Companies
Polkadot and Web3 Foundation in Zug: Switzerland's Role in Building the Blockchain of Blockchains
Polkadot is one of the most architecturally ambitious blockchain networks in existence — a relay chain designed to unify hundreds of specialised blockchains into a single interoperable protocol. Its governance body, the Web3 Foundation, is a Swiss Stiftung registered in Zug. Its development engine, Parity Technologies, is headquartered in the same canton. Understanding Polkadot requires understanding the Zug institutional triangle that built it.
Crypto Valley Association: The Trade Body That Organised Zug's Blockchain Ecosystem
The Crypto Valley Association is the trade body that turned Zug's informal blockchain gathering into an institutionally organised ecosystem. Founded in 2017 with 50 members, it now represents 1,000+ organisations and serves as the primary liaison between Switzerland's blockchain sector and its regulators, politicians, and international partners.
CV Labs: Zug's Blockchain Incubation Infrastructure
CV Labs is the physical and programmatic home for blockchain startups in Zug. From its co-working and incubation spaces, CV Labs has supported 100+ blockchain companies through the critical early stages of incorporation, regulatory navigation, and institutional relationship building that determine whether a blockchain startup succeeds in Crypto Valley.
CV VC: Crypto Valley's Institutional Venture Capital Firm
CV VC is Crypto Valley's institutional memory in venture capital form. The Zug-based firm has backed over 100 blockchain companies since 2018, manages a portfolio valued at $890 million, and publishes the CV VC Top 50 — the annual report that has become the definitive benchmark for measuring Switzerland's blockchain ecosystem.
Parity Technologies: The Engineering Studio Behind Polkadot
Parity Technologies is the engineering firm that built the infrastructure the blockchain ecosystem runs on. Co-founded by Ethereum co-founder Gavin Wood, Parity created the Polkadot network, developed the Substrate blockchain framework used by hundreds of projects, and has been based in Zug's Crypto Valley since its founding.
Web3 Foundation: The Polkadot Governance Engine in Zug
The Web3 Foundation is the Swiss Stiftung that governs the Polkadot ecosystem — managing the DOT treasury, funding development through its grants program, and stewarding the vision of a user-owned internet that Gavin Wood articulated in his 2014 'Web3' essay. Based in Zug, it follows the Swiss foundation model established by the Ethereum Foundation.