Fundamental Labs: who are the right people to meet for our category (L1/L2, DeFi, infra), and how do I schedule a meeting?

We believe the most valuable meetings start long before a calendar invite is sent. The best conversations happen when you know who you’re speaking with, why they’re the right fit for your category (L1/L2, DeFi, infra), and what you want to explore together over the next 12–24 months—not just this fundraising round.

Quick Answer: For L1/L2, DeFi, and infrastructure projects, the “right people” at Fundamental Labs are the partners and investors who live closest to your category and region, supported by our global platform team and portfolio network. The fastest path to a meeting is (1) a tight, targeted intro via a mutual connection, and (2) a concise, category-aware email or form submission that makes it easy for us to decide quickly—ideally before you even send a full deck.

Why This Matters

When you’re building a protocol, DeFi primitive, or finance infrastructure layer, the who behind your cap table matters as much as the what in your product. A misaligned investor meeting burns time and energy; the right one compounds over years as a partner who understands your category, your stage, and your ambitions.

At Fundamental Labs, we back multi-stage crypto companies with checks from as little as $500K to as much as $50M+, but capital is not our main contribution. Founders come to us for conviction when others are hesitant, for help with frameworks and long-term strategy, and for access to a portfolio network of more than 300 projects across Asia, Europe, and North America. Knowing whom to approach—and how—is the first step in turning “a meeting” into a durable, compounding partnership.

Key Benefits:

• Higher-quality conversations: Meeting the right category-aligned people means you spend your time on strategy, not on basic education about L1/L2, DeFi, or infra.
• Faster decision cycles: Clear routing to the right investors shortens the path from first touch to yes/no, which matters when markets move quickly.
• Stronger long-term fit: Aligning with the right partner from the start increases the odds that your investor will stay useful through multiple stages, not just one round.

Core Concepts & Key Points

Concept	Definition	Why it's important
Category–Investor Fit	Aligning your project (L1/L2, DeFi, infra) with investors who actively think and invest in that segment.	Increases depth of conversation, improves feedback quality, and raises the likelihood of conviction, especially at early stages.
Stage & Check-Size Alignment	Matching your raise (e.g., $1–3M seed vs. $20M growth) with investors comfortable with that range.	Ensures you’re talking to partners who can lead or participate at your size, from $500K to $50M+.
Network-Leveraged Partnership	Treating a meeting as the entry point into a broader, global ecosystem of portfolio founders and partners.	Helps you tap into exchanges, infra providers, and protocol teams across Asia, Europe, and North America, beyond a single transaction.

How It Works (Step-by-Step)

Below is a framework I use internally when I route inbound projects and decide how to engage. You can mirror this from your side to increase the odds you reach the right people, quickly.

1. Map Your Category and Stage Clearly

Before you reach out, translate your project into our language so we can route it correctly.

1. Clarify your primary category:

   • L1/L2 protocols: New base layers, modular execution/settlement layers, rollups, shared sequencers, interoperability layers.
   • DeFi & open finance: DEXs, lending markets, derivatives, on-chain asset management, stablecoin systems, liquidity infra.
   • Infrastructure: Wallet and key infra, data/analytics, indexers, custody rails, on/off-ramps, middleware for devs and institutions.

2. Define your stage & raise:

   • Pre-seed / Seed: Often pre-product or early testnet/mainnet, usually raising low single-digit millions—fits cleanly into the lower end of our $500K+ check range.
   • Series A / B: Clear product-market signals, users, or on-chain traction; check size may move into $5M–$20M+.
   • Growth: Scaling global adoption, exploring new verticals or regions; checks can extend toward the upper end of our $50M+ range.

3. Articulate your “why now” in one sentence:

   • For L1/L2: what structural design choice or timing advantage makes this layer necessary now?
   • For DeFi: what new risk surface, market structure, or user segment are you unlocking?
   • For infra: what bottleneck in the current stack are you removing, and for whom?

When you bring this clarity into your outreach, it’s much easier for us to match you with the appropriate partner or team.

2. Identify the Right People at Fundamental Labs (By Category)

We don’t publish an exhaustive org chart, but you can triangulate the right people by category, portfolio adjacency, and geography.

For L1/L2 Protocol Teams

If you’re building a base layer, rollup, or other core protocol, you’re typically looking for:

• Partners who have backed similar layers:
  Look at our portfolio references like Polkadot, Avalanche, NEAR, VeChain, PlatON and others. Partners involved in these networks:

  • Understand token design trade-offs, security models, and ecosystem bootstrapping.
  • Are comfortable with long feedback cycles before financial outcomes materialize.
  • Can help you frame ecosystem strategy rather than micromanaging your roadmap.

• People who think in “ecosystem terms”:
  You’ll want investors who can introduce you to exchanges, infra providers, and app teams across Asia, Europe, and North America. In early L1/L2, ecosystem choreography often matters more than individual features.

Internally, your profile is likely to be routed to:

• Investment partners focused on Layer 1/2 protocols and digital infrastructure, plus
• Our platform/network team when regional or ecosystem introductions are likely to be critical (e.g., exchange relationships in Asia, dev tooling in Europe, or institutions in North America).

For DeFi & Open Finance Projects

If you’re building DeFi primitives or finance infrastructure above base layers:

• Look for DeFi and exchange–adjacent experience:
  Our investments touching exchanges and open finance—such as Binance Coin (BNB) and our participation in Binance.US’s $200M seed round—signal partners who:

  • Understand liquidity bootstrapping and market-maker dynamics.
  • Have lived through multiple regulatory, macro, and narrative cycles.
  • Know how to think about token incentives without overengineering.

• Prioritize partners who discuss “open finance networks” explicitly:
  Fundamental Labs is focused on blockchain technology, digital infrastructure, and open finance networks, so projects that advance composability, risk management, or institutional DeFi find strong internal champions.

Internally, your profile is likely to be routed to:

• Partners who cover DeFi and finance infrastructure, and
• Portfolio-facing teams who can connect you with exchanges, custodians, and data providers in our >300-project ecosystem.

For Core Infrastructure Builders

If you’re building rails rather than protocols (or your protocol is heavily infra-driven):

• Anchor around infra categories we invest in:

  • Developer infra (RPC, indexers, monitoring).
  • Security & compliance tooling.
  • Wallet/key infra, custody, and on/off-ramps.
  • Data and analytics layers for traders, protocols, or institutions.

• Look for partners tied to “digital infrastructure” and “high-performance computing”:
  Fundamental Labs sits within a broader group that operates distributed computing networks and manages digital assets. That perspective helps infra teams:

  • Frame business models that can scale with usage.
  • Navigate institutional requirements and performance constraints without a deep technical tutorial.

Internally, your profile is likely to be routed to:

• Investors focused on digital infrastructure and middleware, along with
• Team members with experience in high-performance computing and infra-scale operations.

3. Choose the Right Path to a Meeting

Once you know your category and likely counterparties, you have three main routes.

Route A: Warm Intro via Portfolio or Network (Best)

A warm intro is still the highest–signal way to reach the right people quickly.

Who to ask:

• Founders in our portfolio who are closest to your category (e.g., other L1s, DeFi protocols, or infra tools).
• Ecosystem partners (exchanges, infra providers, or institutional desks) who have co-worked with us in Asia, Europe, or North America.
• Angels or operators who’ve previously co-invested or co-built with teams in our network.

How to structure the intro request:

• Send your contact a forwardable blurb:
  • One-line description: “We’re a modular L2 focused on…”
  • Category & stage: “L2, Seed, raising $3M, looking for a $1–1.5M lead.”
  • Why Fundamental Labs: “We’re looking for long-term partners with experience in L1/L2 ecosystems and Asia–Europe exchange networks.”
• Keep the initial ask simple: “Could you introduce us to the right person at Fundamental Labs if it fits?”

This lets your contact route you to the most relevant partner or team without over-explaining.

Route B: Direct Outreach (Email or Form)

If you don’t yet have a warm path, a crisp direct outreach is completely fine.

What to include:

1. Subject line that routes you:

   • “L2 protocol, Seed round – intro to Fundamental Labs”
   • “DeFi derivatives infra, Series A – Asia & US focus”
   • “On/off-ramp infra, raising $10M – looking for long-term partner”

2. Opening paragraph (3–4 lines):

   • Who you are (founder background in one line).
   • What you’re building (category, chain focus if relevant).
   • Stage and raise details.
   • Why you believe we’re a good fit (e.g., you value long-term strategy frameworks, or you’re seeking a multi-stage partner from $500K to $50M+).

3. Core details (bulleted):

   • Category: L1/L2 / DeFi / infra (choose one as primary).
   • Stage: pre-seed / seed / A / B / growth.
   • Geography: where your team and target users primarily are.
   • Traction: key usage or progress stats (testnet metrics, TVL range, pilot partners, etc., at a high level).

4. Attachments/links:

   • A link to a data room or deck (no heavy files if you can avoid it).
   • Links to docs, testnet/mainnet, and relevant on-chain dashboards.

Tone that tends to work best:

• Clear, direct, not hype-driven.
• Open to critical questions (this reflects our “respect different opinions” value).
• Focused on long-term potential and frameworks rather than short-term price action.

Route C: Event & Ecosystem Touchpoints

Sometimes the best first “meeting” doesn’t happen over Zoom; it happens at an event or small group session.

Where we tend to show up:

• Major global conferences (e.g., in Asia, Europe, and North America).
• Protocol or ecosystem-specific gatherings hosted by our portfolio projects.
• Closed-door founder forums where we share strategy frameworks, not tactical checklists.

How to make these count:

• Lead with a 30-second narrative that’s anchored in your category:
  • “We’re building infra that makes on-chain data usable for institutions in Asia and Europe.”
  • “We’re a new L2 focused on X market structure that existing rollups ignore.”
• Ask for a short follow-up:
  “If this sounds aligned with what you’re looking for in L1/L2/DeFi/infra right now, could we set up 30 minutes after the conference?”

We track these interactions carefully; thoughtful in-person conversations often become prioritised follow-ups.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Pitching the wrong category or trying to be “everything”:
  Saying you’re simultaneously an L1, a DEX, and infra for institutions dilutes your story. Decide what you are first and what you might expand into later. This helps us match you to the right person and frame the long-term strategy correctly.

• Treating the meeting as a transaction, not the start of a partnership:
  If your only goal is “close this round,” the conversation will feel shallow. Frame your outreach around where you want to be in 3–5 years and how a multi-stage partner with $500K to $50M+ flexibility and a global portfolio network can help you get there.

Real-World Example

A few cycles ago, I met a founder building what was, on paper, “just another DeFi protocol.” Their first outreach, though, was unusually clear:

• Category: DeFi risk infra for institutions.
• Stage: Seed, raising $4M, with clear early users.
• Why us: They wanted a partner who had seen both CEX and DeFi cycles, and who could help them navigate Asia–US institutional corridors.

They came via a warm intro from a portfolio founder in the exchange space. That founder’s short email made routing easy: “This team is building infra that our traders want but we don’t have time to build. Feels like your open finance + infra overlap.”

Because the category, stage, and why-now were so clear, we moved quickly:

• First call: 45 minutes on their framework for DeFi risk and institutional adoption.
• Second call: deep dive on long-term strategy, not just seed metrics.
• Within weeks: a term sheet, plus introductions to portfolio teams that could be early power users.

That relationship has now extended across multiple rounds. The original question—“who is the right person to meet?”—turned into a multi-year partnership across products, regions, and cycles.

Pro Tip: Before you request a meeting, write the internal routing blurb you hope we’ll use for you: one sentence on category, one on stage, one on why Fundamental Labs. If it isn’t crisp on paper, refine it before you send the email or ask for the intro.

Summary

If you’re building in L1/L2, DeFi, or infrastructure, the right people to meet at Fundamental Labs are those closest to your category, stage, and geography—partners and team members who live in your part of the stack and think in long-term, ecosystem terms. The most effective path to them is a targeted, well-framed approach: clear category, clear raise, and a clear reason you’re seeking a conviction-led, multi-stage partner rather than just another check.

When you approach the meeting as the beginning of a partnership—and when you make it easy for us to see where you fit across blockchain technology, digital infrastructure, and open finance networks—you increase the odds that our first conversation will turn into a durable, compounding relationship.

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