SONY MOVES INTO WEB3 WITH STARTALE LABS VENTURE

TOMMY L • FEBRUARY 18, 2023

Japanese entertainment giant Sony has teamed up with blockchain innovation hub Astar Network to launch a three-month-long Web3 Incubation Program. The program will support promising startups with a focus on DeFi, Web3 gaming and metaverse, and infrastructure. The Web3 Incubation Program will run from mid-March to mid-June and accept applications from today, February 17. It will consist of 10 to 15 cohorts, and Startale Labs, a Singapore-based company founded by Astar Network CEO Sota Watanabe, will organize the process.

Startale Labs offers decentralized apps (dApps) and infrastructure, such as wallets, lending and NFT marketplaces, for Astar’s WebAssembly (WASM) eco-system. As a gateway to the Astar Network, Startale facilitates integration with large enterprises and offers expert business consulting services in multi-chain protocol development. The goal of the Web3 Incubation Program is to assist promising ideas in transitioning to minimum viable products (MVPs), irrespective of their Web3 startup stage. With the robust ecosystem of the Astar Network at its disposal, the program focuses on candidates working in DeFi, Web3 gaming & metaverse, and infrastructure. Startale will provide additional support to successful candidates so they have no issues with things such as business strategy, tech support, and will also benefit from leveraging Astar’s development and overall business expertise.