Startrail is the recipient of a grant from the Ethereum Foundation which will be used to develop its smart contracts security and open-source capabilities with the goal of furthering the recognition, registration, and decentralization of its blockchain infrastructure.

Startrail, a blockchain infrastructure built by Startbahn, has received a grant from the Ethereum Foundation to further promote reliable management of artwork certificates and provenance through Ethereum solutions. With the grant, we aim to make our smart contracts open-source, interoperable, and ultimately expand the reach of our infrastructure in the global art market.

Startrail’s team includes experts who are passionate about blockchain technology and have experience in building early blockchain projects. We also work with people from the art industry, such as artists, gallerists, curators, who understand the revolutionary potential of blockchain for the art world. Startbahn’s CEO, Taihei Shii, is himself an artist and tech entrepreneur. Since 2016, he has been using public blockchain technology to strengthen provenance records and develop resale royalty rights distribution systems.

With the grant from the Ethereum Foundation, Startrail’s technology will be improved for the artists and institutional partners already using the platform. Enterprise clients such as large galleries, museums, and artist studios will also benefit from Startrail’s continued development of smart contracts.

Shifting to a more decentralized platform is part of Startbahn’s larger mission to decentralize our solutions and protect the rights of artists, collectors, and other art participants in their transactions on NFT marketplaces. We also hope to bring our partners to the Ethereum community by introducing new types of participants to Ethereum such as traditional galleries and museums.

Learn more about the Ethereum Foundation:
https://ethereum.org/en/community/grants/

Read about the Ethereum Foundation January 2022 - Japan Local Grants Edition announcement:
https://blog.ethereum.org/2022/02/24/japan-local-grants-round/


■ About Startbahn

Startbahn is a leading Japanese art tech company providing blockchain infrastructure to empower stakeholders across the entire art market spectrum. Startbahn operates Startrail, a sustainable and scalable blockchain infrastructure that assures the reliability, authenticity, and traceability of artworks, including NFTs. Statbahn’s clients include notable auction houses, artists, galleries, private collectors, and content holders, amongst others.

https://startbahn.jp/en/


■ About Startrail

Startrail is a sustainable and scalable blockchain infrastructure that assures the reliability, authenticity, and traceability of artworks, including NFTs. Startrail has a strong focus on the art ecosystem and a long-term perspective to protect and increase artworks’ value. Startrail maintains and assures the value of artworks by permanently recording provenance as well as auction and exhibition history. Artists can also set terms for their issued artworks, including royalty rights, that may be triggered after their primary sale.

https://startrail.io/en/


■ For Press Inquiries

Startbahn, Inc.
Risa Mizuno
pr@startbahn.jp