Cardano Startups Pitch WhatsApp Payments, AI Agents and Gaming to Tim Draper

Founders in the Cardano Apex Growth Accelerator presented their startups to venture capitalist Tim Draper and other investors during the program’s Pitch Day. They explained how their products work, shared progress and answered questions about customers, competition and growth.

The presentations marked the end of the in-person portion of the 10-week accelerator, run by Draper University in partnership with the Cardano Foundation and Orion Fund. Eight teams were selected for the program, working across payments, gaming, artificial intelligence, trading and other sectors.

WhatsApp Payments and AI Agents

ChatterPay co-founder Tomas Di Mauro presented a platform that lets users send money through WhatsApp. Its software allows fintech companies to integrate the service and offer transfers to customers through the messaging app.

Di Mauro reported that ChatterPay had 11,000 mainnet wallets across 127 countries and had signed a letter of intent with Latin American fintech company Belo. He explained that the team is targeting fintech partners with existing customer bases, particularly in Latin America.

Masumi founder Patrick Tobler presented infrastructure for AI agents to find one another, interact and pay for services. The team has also built a marketplace where users can discover registered agents and hire them directly or through another agent.

Tobler reported that more than 1,000 companies use the marketplace, with an initial focus on marketing agents. He explained that the team moved to a subscription model after finding that users were uncomfortable purchasing credits in advance. Customers still receive credits, but the subscription gives them a monthly allowance.

Asked about competition from larger payment companies, Tobler described marketing as Masumi’s initial niche before expansion into other areas. He added that his team continues to build on Cardano after previously working in the NFT sector.

Gaming, Midnight and Digital Asset Infrastructure

Ascent Rivals founder Michael Yagi presented a game combining racing and shooting, designed for players and spectators. He reported 18,000 preregistrations and 20,000 hours of playtesting, with the game in closed alpha testing.

The team’s business model includes game sales, advertising, sponsorships and tournaments. When Draper asked how crypto or Cardano would be used, Yagi described a potential use for zero-knowledge proofs on Midnight: showing sponsors that tournament winnings had been paid to participants.

Kenomic co-founder Rayco Tarrida Ortega outlined infrastructure for designing, launching and managing digital assets. He described a fragmented process in which organizations must coordinate different tools and providers across the life of a token.

Tarrida explained that Kenomic plans to introduce a consumer-facing product first, with a longer-term goal of serving financial institutions. He told the panel that the team was awaiting security audits before the planned launch.

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Apex Continues After the In-Person Program

Following the pitches, founders met investors and other members of the Draper network at a networking brunch, according to Orion Fund partner Samiz Bayan.

Bayan explained that some founders planned to remain at Draper University beyond the in-person sessions, while those returning home would continue the program remotely. Apex runs for 10 weeks, with approximately half conducted in person and the other half in a hybrid format.

The other selected teams are Ospree, Origami, Nomadz and Mentioned, whose projects span compliance, trading infrastructure, travel and prediction markets. Draper University lists investment of up to $70,000 for selected Apex teams, with a target equity stake of 3.5%, alongside mentorship and access to its investor network.