Tezos-Linked Fortify Labs Opens Applications for 2026 Cohort With $1.3 Million in Funding

Fortify Labs, operated by Web3 ecosystem builder TZ APAC, has opened applications for its 2026 cohort. The program provides early and growth-stage Web3 projects with funding, mentorship, ecosystem access and other support.

Fortify Labs opens new cohort of its Web3 incubator: What to know

According to the official statement by its team, Fortify Labs, an incubator and VC studio for innovative Web3 applications backed by the Tezos ecosystem entity TZ APAC, is now open for applications for its 2026 cohort. Successful incubator alums will share a funding allocation of $1.3 million.

Besides mentorship, funding and consulting, Fortify Labs offers personalized support for users' particular needs and direct access to a network spanning investors, exchanges and 30,000 potential users.

Unlike conventional accelerators that rush teams through three-month sprints, Fortify Labs offers projects the breathing room to build something that lasts as teams work closely with specialists over an extended period, getting support tailored to their actual challenges rather than going through a generic curriculum.

Mauvis Ledford, CEO of Sogni AI, reflects on his experience with the incubator and its backers:

Working with TZ APAC, the team behind Fortify Labs, has been an absolute privilege since day one. What stands out is their genuine helpfulness across a wide range of areas - marketing, legal, KOLs, and even VC introductions. I wholeheartedly recommend any startup—whether undecided about which chain to build on or exploring expansion to additional L2s—to consider building on Etherlink and working with the TZ APAC team. The level of commitment you get at Fortify Labs is rare, and it makes all the difference.

The results from past cohorts speak for themselves as collaborative AI automation platform Questflow, whose team was part of the 2024 program, achieved a 156x increase in its monthly active users, with its latest funding round valuing the company at $50 million. 

Similarly, in the ongoing 2025 cohort, decentralized creativity platform Sogni AI too scaled from testnet to 90,000 mainnet users and completed a successful token generation event, while yield-bearing prediction market 5050 went from concept to full product in three months, securing 600 users within two weeks of its debut.

Application campaign running through Jan. 30, 2026

The seven-month program, running from early March through early October 2026, will also include two mandatory in-person off-sites in Singapore with travel stipends provided. Projects that are ready to begin integration or growth work before the official start date can be fast-tracked to access program resources early.

Lastly, projects build on either Tezos or Etherlink. Tezos has been operating as a proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchain since 2018, having processed hundreds of millions of transactions while maintaining energy efficiency and on-chain governance. 

Etherlink serves as the EVM-compatible layer, letting developers deploy Ethereum codebases and migrate assets across interoperable chains.

Applications close on Jan. 30, 2026, and are reviewed on a rolling basis.