and Discovery, Incubation Pilot, and Incubation Expansion and Acceleration. This proposal pertains solely to the initial Design and Discovery phase. Subsequent phases will be proposed separately, following the completion of each preceding phase.
Phase 1
Discovery & Design
Covered by this proposal.
Design a scalable incubation program to introduce Polkadot to mainstream startups
Timing: October 2025 to January 2026
Phase 2
Incubator Pilot
To be defined in phase 1.
Run a virtual cohort-based incubator pilot program
Timing: February - September 2026
Phase 3
Incubator Program Expansion & Acceleration
To be defined in phase 2.
Scale the incubator and run the accelerator program
Timing: October 2026 - December 2028
Full Program Return on Investment
Measuring the return on investment (ROI) for an accelerator program is inherently challenging. Broadly, there are two primary accelerator models:
Mission-Driven (Sponsored) Accelerators
These are typically funded by governments, foundations, or ecosystems to support innovation in targeted sectors—such as emerging technologies or economic priorities. Their goal is impact and ecosystem development, measured by companies and individuals supported, or community expansion, not direct financial return.
Equity-Based Accelerators
These operate similarly to venture capital funds, taking equity in startups in exchange for support. Financial success for the Accelerator typically depends on a small percentage of the supported ventures achieving significant economic success. This type of accelerator requires substantial capital, fund management, and regulatory overhead.
We are proposing the mission-driven model, aligned with Polkadot’s ecosystem growth objectives. The value levers for the Polkadot network are:
Key Performance Indicators:
Two Pebbles Team
The Two Pebbles team is well qualified to deliver this proposal, as successful delivery requires a unique mix of skills and experience:
Two Pebbles principals bring more than 120 years of software and hardware executive, marketing, design, and startup high-growth experience:
José Rabassó – Co-founder of Two Pebbles Ventures and an early participant in Polkadot, dating back to its ICO. José is an active contributor to the Polkadot community and governance, with deep knowledge and a strong passion for the platform’s potential to shape the future of decentralized applications. Previous to Two Pebbles José owned a series of marketing, design and production companies servicing high-tech startup ventures in Vancouver and Calgary.
Virginia Balcom – A veteran technology marketer and experienced executive director of SFU VentureLabs, a large business accelerator in North America, Virginia has decades of experience launching high-tech companies and scaling them into industry leaders, including Abatis, sold to Redback Networks for (630M$), and OctigaBay, sold to Cray Inc (114M$). Virginia was instrumental in connecting Vancouver’s vibrant accelerator community together and was an active player in the North American community of incubators and accelerators. She brings deep expertise in strategic marketing, brand development, and community engagement.
Marni Rabassó – Co-founder of Two Pebbles Ventures, Marni has held executive leadership roles in numerous software startups and software giants, including Gemcom, which was sold to Dassault Systèmes for $380M. Marni focused on commercializing new technology through high growth to exit. She now focuses on mentoring startup CEOs and board work, helping early-stage companies realize their growth potential. She brings depth in corporate and product strategy, financing, and startup leadership.
Funding Requirements
Phase 1 - Discovery & Design
16 weeks from proposal approval
Program Design for Pilot - 192 hr
Customer Research - 32 hr
Business Case Development by industry - 96 hr
Program partnership development - 32 hr
Startup Outreach Marketing Plan - 96 hr
Website design and content - 64 hr
Total - 544 hr - $108,000*
*Unused funds will be returned to the treasury at phase 1 completion.
Phase 2 Incubation Pilot Run
Phase 3 Incubation cohort 2 and Acceleration Program introduction
Costs for Phase 2 and 3 will be developed in Phase 1, and submitted for approval with the Phase 1 & 2 proposal.
Conclusion
By creating a guided, resource-rich on-ramp for mainstream startup Web2 founders, Polkadot for New Ventures will fill a critical gap in the Polkadot ecosystem—focused on selling the benefits of Polkadot to current mainstream startups driving real-world applications. The goal is to make Polkadot the obvious choice as the business application platform in the decentralized world.