Last week, there were a total of 24 public financing events in the cryptocurrency market, with both the number of financing deals and the total amount showing a certain decline | Investment and Financing Weekly Report

Organizer: Xiangxiang Xi, ChainCatcher

According to incomplete statistics from ChainCatcher, during the period from April 10 to April 16, 2023, there were a total of 24 public financing events in the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry, with a total financing amount of approximately $172.5 million. Both the number of financing events and the total amount have seen a certain decline.

From the perspective of track distribution, infrastructure, tools, and gaming were the popular tracks last week. There were a total of 7 infrastructure projects, with a cumulative financing of $105 million; 2 tool projects, with a cumulative financing of approximately $11.3 million; and 3 gaming projects, with a cumulative financing of approximately $11 million.

In terms of financing rounds and scales, early-stage projects accounted for the largest share, with 10 financing rounds belonging to seed financing. The three projects with the largest financing scale are the public chain EOS ($60 million), the L1 blockchain Sei Network ($30 million), and the L2 blockchain CryptoGPT ($10 million).

(Last week's projects with financing scales between $10 million and $200 million, data source: Rootdata)

I. Infrastructure

1. EOS Network secures $60 million investment and partnership from DWF Labs

According to Cointelegraph, digital asset market maker and investment firm DWF Labs announced its support for the EOS Network through a $45 million EOS token purchase agreement and a $15 million investment commitment, aimed at investing in EOS-based enterprises and projects. This commitment is designed to accelerate the expansion and adoption of the EOS Network. (Source link)

2. zkRollup network Intmax completes $4.88 million seed round financing, with participation from HashKey Capital, Mask Network, and others

The zkRollup-based Layer 2 network project Intmax developer Ryodan Systems AG announced the completion of approximately 650 million yen (about $4.88 million) in seed round financing. This round was participated by HashKey Capital, Bitscale Capital, B Dash Ventures, SNZ, Antalpha Ventures, Scroll, Mask Network, Dora Hacks, East Ventures, MZ Web3 Fund, Hyperithm, Stacker Ventures, Cryptomeria Capital, WAGMI Ventures, Zephyrus Capital, Pragma Ventures, TRGC, Alchemy Ventures, Big Candle Capital, BreakOrbit Ventures, HG Ventures, Meteorite Labs, and others. (Source link)

3. Sei Network completes $30 million financing at an $800 million valuation, with participation from IOBC Capital and others

Sei Network announced the completion of $30 million financing at an $800 million valuation, with participation from IOBC Capital, Distributed Global, Multicoin Capital, Asymmetric Capital Partners, Flow Traders, Hypersphere Ventures, Jump Capital, and Bixin Ventures. The funds will be used for development and marketing in the Asia-Pacific region.

It is reported that Sei is still in the public test network phase and plans to launch its mainnet later this year.

According to the crypto data platform RootData, Sei Network previously completed $5 million in financing, with past investors including Multicoin Capital, Coinbase Ventures, GSR, Flow Traders, and Hudson River Trading. The new round of financing brings Sei Network's total financing to $35 million. (Source link)

4. Zero-knowledge proof L2 project CryptoGPT completes $10 million financing at a $250 million valuation, led by DWF Labs

According to CoinDesk, the zero-knowledge proof Layer 2 network CryptoGPT completed $10 million financing at a $250 million valuation, led by DWF Labs. CryptoGPT aims to allow users to monetize data from areas such as fitness, dating, gaming, and education, while planning to launch NFTs that store all owner activity data.

It is reported that CryptoGPT recently launched a Web3-focused AI assistant "Alex" and is developing its ZK Rollup-based Layer 2 blockchain and AI engine, which will collect, encrypt, and transmit data for commercial applications. (Source link)

II. Tools

1. Web3 wallet developer Absolute Labs completes $8 million seed round financing, with participation from Near Foundation, Animoca Brands, and others

Web3 wallet relationship management platform WRM developer Absolute Labs announced the completion of $8 million in seed round financing, with participation from Aglaé Ventures, Alpha Praetorian Capital, The Luxury Fund, Near Foundation, MoonPay, Plassa Capital, Punja Global Ventures, Samsung Next, Sparkle Ventures (Animoca Brands), and W3i. The company plans to use the funds to expand its business and scope.

It is reported that WRM platform users developed by Absolute Labs include LVMH, The Sandbox, Moonpay, and Mocaverse. WRM is a Web3 CRM solution that enables marketers to gain important insights into potential customers, unify Web2 and Web3 on-chain data, identify actionable segments, and automate cross-channel campaigns, including NFT airdrops throughout the marketing funnel. (Source link)

2. Web3 instant payment company Helio completes $3.3 million seed round financing, led by Peak and Lightspeed Faction

Web3 instant payment company Helio announced the completion of $3.3 million in seed round financing, led by Peak and Lightspeed Faction, with participation from RockawayX, Solana Labs, and a group of angel investors.

It is reported that Helio helps merchants, dApps, and creators easily accept cross-chain instant crypto payments, currently supporting Solana, Polygon, and Ethereum blockchains. Its service scope includes e-commerce, NFT sales, SaaS subscriptions, content paywalls, and other payments. (Source link)

III. Gaming

1. Blockchain game Medieval Empires completes $3 million financing, led by DWF Labs

The blockchain game Medieval Empires completed $3 million in financing, led by DWF Labs. According to the project roadmap, the funds will accelerate the game's production speed for a public release by the end of this year.

It is reported that Medieval Empires has launched an early access version of the game for its Land NFT holders. (Source link)

2. Game studio CEBG Studio completes $3 million private placement financing, led by Youbi Capital

Game studio CEBG Studio completed $3 million in private placement financing, led by Youbi Capital, with participation from A&T Capital, Hashkey, Kernel, GSR Ventures, Welight, IGG, Pepper, and Bing Venture. The private placement financing will be used for project R&D and community development.

Additionally, CEBG announced the launch of a month-long Beta Test and Explorer community airdrop starting April 8. The product is expected to be officially released in June. (Source link)

IV. DeFi

1. Decentralized trading platform UXUY completes $3.2 million seed round financing, with participation from Lapin Digital and others

Decentralized trading platform UXUY announced the completion of $3.2 million in seed round financing, with investors including Bixin Venture, WaterDrip Capital, KuCoin Ventures, Pionex, LK Venture, Arcane Group, Daoverse Capital, and Lapin Digital.

It is reported that UXUY is a next-generation innovative decentralized trading platform based on MPC wallets. By providing users with a solution that eliminates mnemonic phrases and gas fees, it significantly lowers the usage threshold, ultimately creating a one-stop cross-chain trading DEX experience. UXUY aims to create a "stablecoin-friendly" trading environment and will establish diversified stablecoin liquidity pools to provide traders with a trading experience comparable to CEX. (Source link)

V. NFT

1. NFT market maker protocol Protecc Labs completes $1.5 million financing, led by Dialectic

NFT market maker protocol Protecc Labs completed $1.5 million in seed round financing, led by Dialectic, with participation from UOB Venture Management, Signum Capital, Interlinked Capital, Side Door Ventures, 0xVentures, Kronos Ventures, 3.0 Capital, Concave Ventures, and Cogitent Ventures. (Source link)

2. NFT social platform HUG completes $5 million financing, led by DIGITAL

NFT social platform HUG completed $5 million in seed round financing, led by DIGITAL, with participation from OKX Ventures, L'Oréal's BOLD corporate venture fund, Venrex, Jae Holdings, Cryptology, Samara, and Aa Sons. HUG aims to create a social marketplace that connects digital art and NFT creators with existing and potential collectors. (Source link)

VI. CeFi

1. Bankruptcy claims trading platform Xclaim completes $7 million Series A financing

Bankruptcy claims trading platform Xclaim announced the completion of $7 million in Series A financing. Xclaim allows trading of major bankruptcy creditor claims, including FTX, Genesis, and BlockFi. Currently, the claim price for FTX is 19 cents, up from 13 cents earlier this year, while Genesis is at 52.5 cents and BlockFi at 18 cents. (Source link)

VII. Social Entertainment

1. Blockchain music sales platform EVEN completes $2.2 million seed round financing, led by CSA Partners

Blockchain music sales platform EVEN announced the completion of $2.2 million in seed round financing, led by CSA Partners, with participation from gANGELS, gener8tor, and investors such as Daniel Rotman and Adie Akuffo-Afful. It is reported that EVEN is currently in the testing phase, allowing artists to sell music directly to fans, providing fans with exclusive music content and experiences, with each transaction recorded on the blockchain to enhance transparency. (Source link)

VIII. Others

1. Decentralized geographic mapping network Natix Network completes $3.5 million seed round financing, led by Blockchange Ventures

Decentralized geographic mapping network Natix Network completed $3.5 million in seed round financing, led by Blockchange Ventures, with participation from XYO, Mysterium Network, CVVC, Mulana Capital, Blockarm Capital, and existing investors Techstars, Plug and Play Ventures, and CoinIX Capital. The funds will be used to launch its first mobile application Drive& and build its own team while developing the network.

Natix Network is a blockchain-based decentralized geographic mapping network that uses Natix's AI technology to draw real-time world maps while not collecting any private data. (Source link)

2. Crypto asset forensics company CAT Labs completes $4.3 million financing, with participation from Castle Island Ventures and others

According to Fortune, crypto asset forensics and cybersecurity company CAT Labs completed $4.3 million in financing, with participation from Castle Island Ventures, Brevan Howard Digital, CMT Digital, RW3 Ventures, and Newark Venture Partners.

It is reported that CAT Labs founder Lilita Infante served as a special agent for the U.S. Department of Justice for 10 years and created the first-ever federal task force focused on cryptocurrency. Its specific business is to help government clients recover cryptocurrency assets from crypto evidence and assist the private sector in preventing crypto asset theft and protecting their infrastructure. (Source link)

3. Crypto fraud prevention and protection company Fire completes $3.5 million financing, led by Atomic

Crypto fraud prevention and protection company Fire has completed a new round of financing of $3.5 million, led by Atomic. Fire currently supports over 50,000 wallets across networks such as Ethereum, Polygon, Optimism, and Arbitrum. (Source link)