Hermetica, the company behind USDh, the first yield-bearing synthetic dollar backed by Bitcoin, is excited to announce that its $1.7 million seed funding round has closed successfully.
Key Backers
In addition to strategic angels like Tycho Onnasch (founder and CEO of Zest Protocol), Robin Obermaier (founder and CEO of Liquidium), Mithil Thakore (founder and CEO of Velar), Matt Maduno (founder and CEO of Arch Network), and GM Chung (founder and CEO of DeSpread), UTXO Management led the round with support from notable investors CMS Holdings, Ethos Fund, Trust Machines SPV, Newman Capital, and Silvermine.
Supporting the USDh’s Growth
The USDh will expand more quickly thanks to the capital. USDh may be bought on decentralized exchanges and is natively issued on Bitcoin Layer 1 via Runes and Layer 2 via the Stacks network.
USDh is well positioned for quick expansion, since the global stablecoin market has grown by more than 100% year over year to reach over $160 billion, which represents 50% of all on-chain transactions. Only 1% of Bitcoin’s $1.3 trillion market value is locked in DeFi, meaning USDh has an unexplored $1 trillion market to explore.
In order to allow Bitcoin market players to safely store dollars without leaving the Bitcoin ecosystem or turning to fiat, Hermetica seeks to let Bitcoin users to hold and trade with a stable, liquid dollar asset redeemable for Bitcoin (1 USDh = 1 USD worth of Bitcoin).
Smart contracts and decentralized apps may utilize Bitcoin as a safe foundation layer thanks to Stacks, a Bitcoin L2. Faster speeds and transactions supported by 100% Bitcoin finality are anticipated with the 2024 Nakamoto and sBTC releases.
Hermetica Labs CEO Jakob Schillinger said:
“We believe stablecoins are a foundational building block for a decentralized financial system. USDh is the ideal Bitcoin-backed stablecoin—capital efficient, independent of the fiat system, and yield-generating.”
Looking Ahead
The capital generated will support the expansion of USDh’s integrations across the Bitcoin ecosystem, such as scalable off-exchange settlement solutions, institutional-grade custodian collaboarations, and improved liquidity. Building on Bitcoin’s core advantages, Hermetica provides a safe, decentralized substitute for conventional stablecoins backed by fiat.
Testimonials by some of our Investors:
“USDh represents a breakthrough for Bitcoin-backed stablecoins. Hermetica’s innovative approach to delta-hedging positions USDh as a key player in the evolving stablecoin landscape. We’re excited to support Hermetica as they continue to lead the charge in Bitcoin DeFi.” – Tyler Evans, Managing Partner, UTXO Management
“We are excited about Hermetica because they are unlocking significant value within the Bitcoin ecosystem with the creation of USDh. We believe their ability to seamlessly integrate stablecoins into Bitcoin’s Layer 1 and Layer 2 networks presents a massive opportunity. USDh will become a fundamental tool for Bitcoin users seeking a reliable dollar asset without leaving the ecosystem.” – Simon Shin, Managing Partner, Ethos Fund
The team at Hermetica is crypto-native and has extensive knowledge of financial technology, drawing on experience at big companies like State Street and Kraken. Hermetica is committed to developing cutting-edge financial solutions that take use of Bitcoin’s transparency and security.
