VRRB Labs, a decentralized protocol that combines speed, scalability and security, has raised $1.4 million in pre-seed funding to support its development of a blockchain the Miami-based startup says will make it easy and financially sustainable for developers to build user-friendly applications. Investors in VRRB include Jump Crypto, Taureon, and Big Brain Holdings.
VRRB (pronounced verb) was founded by Andrew Smith in 2020 and is developing a proprietary consensus mechanism called “Proof of Claim,” which it says will help solve the blockchain challenges of scalability, security and decentralization. The startup is building a language-agnostic platform aimed at helping developers build, ship and run applications faster.
“The crypto industry keeps asking where the next billion users will come from, but they’re putting the cart before the horse. Before mass adoption, we need more developers who can help design and deliver the next generation of apps,” said Smith. “With the support of our incredible community, we look forward to unlocking the boundless potential of Web3 and blockchain technology.” Smith is also co-founder and chief data scientist of OWL ESG, a tech-driven environmental, social and governance data provider.
VRRB’s seed funding will enable the company to further scale its development and marketing teams and build out an educational program for developers interested in building on VRRB’s platform, the company said.
VRRB is now a team of five The round values the company at $20 million, and the first beta testnet of VRRB is scheduled for early this year, The Block reported.
Follow @ndahlberg on Twitter and email her at ndahlbergbiz@gmail.com
READ MORE ON REFRESH MIAMI:
- Florida startups in the spotlight as investors descend upon Brickell for Florida VC Conference
- Miami startup Moderne raises $15M to bring continuous software modernization to market
- Buy, rent, sell, manage: Miami’s proptech ecosystem may be as hot as our real estate market
- Tom Brady will keynote at eMerge Americas, plus more updates on the homegrown Miami tech conference
- 10+ things to know in #MiamiTech: Neko Health Scans on way, big HQ move for Hut 8, Palantir & Ondas team up, Mana Tech & Notion partner, Jaca bags $1M & news from INMune Bio, MDC, CodePath, The Source, Google, LaunchEd & more - October 20, 2026
- From Miami to the World: How a Miami 16-year-old is scaling access to tech education - October 15, 2026
- MDIA lands $3M Knight Foundation investment to expand its innovation model nationwide - October 14, 2026