Sandeep Nailwal

Sandeep Nailwal is a highly influential figure in the global blockchain and Web3 landscape, primarily recognized as the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Polygon (formerly Matic Network), a leading Layer-2 scaling solution for Ethereum. Beyond his pivotal role in building Polygon into a multi-billion dollar ecosystem, Nailwal has emerged as a prolific angel investor and fund manager, actively shaping the future of decentralized technologies. His investment philosophy is deeply rooted in fostering innovation within the Web3 space, particularly focusing on foundational infrastructure, decentralized finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and blockchain gaming.

Nailwal's investment activities are primarily channeled through two key vehicles: Nailwal Ventures and Symbolic Capital. Nailwal Ventures serves as his personal angel investment arm, through which he has made over 40 angel investments in early-stage Web3 projects. This fund typically focuses on seed and pre-seed rounds, providing crucial early capital to promising startups. In addition to his personal ventures, Nailwal co-founded Symbolic Capital alongside Kenzi Wang, a dedicated Web3 venture fund that launched with a substantial $50 million fund in August 2022. Symbolic Capital aims to deploy larger checks into more mature Web3 companies, complementing the early-stage focus of Nailwal Ventures.

As an investor, Sandeep Nailwal is known for his hands-on approach, leveraging his extensive technical expertise and operational experience from Polygon to provide strategic guidance to his portfolio companies. He is particularly keen on supporting founders who are building scalable, user-friendly, and impactful decentralized applications. His investment thesis often emphasizes projects that address critical infrastructure gaps or enhance user adoption within the Web3 ecosystem. Nailwal also demonstrates a strong commitment to nurturing the Web3 talent pool and ecosystem in emerging markets, including his native India, believing in the region's potential to drive significant innovation in the decentralized space.