04-30-2025 
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Global venture builder Block Dojo had something extra to celebrate when its latest group of startups completed its three-month accelerator program. This was the tenth cohort to graduate from the scheme, and making it into double figures was a milestone that Dojo could be proud of.
At its now-traditional Showcase evening to round off the scheme, the startups had a chance to pitch their businesses to an audience of family and friends and, crucially, potential investors, attracted by the chance to get in on the ground floor with businesses that all hope to be the next big thing.
The tenth cohort was an impressively varied group whose founders had an eye for helping others and simply making profits. The startups were Bamboo Nest, a personal assistant for parents; Bonded, an app to help couples prove their relationship for immigration purposes; Koala, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered productivity tool for people with ADHD; TracePort, a platform to increase transparency and accountability in the charitable sector, and; UGiftMe, a solution to improve the gift card experience.
Despite the incubator’s name, the startups don’t all use blockchain. Block Dojo has evolved over its ten graduation cycles; its original emphasis on blockchain is now complemented by AI.
As Program Director Mattias De Cnydt said in introducing the evening, “We are a venture builder at the crossroads of blockchain and AI, so we believe these technologies go hand in hand and that they will create incredible opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors alike.”
Block Dojo is also open to good ideas of whatever flavor. As business models evolve during the program and founders rethink them with the help of expert mentoring and tuition, blockchain, AI, and other technologies come and go as their plans solidify into the pitches they present at the Showcase evening.
Among this group, there’s been nothing but praise for the Block Dojo organizers and appreciation for what they have learned in the past twelve weeks.
“It has been, in a nutshell, wonderfully intense,” says Paula Yau-Illat of Bamboo Nest, with a smile.
Yau-Illat’s parenting experience inspired her business idea, but she adds that “coming from predominantly being a mum, it was a bit of a big gear shift for me, but the support from the team has been outstanding.”
Like many on the program, Yau-Illat found that the process changed her plans: “The idea I came in with is not the version of Bamboo Nest that we see now, but that’s part of the process…I think this version is definitely better.”
Glen Cameron of Bonded stressed how the program allowed him to focus on his idea without the usual distractions.
“When you devote three months to something, and you decide to do nothing else, you find out if you really want to. And I found out that I’m very happy to keep moving. Bonded’s growing fast, and I’m just delighted with what’s going on.”
For Ayo Dawodu of UGiftMe, the intensity of the Dojo was what he most appreciated: “It’s a 12-week sprint. That’s the biggest thing I get from it—the speed at which you get to go to market. Because in the world of startups, speed is everything. I really value that.”
Valerie Oyiki of Koala agrees, saying, “Block Dojo has been very intense. But I think sometimes pressure is what creates diamonds. I know that Koala is a diamond. It is a great process that gets you where you need to be very, very quickly.”
Finally, Bridget Doran of Traceport mentions the personal side of being in the group of founders: “We have all become really close. We are very supportive of each other. We all could practically give each other’s pitch.”
Fortunately, that wasn’t necessary at the Showcase. Everyone was able to give their own pitch confidently, and five new businesses were launched.
Stand by for Dojo’s Cohort 11!
Watch: Exploring emerging tech in the startup world
Recommended for you
