The Metaverse as a concept is an attempt to fuse physical reality, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) into one seamless and immersive experience. The term “metaverse” was first used in Neil Stephenson’s 1982 cyberpunk novel Snow Crash. Stephenson’s metaverse was a virtual place where characters could go to escape a dreary totalitarian reality. Some of the key attributes of the Metaverse include: Even before the Metaverse became a phenomenon amid the nonfungible token (NFT) craze and crypto market boom, the concept was already in focus with the likes of Facebook, now Meta, Apple, Microsoft, Samsung and several other …

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 …

Typically a lagging indicator of the sector’s health, the explosion of venture funding in the blockchain sector in 2021 and the first half of 2022 appears to be cooling off after seven consecutive sectors of growth. According to Cointelegraph Research, inflows in the blockchain venture capital market have declined by 43% month-on-month in July 2022. The Web3 sector, including GameFi and the Metaverse, continues to command the lion’s share of investor interest. But, the decline in capital inflows should be viewed in context as the numbers are close to the same period in 2021 when the crypto market was in …

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 …

Google parent company Alphabet poured the most amount of capital into the blockchain industry compared to any other public company, investing $1.5 billion between Sep. 2021 and Jun. 2022, a new report shows. In an updated blog published by Blockdata on Aug. 17, Alphabet (Google) was revealed as the investor with the deepest pockets compared to the top 40 public corporations investing in blockchain and crypto companies during the period. The company invested $1.5 billion into the space, concentrating on four blockchain companies including digital asset custody platform Fireblocks, Web3 gaming company Dapper Labs, Bitcoin infrastructure tool Voltage, and venture …

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 …

You might not know it, but Canada is quietly becoming a major player in the blockchain and crypto scene: Ethereum has strong Canadian roots, Toronto-based 3iQ launched North America’s first physically-settled Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund (ETF) and the percentage of active crypto holders in the country has increased steadily over the past two years. Against this backdrop, I had the pleasure of attending this year’s Blockchain Futurist Conference in Toronto, where I got to moderate two panels on rebuilding the financial system through Web3 and onboarding the next wave of crypto users. The event served as another reminder that the …

Netherlands-based crypto investment firm Maven 11 has launched its third lending pool on Maple Finance, giving borrowers access to liquidity amid the bear market. The $30 million pool financed by institutional lenders will be utilized by trading firms that include Wintermute, Auros and Flow Traders, among others, Maven 11 announced this week. The new pool is designed “specifically for institutions looking for yield opportunities,” the company said. Maple, a decentralized finance credit platform, is filling a void left by the implosion of leading centralized finance (CeFi) companies such as Celsius. Liquidity constraints triggered by the collapse of Terra Luna and …

Two executives at Wave Financial, an asset management firm providing bespoke strategies to high-net-worth individuals and entities, have reported seeing increased institutional demand for crypto products amid the bear market. Speaking to Cointelegraph at the Blockchain Futurist Conference in Toronto on Wednesday, Wave Financial’s head of business development Mike Jones said institutional investment in crypto could be driven by the high end of wealth management firms including Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs looking for ways to allow their clients to get exposure to the space. Jones cited the example of BlackRock partnering with Coinbase on Aug. 4, a …

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 …

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 …