Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong shared a bold vision to bring the entire startup journey, from incorporation to public trading, onto the blockchain.
Speaking on the TBPN podcast, Armstrong outlined an “onchain lifecycle” where founders could register their startups, raise seed capital in USDC ($1), and eventually list tokenized shares for public trading.
“You can imagine this whole lifecycle coming onchain. The move could increase the number of companies who go raise capital and get started out there in the world.”
Brian Armstrong
According to Armstrong, blockchain technology will remove the need for traditional intermediaries like banks and lawyers, allowing startups to instantly raise funds via smart contracts, accept crypto payments, access financing, and go public directly onchain.
Armstrong Pushes for Fairer, Transparent Onchain Fundraising
Armstrong said the traditional fundraising process remains “pretty onerous,” arguing that moving it onchain could make capital formation “more efficient, more fair, more transparent.”
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His comments come as Coinbase integrates Echo, a recently acquired fundraising platform that has helped over 200 projects raise more than $200 million. While Echo will initially operate independently, Armstrong said it will gradually merge into Coinbase’s ecosystem allowing founders to tap into the exchange’s $500 billion in custody assets and its vast global investor network.
“In many ways the accredited investor rules are kind of unfair. We’re hoping that we can find the right balance of consumer protection and also making these available to retail.”
Brian Armstrong
Armstrong added that Coinbase is collaborating with U.S. regulators to expand access to onchain fundraising, noting that current accredited investor rules still prevent many people from participating in early-stage investment opportunities.
JPMorgan Sees Major Upside in Coinbase’s Base Network Expansion
JPMorgan Chase upgraded Coinbase’s stock rating to “Overweight” last week, highlighting strong growth potential tied to the company’s Base network and newly updated USDC rewards program.
According to the bank’s analysts, Coinbase is “leaning into” its Base layer-2 blockchain to capture more value as the platform expands. They estimated that a possible Base token launch could open a market opportunity between $12 billion and $34 billion, with Coinbase’s share potentially ranging from $4 billion to $12 billion.
