Last week, there were a total of 15 public financing events in the cryptocurrency market, with the total financing amount remaining stable | Investment and Financing Weekly Report

Organizer: Cookies, RootData

According to incomplete statistics from RootData, during the period from August 21 to August 27, 2023, there were a total of 15 public financing events in the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry, with a cumulative financing amount of approximately $340.1 million, significantly increasing the total financing amount. Among them, the crypto payment company Ramp completed a $300 million financing round, achieving a post-investment valuation of $5.8 billion.

From the perspective of track distribution, the projects that received financing are mainly distributed in the AI track, including the AI video generation startup Irreverent Labs, which completed a $5 million seed round led by a16z in November 2021. The AI-driven movie NFT company Moonbox has obtained multiple movie IPs directed by Stephen Chow. AI-driven digital human service provider Prins AI completed a $22 million A+ round of financing last week.

*（List of projects that completed financing last week, data source: * Rootdata）

I. Infrastructure

1. Crypto payment company Ramp completes $300 million financing, led by Thrive Capital
The fintech company Ramp, focused on crypto payments, announced the completion of a $300 million financing round at a post-investment valuation of $5.8 billion, led by Thrive Capital and Sands Capital, with participation from General Catalyst, Founders Fund, and other existing supporters. The new funds will be used to accelerate product development and expand hiring in the second half of this year.

According to the crypto data platform RootData, Ramp is a non-custodial, full-stack payment infrastructure that allows users to purchase cryptocurrencies without leaving the dApp or wallet. (Source link)

2. Binance Labs announces investment in zkWASM infrastructure provider Delphinus Lab
Binance Labs announced an investment in zkWASM infrastructure provider Delphinus Lab, which provides developers with the first fully implemented open-source zkWASM virtual machine. The funds will be used for the continued development of Delphinus Lab's zkWASM-based application upgrade platform, zkWASM Hub, which offers automated proof and batch processing services for Web3 application development. (Source link)

II. CeFi

1. Cryptocurrency exchange BitOasis completes new round of financing, with participation from CoinDCX, Wamda, Jump Capital, etc.
Dubai-based cryptocurrency exchange BitOasis has completed a new round of financing from investors including India's digital asset platform CoinDCX, but did not disclose the terms of the deal or valuation. The company stated that current investors also include Wamda and Jump Capital.

It is reported that BitOasis was established in 2016 and operates in countries such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Kuwait. According to the company, BitOasis raised $30 million in funding in 2021. (Source link)

2. Trading firm OANDA announces acquisition of majority stake in crypto asset trading platform Coinpass
Trading firm OANDA Global Corporation announced the acquisition of a majority stake in crypto asset trading platform Coinpass Limited. Through Coinpass, OANDA will be able to invest in and develop cryptocurrency trading products in the UK market. Coinpass will continue to serve enterprise clients while expanding its B2B2C capabilities.

It is reported that Coinpass Limited was established in 2018 and is a registered crypto asset company with the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). OANDA was founded in 1996 and provides multi-asset trading, currency data, and analytics services to retail and corporate clients. (Source link)

III. DeFi

1. Mina ecosystem DEX LuminaDEX completes strategic financing, with participation from Jump Crypto
Mina ecosystem DEX LuminaDEX announced the completion of a new round of strategic financing, with participants including the Mina Foundation, Jump Crypto, BigBrain Holdings, and O(1) Labs, with the financing amount undisclosed. It is reported that LuminaDEX supports zkKYC for compliance, helping enterprise users migrate Web2 and traditional financial businesses to Web3. (Source link)

2. Crypto institutional lending protocol Maple Finance completes $5 million financing, led by Tioga Capital and Blocktower Capital
Crypto institutional lending protocol Maple Finance completed $5 million in financing, led by Tioga Capital and Blocktower Capital, with participation from GSR Ventures, Cherry Ventures, Veris Ventures, The Spartan Group, and others.

It is reported that the new financing will be used to expand Maple's global services, specifically targeting the Asia-Pacific region. Several jurisdictions in the region, particularly Singapore and Hong Kong, will also be used to build its newly launched pure lending division, Maple Direct. (Source link)

3. DeFi yield protocol Pendle Finance receives investment from Binance Labs
Binance Labs announced an investment in DeFi yield protocol Pendle Finance, and the funds will be used to expand Project Fylde's coverage across various blockchain ecosystems, providing retail and institutional users with opportunities to earn DeFi yields. (Source link)

IV. AI+Web3

1. AI and Web3 startup Moonbox completes new round of strategic financing, with participation from Bing Ventures
AI and Web3 startup Moonbox has completed a new round of strategic financing, with participation from Bing Ventures, a venture capital firm under BingX, with the specific amount undisclosed. The new funds will be used to accelerate Moonbox's product growth and drive its core technology development.

It is reported that Moonbox, headquartered in Hong Kong, has obtained IPs from Stephen Chow's films "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons," "Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back," and "The Mermaid," and plans to launch a series of AI-driven NFTs and applications inspired by the art and film industry by the end of 2023. According to the crypto data platform RootData, Moonbox completed a $1 million financing round led by OKX Ventures earlier this month. (Source link)

2. AI-driven digital human service provider Prins AI announces completion of $22 million A+ round financing
AI-driven digital human service provider Prins AI announced the completion of a $22 million A+ round of financing, and the new funds will be used to advance deep learning technology, expand the team, enhance product development capabilities, and optimize marketing and sales efforts.

It is reported that the platform uses blockchain technology and smart contracts to record the training and application records of AI digital humans, and employs a cryptocurrency reward mechanism to enable users to participate in AI digital human training programs. This technology has been applied in various scenarios including broadcasting media, brand marketing, e-commerce live streaming/short videos, educational entertainment, AR/VR/AI, NFTs/metaverse, and more.

Previously, the company completed a $10 million A round of financing, with investors including Base 10, Kleiner Perkins, and Paradigm. (Source link)

3. AI video generation startup Irreverent Labs completes new round of financing, led by Samsung Next
AI video generation startup Irreverent Labs, founded by former Microsoft executive Rahul Sood, announced the completion of a new round of financing, led by Samsung Next, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, with the specific amount not yet disclosed.

According to the crypto data platform RootData, Irreverent Labs announced the completion of a $5 million seed round of financing in November 2021, led by a16z. It is an NFT gaming company preparing to develop easy-to-use "play-to-earn" games featuring AI characters. (Source link)

V. Tools

1. Open-source tool Anytype completes $13.4 million financing, led by Balderton Capital
Open-source tool Anytype officially announced the completion of a new round of financing totaling $13.4 million, led by Balderton Capital, with participation from Inflection, Square One, Script Capital, Protocol Labs, Connect Ventures, New Forge, Foreword VC, and a number of well-known angel investors in the Web3 field. Colin Hanna from Balderton will join its board.

Anytype is a locally-centered peer-to-peer open-source tool that provides users with the initially intended freedom of the web while protecting privacy, data autonomy, and control, allowing creators and communities to build the web in their own way by combining no-code tools with decentralized architecture. (Source link)

2. Cryptocurrency solutions company Cryptoworth completes strategic financing, led by CMT Digital
Cryptocurrency solutions company Cryptoworth announced that it has successfully completed a strategic investment, with the specific financing amount unknown, led by CMT Digital, with participation from Kyber Ventures, Saison Capital, ODA Capital, and Polygon Ventures. This round of financing will be used to accelerate the market expansion of Cryptoworth's enterprise digital asset accounting solutions.

Cryptoworth has obtained SOC 2 Type 2 certification and currently provides product services to over 100 blockchain companies, including Axie Infinity, Solana Foundation, Celo Foundation, Avara Labs (Aave), Kava Labs, Big Brain Holdings, and The Moonbeam Foundation, to ensure their Web3 enterprise financial compliance and audit readiness. (Source link)

VI. Gaming

1. Web3 game developer Hungri Games completes $1.9 million seed round financing, led by Bogazici Ventures
Web3 game developer Hungri Games completed a $1.9 million seed round financing at a valuation of $23 million, led by Bogazici Ventures, with participation from Roko Finance, Preston Labs, Triple Dragon, Erol Ozmandiraci, and Sebastien Borget, COO and co-founder of The Sandbox. The new funds will be used to accelerate the development of the Web3 role-playing horse racing game "Metahorse Unity."

VII. Others

1. Web3 user engagement platform Raleon completes $3.8 million financing, with participation from Alliance DAO
Web3 user engagement platform Raleon announced the completion of a new round of financing totaling $3.8 million, with participation from Blockchange, Play Ventures, Alliance DAO, and Portal Ventures. The funds will be used to help projects and brands grow.

It is reported that Raleon's SaaS platform was established in 2022, and Raleon states that its SaaS platform can leverage growth analytics, Web3 marketing automation, embedded tasks, and off-chain and on-chain data to help Web3 projects with user retention and conversion, rather than being limited to using financial incentives to help projects and brands grow. (Source link)

2. Nodal Power completes $13 million seed round financing to drive renewable energy transformation at landfills to meet mining power needs
Energy company Nodal Power announced the completion of a $13 million seed round financing, aimed at actively curbing methane emissions from landfills while utilizing their potential energy to power Bitcoin mining data centers. A significant portion of the funds has already been allocated to the construction and operation of two power plants in the United States. Nodal Power has also planned to allocate more funds for the development of a third site, expected to be operational in early 2024. (Source link)

3. Solana on-chain digital gift NFT project DRiP completes $3 million seed round financing, led by Anagram
Solana on-chain digital gift NFT project DRiP completed a $3 million seed round financing, co-led by Placeholder and its partner Chris Burniske, 6th Man Ventures, Anagram, and Collab Currency, with participation from Boogle Ventures, B+J Capital, Big Brain Holdings, Interlace Ventures, Solana Ventures, ArbVision, and a number of angel investors.

It is reported that Drip aims to build a creator-centric Web3 content distribution platform and provide digital gifts from well-known creators for free.