Crypto Fundraising weekly
Dates: 28 Apr – 04 May 2024

This week's biggest funding round

Optimism raised $90M in a funding round from Andreessen Horowitz (a16z crypto).

Optimism is a Layer 2 scaling solution for Ethereum that can support all of Ethereum's Dapps. Instead of running all computation and data on the Ethereum network, Optimism puts all transaction data on-chain and runs computation off-chain, increasing Ethereum's transactions per second and decreasing transaction fees.

Pre-seed and Seed investment rounds

Resonance Security raised $1.5M in a Pre-seed funding round from Arca Fund, Fabric Ventures, Blockchain Founders Fund.

Resonance Security is a comprehensive cybersecurity firm offering security solutions for organizations in both Web2 and Web3 environments. Through individualized assessments and "Security Scores," the platform identifies and addresses weaknesses, enabling organizations to proactively mitigate potential threats and maintain robust cybersecurity measures in real time.

EYWA raised $7M in a Seed funding round from Michael Egorov*, Big Brain Holdings, Genesis Block Ventures Capital (GBV), Fenbushi Capital, Marshland Capital, Mulana Capital.

EYWA is a cross-chain liquidity protocol designed to enhance interoperability and liquidity sharing across various blockchain networks. It facilitates seamless asset transfers and interactions between different DeFi ecosystems, aiming to create a more unified and efficient blockchain environment. By integrating multiple chains, EYWA not only simplifies user transactions but also supports developers in building more versatile DeFi applications. This protocol aims to reduce fragmentation in the crypto space, enabling broader access and more fluid market conditions.

Airstack raised $4M in a Seed funding round from Red Beard Ventures*, Superlayer, Polymorphic Capital, Superscrypt, Hashed Emergent, Delta Blockchain Fund, CSP DAO, Primal Capital, Kyber Ventures, NGC Ventures (NEO Global Capital), Resolute Ventures, Allen Day.

Airstack is the web3 API platform aims to make it easy for individuals to discover and consume data from across the web3 ecosystem via APIs.

Blade Games raised $2.4M in a Seed funding round from PTC Crypto (Palm Tree Crew)*, IOSG Ventures*, Bonfire Union, Animoca Ventures, Mantle Network, Foresight X, Formless Capital, Public Works, Puzzle Ventures, K300 Ventures.

Blade Games is a game studio pioneers trustless gaming and infrastructure, blending digital realities. They specialize in zk-powered games, fostering innovation in blockchain gaming with an emphasis on player sovereignty.

Agora raised $5M in a Seed funding round from HAUN Ventures*, Seed Club Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, Credibly Neutral, Sina Habibian, Balaji Srinivasan, Tim Beiko, Dan Romero, Will Price, Liam Horne, Hasu, Packy McCormick.

Agora is a cross-chain governance platform offering end-to-end protocols for decentralized communities, featuring tools like gas voting, proposal sponsorship, and API integration. Trusted by top protocols like Optimism and Uniswap, Agora provides scalable governance solutions with modular features to suit evolving community needs.

Baxus raised $5M in a Seed funding round from Multicoin Capital*, Solana Ventures, FJ Labs, Narwhal Ventures, Austin Federa, Regan Bozman, Mike Zajko, Vinny Lingham.

Baxus is a trading platform for wine and spirits, utilizing blockchain technology to provide users with proof of ownership, authentication, and secure storage solutions. By leveraging blockchain, Baxus ensures transparency and authenticity in alcohol beverage transactions, with corresponding NFTs proving ownership and facilitating secure exchanges. When users redeem their tokens for physical bottles or barrels of whiskey, the associated NFTs are voided, and the goods are seamlessly removed from the trading platform.

MilkyWay raised $5M in a Seed funding round from Polychain Capital*, Binance Labs Fund, Hack VC, Crypto com Capital, LongHash Ventures, Mustafa Al-Bassam, George Lambeth, Batuhan Dasgin, Yaoqi Jia, Michael Ng.

MilkyWay is a liquid staking solution for Celestia, allowing users to stake TIA coins and receive milkTIA tokens, which represent their staking position and enable liquidity for staked assets. With MilkyWay, users can earn staking rewards that automatically compound, while still having the flexibility to trade or use their staked assets in DeFi products. Additionally, MilkyWay Protocol will introduce its native token MILK, which grants holders governance rights and a share of the protocol fees generated from staking rewards.

STYLE Protocol raised $2.5M in a Seed funding round from Morningstar Ventures, DCI capital (Dutch Crypto Investors), NxGen, Genesis Block Ventures Capital (GBV), Protocol Labs, Filecoin, Alpha Grep, FunFair Ventures.

STYLE Protocol is a decentralized infrastructure designed to facilitate licensing and interoperability of assets and NFTs within any virtual environment. By utilizing NFT sublicensing mechanisms, it enables true interoperability of virtual assets across various metaverses, games, and virtual worlds. The $STYLE Token powers the protocol, allowing users to unlock custom avatars and utilize in-game assets seamlessly across different virtual worlds.

Bull Run Bets raised $500K in a Seed funding round from NxGen, Oddiyana Ventures, FundLand Capital, Triple Gem Capital, Aitech Labs.

Bull Run Bets is an innovative AI-driven online casino that merges blockchain technology with a broad range of gaming options including PVP betting, casino games, sports betting, and derivative trading. Emphasizing transparency, fairness, and security, the platform integrates NFTs into the gaming experience, offering unique betting options and enhancing player engagement with loyalty rewards, tournaments, and AI-enhanced fraud detection. Officially licensed by Curacao e-Gaming, Bull Run Bets promises a secure, fair, and engaging environment for all players.

Metale Protocol (ex Read2N) raised $2M in a Seed funding round from Waterdrip Capital*, Aipollo Investment*, Ultiverse*.

Metale Protocol is a peer-to-peer publishing protocol designed for digital publications, offering a Web3 lifestyle application known as Read2N. Integrated with Game-Fi and Social-Fi elements, Read2N incentivizes users to engage with literature by offering NFT rewards for reading books. Through its Game-Fi approach, Read2N aims to foster widespread reading engagement and establish governance content within its DAO, enabling users to contribute to the creation of literary metaverses.

Other investment rounds

Shadow War raised $5M in a Series A  funding round from Momentum 6 (M6), Cointelligence Fund, Cogitent Ventures, Spicy Capital, NewTribe Capital, Cluster Capital, Andromeda Capital, iAngels Capital.

Shadow War is a free-to-play third-person 5v5 action game that combines elements of futurism, fantasy, and competition, with a focus on melee combat. It rewards skill-based gameplay and tactical strategy while providing avenues for players to earn top-tier resources without relying on pay-to-win mechanics.

Mitosis raised $7M in a  funding round from Amber Group*, Foresight Ventures*, Big Brain Holdings, Folius Ventures, CitizenX Crypto Ventures, GSR Markets LTD, Cogitent Ventures, No Limit Holdings (NLH), Digital Asset Capital Management (DACM), Everstake, Pivot Global, Nonce Classic, Pulsar, MrBlock, Jasraj Bedi, Soby, Chjango Unchained, Sunny Aggarwal, Eric Chen.

Mitosis is an Ecosystem-Owned Liquidity (EOL) L1 blockchain that transforms the DeFi LP experience by implementing economies of scale to asset management. It empowers liquidity providers (LPs) with increased bargaining power and offers a novel approach to liquidity provision within the ecosystem.

The Open Network (TON) raised undisclosed amount in a  funding round from Pantera Capital.

TON (The Open Network) is a fully decentralized layer-1 blockchain developed by Telegram. It offers fast transactions, low fees, user-friendly applications, and eco-friendly features. TON aims to unite various blockchains and the existing internet, providing a scalable and secure platform capable of hosting a wide range of applications and services.

Mocaverse (Moca) raised $5M in a Public sale  funding round from .

Mocaverse is a gamified metaverse product of Animoca Brands featuring unique Moca beings that users can collect, play with, and trade as NFTs. Users can explore the Mocaverse, participate in challenges, customize their Moca beings, and contribute to its development through governance participation.

Paragraph raised $5M in a  funding round from Union Square Ventures (USV), Coinbase Ventures.

Paragraph is a Web3 publishing platform that helps Web3 writers, DAOs and NFT communities monetize their content through an all-in-one newsletter service.

Securitize raised $47M in a  funding round from BlackRock*, Hamilton Lane, ParaFi Capital, Aptos Labs, Circle Ventures, Paxos, Tradeweb.

Securitize is a compliance platform and protocol for issuing and managing digital securities on the blockchain.

Movement Labs raised undisclosed amount in a Series A  funding round from Binance Labs Fund.

Movement Labs is developing a modular framework for building and deploying infrastructure, applications, and blockchains using the Move programming language in distributed environments. Their first product, M1, is a Layer 1 blockchain, offering high TPS, instant finality, native liquidity access, and customizable features. Move, their programming language, emphasizes asset scarcity and access control for secure Web3 development.

OVERWORLD raised undisclosed amount in a  funding round from DWF Ventures.

Overworld, the game development studio, is partnering with blockchain games publisher Xterio to create a web3 free-to-play action-RPG Overworld with anime-inspired artwork. The studio focuses on incorporating NFTs and digital ownership as optional features, aiming to enhance the gaming experience and foster community growth.

X10 raised $6.5M in a  funding round from Tioga Capital Partners, Semantic Ventures, Cherry Ventures, Starkware, Cyber Fund, Konstantin Lomashuk.

X10 is a hybrid cryptocurrency exchange that combines the speed and functionality of centralized exchanges with the security and transparency of decentralized exchanges. By leveraging the StarkEx Layer 2 engine for on-chain settlement and independent oracle price providers for accurate market pricing, X10 aims to provide users with improved latency, throughput, and liquidity while maintaining self-custody of their assets.

Backed raised $9.5M in a Series A  funding round from Gnosis DAO*, Exor Seeds, Cyber Fund, Mindset Ventures, Stake Capital, Blockchain Founders Fund, Blue Bay Ventures, Nonce Classic.

Backed is a tokenized asset issuer that facilitates the integration of real-world assets onto the blockchain by issuing ERC-20 tokens. These tokens represent the value of assets like stocks or ETFs, ensuring full collateralization and compliance with Swiss regulations. With a focus on accelerating its private tokenization offerings and bringing asset managers onto blockchain platforms, Backed aims to streamline capital markets and enhance accessibility to asset-backed tokens.

TNA raised undisclosed amount in a  funding round from MH Ventures, CSP DAO, Cogitent Ventures.

TNA is a naming protocol native to the Bitcoin mainnet, facilitating the issuance and management of unique name assets. Leveraging the Sparse-Merkle Tree structure and its TNA Core framework, TNA ensures decentralized naming services and seamless interoperability across various blockchain ecosystems, enhancing usability and asset management within the Bitcoin network.

Holograph raised $2.8M in a Strategic  funding round from Mechanism Capital*, Selini Capital*, Arca Fund, Courtside Ventures, Hartmann Capital, Northrock Capital.

Holograph provides omnichain NFT infrastructure for creators, developers, and enterprises.

LazyBear raised $4M in a Strategic  funding round from SalAd Labs (Sales-and-ads), Bee Network, REI Network, Synbo Protocol, PredxAI, Bitcoin Gbox, GemX Crypto, aZen Network, Sypool.

LazyBear is a Web3 crypto trading platform renowned for its industry-low fees and accessibility, offering futures and copy trading. With a focus on perpetual contracts and a commitment to Web3 integration, LazyBear provides a dynamic and inclusive trading environment designed to empower retail traders.

* fund, that lead investment round