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Six blockchain startups completed Ripple and UC Berkeley’s inaugural digital asset accelerator with live product deployments, institutional partnerships, and measurable growth metrics, demonstrating early traction for applications built on the XRP Ledger.
The University Digital Asset Xcelerator (UDAX) cohort presented final results at Ripple’s San Francisco headquarters, where founders reported an average 67% increase in product maturity and collectively deployed over $1.5 million in tokenized assets to mainnet during the six-week program.
“The collaboration with UC Berkeley and access to Ripple’s engineering and capital networks instantly elevated our confidence and product roadmap,” – Anonymous
During the six-week accelerator, several cohort members achieved deployment milestones and traction that go beyond proof-of-concept. WaveTip, a tipping platform for live streamers, successfully transitioned to the XRPL mainnet and launched on the Chrome Web Store.
X-Card, which fractionalizes physical collectibles into liquid digital assets, onboarded more than $1.5 million in inventory and established partnerships with merchant communities.
In capital markets and financial use cases, CRX Digital Assets sharpened its strategy for exporting Brazilian credit products globally via the XRPL, boosting its tokenized volume from $39 million to $58 million during the programme.
Meanwhile, Blockroll introduced stablecoin-backed virtual cards for African freelancers using Ripple’s RLUSD infrastructure, an innovation its CEO highlighted as expanding access to global financial services.
“With RLUSD, Blockroll can offer stablecoin-backed debit cards that work globally, unlocking financial access opportunities for communities historically shut out of traditional systems,” — Sadiq Isiaka, CEO, Blockroll.
Across the cohort, founders reported an average 67% increase in product maturity and a 92% rise in fundraising confidence, suggesting UDAX wasn’t just a learning exercise but a launchpad toward sustainability and investment readiness.
Ripple’s push with UDAX comes at a moment when the company is intensifying efforts to position the XRPL as a competitive infrastructure layer for institutional blockchain applications.
Beyond payments and tokenisation, the programme makes a strategic effort to attract institutional venture participation and real-world revenue models to the network, a challenge blockchain ecosystems have grappled with industry-wide.
Building from the academic strengths of UC Berkeley, one of the world’s most prolific incubators of venture-backed startups, the partnership marries academic research with industry execution.
Ripple and Berkeley faculty worked side-by-side with founders, supported by seasoned mentors, to refine business strategies as well as technical solutions.
Industry observers note that accelerator programmes often struggle to produce meaningful outcomes in blockchain because sector-specific knowledge and capital are less mature than in traditional technology sectors.
UDAX’s ability to deliver mainnet launches and real user growth challenges that perception, but questions remain about longer-term adoption beyond early success stories.
“It’s one thing to graduate from an accelerator, but sustaining growth, attracting enterprise partners and converting pilot projects into scalable products is the real test of whether XRPL can compete with platforms like Ethereum or Solana.”
Ripple has already opened applications for the next UDAX cohort, signalling confidence in the program’s model and its potential to attract mission-driven founders ready to scale solutions with broader economic impact.
Increasing institutional use of XRPL beyond speculative trading remains a core objective for Ripple as the company competes for developer mindshare and venture capital dollars in a crowded blockchain landscape.
As UDAX enters its next phase, stakeholders will be watching whether the accelerator can produce startups that secure significant partnerships, generate revenue, and contribute lasting infrastructure to the XRPL ecosystem, crucial yardsticks for institutional investors evaluating blockchain’s practical utility.
If successful, UDAX may serve as a blueprint for other blockchain-university collaborations worldwide, an important evolution if the industry is to move beyond hype toward sustainable, real-world blockchain adoption.
