Opolis, a blockchain-based platform for independent workers, has secured a bridge fundraising round of $6.6M. The round was led by Berlin-based crypto investment firm Greenfield, with additional investment from the NEAR Foundation, Draper Associates, and Polygon Ventures. Opolis provides tools for independent workers to manage their employment benefits, payroll, and shared services. The funds will be used to scale the business and enhance user experience.



[DENVER, CO] July 13, 2023 – Opolis, a member-owned platform that uses blockchain to provide employment infrastructure for independent workers, has secured a bridge fundraising round of $6.6M. The round was led by Berlin-based European crypto investment firm Greenfield, with supporting investment from notable entities including the NEAR Foundation, Draper Associates, and Polygon Ventures.

“At Opolis, we’re creating a radically new workplace structure and empowering independent workers to dream bigger than a traditional 9-to-5 career,” said John Paller, Executive Steward of Opolis. “We’re obsessed with creating the best possible experience for our Members, and thanks to the support of Greenfield and our other aligned investors, we’re now able to dial in our proof of scale for the long game.”

Opolis supplies tools for independent workers to professionalize their businesses, allowing them to secure and manage employment benefits, payroll, and to access shared services like unemployment, disability, and tax compliance.

“Opolis represents a new paradigm for employment: regenerative (ReGen) employment. One where mutualistic outcomes prevail for workers and the clients, communities or projects they serve,” said Felix Machart, Partner at Greenfield. “We believe the team is best suited to accomplish its mission to build the future of work: John Paller, with over 20 years experience in HR tech and founder of ETHDenver along with his colleague Eddie Pastore, a seasoned professional in the payroll industry. Hence, we are very excited to support Opolis on this journey.”

The funds raised will be used to scale the business and implement a more frictionless user experience. The roadmap for feature enhancements focuses on improved information accessibility, specifically accounting data, tax reporting details, and health insurance information.

“Opolis stands at the nexus between the evolution of work and next-generation technologies,” added Tim Draper, Founder of Draper Associates. “With millions of workers exiting the ‘traditional office,’ Opolis fills the need for a platform that serves these workers with amazing services that historically were only available to workers in the old economy.”

Marieke Flament, CEO of the NEAR Foundation, said, “Opolis is using web3 technology to provide much-needed solutions for a changing workforce that is increasingly characterized by fractionalized, decentralized, and remote work. We are excited to play a part in their journey, and believe that their technology has the potential to deliver real value for millions of workers by democratizing access to career development regardless of geography.”

This fundraise follows pre-seed and seed round raises, bringing Opolis to a total of $13.3M with the most recent funding raised at a $50M valuation. To become a member or learn more, visit opolis.co for additional information.

 

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About Opolis

Opolis is a member-owned digital employment platform that uses blockchain technology to supply tools that independent workers can use to manage their employment benefits, payroll, and shared services. Opolis was founded by John Paller, a technology entrepreneur with 20 years in the HR technology, compliance and employment systems. John is also the founder of ETHDenver, the largest and longest-running Web3 innovation event in the world. Visit opolis.co for more information.

 

About Greenfield

Greenfield Capital is a European crypto investment firm, backing developer teams building toward an open, decentralized, and more robust architecture of tomorrow’s web. Founded by Sebastian Blum and Jascha Samadi in 2018, Greenfield provides funding and competent support in operations (e.g. running validators for networks and protocols in-house), token economics and governance. Having delivered superior capital returns with their I. and II. crypto fund, Greenfield initiated 2021 its III. crypto fund, one of the largest funds dedicated to crypto in Europe to date (€135m). Greenfield’s portfolio includes Nym, NEAR, Celo, Dapper Labs, Safe, Liquity, Arweave, 1inch, The Fabricant and DRESSX among others.

 

About Draper Associates

Founded in 1985 by Tim Draper, Draper Associates is the leader in early-stage venture capital that continues to invest in technology companies that show exceptional promise. The firm’s investments have included Coinbase, Baidu, Tesla, Skype, SpaceX, Twitch, Hotmail, Focus Media, Robinhood, Carta, and other industry unicorns at the early stage. Draper Associates has built a reputation for encouraging entrepreneurs to drive their businesses to greatness, to transform industries with new technologies, and to build platforms for extraordinary growth, jobs and wealth creation. Send plans to plans@draper.vc. To learn more, visit www.draper.vc.

 

About NEAR Foundation

NEAR Foundation is a non-profit that supports the growth and Web3 development on NEAR, the Blockchain Operating System (BOS) – an industry-first common layer for browsing and discovering open web experiences. NEAR Protocol’s front end is compatible with all blockchains, making it the entry point to the open web for users and developers alike.

Established by a community-driven team of engineers and entrepreneurs, NEAR Protocol is simple to use and good for the environment.