Investment Landscape Shifts: Fewer Rounds, Bigger Bets
The last month saw a significant trend in the investment landscape, with $1.15B raised across 75 rounds. This represents a 15% increase in funds raised but a 25% decrease in the number of rounds compared to the previous month. This trend suggests a shift towards larger, more substantial investments in fewer projects. The broader market situation, influenced by macroeconomic factors and investor sentiment, indicates a cautious yet optimistic approach. The news background, including Ethereum's challenges and the rise of TON, has likely influenced investor behavior. The current results can be interpreted as a sign of market consolidation, with investors focusing on high-potential projects. This trend may indicate potential future stability and growth in the market.
Biggest Rounds
Polymarket (DeFi), with $74M raised from Founders Fund, Strangelove Ventures Crypto Fund, Piers Kicks. Polymarket is a decentralized information markets platform where users can trade on highly-debated topics such as coronavirus, politics, and current events. Users can build portfolios based on their forecasts and earn returns if they're correct. Market prices reflect traders' views on future event odds, providing actionable insights for decision-making.
Crestal (DeFi), with $25M raised from Brotherhood Crypto Fund, M31 Capital Crypto Fund, Paradigm. Crestal is a platform for modular services, enabling developers to discover, deploy, and upgrade services on the Crestal Blockchain. It connects decentralized providers to a verifiable Proof of Performance (PoPTM), rewarding high-quality infrastructure support for web3 developers.
Airstack (CeFi), with $12.16M raised from Moonwalker Capital. Airstack is a key player in centralized finance, aiming to streamline and secure global financial transactions. It integrates various financial services into a single platform, enhancing operational efficiency and user experience.
Kiosk (NFT), with $7.1M raised from Sora Ventures, The Spartan Group Crypto Fund. Kiosk is an innovative NFT marketplace that emphasizes transparency and user empowerment, leveraging advanced technology to enhance the NFT experience.
Hylé (Blockchain Infrastructure), with $2.6M raised from Framework Ventures Crypto Fund, Delphi Digital, Vitalik Buterin. Hylé builds out the Hylé network, which uses zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP) for scalability and privacy. Hylé aims to be the core layer for the modular ZK tech stack. The Hylé network runs its own consensus mechanism and is purpose-built for ZKP verification, offering developers and users options for what suits their systems.
Most Interesting Categories
The most funded category was Blockchain Infrastructure with $120 million raised in 32 rounds. This is a significant increase compared to $40 million raised in 10 rounds last month.
The second most funded category was CeFi, with $102 million in funding and 26 rounds raised. This is a decrease compared to $140 million raised in 50 rounds last month.
DeFi, which raised $98 million in 17 rounds, rounds out the top three. This is a substantial increase compared to $10 million raised in 5 rounds last month.
Most Active Investors
Coinbase Ventures participated in 6 rounds, making it the most active investor in this space. Their focus last month was on categories such as DeFi, CeFi, and Blockchain Infrastructure.
In second place is Pantera Capital with 4 rounds, their focus was on DeFi and Blockchain Infrastructure.
And finally, Circle invested in 3 different rounds, focusing on CeFi and Blockchain Infrastructure.