Venture Capital news-Page 9
Crypto brokerage FalconX raises $150M at $8B valuation
Despite the ongoing bearish trend in cryptocurrency markets, venture capital firms continue pouring capital into major industry players like FalconX. FalconX, the institutional-level digital asset platform and crypto brokerage, has raised $150 million in fresh funding as part of its Series D financing round. Completed in early June, the funding round values FalconX at $8 billion, more than doubling from its previous Series C-round valuation of $3.75 billion in August 2021, the firm announced to Cointelegraph on Wednesday. The firm has now raised more than $430 million in total. FalconX’s latest investment round was led by the Singaporean sovereign wealth …
Bitcoin / June 22, 2022
Crypto Biz: Crypto carnage pushes Celsius, Three Arrows Capital closer to insolvency, June 9-16
The 2022 version of crypto winter has been unlike anything we’ve seen before. As I warned last month, the meltdown of the Terra ecosystem didn’t end with Luna Classic (LUNC) hitting zero. The biggest threat was contagion. As the dust began to settle, we finally got a glimpse of who was left holding the bag. Crypto lender Celsius and Singapore-based venture firm Three Arrows Capital suffered heavy losses during the debacle. These firms, once a staple of the budding crypto industry, now risk demise following weeks of massive selloffs in the market. Celsius reportedly seeks advice from lawyers on restructuring …
Business / June 17, 2022
Three Arrows Capital weighs bailout as Kyle Davies breaks silence: Report
Crypto-focused hedge fund and venture capital firm Three Arrows Capital is considering the sale of remaining assets and even a bailout as it grapples with the prospect of insolvency in the wake of a violent collapse in digital asset markets. The firm, which also goes by 3AC, has hired legal and financial advisers to explore solutions for its investors and lenders, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday. Several options are on the table, including asset sales and a rescue package by another firm, co-founder Kyle Davies told the Journal. In the meantime, 3AC is looking to buy more time by …
Business / June 17, 2022
Bear market no issue for Binance Labs’ DeFi incubation program
Binance Labs, the venture capital and incubation arm of the Binance cryptocurrency exchange, continues its business as usual despite the ongoing bear market. The VC firm is preparing to launch the fifth round of the Most Valuable Builder (MVB) accelerator program, the incubation program designed to support new projects focused on decentralized finance (DeFi) and Web3. Organized in cooperation with BNB Chain, the program looks to provide dedicated support to developers building decentralized apps on the BNB Chain blockchain network by providing incubation and investment. The MVB program was originally launched in May 2021, with the mission to help BNB …
Adoption / June 17, 2022
Liquidity provider asks platforms to freeze 3AC funds to recover assets after litigation
Danny Yuan, the CEO of trading firm 8 Blocks Capital, called out to platforms that are holding funds owned by 3AC to freeze the assets, as rumors of 3AC’s insolvency stay afloat. In a Twitter thread, Yuan explained their company’s involvement with 3AC, noting that they are paying the company to use the trading accounts that they own. The agreement included the ability to withdraw funds at any given time. He explained that: “We had known them since 2018, thought they were competent and didn’t think they were degen enough to lose billions and not employ basic risk management.” According …
Blockchain / June 16, 2022
True Global Ventures doubles down on Web3 with $146M ‘follow-on’ fund
Venture capital firm True Global Ventures 4 Plus (TGV4 Plus) has announced the closure of a $146 million funding round earmarked for a wide range of Web3 projects — highlighting investors’ continued interest in crypto despite an ongoing bear market. The latest closure, dubbed the TGV4 Plus Follow On Fund, was led by a group of 15 general partners who committed over $4 million on average (over 40%, or $62 million) into the fund. The majority of the funding will be primarily injected into Web3 companies within TGV’s portfolio, while the remaining will be used to invest in late-stage Web3 …
Adoption / June 16, 2022
Su Zhu’s cryptic statement as rumors swirl of 3AC liquidations and insolvency
Su Zhu, co-founder of Singapore-based crypto venture capital firm Three Arrows Capital (3AC), has put out a cryptic statement on Twitter in response to swirling rumors that the company is battling against insolvency. Online chatter about 3AC being unable to meet a margin call began after 3AC started moving assets around this week to top up funds on decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms such as Aave to avoid potential liquidations amid the tanking price of Ether (ETH) this week. There are unconfirmed reports that 3AC faced liquidations totaling hundreds of millions from multiple positions. DeFi-banking platform Celsius has also been frantically …
Blockchain / June 15, 2022
Crypto Biz: Stablecoins are paving the way for mass adoption of crypto, June 2–8
Stablecoins are a controversial subject in crypto. Questioning the legitimacy and backing of Tether (USDT) is a right of passage for many entering the crypto market for the first time. The meltdown of the Terra (LUNC; or the old LUNA) ecosystem left little doubt that algorithmic stablecoins don’t have a future beyond Do Kwon’s fantasies. Pesky regulators are constantly poking and prodding at dollar-pegged assets to carve out firmer rules on their usage. But, if you look beyond all the fear, uncertainty and doubt, stablecoins are providing liquidity to millions of people who don’t have access to dollars because of …
Business / June 10, 2022
Huobi Global launches $1B investment arm focused on DeFi and Web3
Digital asset exchange Huobi Global has spun out a new investment arm focused on decentralized finance (DeFi) and Web3 projects, further highlighting venture capital interest in the blockchain economy. Dubbed Ivy Blocks, the new investment arm has over $1 billion in crypto assets under management to deploy, a spokesperson for Huobi confirmed. These funds have been earmarked for “identifying and investing in promising blockchain projects,” the company said. In addition to financing, Ivy Blocks will offer various services to selected projects, including an asset management platform, a new blockchain incubator and a dedicated research arm. The firm’s asset management department …
Business / June 10, 2022
‘Data DAO’ Delphia raises $60M Series A led by Multicoin Capital
Algo-adviser startup Delphia has closed a $60 million investment round backed by some of crypto’s biggest venture funds as it embarks on the creation of a new data-focused decentralized autonomous organization (DAO). The Series A was led by crypto-focused venture firm Multicoin Capital, with additional participation from Ribbit Capital, FTX Ventures, Valor Equity Partners, FJ Labs, Lattice Ventures and Cumberland. Delphia will use the funds to launch a new rewards token as well as expand the ways users can contribute data to algorithmic models, which will be used to enhance investor returns. According to Multicoin Capital co-founder Tushar Jain, data …
Business / June 8, 2022
After record growth, VC crypto investments decline 38% in May
This short-term decline in investments can be correlated to the recent market correction, which made Bitcoin (BTC) and other major cryptocurrencies lose 50% or more of their value. According to new data released by Dove Metrics, total venture capital investment in crypto declined 38.2% over the past month, from $6.8 billion in April to $4.7 billion in May, while surging 97.8% since last year. Data on investment distribution showed infrastructure companies received 21% of the pie, while decentralized finance (DeFi) startups accounted for 14%. Centralized finance (CeFi) and nonfungible token (NFT) projects each accounted for 13%. This goes to show …
Business / June 2, 2022
Netscape creator says Web3 really is like the rise of the early internet
Billionaire tech entrepreneur turned venture capitalist Marc Andreessen says that Web3 and its underlying blockchain technology reminds him of the rise of the early internet. Andreessen, better known today as the co-founder of the blockchain-focused venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), originally found success by developing the first widely used web browser called Mosaic and then founded Netscape Navigator, which dominated the browser market throughout much of the 1990s. Appearing on the Bankless podcast alongside investment partner and colleague Chris Dixon, Andreessen said that increasing adoption and a flurry of development in Web3 appears remarkably similar to the rush of …
Adoption / June 2, 2022