Crypto Fundraising: Who Raised How Much This Week?

This week's crypto funding roundup is all about AI infiltrating every nook and cranny, from robotics to financial platforms, while stablecoins and payments infrastructure are inching closer to that seamless cross-border dream.

DeFi and Real World Asset (RWA) projects are also securing serious cash, and traditional gaming giants are dipping their toes into Web3.

Let's dive straight into the projects that just bagged big checks this week.

Top 10 Crypto Funding Rounds This Week

1. Aria: Web3 Open-World Gaming Gets Serious

Aria, a Web3 open-world RPG, secured $5 million in a seed round backed by industry heavyweights like Tencent, NetEase, Riot, Animoca Brands, and Galaxy.

Players explore decentralized ecosystems, embark on quests, and battle for rewards. Traditional gaming names betting on Web3 could finally bridge the gap between centralized gaming empires and blockchain-driven gameplay.

2. KAIO: Compliant Real-World Assets on Blockchain

KAIO raised an impressive $11 million seed round led by Laser Digital, with participation from BH Digital, WebN Group, and others.

KAIO (formerly Libre Capital) enables institutions to tokenize real-world assets, ensuring compliance and liquidity across chains. With RWAs heating up, KAIO could be a cornerstone of institutional DeFi without regulatory nightmares.

3. Falcon Finance: CeDeFi Stablecoins With High-Profile Backing

Falcon Finance grabbed a $10 million strategic round from World Liberty Financial, linked to former President Trump.

Their product?

A hybrid CeDeFi stablecoin platform aiming for seamless cross-chain liquidity. Political baggage aside, Falcon's USDf stablecoin could be a significant bridge between traditional finance and crypto markets.

4. STON.fi: DeFi on TON Blockchain Gets Funded

STON.fi, a decentralized exchange (DEX) on the growing TON blockchain, raised $9.5 million in a Series A from Ribbit Capital and CoinFund.

Offering extremely low fees and minimal slippage, STON.fi is positioning itself as the primary DEX for the rapidly expanding TON ecosystem.

5. GAIB: Yield-Bearing GPUs for AI Compute

GAIB raised a strategic $10 million round from Amber Group to create onchain synthetic GPU assets that offer investors yields from AI computations.

As AI hype persists, GAIB's infrastructure could legitimize blockchain-based AI compute markets, attracting institutional capital.

6. Manifold: Decentralized AI Infrastructure on Bittensor

Manifold landed a $10.5 million Series A led by OSS Capital, with support from Digital Currency Group (DCG).

They're deploying decentralized AI models on the Bittensor network, providing the infrastructure for genuinely incentivized AI ecosystems. If decentralized AI takes off, Manifold could be at its core.

7. Finloop: AI-Powered Digital Wealth Management

Finloop closed a $10 million Series A for its AI-driven digital wealth management platform, backed by Fosun.

This traditional-meets-blockchain approach could bridge institutional finance and decentralized markets, making wealth management both agile and transparent.

8. Billions: ZKP Identity Checks for Web3

Billions secured $30 million from heavy hitters like Polychain, Coinbase Ventures, and Polygon for its zero-knowledge proof (ZKP)-based identity verification protocol.

In an era of deepfakes and fake identities, Billions’ tech could become the essential trust layer across Web3 and AI ecosystems.

9. Stable: Gas-Free Stablecoin Transfers

Stable raised $28 million in a seed round co-led by Bitfinex and Hack VC, with participation from Franklin Templeton.

Their blockchain offers gas-free USDT transactions and cross-chain bridging. With Tether’s strong backing, Stable could simplify stablecoin usage across fragmented chains.

10. Rialo: Blockchain Integration With Real-World Apps

Rialo, led by former Meta engineers, secured a $20 million seed round from Pantera, Coinbase Ventures, and Variant.

Rialo aims to integrate blockchain with everyday devices and apps, potentially bridging the usability gap that currently limits widespread blockchain adoption.

Bonus Round (just cuz)

11. Blockchain-Driven Robotics OS

OpenMind attracted $20 million in funding led by Pantera and Pi Network Ventures, along with Sequoia China.

They’re building a decentralized operating system for robotics, potentially powering a new era of secure, interoperable industrial and healthcare automation.

12. Satsuma Technology Plc: Public AI Infrastructure and Bitcoin Treasury

Satsuma Technology Plc raised an enormous $198 million from Pantera, Kraken, ParaFi, and DCG.

As a public company, they develop decentralized AI agents on Bittensor while managing crypto investments, bringing legitimacy to decentralized AI.

13. ectonic: Quantum-Resistant Computing Infrastructure

Tectonic raised approximately $10 million from Crescat Capital and 3L Capital to explore quantum-resistant computing platforms.

As quantum computing threatens current crypto standards, Tectonic is preemptively building infrastructure resilient enough to handle these future threats.

The Meta Summary

AI remains the star of the show, infiltrating everything from robotics to financial software, underscoring crypto’s ongoing bet on intelligent infrastructure.

Meanwhile, stablecoin platforms like Stable and Falcon Finance push towards cross-chain efficiency, and RWA platforms such as KAIO showcase a shift towards real-world integration.

Traditional gaming giants’ investments in Aria hint at a potential mainstream crossover into Web3.

Overall, this week's funding emphasizes infrastructure with real, lasting utility. Investors are clearly favoring platforms that promise sustainable growth over quick speculative gains.

Final Thoughts

Crypto's current funding wave is building foundations rather than chasing fleeting trends. AI-DeFi intersections are where the most exciting narratives emerge, and established financial entities entering the scene with serious intent signal crypto's maturity.

If this infrastructure delivers on its promise, we might see a genuinely usable Web3 ecosystem sooner rather than later.

Anyways, cya, catch you next week!