Crypto Investment Trends: Winners and Losers of the Month

Categories

The investment landscape this month shows varied trends across categories compared to the previous month. Blockchain Infrastructure saw a modest increase with $15M raised in 10 rounds, up from $11M in 9 rounds last month. This indicates a steady interest in enhancing blockchain infrastructure. The biggest rounds in this category were Hylé with $4.6M from Framework Ventures Crypto Fund, Delphi Digital, and Vitalik Buterin, and Chainbound with $2.3M from cyber Fund Crypto Fund, Maven 11 Capital, and Chorus One. Hylé focuses on zero-knowledge proofs for scalability and privacy, while Chainbound is developing pre-confirmation protocols for Ethereum.

Blockchain Service experienced a significant drop, raising $60M in 25 rounds compared to $115M in 40 rounds last month. The largest rounds were Edge Matrix Chain with $20M from Candaq and Bochsler Finance, and Space and Time with $5M from OKX Ventures and SamsungNext. Edge Matrix Chain aims to create a decentralized computing network, while Space and Time enhances centralized finance operations.

CeFi saw a remarkable surge, raising $89M in 17 rounds, a substantial increase from $15M in 5 rounds last month. The biggest rounds were Airstack with $12.16M from Moonwalker Capital, and Arch with $2.16M from Kenetic Capital and Tribe Capital. Airstack aims to streamline global financial transactions, while Arch provides financial services for crypto asset holders.

Chain category also saw a significant rise, with $45M raised in 15 rounds, up from $19M in 7 rounds last month. The largest rounds were Quai Network with $15M from Polychain Capital and Jets Capital, and Ark Labs with $2.5M from Fulgur Ventures. Quai Network focuses on scalable blockchain networks, while Ark Labs is developing a Bitcoin Layer 2 payment network.

Currency category saw an impressive increase, raising $405M in 30 rounds, compared to $304M in 29 rounds last month. The biggest rounds were XRP with $200M from Pantera Capital, and Sentz with $64M from Coinbase Ventures and Blocktower Capital. XRP aims to minimize bank participation in transactions, while Sentz operates on its own blockchain with significant market activity.

DeFi experienced a decline, raising $267M in 25 rounds compared to $375M in 43 rounds last month. The largest rounds were Polymarket with $74M from Founders Fund, Strangelove Ventures Crypto Fund, and Piers Kicks, and Crestal with $25M from Brotherhood Crypto Fund, M31 Capital Crypto Fund, and Paradigm. Polymarket is a decentralized information markets platform, while Crestal offers modular services for web3 developers.

GameFi saw a significant increase, raising $215M in 17 rounds, up from $115M in 10 rounds last month. The biggest rounds were Double jump.tokyo with $64M from Circle, and Nectar AI with $3.9M from Maelstrom and Synergis. Double jump.tokyo supports blockchain game development, while Nectar AI offers a generative AI platform for creating virtual companions.

Meme category also saw an increase, raising $45M in 8 rounds compared to $30M in 15 rounds last month. The largest rounds were SHIBA INU with $12M from Animoca Brands, and Milady Meme Coin with $6M from DWF Labs. SHIBA INU focuses on building a decentralized community, while Milady Meme Coin is inspired by the Milady Maker NFT collection.

NFT category saw a slight decline, raising $28M in 6 rounds compared to $30M in 7 rounds last month. The biggest rounds were Kiosk with $7.1M from Sora Ventures and The Spartan Group Crypto Fund, and Mintify with $5M from Amber Group. Kiosk is an NFT marketplace, while Mintify offers advanced tools for NFT trading.

Social category saw a significant increase, raising $195M in 9 rounds compared to $115M in 13 rounds last month. The largest rounds were Story Protocol with $124M from Balaji Srinivasan and Hashed Fund, and Soulbound with $6M from Genblock Capital. Story Protocol aims to revolutionize intellectual property management, while Soulbound combines social networks and GameFi.

Stablecoin category saw a slight increase, raising $15M in 5 rounds compared to $10M in 3 rounds last month. The largest rounds were Level with $3.6M from Polychain Capital Crypto Fund, and StablR with $1.1M from Global Coin Research. Level is based on USD re-stake tokens, while StablR issues EurR to provide liquidity to DeFi and CeFi markets.

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, focusing on DeFi and Blockchain Infrastructure.

Finally, Circle invested in 3 different rounds, focusing on CeFi and Blockchain Infrastructure.