Telegram-Linked Crypto Startup TOP Becomes Unicorn with Latest Raise

Telegram’s growing blockchain ambitions just got a major boost. The Open Platform (TOP), the core development team behind the popular “Wallet in Telegram” and other apps on The Open Network (TON), announced a $28.5 million Series A funding round at a $1 billion valuation.

Led by fintech investor Ribbit Capital with participation from crypto heavyweight Pantera Capital, the round gives investors roughly 5% equity in the company. TOP is central to bringing blockchain into Telegram’s billion-user ecosystem, especially outside the U.S. and Europe where its crypto wallet is already integrated into the messaging app’s main menu.

With this latest funding, TOP plans to expand those integrations into Western markets, where compliance and infrastructure costs are steep, and to incubate new TON-based products, including blockchain games and artificial intelligence (AI) tools.

The investment signals growing VC enthusiasm for Telegram’s crypto-linked ecosystem, fueled in part by TON’s surging adoption. TON Foundation previously reported $400 million in backing from firms like Sequoia, Draper Associates, and Benchmark.

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。