Hivemind Capital announced the launch of darkmatter lab, a new program developed in partnership with UC Berkeley to help accelerate the commercialization of frontier technologies. The initiative will serve as a cornerstone of Hivemind’s upcoming venture fund and is designed to support researchers at the earliest stages of innovation, before companies are formed.
The program was created alongside legal partners Gunderson Dettmer and Goodwin Procter, as well as Google Cloud. It introduces a new framework for helping academic research transition into real-world applications by providing funding, infrastructure, legal resources, and operational support.
According to Hivemind, darkmatter lab aims to address longstanding challenges in frontier technology development, including reduced federal research funding, corporate funding arrangements that often require intellectual property concessions, and traditional venture capital models that typically engage only after technologies have left university environments.
Each selected project will receive at least $1 million in resources. This support includes research funding from Hivemind Capital, $350,000 in compute credits from Google Cloud through its Google for Startups Cloud Program, legal assistance related to immigration, intellectual property, and incorporation from Gunderson Dettmer and Goodwin Procter, and operational support through Berkeley SkyDeck, UC Berkeley’s innovation and entrepreneurship platform.
The program will initially focus on high-impact areas within artificial intelligence and blockchain, including AI infrastructure, agentic systems, cybersecurity, compute optimization, cryptography, and decentralized systems.
Founded in 2021, Hivemind Capital operates at the intersection of traditional finance and blockchain-based infrastructure, investing across multiple strategies while supporting institutions and assets transitioning to blockchain networks. UC Berkeley, founded in 1868, is recognized globally for its research leadership and innovation across fields including artificial intelligence, climate science, and healthcare.
KEY QUOTES:
“Too many of the most important breakthroughs never make it out of the lab, or take years to do so. The most consequential work happens before a company exists, but that’s also when resources are most limited. darkmatter lab is built to support researchers at that moment, with the capital, compute and expertise needed to move from idea to deployment.”
Emmanuel Vallod, Head of Venture and Research, Hivemind Capital
“UC Berkeley has always been where foundational research becomes transformative technology. Our researchers are working on some of the most important problems in AI and blockchain, and they deserve resources that match the ambition of their work. Hivemind understands the role research plays in driving innovation forward, and darkmatter lab is exactly the kind of partnership universities need right now: patient, research-first capital that keeps our researchers in control of their work.”
Rich Lyons, Chancellor, UC Berkeley
