China is rapidly catching up to the United States with regard to blockchain-related investments, according to a recent report put together by New York-based research firm CB Insights. The researchers found that the East Asian country accounted for 22% of blockchain investments in 2019, compared to 31% for the U.S. This represents a significant improvement for China when compared to 2015, when it had a meager 2% while the U.S. was getting 51% of total funding. Headlined by the trade dispute of 2019, competition between the U.S. and China has intensified in recent years. That’s unsurprising considering they’re the two …

A report published by research firm CB Insights has found that equity funding has dramatically overtaken initial coin offerings (ICOs) as the dominant means of finance in the blockchain space. While the largely unregulated ICO boom of 2018 raised $7.8 billion, initial coin offering funding fell more than 95% to raise $371 million in 2019. By contrast, equity funding raised $2.8 billion last year. The report also notes the rise of decentralized finance (DeFi), noting that there are currently more than $1 billion in assets on DeFi platforms — up from $300 million as of January 2019. Crypto firms are …

In a world where blockchain technology is rapidly breaking barriers and disrupting industries one at a time, the emergence of new models to replace classical crowdfunding ventures is just a matter of time. More than a decade after Bitcoin’s introduction, we’ve witnessed new crowdfunding models replacing the initial public offering for funding blockchain-fueled projects — the initial coin offering, decentralized autonomous organization DAO, the security token offering and the initial exchange offering. History indicates that if you have honey, the bees will follow. However, countless illicit schemes and scam projects have caused some misguided investments. So, why have there been …

Newly published court documents reveal that an anonymous venture capital firm identified as “Investor F” sought to have evidence redacted from the first court hearing for the dispute between the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Telegram. On Feb, 18, Investor F asserted that emails directly requested by the SEC contain “confidential and commercially sensitive documents” detailing the firm's strategic considerations regarding prospective cryptocurrency investments and custody solutions. The request states that the firm operates in a “highly competitive market” in which “discussions about investment strategy are commercially sensitive.” Investor F sought that the SEC be permitted to …

As initial coin offerings and their derivatives continue to fade, venture investment in the space has steadily picked up pace. Cointelegraph sat down with Michael Anderson, co-founder of Framework Ventures, to learn more about his investment philosophy and outlook on the ecosystem. Anderson’s most notable investments are Chainlink (LINK) and Synthetix, both of which grew tremendously in 2019. Predictably, he is quite positive about decentralized finance (DeFi), sharing his thoughts on the evolution of the ecosystem after a round of questions on venture investment in crypto. Venturing out to crypto Anderson came on the venture capitalist (VC) path by passing …

Financial service powerhouse Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lost another one of its top brass on February 5 after two other executives expressed departure plans several days prior. Goldman Sachs partner Rana Yared plans to exit her position at Goldman Sachs for a VC outfit, a source told Bloomberg for a Feb. 5 article. During her time at Goldman, Yared played a major role in the financial giant’s crypto endeavors. Goldman in crypto Since 2017, the blockchain and crypto industry has seen an influx of traditional market entities in some capacity. In July 2019, a job post from Goldman Sachs hinted …

Israeli blockchain startup Clear has raised $13 million in a Series A round led by Fidelity-backed Eight Roads. Clear — which develops blockchain networks for high-volume transaction systems between businesses — announced the round’s completion in a statement via TechCrunch on Feb. 5. Eight Roads is a global venture firm that originates in Fidelity’s first investment business, Fidelity Ventures. Other participants in the Series A for Clear were the venture funds of several global telecoms leaders: Spain’s Telefónica Innovation Ventures, the Telekom Innovation Pool of Germany’s Deutsche Telekom, Hong Kong telco HKT and Singapore’s Singtel Innov8. Telecoms is Clear’s first …

Ripple, the blockchain payments firm behind XRP, the third biggest altcoin by market cap, has raised $200 million in a new funding round. Led by closed-ended investment company Tetragon, the new Series C funding round was also joined by Ripple’s major Japanese partner SBI Holdings and venture capital firm Route 66 Ventures, the firm announced on Dec. 20. The new funding will reportedly help Ripple to continue improving its global payments network and the broader utility of the digital asset XRP and the XRP Ledger, the announcement reads. Despite 73% sales drop in Q3, Ripples sees strong yearly growth The …

Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has shared a list of instructors for its free, seven-week crypto startup school, scheduled to launch in February 2020. On Dec. 11, the venture capital firm announced that experienced entrepreneurs, builders, investors and experts in the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry will coach students by sharing lessons they’ve learned, bring new project ideas, and share information to help them get started in the cryptoverse. The list of crypto startup school instructors includes top entrepreneurs and technologists like general partner at Andreessen Horowitz Chris Dixon, professor of computer science at Stanford University Dan Boneh, and Brian …

Portag3 Ventures, a Canadian venture capital (VC) firm, has closed a second fund with around $320 million to invest in fintech startup companies globally. On Dec. 3, TechCrunch reported that the VC company received final commitments from institutional and strategic investors totaling $320 million. The funds will allow the company to make early-stage investments in promising fintech startups around the world, with a particular focus on regions like Canada, the United States, Europe and certain markets in the Asia-Pacific region. “Build global champions” Portag3 Ventures CEO Adam Felesky reportedly said that the company is on a mission “to build global …

An executive at the Ethereum blockchain firm ConsenSys is launching a new blockchain-oriented investment firm, Aligned Capital. Sam Cassatt, the chief strategy officer (CSO) at ConsenSys, announced that the firm will be seeking to raise $50 million for its first fund in an announcement on Nov. 15. Cassatt, who has been at the firm for five years, will continue to serve as an advisor to ConsenSys while working full-time as a founding managing partner at Aligned Capital. Apart from blockchain, Aligned Capital will invest in safe AI and innovative healthcare According to the announcement, Aligned Capital will be investing in …

Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) is launching a free, seven-week crypto startup school, scheduled to kick off in February 2020. The firm — well-known for its investments in crypto industry names such as Coinbase and Ripple — publicly announced the program on Nov. 8. Free materials online for the general public According to the announcement, the program — which will entail lectures held in person in Menlo Park, California — will cover a broad curriculum for those seeking to found blockchain startups. In parallel, videos and curriculum materials will be freely accessible online. A16z has stressed it will not …