Crypto Fundraising weekly
Dates: 17 – 23, Sep 2023

This week's biggest funding round

Proof of Play raised $33M in a Seed funding round from Andreessen Horowitz (a16z crypto)*, Greenoaks Capital*, Naval Ravikant, Balaji Srinivasan, Justin Kan, Gabby Dizon.

Proof of Play is a game studio and blockchain technology company focused on creating engaging on-chain games with true player asset ownership. Their mission is to advance the Web3 gaming ecosystem with innovative and inclusive gaming experiences. One of their games, Pirate Nation, offers high seas adventures, treasure hunting, and pirate leveling.

Pre-seed and Seed investment rounds

Essential raised $5.2M in a Seed funding round from Maven 11 Capital*, Robot Ventures, Karatage, Skip Protocol.

Essential is building intent-based infrastructure and tooling to accelerate the transition from value extraction to intent satisfaction. Essential is committed to supporting ecosystem-wide composability to ensure the intent paradigm reaches its full potential to minimize extractive behavior and maximize user satisfaction. Essential is developing core infrastructure components, including an intent standard for Ethereum, a domain-specific language for expressing intents, and a fully intent-centric blockchain protocol.

Orb Technology raised $2.3M in a Pre-seed funding round from Superscrypt, Foresight Ventures, Founders, Inc., Daedalus, ArkStream Capital, Mask Network, Hash Global, LD Capital, Aave Companies, Social Graph Ventures, Stani Kulechov, Sandeep Nailwal.

Orb Technology is the developer of Lens Protocol-based Web3 social app Orb. Orb is offering users a Web3-native way to create, share, and consume content while empowering creators with full ownership of their content and data. Orb aims to foster inclusivity and democracy in the social media landscape and provides a user-friendly interface for interaction with the Lens Protocol.

Proof of Play raised $33M in a Seed funding round from Andreessen Horowitz (a16z crypto)*, Greenoaks Capital*, Naval Ravikant, Balaji Srinivasan, Justin Kan, Gabby Dizon.

Proof of Play is a game studio and blockchain technology company focused on creating engaging on-chain games with true player asset ownership. Their mission is to advance the Web3 gaming ecosystem with innovative and inclusive gaming experiences. One of their games, Pirate Nation, offers high seas adventures, treasure hunting, and pirate leveling.

Fuze Finance raised $14M in a Seed funding round from Further Ventures*, Liberty City Ventures.

Fuze Finance is a digital asset infrastructure platform. It offers a wide range of features and services, including a secure wallet, fiat on-ramp and off-ramp, crypto trading and investment, and loyalty and rewards programs. Fuze Finance is headquartered in Dubai, UAE, and serves businesses in the MENA region.

Freatic raised $3.6M in a Seed funding round from Andreessen Horowitz (a16z crypto)*, Anagram, Archetype, Not3Lau Capital, Robot Ventures, Arweave, Meltem Demirors.

Freatic is a project focused on developing a decentralized information markets protocol. This protocol utilizes cryptography and game theory to connect individuals possessing untapped information with actors who can capitalize on these opportunities. The goal is to create an ecosystem where valuable but hidden information can be efficiently exchanged, addressing the challenges often associated with information goods in traditional markets.

GRVT raised $5M in a Seed funding round from Matrix Partners*, Delphi Digital*, SIG DTI (a Susquehanna International Group Company), Coin Merge Strategy (CMS), ABCDE Capital, Hack VC, Matter Labs.

GRVT (Gravity) is a hybrid exchange platform designed for institutional investors, offering both the user experience of centralized exchanges (CEX) and the security of decentralized exchanges (DEX). It prioritizes lower latency, scalability, and user privacy while implementing strict regulatory compliance (KYC & AML).

Bastion raised $25M in a Seed funding round from Andreessen Horowitz (a16z crypto)*, Laser Digital, Robot Ventures, Not Boring Capital.

Bastion is a platform that combines Web2 and Web3 technologies to enhance business possibilities in payment, entertainment, connectivity, and shopping. It offers custodial blockchain wallet APIs that streamline digital asset management, optimize transactions for efficiency, and provide comprehensive insights into user behavior. Bastion aims to bridge traditional enterprise with the power of Web3 while addressing regulatory challenges in the crypto industry.

Bubblemaps raised $3.2M in a Seed funding round from INCE Capital*, Momentum 6 (M6), Stake Capital, LBANK Labs, V3ntures, Avalanche, Cronos Labs, AntAlpha, PAKA, Daxos Capital, PyratzLabs, Unicorn Factory Ventures (UF Ventures), FounderHeads VC, TsingTech Ventures, Owen ‘Hasheur’ Simonin, Dyma Budorin.

Bubblemaps is a blockchain data visualization platform that utilizes colorful clusters of circles, known as a bubble map, to make on-chain data more accessible and understandable. It aims to become a leading platform for visualizing on-chain data and plans to introduce features such as tracking token distribution from creation to dispersal, enabling users to create custom bubble maps of curated wallets, and integrating AI to explain wallet clusters.

Other investment rounds

DCS Card Centre raised $10M in a Strategic  funding round from Foresight Ventures*.

DCS Card Centre (Diners Club Singapore) is a Singapore-based financial institution, offers various credit and debit cards, along with financial services. They are focusing on developing new payment solutions to bridge the gap between Web2 and Web3 technologies. As part of their Web3 initiative, they have introduced a Singaporean-dollar-backed payment token called "DCS" for the financial services sector.

CoinScan raised $6.3M in a  funding round from Tectona, Shalom Meckenzie, Mor Weizer.

CoinScan is a cryptocurrency data and analytics platform, offering real-time insights and information on thousands of tokens, catering to traders, investors, and researchers for making well-informed decisions in the crypto market. It's a product of CryptoHub, committed to enhancing the blockchain economy with accessible solutions. CoinScan platform includes a variety of features, such as market data, price charts, news and analysis, and portfolio tracking.

Mesh (ex Front Finance) raised $22M in a Series A  funding round from Money Forward*, Galaxy Digital, Samsung Next, Streamlined Ventures, SNR VC, Hike VC, The Heitner Group, Valon Capital, Florida Funders, Altair Capital, Network VC.

Mesh is a startup developing a service that enables customers to easily transfer and manage digital assets, including cryptocurrencies, across various platforms. It provides a secure and direct wallet-to-wallet transfer solution without storing users' personal information or credentials. Mesh aims to make digital transactions more secure, compliant, and user-friendly by offering interoperability for businesses and users across the digital landscape.

BeWater raised $1M in a  funding round from ABCDE Capital*, OKX Ventures (ex OKEx Blockdream Ventures)*, ScalingX, Contentos.

BeWater is a decentralized platform that hosts innovation competitions like hackathons and design contests, offering standardized solutions for organizers and sponsors. Powered by smart contracts, it ensures fairness and transparency throughout the competition process, fostering collaboration among builders and creating a more inclusive innovation landscape.

Jiritsu Network raised $10.2M in a  funding round from gumi Cryptos Capital*, SIG DTI (a Susquehanna International Group Company), The Lifelong Learning Platform (LLLP), Republic Capital (ex Republic Labs), Shima Capital, Polymorphic Capital, Evernew Capital, Provenance Blockchain Foundation, Comma3 Ventures, Kestrel 0x1, Eterna Capital, Serafund, Tokentus Investment AG.

Jiritsu Network is a decentralized protocol that utilizes multi-party computation (MPC) to perform verifiable computations on behalf of users, ensuring accuracy and tamper-proof results. Jiritsu has developed technologies like Unlimited Verifiable Compute (UVC) and an asset tokenization platform called Tomei RWA, which enhances asset management and secure onboarding through Zero-Knowledge attestations.

Afterparty raised $5M in a Strategic  funding round from Blockchange Ventures*, Acrew Capital, Act One Ventures, Tamarack Global, Vinny Lingham.

Afterparty is a Web3 platform that offers exclusive access to events, content, and experiences from leading artists, creators, and builders through NFT-based membership. Members enjoy benefits such as early event ticket access, exclusive content, and the opportunity to connect and collaborate with fellow members.

Onramp Money raised undisclosed amount in a Strategic  funding round from Algorand Foundation*.

Onramp Money is a fiat-to-crypto onramp facilitating the purchase of cryptocurrency with local currency using various payment methods. It prioritizes accessibility and user privacy, making it an excellent choice for newcomers and privacy-conscious users alike.

Chamber raised undisclosed amount in a  funding round from Union Square Ventures (USV), Founder Collective, Proof Group.

Chamber is a secure digital asset storage service that provides enterprise-level security to everyday users without centralization. It leverages the security features of users' existing devices, like laptops and smartphones, along with on-chain authentication. Chamber secures digital assets with the devices you already own and trust, offering multi-device authentication, key rotation, social recovery, and true self-custody for enhanced asset security.

ProsperEx raised undisclosed amount in a Strategic  funding round from Magnus Capital*.

ProsperEx ia a universal decentralized exchange, blending the security of DeFi with real-world assets (RWA) and AI, designed to empower leveraged trading across all assets with unparalleled security and user experience.

* fund, that lead investment round