Blockchain KYC Startup Raises $1.6 Million in Seed Funding

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A blockchain startup focused on know-your-customer (KYC) solutions has raised $1.6 million in a new seed funding round.

Norbloc's round was led by Marathon Venture Capital, a VC firm based in Greece that launched in March. Other participants in the round include Digital Currency Group, Inbox Capital, Back in Black, as well as the founding team of classifieds website Avito, the startup announced today.

The startup is one of a growing number of companies focusing on KYC, or the process by which financial institutions verify the identity of their clients. It's a use case that has attracted the interest of a number of banks (and investors), and has been the subject of a number of enterprise-level pilots to date.

Astyanax Kanakakis, Norbloc's co-founder and CEO, previously worked for parent company of now-defunct bitcoin mining firm KnCMiner and later served as chairman of XBT Provider, which launched a bitcoin-tied investment product on Nasdaq Nordic in 2015. In statements, he said the startup plans to use the new seed funding to expand its existing team.

"We will be drawing on the expertise and experience of our investors and our advisors as we move forward. We will use the funding to continue to build the business and acquire talent across the four markets that we are now active in," he said.