Venom Labs Launches $500,000 Grant Program to Power the Next Generation of Web3 Projects

At Venom Foundation, supporting builders has always been part of our DNA. In 2024, we hosted the Token Forge Hackathon, an offline event that brought together 54 teams competing for a $200,000 prize pool, many of which are now live and thriving on Venom mainnet.

Through Venom Quests, we have distributed rewards worth $46 million in $VENOM across the first four seasons, with Season 5 currently underway and an additional 11 million $VENOM allocated across two leaderboards. Combined with Venom Cases, ecosystem incentives, and strategic investments, we’ve consistently fueled growth in the Venom ecosystem.

Today, we are formalizing and expanding that commitment with the official launch of Venom Labs, a dedicated grants division backed by an initial $500,000 war chest.

What is Venom Labs?

Venom Labs provides non-dilutive funding and strategic support to high-potential Web3 projects that are either already deployed on Venom or prepared for deep, meaningful integration. The program is designed for teams that have moved beyond the idea stage and are ready to scale with real products, real communities, and sustainable models.

Eligibility Criteria

To qualify, projects must demonstrate:

• A launched and functional Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
• An active, engaged community of at least 3,000 followers across platforms
• Full team readiness to complete KYC verification
• Current deployment on Venom mainnet or a detailed migration plan (technical specifications, roadmap, and timelines)
• A clear and realistic monetization strategy
• Transparent tokenomics with genuine utility and fair distribution (where applicable)
• A measurable 6–12 month development roadmap with defined milestones

Inaugural Grantees: NFTWood and TimeSoul

We are proud to announce the first two recipients, each awarded $50,000:

**NFTWood** — A pioneering Real World Asset project that tokenizes living trees. Every NFT purchase triggers the planting of a real tree under the owner’s full legal title. As the tree matures, its increasing value is reflected on-chain. Owners can commission artistic topiary, grafting, or multi-tree gardens, with every physical change documented via photo reports and permanently recorded on Venom.

**TimeSoul** — An innovative mindfulness and well-being ecosystem that combines AI-driven guidance, gamification, and EdTech with blockchain rewards. Users improve mental health and happiness through daily practices while earning tokens.

While this inaugural cohort highlights sustainability and consumer-facing innovation, Venom Labs is sector-agnostic and welcomes outstanding projects from DeFi, gaming, infrastructure, social, AI, and beyond.

How to Apply

To apply, simply fill out the following form: https://forms.gle/7rZEXYJLFRzJZiMY7.

Christopher Louis Tsu, CEO of Venom Foundation, commented on the launch:

From hackathons to quest seasons and ecosystem funds, Venom has always invested in builders. Venom Labs represents the natural evolution of that support — structured, transparent, and scaled to help the most promising teams reach millions. NFTWood and TimeSoul are outstanding examples of the real-world impact we want to see more of on Venom.

The future of Venom is being built today.

We look forward to reviewing your project.