The tokenized real-world asset (RWA) market has surged past $25 billion, and now a new accelerator is stepping in to prepare the next generation of on-chain finance startups for institutional adoption.
Ascend, a nine-week accelerator operated by Odisea, is backed by major players including Plume, Galaxy Ventures, Anchorage Digital, and OKX Ventures. The program will host just six to eight early-stage teams that already have live RWA products and measurable traction. Participants will gain mentorship, regulatory guidance, and access to a $500,000 funding pool aimed at scaling infrastructure to meet institutional standards.
RWA Market Gains Institutional Ground
The RWA sector has grown rapidly — from about $15.2 billion in late 2024 to over $24 billion by mid-2025, marking a nearly 65% year-over-year increase. Some estimates put the value at $25.5 billion by July 2025, driven by traditional finance firms like BlackRock and Franklin Templeton moving assets such as U.S. Treasuries onto blockchain rails.
BlackRock’s BUIDL fund and Franklin Templeton’s BENJI token have fueled growth in tokenized U.S. Treasuries, now worth about $7.5 billion on-chain. Private credit leads the sector, representing roughly 58% of tokenized RWAs, or about $14 billion in value.
More Than a Typical Incubator
Ascend’s program goes beyond basic mentorship. Founders will receive deep technical support in product design, tokenomics, compliance, and go-to-market strategy. The mentor roster includes veterans from YZi Labs, Bankless Ventures, and Sentora — all with experience scaling multi-billion-dollar asset platforms.
The focus is clear: help RWA startups move from hype to operational maturity, ensuring they can meet the legal, security, and performance requirements of large financial institutions.
TradFi and Tokenization Converge
Industry leaders say the sector is shifting from niche experimentation to a recognized growth opportunity. RWAs — from commercial real estate to intellectual property — are being tokenized to improve liquidity, cut settlement times, and enable fractional ownership, all while embedding compliance rules into smart contracts.
With more than $400 trillion in global assets under management but only a fraction tokenized, market forecasts range from $2 trillion to as much as $30 trillion in tokenized assets by 2030.
Road Ahead and Challenges
The application window for Ascend runs Aug. 4–18, with selected teams announced Aug. 22. The program kicks off Sept. 1 and ends Oct. 30 with a demo day for institutional investors.
Still, the market faces hurdles: regulatory uncertainty, varying compliance standards across jurisdictions, and limited secondary market liquidity. Yet, with heavyweight backers and surging institutional interest, the momentum behind tokenized finance is stronger than ever.
