Tampa startup connecting businesses to the blockchain raises $5.75 million

Tampa startup Blockspaces secured $5.75 million in a seed round of investments, the company announced this week.

Blockspaces is a company that helps businesses transition to use blockchain networks, a decentralized ledger known for cryptocurrency. The funding was led by San Francisco-based Leadout Capital. Other venture capital firms that participated included QED’s Seed Fund, Bolt, GTMfund, Tampa-based Druid Ventures and founder of mobile social gaming company Zynga, Mark Pincus.

The Tampa startup located within Embarc Collective, a local startup hub, was founded in 2017 by Rosa Shores and Gabe Higgins. Its second funding round, which secured $1.25 million in March, pushed Blockspaces to be one of the leading female-led blockchain companies in the U.S., according to Crunchbase.

“We believe organizations like BlockSpaces that can facilitate a bridge between the ‘old world’ and the new will have a huge impact on shaping the technology landscape over the next 5-10 years,” venture partner Scott Barker at GTMfund said in a statement.

Blockspaces offers a platform that connects already-existing business applications to blockchain networks, both public and private. This includes creating digital wallets or NFTs, non-fungible tokens.

2021 was a big year for Blockspaces, which reported record growth in revenues and its customer base. The company now has a global presence across three continents. The investor funding will help Blockspaces hire more workers, support its ongoing growth and add new blockchains.