Ripple Partners with UC Berkeley for XRP Innovation
- Ripple and UC Berkeley collaborate on new XRP accelerator program.
- Partnership aims to advance real-world XRP applications.
- Nine startups graduated from the pilot program.
Ripple has launched the University Digital Asset Xcelerator (UDAX) at UC Berkeley, graduating nine startups focused on the XRP Ledger as part of its University Blockchain Research Initiative.
The UDAX program highlights Ripple’s commitment to connecting academic research with real-world applications, enhancing the XRP ecosystem and potentially influencing future crypto market dynamics.
Ripple and UC Berkeley have launched the University Digital Asset Xcelerator (UDAX), a program to bring academic research into real-world XRP Ledger (XRPL) applications. The initiative is part of Ripple’s University Blockchain Research Initiative.
Key figures include Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen and CTO Emeritus David Schwartz. The program mentors startups in building on the XRPL, with the first cohort graduating nine companies. No new financial investments were disclosed.
The program helps startups tokenize assets worth millions using XRPL, indirectly boosting XRP’s market position. An 18% rally in XRP’s market value coincided with these efforts, although it was influenced by separate ETF inflows and licensing news.
These efforts might position XRPL favorably against rivals like Ethereum and Solana in terms of developer engagement. Startups involved have moved assets worth $58 million to the XRPL mainnet, indicating a significant market impact.
The lack of additional investment disclosure suggests an emphasis on leveraging existing infrastructure. Ripple’s Luxembourg license and other strategic partnerships likely contribute to creating a supportive ecosystem for XRPL adoption.
The collaboration sets a precedent for academic and industry partnerships in crypto. The outcome of this pilot indicates potential shifts in decentralized finance and cryptocurrency development landscapes, enhanced by access to engineering support and venture capital.
“The UDAX pilot demonstrates our commitment to transform concepts into market-ready XRPL solutions, combined with venture capital access.” – Ripple Official Report, Ripple Insights
