Compiled by: Mars Finance
There were 32 investment and financing events in the crypto market: 10 in infrastructure, 6 in asset management, 8 in DeFi, 6 in blockchain games and NFT, 0 in Web3, and 2 in other fields. The total amount of investment and financing disclosed was approximately US$6.174 billion.
Millions of dollars of financing: 6 deals, including Nanon Network, Babylon, Aperture Finance, GaiaNet, Neynar, xAI
Compared with last week, the number of investment and financing transactions in the cryptocurrency market increased significantly this week. In terms of subdivisions, investment and financing amounts this week were concentrated in the infrastructure sector.
Notable active institutions this week: Animoca Ventures, Multicoin Capital, Andreessen Horowitz
infrastructure
Parasail Completes $4 Million Seed Round, Led by Protocol Labs
Parasail Protocol, which focuses on improving the security of DePIN hardware services, announced the completion of a $4 million seed round of financing, led by Protocol Labs, with participation from D11 Labs, MH Ventures, BitRise Capital, EV3, Fenbushi Capital, Modular Capital, Faculty Group, DWF Ventures, Foresight Ventures, AGE Crypto, Waterdrip Capital, etc. The valuation of this round of financing reached $50 million. The new funds will be used to accelerate the implementation of various product features in the Parasail Master Plan, that is, to pool assets and hardware on DePIN, provide users with service level guarantees, and dynamically coordinate hardware resources according to demand. Parasail TVL has exceeded $50 million.
Blockchain expansion infrastructure provider Lumoz completes new round of strategic financing
Lumoz, a blockchain expansion infrastructure provider, announced the completion of a new round of strategic financing, with participation from IDG Blockchain, Blockchain Coinvestors, Gate Ventures, Summer Capital, EVG, 7upDAO, Sweep Ventures, etc. The specific amount has not been disclosed. The new funds will continue to be used for Lumoz team expansion, modular computing layer, ZK-RaaS platform construction and technological innovation.
OpenSocial Protocol Completes $5 Million Seed Round Led by Portal Ventures and SNZ Capital
OpenSocial Protocol, a multi-chain SocialFi infrastructure protocol, announced the completion of a $5 million seed round of financing, led by Portal Ventures and SNZ Capital (early supporters of Ethereum, Chainlink, Cosmos, Arbitrum, Polkadot and Dfinity), with participation from OKX Ventures, Orange DAO, Animoca Brands, Awesome People Ventures, Arche Fund, Decima Fund, Moonrock Capital, Panony, Summer Ventures; and Web3 entrepreneurs such as Smokey the Bera, Brian Fabian Crain, Mike Dudas, Martin El-Khouri, Roham Gharegozlou, Don Ho, Mable Jiang, Adam Jin, Serge Kassardjian and Jason Yano. OpenSocial aims to achieve composability through infrastructure and UI layers, including true ownership of intellectual property and relationships, as well as better aligned monetization and economic incentives.
Oracle Solution API3 Completes $4 Million Strategic Round of Funding, Led by DWF Labs
According to market news, oracle solution API3 announced the completion of a strategic round of financing of US$4 million, led by DWF Labs. It is reported that this round is a diversified financing of strategic funds.
DePIN platform XMAQUINA completes Pre-Seed round of financing, with participation from EoT Ventures and others
XMAQUINA, a token-based automated robot DePIN platform, announced the completion of its Pre-Seed round of financing on the X platform, with participation from EoT Ventures and Moonrock Capital. The specific amount and valuation data have not been disclosed. XMAQUINA mainly helps companies tokenize real-world assets and transform smart machines into public investment opportunities.
Elon Musk's AI company xAI completes $6 billion Series B financing, with participation from a16z and others
Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI announced the completion of a $6 billion Series B financing, with a post-investment valuation of $24 billion. Valor Equity Partners, Vy Capital, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Sequoia Capital, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, Kingdom Holding and others participated in the investment. This round of financing will be used to bring xAI's first products to market, build advanced infrastructure, and accelerate the research and development of future technologies.
Decentralized artificial intelligence project GaiaNet completes $10 million in financing, with EVM Capital and others participating
The decentralized artificial intelligence project GaiaNet has completed a $10 million financing round, with EVM Capital, Mirana Ventures, Mantle EcoFund, Lex Sokolin of Generative Ventures and Brian Johnson of Republic Capital participating in the investment. The newly raised funds will fund GaiaNet to develop educational tools for STEM students and support its use of distributed ledger technology to decentralize AI networks.
Blockchain node management platform completes $5 million seed round of financing
NodeOps is a blockchain node orchestration platform that has received $5 million in seed funding led by L1D, with participation from Blockchain Founders Fund, Finality Capital, and others. NodeOps has built a solution that simplifies the process of node deployment and management, and enables integration with multiple blockchain networks through innovative tools and support mechanisms.
Decentralized social network tool Neynar completes $11 million Series A financing, with participation from a16z and others
Neynar, which provides developers with tools to build decentralized social networks, announced the completion of an $11 million Series A financing round led by Haun Ventures, with participation from a16z, CSX, Coinbase Ventures and Union Square Ventures.
ARPA Network Completes $6 Million Strategic Round of Financing, with Animoca Ventures and Others Participating
The decentralized secure computing project ARPA Network has completed a $6 million strategic round of financing, with participation from Nomura’s Laser Digital and DeFiance Capital, Animoca Ventures, Metrics Ventures, ArkStream Capital and Trinito. ARPA Network has also previously received a multi-million dollar strategic investment from DWF Labs to promote the development of decentralized computing solutions.
Asset Management
SCRYPT, a crypto asset financial services provider, announced the completion of a $5 million strategic financing led by Braza Bank
SCRYPT, a crypto asset financial services provider, announced the completion of a $5 million strategic financing round led by Braza Bank, with participation from venture capital firms such as Funfair Ventures, Cabrit Capital and Atlantic Labs. SCRYPT also recently received approval from Swiss regulators to launch asset management solutions, and SCRYPT Digital Investments AG will receive a portfolio manager license from the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) in July 2023.
Digital asset company Fortunafi announces completion of a round of financing, with a valuation of US$48 million
Digital asset company Fortunafi announced the completion of a funding round, significantly increasing its valuation to $48 million. The funds will be used to expand its stablecoin protocol, Reservoir. This financing reflects investors’ confidence in Fortunafi and its innovative financial products, and also heralds its further development in the blockchain and cryptocurrency fields.
Crypto wallet company El Dorado completes $3 million seed round of financing, led by Multicoin Capital and others
Colombian crypto wallet company El Dorado announced the completion of a $3 million seed round of financing, led by Multicoin Capital and Coinbase Ventures. Prior to the completion of this round of financing, El Dorado joined the Skydeck Accelerator Program at the University of California, Berkeley. It is reported that El Dorado operates a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency wallet that allows users to make cross-border payments and earn extra income through stablecoin transactions. The funds from this round of financing will be used to expand the user base and improve security features to meet compliance requirements.
Digital market infrastructure operator Marketnode completes Series A financing, led by HSBC
Marketnode, a digital market infrastructure operator founded by SGX and Temasek, has completed its Series A financing, led by HSBC, with participation from existing shareholder Temasek. The funds raised will be used to expand the Marketnode platform in key asset classes such as digital fixed income and structured products, participate in the upcoming launch of Fundnode, and launch other tokenized asset products. As part of HSBC's investment, John O'Neill, HSBC's global head of digital asset strategy, will join the Marketnode board of directors.
SoftBank plans to invest nearly $9 billion a year in artificial intelligence
SoftBank is reserving muscle for bigger deals for what could be its most radical transformation yet, but is still preparing to spend nearly $9 billion a year on artificial intelligence. SoftBank Chief Financial Officer Yoshimitsu Goto said he wants to increase investments in artificial intelligence companies, but he declined to comment on media reports that Arm and SoftBank are considering making artificial intelligence chips.
Microsoft to invest $70 million in South Africa to support AI development in local SMME enterprises
Microsoft South Africa (SA) has signed a $70.5 million Artificial Intelligence (AI) investment agreement with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) to support the development of local SMME businesses in both tech and non-tech sectors over the next 10 years. Approximately 200 SMME businesses and more than 2,000 individuals will gain advanced AI knowledge and other capabilities to prepare them for the future of work. This initiative is facilitated by the Equity Equivalent Investment Program provisions of the B-BBEE Act, which allows Microsoft to accumulate BEE points. The investment commitment aims to stimulate the development of SMEs, create local opportunities, and prepare South Africa for AI transformation.
DEFI
Stablecoin project defi.money completes strategic round of financing, with participation from LayerZero Labs and others
Stablecoin project defi.money announced on X platform that it has completed a strategic round of financing, with participation from GBV Capital, LayerZero Labs, and a group of angel investors including Curve Finance founder Michael Egorov. It is reported that defi.money is an EVM-agnostic CDP protocol, combined with Curve Finance's innovative liquidation mechanism LLAMMA, aiming to build a capital-efficient, scalable and truly interoperable USD stablecoin for anyone, anywhere.
Anzen Finance, the issuer of RWA stablecoin, completes $4 million seed round of financing, with participation from Mechanism Capital and others
Anzen Finance, the issuer of RWA stablecoin, announced the completion of a $4 million seed round of financing with participation from Mechanism Capital, Circle Ventures, Frax, Arca, Infinity Ventures, Cherubic Ventures, Palm Drive Ventures, M31 Capital, Kraynos Capital, etc. It is reported that its board of directors will not change after the completion of this round of financing transactions. Anzen allows users to mint stablecoins USDz supported by a "diversified portfolio of private credit assets", which are collateralized by real-world assets USDz, and the token can be pledged in other DeFi protocols.
UniTap, a decentralized financial platform for BRC-20 and Rune, completes private round of financing, led by X Ventures
UniTap, a decentralized financial platform for BRC-20, Rune, and TAP tokens, announced the completion of a private round of financing, led by X Ventures, with participation from Unidentified, MeowCapital, Primony, and Altier Capital. The specific amount and valuation data have not been disclosed. Unitap provides a trustless on-chain token exchange tool to become the central hub of TAP DeFi, providing efficient and decentralized token transfers and bridges, including token swaps, TAP-based token bridges, and TAP protocol integration.
Danish decentralized wallet infrastructure ZTLment completes 2.4 million euros in Pre-Seed financing, with participation from PreSeed Ventures and others
ZTLment, a decentralized compliant wallet infrastructure based in Copenhagen, Denmark, announced the completion of a €2.4 million Pre-Seed round of financing, with participation from PreSeed Ventures, Upfin, Giant Ventures and a group of angel investors. ZTLment claims to be the first compliant wallet infrastructure project in Europe to conduct fiat currency transfers on a decentralized track, which can solve long-term challenges faced by ordering and booking platforms, including automating fund flows, improving payment transparency and maintaining regulatory compliance.
Aperture Finance Completes Series A Financing, Raising Total Financing to US$12 Million
Aperture Finance, an AI-driven intent-based DeFi platform, has completed its Series A funding round, raising the total funding to $12 million and valuing the project at $250 million. This round of funding was led by venture capital firms such as Skyland Ventures, Blockchain Founders Fund, and Krypital Group, with participation from well-known investors such as Alchemy, SNZ, Stratified Capital, Tide, Cipholio, ViaBTC, CatcherVC, and Double Peak.
Aperture Finance innovates the use of intent to simplify DeFi operations, allowing users to specify the outcomes they want. The new funds will be used to develop infrastructure, expand the network, and enhance user experience. The APTR token will be launched on Bybit on May 31, 2024.
Decentralized exchange HMX completes strategic round of investment, with participation from Finlink Capital and others
HMX, a decentralized perpetual contract and spot exchange, announced that it has completed a strategic round of investment. This round of financing was participated by Finlink Capital, 99 Capital, Rise Capital, etc., and Manifold and Mythos Research will serve as consultants. According to RootData, a Web3 asset data platform, HMX is a decentralized perpetual contract and spot exchange, where users can open up to 88 times leveraged long or short positions on the platform without slippage.
IVX, an option protocol, completes $1.2 million seed round of financing, led by Animoca Ventures and others
IVX, a native options protocol based on Berachain, has completed a $1.2 million seed round of financing on the X platform, led by Animoca Ventures and AVID3, with participation from Big Brain Holdings, Web3Port, Cogitent Ventures, Forbole, SerDAO, Autistic Waterfowl Venture Capital, and a group of angel investors. The valuation data has not been disclosed yet. IVX is built on the Berachain Polaris EVM technology stack and provides zero-day expiration (0DTE) options for crypto assets in a permissionless and secure manner. Buyers have no liquidation risk and allow users to achieve high leverage exposure with minimal capital. Currently, its IVX Artio testnet is open.
Decentralized transaction execution protocol STXN completes $5.5 million seed round of financing, with HackVC and others participating
Smart Transaction (STXN), a decentralized transaction execution protocol, announced the completion of a $5.5 million seed round of financing, with participation from HackVC, Backed, Shima Capital, Signum Capital, Antalpha, Gate.io, Breed VC, Chorus One, Tane, etc. The specific valuation information has not been disclosed. Smart Transaction is a decentralized transaction creation and execution framework run by a solver, allowing users to set specific conditions for transaction time and execution, and can process transactions based on precise conditions and time.
NFT/Chain Games
Kuroro Beasts Completes US$2.5 Million Strategic Funding Round with Animoca Brands as Participant
Arbitrum ecosystem blockchain game Kuroro Beasts announced the completion of a $2.5 million strategic round of financing, led by Animoca Brands and Sanctor Capital, with participation from Axie co-founder Jihoz and Pixels founder Luke Barwikowski. It is reported that the main purpose of this round of financing is to introduce partners and individuals who can bring huge value-added and provide support when Kuroro Beasts launches its ecosystem.
Wbe3 Entertainment Studio and Technology Company Feature.io Complete $1.9 Million Funding
Wbe3 Entertainment Studio and technology company Feature.io has completed a $1.9 million financing round, with participation from InterVest, 2PunksCapital, Avalanche, Acme Innovation, and Sterling.VC. Feature uses its smart contract Smart Content™ technology to connect viewers with brands through interactive touchpoints that are seamlessly embedded in the content that viewers and users love, and each interaction generates automatic rewards, creating a revenue source for users and brands.
Blockchain game developer Supervillain Labs completes $4.5 million seed round, led by Aptos Labs and Intella X
Blockchain game developer Supervillain Labs announced the completion of a $4.5 million seed round of financing, led by Aptos Labs and Intella X, with participation from Spartan Group, KIP-CRIT Interactive Contents Fund, Presto Labs and Planetarium Labs. It is reported that Supervillain's first game, Supervillain: Idle RPG, will use Aptos native NFT projects (such as Aptos Monkeys, Aptomingos and Bruh Bears) as characters.
Web3 AI and gaming company PlayAI completes $4.3 million seed round, with participation from P2 Ventures and others
Web3 AI and gaming company PlayAI announced the completion of a $4.3 million seed round of financing, with participation from P2 Ventures, Jump Crypto, Alphawave, Zentry, MH Ventures, Tykhe Block Ventures, etc., with a valuation of $70 million. PlayAI mainly provides rewards to gamers who share game data, and uses this data to train
High-performance, modular game blockchain Nanon Network completes $10 million in financing, with top institutions such as SIG participating
Nanon Network, a high-performance modular gaming blockchain, has successfully completed a $10 million financing. This round of financing has a strong lineup of investors, including SIG, The9 Limited, LK Venture, FBG Capital, Waterdrip Capital, TSING TING CAPITAL, Betterverse Dao, Winkrypto, Alchemy Pay and other well-known institutions and investors.
This round of financing shows that Nanon Network has strong support from industry giants. SIG is the largest external investor of ByteDance and the largest institutional holder of BTC spot ETF; The9 Limited is an early agent of World of Warcraft; LK Venture's parent company Linekong Interactive is a well-known listed company in the gaming field. Nanon Network aims to provide a high-performance, modular platform and build a one-stop gaming ecosystem, covering a wide range of content from game promotion, asset issuance to trading markets, guild management and portal information, to create a full range of gaming ecological products.
Blockchain game project Zentry completes strategic round of financing, with Spartan, LongHash and others participating
The blockchain game project Zentry (formerly the blockchain game guild GuildFi) announced the completion of a strategic round of financing, with Spartan, LongHash, Synergis and DWF Labs participating in the investment. The specific amount has not been disclosed. It is reported that Zentry said that its funding exceeded 150 million US dollars. The new funds will further strengthen its Metagame Layer. Zentry previously planned to create a unified Superlayer to reward all types of game players across multiple blockchains.
other
Cryptocurrency governance consulting firm MetaLeX raises $2.75 million
MetaLeX, founded by cryptocurrency lawyer Gabriel Shapiro, announced that it has completed a $2.75 million seed round of financing, with the company's valuation reaching $27.5 million. The round was led by Cyber Fund.
Market News: Babylon Bitcoin Project Completes $70 Million in Financing, Paradigm Leads Investment
According to market news, the Babylon Bitcoin project has completed US$70 million in financing, led by Paradigm.
