Hivemind Capital, an investment firm that focuses on deep technology, has launched Darkmatter Lab, a new program designed to help researchers turn advanced scientific work into commercial products before forming a company. The initiative was developed in partnership with the University of California, Berkeley, and will become a key part of Hivemind’s upcoming venture fund.
Support and Resources for Selected Projects
Each selected project will receive at least $1 million in combined support. This includes direct research funding from Hivemind Capital, $350,000 in cloud computing credits through Google’s startup program, legal assistance covering immigration, intellectual property, and company formation, and operational support through Berkeley SkyDeck. Legal support for the program will come from Gunderson Dettmer and Goodwin Procter, while cloud infrastructure resources will be provided by Google Cloud.
Focus Areas for Initial Projects
The first group of projects will focus on artificial intelligence and blockchain technologies. Areas of interest include AI infrastructure, autonomous agent systems, cybersecurity, compute optimization, cryptography, and decentralized networks. Hivemind says the goal is to create a pathway for promising research to move from academic environments into practical applications. This gives researchers access to capital, infrastructure, and business resources at a much earlier stage than traditional startup funding models.
Hivemind Capital has been investing in deep tech for a while, and this program seems like a natural extension of their work. By partnering with Berkeley, they are tapping into a rich source of cutting-edge research. The lab could help bridge the gap between academic discoveries and real-world products, which is often a difficult and slow process. I think the approach is interesting because it provides support before a company is even formed, which might reduce some of the early risks that researchers face.
