Icebreaker makes use of blockchain to permit customers to switch skilled profiles and networks into one verified channel.
Icebreaker, a revolutionary new platform aiming to be the world’s first open-source skilled community constructed on blockchain expertise, has secured $5 million in seed funding. Icebreaker takes a major step in direction of shaking up the dominance of closed networks like LinkedIn, which regularly shops and monetizes person knowledge.
CoinFund led the funding spherical, with participation from outstanding enterprise capital corporations like Confederate, Anagram, and Legion Capital. Icebreaker’s valuation at present sits at $21 million, reflecting the potential traders see in its capacity to disrupt the skilled networking panorama.
Blockchain-Powered Open Community for Skilled Identities
The co-founders of Icebreaker, Dan Stone and Jack Dillé, are veterans from tech giants Google and Coinbase, respectively. They purpose to create a system the place customers management and personal their skilled identities and reputations as an alternative of centralized platforms. Their imaginative and prescient resonates with many professionals pissed off by LinkedIn’s paywalls and credit score techniques.
“Think about if you happen to click on the login button, and you then see the whole thing of your community throughout LinkedIn, Twitter, Farcaster, and e-mail? Think about what number of intros could possibly be extra successfully routed if you happen to may see the total image of how you’re related with any person,” stated Stone.
Icebreaker makes use of blockchain to permit customers to switch skilled profiles and networks into one verified channel. Its founders envision this as an “open graph of repute and id”, in contrast to LinkedIn’s “closed community” method, which they consider limits knowledge entry and hinders the free discovery of candidates and alternatives on-line.
Crushing Pretend Profiles Quick
The rise of AI-generated content material and faux profiles on-line has eroded belief in conventional social media platforms. Icebreaker tackles this head-on by enabling customers to immediately confirm their credentials and supply verifiable endorsements inside their community. This fosters a extra dependable and reliable setting for skilled interactions.
Dillé himself highlights this subject, pointing to his personal LinkedIn profile the place he playfully listed his title as “CEO of Google” to show the benefit of spreading misinformation on Web2 platforms. Icebreaker goals to remove such vulnerabilities for each job seekers and recruiters.
“The brand new funding will enable us to scale our staff and product growth,” the corporate acknowledged. This funding might be essential in constructing a sturdy platform that may compete with established gamers like LinkedIn.