● Curious Ventures · Network School, Singapore · AI × Web3
The fund for consumer AI and Web3 founders at Network School.
Curious is the pre-seed fund backing founders building the next generation of consumer apps at the Ârc × Network School accelerator. We live inside the programme, beside the builders. We write the first check when it matters.
01 · What We Fund
The consumer internet is forking. Serious builders are still missing.
AI is changing how users command software. Crypto is changing how users own assets. The same users are living through both shifts at the same time — and the application layer has barely begun. Most funds chase the same schools, the same cities, the same networks, and miss the founders closest to the new behaviour.
The infrastructure is done. Models are capable. Chains are fast. Wallets are invisible. What's missing is product — consumer product that finds distribution. That's the opening. Curious is here to back you through it.
Software that does
AI is moving from copilots to autopilots. We back verticalised, full-stack apps that own the end-to-end workflow — not another wrapper on ChatGPT.
The agent economy
AI is re-pricing human time. We back micro-earning platforms where humans and agents transact together — playing, sharing, creating, and earning.
Distribution, not infrastructure
Web3 infra already exists. We don't fund another chain or another wallet. We fund consumer products that use mature rails to reach real users and keep them.
More important than any of the above: you.
Thesis is a starting point, not a filter. Exceptional founders beat perfect thesis fit every time. If you're building something we should know about, come to Network School.
02 · Ideas Ready to Build
Curious will fund these ideas today. Why not you?
Models are capable. Agents are arriving. Stablecoins work. Pick one of these off the shelf or bring your own.
01 · Vertical AI
Full-stack AI for consumer verticals
Specialised products for healthcare, personal finance, creative expression. Specialised beats horizontal. Suno and Midjourney already capture 45% of paid AI flow.
02 · The Agent Economy
Consumer apps for an agent-native world
Agent-native interfaces, agent-to-agent payments, reputation and identity for agents. Consumer products built for a world where AI agents act on users' behalf.
03 · Micro-Earning
Turning time online into income
Play-to-earn for a post-speculation era. Creator monetisation. Task markets for humans and agents. Platforms that turn daily digital life into earned income.
04 · Consumer Web3
Onchain apps with invisible infra
SocialFi, interactive entertainment, digital collectibles, creator economy. Products a normal person would actually use — mature rails, consumer-grade UX.
05 · Stablecoin Apps
Consumer products on stablecoin rails
Remittances, savings, payroll, subscriptions. Stablecoins are projected to handle 1 in 8 cross-border transactions. Where's the consumer winner?
06 · Creator-Led
Products launched with distribution baked in
Products launched by and with creators who have distribution on day one. The institutional engine behind talent that already has reach.
07 · AI × Web3
Where agents need identity and payments
Onchain agent wallets, agent reputation systems, machine-to-machine settlement. The settlement and trust layer of the agent economy.
Live thesis, updated as the opportunity set evolves.
03 · Why This Works
A different way to fund founders.
Most pre-seed investors meet you once, do a call, maybe take a second meeting, and decide. We don't. Curious lives inside Ârc at Network School — beside the builders, every day, for as long as they're here.
We see the work, not the pitch
We watch founders ship, iterate, and talk to users in real time. By the time we write a check, we've seen the product evolve — not just the deck.
We're your first partner
The first check matters more than any other. We write it with conviction, not as a placeholder. When the next round comes, we're already in the trenches with you.
We back dark talent
Not everyone at Network School is ready for institutional capital on day one. We back the founders the market hasn't priced yet — and stay close as they find their shape.
04 · The Accelerator
Ârc at Network School. The programme Curious backs.
Curious doesn't run the accelerator — Ârc does, on the ground at Network School, Balaji Srinivasan's permanent society on an island near Singapore. It's a continuous programme. Founders arrive when they're ready and stay as long as they're building. Curious and Fulgur are the two capital partners inside it.
Community
Live and work alongside the ambitious people already building at NS. The best network you'll plug into anywhere in Asia.
Co-founders and teams
Arriving solo is not a problem. The density of capable builders at Network School means engineers, designers, and commercial partners come together fast.
Scholarships
When we want to invest but aren't quite ready, a scholarship bridges the gap. Covered residency at NS, rolling month by month, so you can keep building while we get to conviction.
05 · How It Works
A continuous programme. Arrive when you're ready. Stay as long as you're building.
Step 01
Apply to the Accelerator
Apply to Ârc at Network School any time. We review on a rolling basis and aim to reply within ten days.
Step 02
Arrive
Come to Network School at your own cost to start. Settle in, meet the community, get to work.
Step 03
Build
Ship something. Talk to users. Curious and Ârc are on the ground beside you. Expert sessions, VC talks, shared programming with Fulgur.
Step 04
Get Funded
When the work is ready, Curious writes the first check. $25k to $500k. Co-investors and Fulgur's partners join when relevant.
What acceptance actually means.
An offer from Ârc is an invitation, not a free ride. Accepted founders come to Network School at their own cost to start. That's how the programme filters for people who are serious. Ship something once you're here, make progress we can point to, and the scholarship — and the first check — follow.
06 · Partners
One accelerator. Two funds. Shared programming.
Accelerator · Host & Operator
Ârc at Network School
Runs the accelerator on the ground at Network School. Workspace, founder community, scholarships, and the operational backbone. The programme everything else plugs into.
Fund · AI × Web3
Curious Ventures
First-check pre-seed fund for consumer AI and Web3 founders in the programme. $25k–$500k. Community-native, distribution-first.
Fund · Bitcoin
Fulgur Asia
Parallel pre-seed fund inside the same accelerator, backing Bitcoin builders. Curious and Fulgur share events, programming, and Demo Days.
Venue & Community
Network School
Balaji Srinivasan's permanent society near Singapore. Home of the programme and its founder pipeline.
07 · Investment Committee
Operators, not observers.
General Partner, Curious Ventures
Ashish Sood
Operator during the Fintech and BNPL boom. Five years in Web3 at Polytrade ($5B+ in assets, 150+ dApps integrated). Deep advisory experience in tokenomics, GTM, and community scaling. Angel investor in 50+ projects. Previously: J.P. Morgan, PayU, PaySense, Mastercard.
Leader, Ârc
James of Ârc
Brings the on-ground view of who's shipping, who's serious, and who's ready to raise at Network School.
Ready to build?
Apply to the accelerator at Ârc × Network School. We read every application. If you're the right fit, Ârc will be in touch within ten days — and Curious will be waiting when you arrive.
Apply to the Accelerator →Partner with us.
We're actively speaking with co-investors and ecosystem partners who want exposure to the talent coming through Network School. If that's you, get in touch.
Get in Touch