Oryon
Portfolio indexActive · Series A · 2022
ActiveConsumer crypto apps

Blur

CategoryNFT · Marketplace
HeadquartersBrooklyn
FoundersTieshun Roquerre
— Overview

Blur is the trader-first NFT marketplace that captured 70%+ of professional NFT trading volume by redesigning the incentive structure around bidding, lending, and portfolio-level liquidity. Where OpenSea catered to casual buyers, Blur built for the trader who needs sub-second responsiveness and depth.

The Blend lending protocol — the second major product from the team — enables perpetual NFT-collateralized loans without oracle risk, and has originated over $2B in loans since launch. It reshaped the way liquidity gets sourced against illiquid NFT collections.

The company now operates as the default venue for professional NFT flow, with 180K active traders and a token economy that continues to compound loyalty in a category most investors have written off.

— By the numbers
70%+
Market share
$2B
Blend originations
180K
Traders
2022
Founded
— Investment
Round
Series A 2022
Our role
Lead
Check size
$11M
Co-investors
Paradigm · Electric Capital
Board seat
Bo Feng
— Our thesis

The trader-first NFT marketplace that redesigned the incentive structure. We led the Series A on the conviction that professional NFT trading needed a professional venue.

— Team
TR

Tieshun Roquerre

CEO & Founder
WS

Wallace Sang

CTO
YX

Yang Xu

Head of Product
N

Neso

Anonymous Co-Founder
— Timeline
  1. Q1 2022Founded by Tieshun Roquerre
  2. Q2 2022Oryon Series A
  3. Q2 2023Blur takes NFT market share lead
  4. Q4 2023Blend loan protocol launch
— Latest update

70%+ market share in professional NFT trading. Blend lending protocol crossed $2B originated.

— In the press

Blur outflanked OpenSea by treating NFT traders like Wall Street traders.

Not Boring, 2023