Rebranded VC firm Prelude.xyz backs early-stage crypto founders with first checks and hands-on support

Prelude.xyz – Cloudflare customer – (United Kingdom)

TL;DR:

• ​Prelude.xyz is the online home of Prelude, a first-check venture fund that invests in early-stage crypto and blockchain founders.
• ​The firm rebranded from Cherry Crypto (Cherry.xyz) to Prelude in April 2025, adopting a name it says reflects its focus on investing before companies become obvious.

Prelude.xyz Overview

• What: Prelude.xyz is the online home of Prelude, a first-check venture fund that invests in early-stage crypto and blockchain founders. According to the website, Prelude backs teams as early as the idea stage, typically leading or co-leading rounds with checks between $500,000 and $2M.
• Why: Prelude describes its investment approach as getting involved before companies become obvious to the broader market, a philosophy reflected in its April 2025 rebrand from Cherry Crypto to Prelude.
  • The firm’s announcement states it is optimistic about the “next phase” of crypto, pointing to established infrastructure, a shifting regulatory landscape, and products beginning to reach broader audiences.
• Where: According to the website, Prelude operates as a London-based team, while the firm’s Imprint lists Prelude Management GmbH as registered in Berlin, Germany.
• How: Prelude.xyz states that each fund invests in approximately 30 companies, with the firm working closely with teams from the initial check through later stages. Prelude invests in both equity and tokens across a range of verticals and business models and takes a global approach to sourcing founders.

Notable Prelude.xyz Portfolio Investments

• ​Anboto.xyz: Built for crypto hedge funds, OTC desks, and institutional traders, the platform offers algorithmic trade execution across more than 20 centralized and decentralized exchanges, according to its website.
• ​HairDAO.xyz: A network built on open-source principles, according to its website, where researchers and patients work together funding and studying potential hair loss treatments.
• ​Narval.xyz: A platform giving institutional custody providers a way to route wallet activity into onchain protocols, according to its documentation.

Prelude.xyz Leadership

• ​Patrick Mayr: PMayr.xyz, Co-founder and Partner
• ​Brett Sun: Co-founder and Partner; GitHub history shows prior contributions to Aragon, an Ethereum-based framework for building decentralized organizations
• ​Yannis Heyken: Co-founder and Operating Partner; listed as Managing Director of Prelude Management GmbH on the firm’s Imprint page

Connect with Prelude.xyz

• Website: https://prelude.xyz/
• X/Twitter: @preludexyz
• LinkedIn: @preludexyz

Why .xyz is a great choice for Prelude.xyz

• ​.XYZ’s generic, open-ended nature suits a fund that, according to Prelude.xyz, invests across multiple verticals, business models, and asset types.
• Several of Prelude’s own portfolio companies also use .xyz domains, aligning the fund’s web presence with the broader founder community it backs.
• According to Prelude’s own announcement post, the fund operated as Cherry Crypto on Cherry.xyz before becoming an independent fund and rebranding to Prelude in 2025, carrying .xyz over into a new, short, easy-to-type domain under its new name.

More blockchain investment from the #GenXYZ community

• Blockchain-focused investor Mirana.xyz invests in blockchain and AI infrastructure projects.
• Technology investment firm Infinite.xyz supports decentralized networks and deep tech innovation, from Ethereum to Tesla.
• Early-stage venture firm GenVentures.xyz backs machine economy projects across AI, DePIN, and blockchain.