Cryptocurrency entrepreneur and Polygon founder Sandeep Nailwal has raised $50 million for a new startup fund dedicated to Web3 companies, underscoring venture capital’s growing interest in the blockchain-powered internet. Nailwal’s venture firm, Symbolic Capital, is backed by cryptocurrency protocols, exchanges, crypto-focused auditing firms and other venture capital investors, the company disclosed Thursday. Symbolic’s fund has already invested in three blockchain-focused gaming startups: BlinkMoon, Planet Mojo and Community Gaming. The initial funding received by these startups was not disclosed. In perhaps a new take on venture funding, Nailwal said his company is focused on supporting project founders from emerging markets. “Starting …

After the rising wedge formation was broken on Aug. 17, the total crypto market capitalization quickly dropped to $1 trillion and the bulls' dream of recouping the $1.2 trillion support, last seen on June 10, became even more distant. The worsening conditions are not exclusive to crypto markets. The price of WTI oil ceded 3.6% on Aug. 22, down 28% from the $122 peak seen on June 8. The United States treasuries 5-year yield, which bottomed on Aug. 1 at 2.61%, reverted the trend and is now trading at 3.16%. These are all signs that investors are feeling less confident …

You’ve no doubt heard the expression, follow the money. Well, if you do that in the venture capital world, you’ll be led directly to crypto, blockchain and digital assets. After a modest summertime lull in venture financing, this week saw the announcement of two massive raises worth a combined $500 million. That’s $500 million VCs are allocating to crypto-focused startups at the intersection of Web3, blockchain infrastructure and decentralized communities. If you think funding deals have stopped amid the bear market, think again. I mentioned “summertime lull” at the outset, but that doesn’t mean funding has stopped. There are so …

Shima Capital, a new venture firm focused on early-stage blockchain projects, has launched its debut fund to support emerging digital asset companies — and has received considerable backing in doing so. The Shima Capital Fund I raised a combined $200 million from several high-profile crypto investors, including Dragonfly Capital, Animoca Brands and OKX, the company announced Wednesday. The fund is set to deploy between $500,000 and $2 million in pre-seed funding for crypto- and blockchain-focused companies at the intersection of consumer products, decentralized infrastructure and futuristic blockchain technology. In particular, Shima has identified decentralized identity, decentralized social media, decentralized autonomous …

Blockchain venture firm CoinFund has launched a new investment fund devoted to Web3 and other crypto-focused startups, opening the door to fresh funding opportunities for entrepreneurs during the bear market. The newly launched CoinFund Ventures I will invest $300 million into early-stage companies at the intersection of Web3, cryptocurrency and other blockchain sub-sectors, the company announced Wednesday. The new fund was financed by a combination of institutional investors, family offices and cryptocurrency entrepreneurs. CoinFund Ventures I is more than three times bigger than the firm’s 2021 crypto startup fund, which was valued at $83 million. CoinFund was an investor in …

Cryptocurrency venture firm Dragonfly has acquired a digital asset-focused investment fund for an undisclosed amount — a move that managing partner Haseeb Qureshi said mirrors the broad consolidation trend underway in the industry. Bloomberg reported Monday that Dragonfly purchased MetaStable Capital, a hedge fund co-founded by Naval Ravkiant in 2014, for an undisclosed sum. In doing so, Dragonfly dropped the word “Capital” from its name and underwent a complete rebranding to reflect its growing mandate in the digital asset space. Qureshi told Bloomberg that his firm is “committing to our crypto-native roots” at a time when traditional funds were exiting …

A new nonfungible token collection is aiming to give a substantial contribution to a charitable foundation supporting Ukrainians following Russia's invasion. Blockasset says the NFT release has been organized in collaboration with world heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk, who is from Ukraine himself. The sale comes ahead of Usyk's world title defence against Anthony Joshua on August 20. There are 2,000 one-of-one NFTs of unique artwork, and they feature quirky designs by the world-renowned artist Dosbrak — chronicling some of the key moments from the boxer's undefeated professional career. When the invasion began, Usyk had joined Kyiv's territorial defence battalion …

In the world of crypto, there’s no such thing as “too big to fail.” Three Arrows Capital, once the most recognizable hedge fund in the industry, has essentially gone belly-up after its founders believed their own hype and decided to go full-degen mode during the worst macro climate of a generation. Since the proverbial shit hit the fan last month, founders Kyle Davies and Su Zhu have kept a very low profile. So low, in fact, that their whereabouts remain a mystery, according to court documents. This week’s Crypto Biz chronicles the latest developments surrounding Three Arrows Capital and explores …

An ambitious sustainability-based blockchain project has secured $100 million in a Series A funding round to drive its development. Indian entrepreneurs Pratik Gauri and Prateek Dwivedi have spearheaded the foundation of a fifth-generation blockchain network known as 5ire, which looks to incentivize the implementation of United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs) for users of its system. The project has now attracted a total of $121 million in investment. A seed round secured $21 million from notable tech investors including Alphabit, Marshland Capital, Launchpool Labs and Moonrock Capital. A subsequent Series A fundraising round secured a $100 million investment from United …

Prominent crypto investor Multicoin Capital has launched a new venture fund valued at $430 million, further demonstrating venture capital’s growing interest in the blockchain economy amid the bear market. Multicoin’s Venture Fund III will invest between $500,000 and $25 million in early-stage companies across various crypto- and blockchain-focused industries, the company announced Tuesday. It’s also willing to invest values of up to $100 million or greater for later-stage projects with an established brand and market presence. Related: VC Roundup: ‘Web5,’ Metaverse sports and Bitcoin monetization startups generate buzz Venture Fund III will place greater emphasis on crypto projects that have …

Blockchain gaming and venture studio Animoca Brands has closed another strategic funding round, giving the company additional resources to expand its acquisition targets in the metaverse sector. The company announced Tuesday that it has closed a $75.32 million funding round at a pre-money valuation of $5.9 billion backed by Liberty City Ventures, Kingsway Capital, Alpha Wave Ventures, 19T, SG Spring Limited Partnership Fund and others. The raise represents the “second tranche” of funding following a $358.8 million raise in January that was supported by venture giants Sequoia China, Winklevoss Capital, ParaFi Capital and 10T Holdings. Animoca said the new capital …

Crypto investment platform CoinFLEX is moving forward with its plan to reclaim $84 million in funds by starting arbitration procedures in Hong Kong against an individual account holder. Co-founders Sudhu Arumugam and Mark Lamb acknowledged in their Saturday announcement that the judgment would provide access to the individual’s “worldwide assets” and that their lawyers were “very confident” they could enforce the award: “We have commenced arbitration in HKIAC for the recovery of this $84m as the individual had a legal obligation under the agreement to pay and has refused to do so.” The firm, however, noted the process could take …