diff --git a/starport/cmd/account.go b/starport/cmd/account.go
index 8dae42a423..3cedd9542c 100644
--- a/starport/cmd/account.go
+++ b/starport/cmd/account.go
@@ -116,15 +116,3 @@ func getPassphrase(cmd *cobra.Command) (string, error) {
 
 	return pass, nil
 }
-
-func checkAccountExist(cmd *cobra.Command, name string) error {
-	ca, err := cosmosaccount.New(
-		cosmosaccount.WithKeyringBackend(getKeyringBackend(cmd)),
-	)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	_, err = ca.GetByName(name)
-	return err
-}
diff --git a/starport/cmd/network.go b/starport/cmd/network.go
index 6b4b5b7620..dec73fe58f 100644
--- a/starport/cmd/network.go
+++ b/starport/cmd/network.go
@@ -72,10 +72,10 @@ var cosmos *cosmosclient.Client
 
 // initializeNetwork initializes event bus, CLIn components such as spinner and returns a new network builder
 func initializeNetwork(cmd *cobra.Command) (
-	*network.Builder,
-	*clispinner.Spinner,
-	func(),
-	error,
+	nb *network.Builder,
+	spinner *clispinner.Spinner,
+	cleanup func(),
+	err error,
 ) {
 	var (
 		wg sync.WaitGroup
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ func initializeNetwork(cmd *cobra.Command) (
 		wg.Wait()
 	}
 
-	nb, err := newNetwork(cmd, network.CollectEvents(ev))
+	nb, err = newNetwork(cmd, network.CollectEvents(ev))
 	if err != nil {
 		shutdown()
 	}
diff --git a/starport/cmd/network_chain_init.go b/starport/cmd/network_chain_init.go
index 93fbcec17e..46df6afc06 100644
--- a/starport/cmd/network_chain_init.go
+++ b/starport/cmd/network_chain_init.go
@@ -54,7 +54,8 @@ func networkChainInitHandler(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 
 	// check if the provided account for the validator exists
 	validatorAccount, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString(flagValidatorAccount)
-	if err := checkAccountExist(cmd, validatorAccount); err != nil {
+	_, err = nb.AccountRegistry().GetByName(validatorAccount)
+	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
diff --git a/starport/services/network/network.go b/starport/services/network/network.go
index f439d4aa20..c9f9ea61ff 100644
--- a/starport/services/network/network.go
+++ b/starport/services/network/network.go
@@ -123,6 +123,11 @@ func InitializationKeyringBackend(keyringBackend chaincmd.KeyringBackend) InitOp
 	}
 }
 
+// AccountRegistry returns the account registry used by the network builder
+func (b Builder) AccountRegistry() cosmosaccount.Registry {
+	return b.cosmos.AccountRegistry
+}
+
 // Blockchain initializes a blockchain from source and options.
 func (b *Builder) Blockchain(ctx context.Context, source SourceOption, options ...InitOption) (*Blockchain, error) {
 	var o initOptions