Founder's Journey
by Irving Wang, Helsinki, March 2025
My Journey to Founding DeepCap Protocol
Hey there! I’m Irving, the founder of DeepCap Protocol, a platform that’s the result of a rollercoaster journey through different countries, careers, and ideas. It’s been a wild ride—think of it like a movie with plot twists, setbacks, and a big “aha!” moment. I’m excited to share how my passion for innovation and problem-solving brought me here, and I hope it inspires you too!
A Childhood on the Move
I was born in China, but we moved away with my family to South Africa for a job in my teens, and my life became a crash course in adaptability. We bounced between cities, schools, and cultures, which wasn’t always easy—new languages and unfamiliar faces were constant hurdles. Those years taught me resilience and how to embrace change, qualities that later fueled my ability to tackle challenges and think outside the box.
Landing in Finland
At 18, I moved to Finland to study environmental engineering. I was obsessed with solving real-world problems like water treatment, pollution control, and waste management—big issues that felt urgent and meaningful. But the job market had other plans; breaking into that field was like hitting a brick wall, so I pivoted to study more, I went to study for a master’s in material science. That shift turned me into a chemist, blending my love for science with a new knack for experimentation.
Research Dreams Derailed
I’d always pictured myself as a researcher, lost in a lab uncovering breakthroughs that could change the world. But in Finland, funding for research started drying up around 2015, and by the time I graduated in 2020—right as COVID flipped everything upside down—those dreams were slipping away. Job prospects were bleak, and I felt stuck, forced to rethink my entire path with no clear roadmap ahead.
A Detour into Finance
Out of necessity, I switched careers, and landed in the financial sector, doing data analytics and consulting for banks. It wasn’t my original passion— but crunching numbers for risk models and back-office tasks felt miles away from my goals—but it paid the bills. Still, I picked up valuable skills in data analysis and financial systems, which quietly planted seeds for what was to come.
Discovering Entrepreneurship
Then came a turning point: I stumbled into entrepreneur training and digital marketing internships, which lit a spark I didn’t expect. I started wondering, “What if I could build something of my own?” To bolster my skills, I enrolled in a financial engineering program at WorldQuant University, diving into markets and modeling. It was my first taste of blending creativity with technical know-how, and I was hooked.
A Fellowship That Clicked
In 2023, I joined the MIMIR Fellows, a fellowship program thats laser-focused on turning research into businesses with real impact. It was like someone flipped a switch—suddenly, my love for science and my growing finance skills had a purpose. I threw myself into it, exploring ideas while casually trading stocks and cryptocurrencies on the side, which got me thinking about new ways to fund innovation.
The “Eureka” Moment
One day in 2024, while mulling over research funding woes and my crypto experiments, it hit me like lightning: why not bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and the crypto market? That’s when DeepCap was born—“deep tech capital” in name and spirit. Our mission crystallized: use decentralized finance to fund groundbreaking research projects that could solve big societal problems, from clean energy to healthcare.
Where We Are Now
Right now, we’re in a Helsinki incubator, hammering out our minimum viable product (MVP) with a small, driven team. We’ve teamed up with industrial partners who share our vision, and we’re in the thick of fundraising—pitching to investors and hunting for allies. It’s a grind, juggling technical hurdles and big-picture goals, but seeing it come together is electric.
Looking Ahead
DeepCap Protocol isn’t just a startup—it’s my shot at revolutionizing how DeepTech gets funded, making it accessible beyond elite institutions. I’m fired up about driving innovation that doesn’t just sit in a lab but changes live out in the world.
Thanks for diving into my story—if this gets you as pumped as I am, come join the ride!
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