“"Cost of Trust 2.0": the largest outcomes accrue to networks that compress the cost of establishing trust, roughly 35% of the US labor market by 1kx's own estimate. Focuses on onchain finance, stablecoin-driven trade finance corridors, real-world assets moving onchain, and security infrastructure for agentic AI.”
The firm's own portfolio page lists 84 companies across three self-defined categories (Infrastructure, Onchain Finance, Applications). Splits below are computed from a 16-company sample we mapped from those categories into the web3 sector vocabulary, not the full 84.
1kx is a research-driven global investment firm founded in 2018 by Lasse Clausen and Christopher Heymann, with roots in Berlin and a public record of being one of the stronger European entry points for crypto-native founders. The firm's latest disclosed fund closed at $75 million in March 2024, backed by investors including Marc Andreessen and Galaxy, and the firm states it has made 168 investments with 12 unicorns across its history.
The firm's current published thesis, "Cost of Trust 2.0," argues that roughly 35% of the US labor market is trust-enabling work (auditors, escrow agents, intermediaries, paperwork) and that blockchain compresses the cost of establishing that trust toward zero. From that framework, 1kx names four specific current focus areas: onchain finance (the mature core trust market), stablecoin payments to emerging-market trade corridors ("the most important blockchain product category of 2026" per the firm's own language), real-world assets moving onchain for cheaper settlement, and security infrastructure for agentic AI.
The firm's own portfolio page organizes 84 named companies into three self-defined categories, Infrastructure (18 companies, including Solana, Polkadot, Matter Labs, Safe), Onchain Finance (23 companies, including Curve, Maker, Rocket Pool, Superstate), and Applications (18 companies, including Pudgy Penguins, Sandbox, Rarible), reflecting the firm's real range across nearly a decade of crypto cycles.
Key stats:
| Partner | Role | Where to find them |
|---|---|---|
| Lasse Clausen | Founding Partner | 1kx.capital/team |
| Christopher Heymann | Founding Partner | 1kx.capital/team |
| Henry Brodie | Operating Partner and COO | 1kx.capital/team |
| Peter Pan | Research Partner | 1kx.capital/team |
| Wei Dai | Research Partner | 1kx.capital/team |
| Nichanan Kesonpat | Research Principal | 1kx.capital/team |
Individual X and LinkedIn handles were not independently confirmed on the pages fetched, so we link the team page rather than guess.