Crypto Fundraising weekly
Dates: 16 – 22, Jan 2023

This week's biggest funding round

Champions Ascension raised $32M in a Seed funding round from Andreessen Horowitz (a16z crypto).

Champions Ascension is a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) by Plai Labs (social platforms builder leveraging AI and web3). Players can port in their existing non-fungible token (NFTs) characters, go on quests, trade items, fight in the colosseum, build their own custom dungeons and more. Plai Labs are also building an AI protocol platform which will help with everything from user generated content (UGC) to matchmaking to 2D to 3D asset rendering.

Pre-seed and Seed investment rounds

Champions Ascension raised $32M in a Seed funding round from Andreessen Horowitz (a16z crypto).

Champions Ascension is a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) by Plai Labs (social platforms builder leveraging AI and web3). Players can port in their existing non-fungible token (NFTs) characters, go on quests, trade items, fight in the colosseum, build their own custom dungeons and more. Plai Labs are also building an AI protocol platform which will help with everything from user generated content (UGC) to matchmaking to 2D to 3D asset rendering.

Hyper Oracle raised $3M in a Pre-seed funding round from dao5 (daofive)*, Sequoia Capital*, Foresight Ventures, FutureMoney Group.

Hyper Oracle is a zero-knowledge middleware developer. Hyper Oracle is a developer of a suite of "Meta Apps," which include indexing and automation protocols for blockchains. A key component of these protocols is a ZK proving system that enables trustless transmission of blockdata, which is needed in indexing and automation tasks.

Architect raised $5M in a Seed funding round from Coinbase Ventures, Circle Ventures, SV Angel, Motivate Venture Capital, P2P Validator, Third Kind Venture Capital (3kvc), SALT fund.

Architect is a DeFi Platform Founded by Former FTX US President Brett Harrison provides traders with adaptable infrastructure that redefines access to global digital asset markets. Architect will provide software trading tools in the decentralized finance space for large investors and institutions.

Ulvetanna raised $15M in a Seed funding round from Bain Capital Ventures (BCV)*, Paradigm*, Jump Crypto, Robot Ventures, Crusoe Energy Systems.

Ulvetanna is an enterprise-grade scalable zero-knowledge-proof acceleration platform.

Cypher Wallet raised $4.3M in a Seed funding round from Y Combinator*, Samsung Next, Orange DAO, Balaji Srinivasan.

Cypher is a Web3 wallet that solves the complexity of money movement in Web3 by offering the world’s first fully comprehensive Web3 financial ecosystem: one wallet for everything in Web3. Users can easily purchase and manage crypto across multiple chains and easily connect to any Web3 application within multiple ecosystems, without the need for separate wallets.

Gateway raised $4.2M in a Seed funding round from Reciprocal Ventures*, 6th Man Ventures (6MV), The Spartan Group, Figment, Sandeep Nailwal.

Gateway is the Web3 credential protocol aims to improve user sovereignty and privacy. Gateway stores its credentials on the blockchain-based data storage protocol Arweave. It currently supports credentials on the Ethereum blockchain with plans to integrate Solana in the near future.

Davos Protocol raised $500K in a Pre-seed funding round from Polygon Ventures, Sandeep Nailwal.

Davos is a new DeFi protocol consists of a dual token model, DAVOS and DGT and a set of mechanisms that support instant conversions, asset collateralization, borrowing, yield farming, and stable asset staking. Davos is an enhanced version of MakerDAO and is a multi-chain protocol.

Koinos raised $500K in a Seed funding round from Blockchain Founders Fund*, Splinterlands.

Koinos is a general purpose blockchain-based decentralized network that allows for free-to-use applications through a “Mana” mechanism that dynamically prices network resources in opportunity cost (not tokens) and allows for free-to-use dApps through Mana “delegation.”

Blue Network raised $3.2M in a Seed funding round from Blockchange Ventures*, Fenbushi Capital*, DoraHacks, Knollwood Investment Advisory, Gate.io Labs, Wave Financial.

The Blue Network offers KYC/AML trading on DeFi protocols like Uniswap and Curve. In order to trade Safe Tokens, users must first mint their BlueID by completing KYC.

Obligate raised $4M in a Seed funding round from Blockchange Ventures, Circle Ventures, SIX FinTech Ventures, Earlybird Venture Capital.

Obligate is a Switzerland-based startup offering blockchain-based regulated debt securities.

Metahood raised $3M in a Seed funding round from 1confirmation*, Volt Capital, Flamingo, Neon DAO, Sebastian Borget, Brian O’Hagan, Packy McCormick.

Metahood is a platform is designed to deliver more context for metaverse land buyers than a general-purpose NFT marketplace. It uses a map-driven interface to show available land plots in relation to those around it, providing a sense of the wider neighborhood or district while pointing out landmarks and highlighting sales trends, nearby land owners, and more.

Mitoworld raised undisclosed amount in a Seed funding round from Blockchain Founders Fund, 500 Global.

Mitoworld is a metaverse platform by Virtualtech Frontier (VTF) that allows communities to easily create and share their very own metaverse. With cutting-edge technology, interoperability and user-friendly interface, Mitoworld's platform is set out to become the go-to solution for brands and communities looking to engage and connect with their potential clients in the virtual world.

TrustScan raised $3M in a Seed funding round from SevenX Ventures*, Vision Plus Capital*, Hashkey Capital, Redpoint, GGV Capital, SNZ Holding.

TrustScan, as one of the core products of Trusta Labs, driven by data and AI, provides in-depth on-chain risk and reputation evaluation, characterization and authentication services for DID subjects in the Web3 world.

Diva raised $3.5M in a Seed funding round from Ant Capital (a&t)*, Gnosis DAO, OKX Ventures (ex OKEx Blockdream Ventures), MetaWeb Ventures, Staked VC (ex StakelyVC).

Diva is a non-custodial Ethereum Liquid Staking Derivative (LSD) protocol powered by Distributed Validator Technology (DVT). It is a vertically integrated protocol that offers depositors a liquid staking token that accrues value with Ethereum’s staking rewards automatically without the need of running any infrastructure or trusting any central party.

Sleepagotchi raised $3.5M in a Seed funding round from 6th Man Ventures (6MV), Shima Capital, 1kx, Sfermion, Collab+Currency, Alliance DAO (ex DeFi Alliance), Santiago Santos.

Sleepagotchi is an app that rewards users for meeting consistent sleep goals with digital collectibles and tokens called Sheep. In Sleepagotchi, users enter their target bedtime and wake-up time. Users then get different levels of rewards depending on how close their actual bedtime and wake-up times were to their target. Sleep duration and consistency are also rewarded.

Bunzz raised $4.5M in a Seed funding round from DG Daiwa Ventures, Hyperithm, Coincheck.

Bunzz is a platform to build the on-chain side of DApp super easily even if you don't have specific knowledge in blockchain or web3 using MetaMask. It's so-called "Blockchain Backend as a Service" or "Smart contract as a Service".

WeaveDB raised $0.9M in a Pre-seed funding round from Permanent Ventures*, IOSG Ventures, CMT Digital, Arweave, Formless Capital, Mask Network.

WeaveDB is a decentralized Firestore on smart contracts, which brings web2-like smooth UX, complexity, and scalability to web3 dapps. Developers can build complex logic for full-stack dapps without writing a smart contract.

Other investment rounds

Nil Foundation (=nil; Foundation) raised $22M in a  funding round from Polychain Capital*, Blockchain Capital, Starkware, Mina Protocol.

=nil; Foundation facilitates and supports research and development in database management systems and applied cryptography. With it's internal teams =nil; Foundation intends to create a tightly integrated set of technologies becoming a basis for secure data storages operating in insecure environments.

Mask Network raised $5M in a Strategic  funding round from DWF Labs*.

Mask Network is a decentralized portal that allows users to seamlessly send encrypted messages.

Arch raised $2.8M in a  funding round from Tribe Capital, Castle Island Ventures, Picus Capital, Global Founders Capital (GFC).

Arch is a financial technology company targeting alternative asset investors, allows users to take out a single loan collateralized across combined alternative assets – starting with cryptocurrencies. The loans are custodied by BitGo and denominated in either U.S. dollars or USD coin (USDC) stablecoins.

Neopets Metaverse raised $4M in a  funding round from Polygon Ventures, Blizzard, Hashkey Capital, IDG Capital, NetDragon Websoft.

Neopets Metaverse is a play-and-earn, community-driven virtual pet game based on the original Neopets classic. At its core, Neopets Metaverse is a digital world where players can raise, care for, customize, and battle with their Neopets – all these while building, owning, and monetizing their gaming experiences on the blockchain.

SYKY raised $9M in a Series A  funding round from Seven Seven Six Ventures*, Brevan Howard Digital, Polygon Ventures.

SYKY is providing a platform for designers, collectors, and those who love fashion. The company is kicking off the community part of its platform by releasing its first NFT, called The Keystone, that is a membership pass that provides exclusive access to Syky’s membership space, where they can network and collaborate with other creators and be able to attend digital and in-person fashion events.

Parfin raised $15M in a  funding round from Framework Ventures*, Valor Capital Group.

Parfin is a Web3 infrastructure provider offering digital asset custody, trading, tokenization and management tools to some of Latin America’s largest financial institutions.

Obol Labs raised $12.5M in a Series A  funding round from Pantera Capital*, Archetype*, Coinbase Ventures, Nascent, The Spartan Group, BlockTower Capital, Placeholder, Ethereal Ventures, IEX Group.

Obol Labs is Ethereum Startup responsible for fostering the adoption of distributed validator technology through the development of the Obol Network and its ecosystem. Obol is building out decentralized validator technology (DVT), a kind of tech that it believes solves some of the biggest pain points for Ethereum’s new validator class.

Intella X raised $12M in a  funding round from Animoca Brands, Polygon Ventures, MagicEden, Big Brain Holdings, Global Coin Research (GCR), Planetarium, CRIT Ventures, Wemix, Pearl Abyss.

Intella X is a next-generation gaming platform aiming to remove high entry barriers and improve user experience in web3 through features such as streamlined wallet creation and meta transactions. It was developed by South Korean gaming firm Neowiz in partnership with Polygon.

Crurated raised $7.2M in a  funding round from .

Crurated is the London-based membership wine community designed to connect connoisseurs with world-class producers. A team of specialists provides personalized services and authentic experiences, while Crurated's seamless logistics service guarantees quality and provenance thanks to secure wine cellar storage and innovative blockchain technology.

FilSwan raised $3M in a SAFT  funding round from Binance Labs Fund*, SNZ Holding*, FBG Capital, LD Capital, Waterdrip Capital, Protocol Labs, Chain Capital.

FilSwan is a layer-3 cross-chain solution that helps Web3 projects to integrate data, computing, storage, CDN, and payment into one suite. FilSwan offers a complete solution that enables web3 developers to integrate decentralized storage, edge computing, and payment across multiple chains with ease.

* fund, that lead investment round