Crypto Fundraising: Who Raised How Much This Week?

Crypto fundraising remains relentless, with AI integrations, tokenized assets, and infrastructure projects stealing the spotlight this week.

Here’s a no-nonsense breakdown of who got funded, why it matters, and what it means for the crypto space as a whole.

The Top 10 Crypto Funding Rounds This Week

1. ‍Ephemera Lands $20M for Decentralized Messaging

Ephemera raised $20 million in a Series B round led by USV, a16z crypto, and Lightspeed Faction. They’re building XMTP, a decentralized messaging protocol that keeps your chats secure and on-chain.

With a total funding now at nearly $50 million, Ephemera might be the answer to the centralized mess we’ve got with social media platforms today.

2. ‍Spiko Pulls $22M to Tokenize Securities

Spiko secured a $22 million Series A led by Index Ventures, joined by prominent angels like Revolut's founder.

They’re focusing on tokenizing licensed securities, starting with money market funds directly tradable in your Web3 wallet. As RWAs heat up, Spiko’s licensed and compliant offering could be the bridge DeFi desperately needs.‍

3. ‍Function Scores $10M to Put Bitcoin to Work

Galaxy Digital led a $10 million seed round for Function, whose FBTC wrapper allows institutions to safely yield-farm Bitcoin without losing custody.

Big players now have the tools to make Bitcoin productive, bridging traditional asset management with crypto innovation.‍

4. ‍KUN Raises Over $50M for Stablecoin Payments

KUN secured more than $50 million in a Series A round led by BAI Capital and GSR Ventures. They’re creating global payment rails using stablecoins to streamline secure and efficient cross-border business transactions.

With stablecoins becoming mainstream, KUN could just be perfectly positioned to simplify global finance.‍

5. ‍DSRV Bags $11.6M to Expand Blockchain Infrastructure

Blockchain infrastructure provider DSRV raised $11.6 million from Intervest and NH-SK in their Series B round.

They manage nodes and offer secure custody and validation services across dozens of blockchains. DSRV’s fund raise shows the importance of reliable infrastructure in crypto’s rapidly expanding industry.‍

6. ‍Poseidon Secures $15M for Decentralized AI Data

Poseidon raised $15 million in seed funding from a16z crypto to create a decentralized marketplace for legally licensed AI training data.

Using the Story protocol, Poseidon addresses the crucial issue of data quality and ownership, making AI models more reliable and ethically sound.‍

7. ‍Soluna Gets $20M for Green Compute

Spring Lane Capital invested $20 million in Soluna’s Project Kati, expanding their green data centers that convert excess renewable energy into compute power for AI and Bitcoin mining.

This doesn’t seem to be just about sustainability theater, Soluna’s model makes renewable energy profitable and efficient.‍

8. ‍Questflow Raises $6.5M for Autonomous AI Agents

Questflow pulled in a $6.5 million seed round led by CyberFund, with participation from Delphi and Animoca Brands.

Their network incentivizes autonomous AI agents to execute real-world tasks and workflows, paid in crypto. Questflow might just kickstart a practical AI economy beyond chatbots.‍

9. ‍Blockskye Secures $15.8M for Corporate Travel Payments

Blockchange Ventures led a $15.8 million round for Blockskye, aiming to revolutionize corporate travel payments using blockchain.

It might sound dull, but the trillion-dollar travel industry could become crypto’s next big frontier, streamlining expense tracking and settlements.‍

10. ‍Dakota Raises $12.5M to Bridge Traditional Banking and DeFi

Dakota secured $12.5 million in Series A funding to offer crypto-native banking solutions with attractive yields for enterprises.

This move could significantly reduce volatility risks, enabling traditional businesses to confidently park cash in crypto markets.

Bonus Round

11. ‍PlaysOut Scores $7M for Web3 Gaming Integration

PlaysOut snagged a $7 million seed investment led by OKX Ventures to help developers seamlessly integrate crypto monetization into mini-games within popular Web2 apps.

With gaming as crypto’s gateway drug, this SDK could onboard millions of users without friction.‍

12. ‍AI Cross Matrix (ACM) Lands $12M for Enhanced Privacy

ACM raised $12 million led by Asva Capital for their privacy-focused protocol that uses zero-knowledge proofs and AI for secure, cross-chain transfers.

Privacy remains crypto’s killer feature, ACM aims to make asset transfers truly private and regulatory-friendly.‍

13. ‍W3.io Bags $7M for Decentralized AWS Alternative

Blockchange Ventures led a $7 million seed round for W3.io, a decentralized cloud computing alliance designed specifically for Web3 ecosystems.

With centralized services dominating cloud infrastructure, W3.io appears to be creating a genuine decentralized alternative to AWS.

The Meta Summary

This week's raises highlight a matured market focused on practical infrastructure, privacy, and enterprise solutions. Tokenized securities, decentralized messaging, and AI integrations have proved to not just be buzzwords anymore, they’re foundational blocks shaping crypto’s future.

We could expect these infrastructure plays to intersect meaningfully with Layer 2 solutions and restaking mechanisms as crypto continues to evolve.

Final Thoughts

While memecoins grab headlines, serious money is flowing into projects with lasting utility. AI, privacy tech, stablecoins, and RWAs are solidifying crypto's maturity beyond speculation.

Stay tuned next week for another clear-eyed breakdown of who raised what and why it matters.

cya!