Highlights of this Issue
According to PANews incomplete statistics, there were 26 blockchain investment and financing events worldwide last week (5.13-5.19), with a total funding scale exceeding $170 million, as follows:
- DeFi announced 9 investment and financing events, among which the cryptocurrency trading platform Arbelos Markets completed a $28 million financing led by Dragonfly Capital;
- Web3 Games announced 7 investment and financing events, including Web3 game developer Seeds Labs completing a $12 million seed round financing, with participation from Blizzard Fund;
- AI announced 1 investment and financing event, with the Web3-supported AI platform ChainML completing a $6.2 million seed round expansion financing, led by Hack VC;
- Infrastructure and Tools announced 4 financings, among which Humanity Protocol announced the completion of a $30 million new round of financing at a valuation of $1 billion, led by Kingsway Capital;
- Other Blockchain/Crypto Applications announced 4 financings, among which the crypto prediction market Polymarket raised $70 million through two rounds of financing, with the latest round led by Founders Fund;
- Centralized Finance announced 1 financing, with the crypto trading company Raven, founded by former Wintermute employees, completing a $2.7 million seed round financing, led by Hack VC
DeFi
Re, which focuses on providing tokenized reinsurance, announced on Tuesday that it has opened the first open reinsurance fund on the Avalanche (AVAX) network. The initial investors in the fund include the crypto insurance alternative provider Nexus Mutual, with an allocation of $15 million; and Vista Fund, focused on RWA at Ava Labs, with a smaller deposit. Re also raised $7 million in the latest round of venture capital led by Electric Capital, following a $14 million seed round financing at the end of 2022. Regulated in the Cayman Islands, Re is committed to introducing blockchain technology into traditionally opaque and conservative industries, and aims to become a decentralized version of Lloyd's of London, a top market in the insurance industry. Reinsurance companies provide protection for insurance companies, collect premiums to cover certain types of risks, and are at the core of today's financial markets and businesses.
The developer of the DeFi protocol Shogun, Intensity Labs, completed a $6.9 million seed round financing, with Polychain Capital and DAO5 co-leading, and participation from Arrington Capital, Maelstrom (Arthur Hayes' family office), and Build-a-Bera. In addition, angel investors such as Cobie, Ansem, Ser Shokunin, and Meltem Demirors also participated in this round of financing. Co-founder Rahul Patel stated that this round of financing has brought Shogun's fully diluted token valuation to $69 million. It is reported that Shogun was incubated by Binance Labs. In March of this year, Binance Labs invested in a total of 7 startups, including Shogun, in the sixth incubation program.
Solana Ecosystem DEX Zeta Markets Completes $5 Million Strategic Financing, Led by Electric Capital
Zeta Markets, a decentralized exchange based on Solana, raised $5 million in a round of strategic financing led by Electric Capital. Other investors include Digital Asset Capital Management (DACM), Selini Capital, and Airtree Ventures. Angel investors participating in this round of financing include Anatoly Yakovenko of Solana, Mert Mumtaz of Helius, Richard Wu of Tensor, Genia Mikhalchenko of Pyth, JMR Luna of Wintermute, and Nom of Bonk. Last month, Zeta Markets announced plans to launch its token later this year, conduct airdrops, and release its Solana Layer 2 rollup. This financing will accelerate the development of the Layer 2 network. Zeta claims that its Solana Layer 2 rollup will be the first DeFi Layer 2 rollup built on Solana, using Solana for settlement and data availability, making it a "fully native rollup."
The Bitcoin lending protocol Zest Protocol completed a $3.5 million seed round financing, with billionaire investor Tim Draper leading, and participation from Binance Labs, Flow Traders, Trust Machines, and others. Zest Protocol uses the Nakamoto upgrade of the Bitcoin Layer 2 stack and bridges assets sBTC to create a lending experience that is fully native to the Bitcoin blockchain network. Users will rely on sBTC to send Bitcoin to fund their balances on the Zest Protocol on the Stacks mainnet, and then engage in lending or other income-generating activities.
Egyptian RWA Fintech Startup Mnzl Completes $3.5 Million Seed Round Financing, Led by Localglobe
Egyptian RWA fintech startup Mnzl announced the completion of a $3.5 million seed round financing, led by P1 Ventures, Localglobe, and Ingressive Capital, with participation from 500 Global, Flat6Labs, First Circle Capital, Enza Capital, Beenok, and a group of undisclosed angel investors. Mnzl allows users to convert illiquid assets such as cars and real estate into liquid assets, and upload the assets to digital wallets for management.
On-Chain Order Book Development Project Spark Completes $1.5 Million Pre-Seed Round Financing
The on-chain order book development project Spark, based on the Fuel Network, announced on X platform that it has completed a $1.5 million pre-seed round financing, with participation from P2 Ventures, Curiosity Capital, Unicorn Ventures, Fuel Network, and others. Spark integrates a series of DeFi financial services such as perpetual contracts, order books, and lending functions, and introduces a multi-collateral full-margin system, supporting diversified asset deposits and complex risk management and liquidation protocols, while using order books and tools to facilitate non-custodial interactions. The official website of Spark states that it is currently raising seed round financing.
Decentralized Exchange Multipool Completes $600,000 New Round of Financing, Led by NxGen
Decentralized exchange Multipool announced the completion of a $600,000 new round of financing, led by NxGen. The project has planned to launch the Fjord Foundry LBP on May 21-23. Multipool currently focuses on real-world asset-related cryptocurrencies and aims to provide traders with a fair and equal trading environment under compliant and innovative features.
TON Ecosystem Decentralized AMM STON.fi Completes New Round of Financing, with Participation from CoinFund
TON ecosystem decentralized automated market maker STON.fi announced the completion of a new round of financing, with participation from CoinFund. Specific financing amount and valuation data have not been disclosed. The new funds will be used to further strengthen its operations to expand financial services to Telegram users, allowing users to trade encrypted assets across multiple blockchains without the need for bridging or wrapping.
Perpetual Contract Trading Platform nftperp Completes Angel Round Financing
The NFT perpetual contract trading platform nftperp completed a new round of angel round financing, with participation from angel investors Zeneca, Dingaling, Sergito, @BaoLeKV, @BlurCrypto, @Bribe, among others. Specific amount and valuation information have not been disclosed. In addition, nftperp also announced the launch of more new features. Following the recent launch of Blast Gold, nftperp received 108,199 Gold in the latest batch of allocations, in addition to the approximately 25,000 previously held. nftperp will provide incentives to users, but users will need to provide real trading volume and liquidity to receive allocation rewards. The reward rules for AMM depositors have not changed, and liquidity providers will receive reward income based on the fees generated by their positions.
Web3 Games
Web3 Game Infrastructure Developer Param Labs Completes $7 Million Financing, Led by Animoca Brands
Web3 game infrastructure developer Param Labs raised $7 million in a round of "significantly oversubscribed" investment, led by Animoca Brands. Delphi Ventures, Cypher Capital, P2 Ventures (formerly Polygon Ventures), Mechanism Capital, Merit Circle, TRGC Capital, Double Peak Group, and MH Ventures also participated. Animoca Labs co-founder Yat Siu and Face Clan founder Banks also made strategic investments in the protocol.
The multimedia game ecosystem CROSS THE AGES (CTA) based on sci-fi fantasy IP announced the completion of a $3.5 million equity financing, led by Animoca Brands. Additional investments from Sebastien Borget of The Sandbox and Nicolas Jeuffrain of Tenergie brought the total financing amount to $15 million. To date, including community financing, the total financing amount is $23.5 million. In addition, CTA's native token will be listed on trading platforms such as Bybit, KuCoin, GATE, and MEXC.
Web3 Soccer Fantasy Game GOALAI Completes $3 Million Financing, Led by IDG Capital
Web3 soccer fantasy game GOALAI completed a $3 million financing at a valuation of $25 million, led by IDG Capital, with participation from KuCoin Ventures, Chain Capital, and OptaJoe. Previously, GOALAI also received a $400,000 sponsorship from Sportsbetio. GOALAI is dedicated to integrating the soccer world with Web3, using blockchain NFTs to integrate with the real-world soccer community, clubs, fans, and matches, and applying AI artificial intelligence to bring potential and commercial value to Web3 soccer enthusiasts.
Anime Game Metaverse Sekuya Announces $1.6 Million Raised Through Early Financing
Sekuya announced on the X platform that it has raised $1.6 million through early financing, aiming to jointly create an anime game metaverse and lifestyle loyalty platform with brands. SingularityDAO led the investment, with participation from OIG Capital, GAINS Associates, NewTribe Capital, SEED THRIFT VENTURES, Bigger Than Race VC, and angel investors Casiraghi Mario A., SingularityNET, R1n, and W3GG. Sekuya is an anime game metaverse platform incubated by SingularityDAO and supported by Immutable. The first round of Sekuya TGE will launch today at 20:00 Beijing time, targeting reserved allocation holders. The first round will be open for 48 hours and will end at 20:00 Beijing time on May 16.
Layer3 Network Developer Anomaly Completes $1.45 Million Pre-Seed Round Financing
AI Zero Gas Layer3 network developer Anomaly raised $1.45 million in a round of oversubscribed pre-seed round financing, with participation from Decasonic, Shima Capital, BreakOrbit, and Round13 Capital. In addition, Web3 luminary and The 333 Club founder Zeneca also made strategic investments in support of Anomaly's vision. Anomaly is an AI game studio and Layer 3 blockchain that integrates custom AI engine-built mini-games on widely used social platforms. The company is preparing for a node sale and ecosystem token issuance later this year, promising to further consolidate its position in the Web3 game ecosystem.
Baby Shark Universe Completes Seed Round Financing, with Participation from Animoca Brands
The metaverse project Baby Shark Universe announced the completion of seed round financing at a valuation of $34 million, with participation from Animoca Brands, CREDIT SCEND, Sui Foundation, Comma3 Ventures, Creditcoin, GM Ventures, Neuler, Notch Ventures, X+, and Planetarium, among others. The specific amount has not been disclosed, and the new funds will be used for development and global marketing. Baby Shark Universe is an open-world role-playing game where players can create their own game content (items, maps), enjoy content created by other players, and expand the game's narrative based on their choices and actions. Baby Shark Universe is developed by senior developers with over ten years of experience from the South Korean game company Nexon. It will offer various metaverse-based gameplay, including combat, collection and crafting, as well as NFT trading between users. It will also eventually support user-generated content (UGC) functionality, allowing users to create and contribute their own content.
The Telegram-based iGaming platform Boxbet announced the completion of a strategic round of financing, with the specific amount not disclosed. Boxbet stated that the investors include a Solana-supporting crypto fund and a leading global iGaming operator, whose names will be made public in the coming weeks. Boxbet aims to enhance the online gaming experience through a series of unique features and introduce a user reward mechanism. According to information disclosed on its website, 30% of the revenue will be used to purchase and burn native tokens on the Ethereum chain, ultimately destroying 75% of the token supply.
The Web3-supported AI platform ChainML raised $6.2 million in a seed round extension financing and launched a layer called Theoriq. The round was led by Hack VC, with participation from Foresight Ventures, Inception Capital, HTX Ventures, Figment Capital, Hypersphere Ventures, and Alumni Ventures. ChainML co-founder and CEO Ron Bodkin (former Director of Applied AI Technology at Google) stated that the financing round, structured as equity and token warrants, was conducted at the end of last year and is now announced alongside Theoriq. Bodkin declined to comment on the valuation. ChainML is a Web3-supported AI development company aimed at decentralized AI access. Today, the company launched a layer called Theoriq, which is a framework for autonomous AI agents to complete complex tasks.
Humanity Protocol announced the completion of a $30 million new round of financing at a valuation of $1 billion, led by Kingsway Capital, with participation from Animoca Brands, Blockchain.com, and Shima Capital, among others. Founder Terence Kwok stated that the company also raised approximately $1.5 million from influential crypto figures in the "KOL" community. The startup plans to launch its test network in the second quarter and currently has a waiting list of approximately 500,000 people. Humanity Protocol utilizes palm print recognition technology and zero-knowledge proofs to ensure user privacy and security, aiming to provide an accessible and non-invasive method for establishing human proof in Web3 applications.
Singapore-based Web3 infrastructure company Chainstack completed a $6 million financing round, with investors including SBI Ven Capital, Sygnum, Azimut Group, and Unicorn Factory Ventures. Chainstack provides tools and services to help developers create, deploy, and scale blockchain applications without managing underlying infrastructure. The company collaborates with over 25 public chains, serves over 100,000 Web3 developers, and processes over 100 billion requests per month, with a normal operating time of over 99.99%.
Blockchain SaaS solution AfriDex announced the completion of a $5 million Pre-Seed round of financing, led by Endeavor Ventures, with participation from African Crops Limited, Oldenburg Vineyards, and Hank Oberoi. AfriDex, headquartered in London, focuses primarily on the agricultural market, providing comprehensive on-chain solutions to support and protect supply chain participants, utilizing blockchain technology to achieve traceability, frictionless payments, anti-fraud transactions, verified certifications, simplified tax and subsidy management.
The zero-knowledge project Hylé raised $2.6 million in a new round of financing led by venture capital firm Framework Ventures. Other participating companies include Cherry Crypto, Fabric Ventures, First Capital, and Heartcore Capital. Hylé co-founder Sylve Chevet stated that to date, Hylé has raised a total initial financing amount of $3.4 million, with its NFT project briqNFT also generating $1.5 million in revenue. Hylé is building the Hylé network using zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP) to achieve scalability and privacy. The network aims to become the core layer of a modular ZK technology stack, running its unique consensus mechanism designed for ZKP verification, providing developers and users with choices suitable for their systems.
The social media application Focus Tree completed a $2 million seed round of financing.
The Web3 social application Focus Tree announced the completion of a $2 million seed round financing, led by Sfermion, with participation from Volt Capital, Psalion VC, StarkWare, Typhon Ventures, and Foresight Ventures. In addition, the first phase of the Focus Tree community airdrop will begin in three days.
The social dApp Gamic, previously supported by Binance Labs, has completed a $1.8 million financing round. The financing was supported by Binance Labs and Fundamental Labs, as well as funding from Polygon Ventures, Gate.io, Mapleblock, Mulana, Double Peak Group, Momentum6, DWeb3 Capital, LD Capital, and several other institutions. Additionally, prominent angel investors such as Sandeep Nailwal, co-founder of Polygon, Krypto’s Fund, Ugo Aronu, co-founder of Xend Finance, and Vijay Pravin, founder of bitsCrunch, participated in this round of financing. Gamic's community application aims to provide a new interactive platform for the Web3 space.
The social infrastructure project UXLINK announced a new round of financing led by SevenX Ventures, INCE Capital, and HashKey Capital, with the total financing exceeding $5 million. To date, UXLINK has raised over $15 million in financing from leading institutions and notable individuals from Europe, the United States, Asia, and the Middle East.
The encrypted prediction market Polymarket has raised $70 million through two rounds of financing, with the latest round led by Founders Fund. Despite increased regulatory restrictions on such platforms by major U.S. regulatory agencies, Peter Thiel's venture capital firm, Founders Fund, is betting on Polymarket, one of the largest cryptocurrency prediction markets. Polymarket has attracted users to predict the outcomes of various events, with betting on the 2024 U.S. presidential election becoming the most popular contract.
The cryptocurrency proprietary trading company Raven announced the completion of a $2.7 million seed round financing, led by Hack VC, with participation from Wintermute Ventures and several undisclosed angel investors. The round was conducted as an equity financing without token plans, resulting in a valuation of $25 million for Raven. Raven, founded by three former Wintermute employees, is a proprietary high-frequency algorithmic trading company and market maker active in centralized and decentralized exchanges. With the new funds in place, Raven plans to expand to more centralized and decentralized exchanges.
TrueBridge Capital Partners announced that its blockchain fund, TrueBridge Blockchain I, has raised $62 million, focusing on high-potential blockchain project investments. This is part of the $1.6 billion raised by five funds under TrueBridge Capital Partners, including TrueBridge Capital Partners Fund VIII, TrueBridge Direct Fund III, TrueBridge Secondaries I, and TrueBridge Seed&Micro-VC II. TrueBridge Capital Partners' first blockchain fund emphasizes the firm's ongoing commitment to the potential of blockchain technology.
免责声明：本文章仅代表作者个人观点，不代表本平台的立场和观点。本文章仅供信息分享，不构成对任何人的任何投资建议。用户与作者之间的任何争议，与本平台无关。如网页中刊载的文章或图片涉及侵权，请提供相关的权利证明和身份证明发送邮件到support@aicoin.com，本平台相关工作人员将会进行核查。
