Framework Ventures is a venture capital firm based in San Francisco, California. It is a technology company that builds products & services to support the blockchain networks that they invest in.^[1][2]

The framework is known for building with founders, being one of the first VC firms to go "all in on DeFi" when the total TVL was $1B. Today, the firm seeks to invest in blockchain technology and cryptocurrency, digital assets, and WEB 3 at large.^[12]

Overview

In 2019, Framework Ventures was founded in Q1.^[3] The firm was created by Michael Anderson, who grew up in the Bay Area, and has spent his career working for major technology companies such as Dropbox and Snapchat, along with his Co-Founder Vance Spencer, who's worked for Netflix. ^[4]

On August 27, 2020, Framework Labs received an $8 million seed investment round led by investment firm Station 13, designed to help grow the new Framework Labs team of researchers, traders, and engineers for the DeFi market. Framework Labs is heavily involved in staking for Synthetix and providing liquidity for Uniswap. With the funding, Framework hired the former CTO and co-founder of decentralized exchange IDEX Raymond Pulver, and former Wavemaker Partners principal Roy Learner. ^[5]

In March 2020, Framework Ventures invested $400,000 into @Futureswap, a decentralized futures exchange, and $500,000 into Common Labs, the developer of proof-of-stake blockchain Edgeware.^[6]

In July 2020, Teller, a blockchain project for decentralized lending incubated by Andreessen Horowitz's crypto startup school, announced a $1 million seed raise led by Framework Ventures, followed by Parafi Capital and Maven11 Capital, to build the first-ever algorithmic credit risk protocol for DeFi.^[7]  In July, Aave raised $3 million from Framework Ventures and Three Arrows Capital. ^[8]

In August 2020, Framework Ventures led a $600,000 seed investment in DODO, a Chinese e-liquidity provider. This was the fund's first China deal.^[9] In August, Zapper, a leading DeFi asset management protocol, closed a $1.5M seed round led by Framework Ventures and Libertus Capital. ^[10]

Portfolio

• Aave
• ChainLink
• dHedge
• Dodo
• Edgeware
• Fractal
• Futureswap
• Kava
• Pods
• Primitive
• Synthetix
• Teller
• The Graph
• yEarn
• Zapper

Funding

On the 19th of April 2022, Framework Ventures raised $400 million for its third crypto fund, dubbed “FVIII”, bringing its total AUM over $1.4 billion. Half of the capital is said to go toward blockchain gaming investments with Web 3 and decentralized finance (DeFi) as secondary areas of interest.^[15]

Framework is considered to be one of the largest venture investment firms in the blockchain industry, having 90% of its managed assets from a small set of institutional stakeholders.^[13][14]

Team

The framework team includes a team of technologists, researchers, and investors who buy assets of, build for and participate in open crypto networks.

• Vance Spencer - Co-Founder
• Michael Anderson - Co-Founder
• Jay StolkinView - General Counsel at Framework Ventures
• Roy Learner - Principal at Framework Ventures
• Daniel M - Operating Partner
• Brandon Potts - Investor at Framework Ventures
• Adam Badraw - Communications Partner at Framework Ventures
• Matt Aronson - Founding Partner & President at JDS Sports^[11]