Icebreaker, a new professional networking platform co-founded by former employees of Coinbase and Google, has successfully raised $5 million in a seed round to develop a blockchain-based alternative to LinkedIn. The funding was led by CoinFund, a crypto-native investment firm.
With the newly acquired funds, Icebreaker plans to build a top-tier team to further their goal of creating a platform that enables professional connections on the blockchain. The platform aims to offer users a professional network where identities are cryptographically verifiable, addressing issues such as fake profiles and AI-generated noise that are prevalent on existing platforms.
Dan Stone, one of the co-founders of Icebreaker and a former Google employee, emphasized the importance of trust in professional networks. He stated that traditional networks prioritize engagement over genuine connections, often leading to the most visible individuals not necessarily being the most qualified. Icebreaker aims to change this by highlighting trusted connections within users’ networks, allowing for the discovery of hidden talents and opportunities.
Both Stone and his co-founder Jack Dillé have backgrounds at Google and Coinbase before venturing into the world of blockchain with Icebreaker. The platform has already conducted pilots with industry players like Coinbase, Opensea, and Polygon Labs, enabling users to create profiles using existing identities from platforms such as LinkedIn, X, GitHub, and Farcaster, among others.
In addition to CoinFund, other notable investors in Icebreaker’s seed round include venture capital firms Accomplice, Anagram, and Legion Capital, as well as support from over 30 founder angels. This strong backing indicates a promising future for Icebreaker as it seeks to revolutionize professional networking through blockchain technology.