Last week, there were a total of 19 public financing events in the cryptocurrency market, with infrastructure, CeFi, and DeFi still being popular sectors | Investment and Financing Weekly Report

Organizer: Biscuit, RootData

According to incomplete statistics from RootData, during the period from January 15 to January 21, 2024, there were a total of 19 public financing events in the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry, with a total financing amount of approximately 171.78 million USD.

From the perspective of track distribution, the projects that received financing are mainly distributed in the infrastructure, CeFi, and DeFi tracks. Notable projects include HashKey Group completing nearly 100 million USD in Series A financing at a valuation of over 1.2 billion USD, and the cryptocurrency trading platform WOO X completing 9 million USD in financing.

In addition, the Sui ecosystem liquidity protocol NAVI Protocol announced that it has acquired the staking platform Volo. The re-staking protocol Renzo completed 3.2 million USD in seed round financing, led by Maven11.

*（List of projects with financing greater than 5 million USD last week, data source: * Rootdata）

I. Infrastructure

1. Web3 infrastructure platform zbyte completes 5 million USD financing, with participation from Cartography Capital
According to Businessline, the Web3 infrastructure platform zbyte has secured 5 million USD in investment, with Cartography Capital participating. Of this financing transaction, 1 million USD is a commitment. The zbyte mainnet provides low-code and no-code modular services, allowing Web2 developers to easily create decentralized applications. (Source link)

2. Web3 payment platform Fetcch completes 1.5 million USD Pre-Seed round financing, led by Hashkey Capital
According to the Economic Times of India, the Web3 payment platform Fetcch has completed 1.5 million USD in Pre-Seed round financing, led by Hashkey Capital and AppWorks Venture, with participation from LD Capital, Compute Ventures, M6, and GravityX Capital. The company plans to use the new funds to focus on product development and expansion in the Web3 space while developing Web2.5 use cases.

Fetcch primarily provides seamless infrastructure services for digital payment and rewards platforms, targeting the Web3 cross-chain payment ecosystem, and has integrated various cross-chain solutions such as LayerZero, Axelar, Wormhole, Circle's CCTP, and Chainlink's CCIP. (Source link)

3. Bitcoin Layer2 project MAP Protocol receives strategic investment from Bitrise Capital's fund
Bitcoin Layer2 project MAP Protocol announced on platform X that it has received strategic investment from Bitrise Capital's 50 million USD Bitcoin ecosystem growth fund, with the specific investment amount undisclosed. (Source link)

4. DePIN startup DIMO completes 11.5 million USD Series A financing, led by CoinFund
The DePIN startup Decentralized Infrastructure, building the DIMO network, has completed 11.5 million USD in Series A financing, led by CoinFund, with participation from Slow Ventures, ConsenSys Mesh, Borderless Capital, Bill Ackman's Table Management, and former General Motors CEO G. Rick Wagoner Jr.

Alex Felix, managing partner and chief investment officer of CoinFund, will join the board of Digital Infrastructure. A spokesperson for the company told The Block that the Series A financing brings the total funding for Digital Infrastructure to 22 million USD. (Source link)

5. Web3 digital identity provider Root Protocol completes 10 million USD in two rounds of seed financing, led by Animoca Brands
Web3 digital identity provider Root Protocol has completed 10 million USD in two rounds of seed financing, led by Animoca Brands, with participation from Signum Capital, Ankr Network, CMS Holdings, and angel investors Tekin Salimi and Meltem Demirors. Root Protocol's valuation has reached 100 million USD.

It is reported that Root Protocol is building a Web3 operating system that will serve as a digital identity aggregator, becoming "a one-stop service for all decentralized identity-related matters," making access to different Web3 platforms more seamless. (Source link)

II. CeFi

1. French crypto market maker Flowdesk completes 50 million USD Series B financing, led by Cathay Innovation
According to The Block, French cryptocurrency market maker Flowdesk has completed 50 million USD in Series B financing, led by Cathay Innovation, with participation from Cathay Ledger Fund, Eurazeo, ISAI, Speedinvest, Ripple, and Bpifrance (the French public investment bank).

Flowdesk co-founder and CEO Guilhem Chaumont stated in an interview that this is a pure equity financing round. According to insiders, the new round of financing has raised Flowdesk's valuation from 100 million USD during the Series A financing to over 250 million USD. (Source link)

2. Institutional staking platform Kiln completes 17 million USD financing, led by 1kx
According to The Block, institutional staking platform Kiln announced the completion of 17 million USD in financing, led by 1kx, with participation from IOSG Ventures, Crypto.com, Wintermute Ventures, KXVC, LBank, and existing investors.

It is reported that the new financing will fund Kiln's global expansion, including establishing a headquarters in Singapore for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region in the first quarter of 2024 and further developing products by expanding its platform to incorporate various reward mechanisms within DeFi. (Source link)

3. HashKey Group completes nearly 100 million USD Series A financing at a valuation of over 1.2 billion USD
Digital asset financial services group HashKey Group announced the completion of nearly 100 million USD in Series A financing at a pre-investment valuation of over 1.2 billion USD. This round of financing was supported by existing shareholders and included new investors such as large institutional investors, Web3 firms, and strategic partners. The funds will be used to deepen HashKey's full ecosystem layout in the virtual asset industry, accelerate the diversification of licensed business products in Hong Kong, and promote the group's compliant innovative development globally.

It is reported that HashKey Group's current core businesses also include HashKey Capital, a global asset management company specializing in investing in blockchain technology and digital assets; HashKey Cloud, a leading global blockchain node verification service provider; HashKey Tokenization, a tokenization service provider; and HashKey NFT, a Web3 PFP incubation and community operation service provider, among others. (Source link)

III. DeFi

1. Cryptocurrency trading platform WOO X completes 9 million USD financing, with participation from Wintermute, Selini Capital, etc.
According to The Block, cryptocurrency trading platform WOO X has completed 9 million USD in financing to improve liquidity. Investors include Wintermute, Time Research, Presto Labs, Pulsar, AlphaLab Capital, Efficient Frontier, Amber, and Riverside Hedge. (Source link)
2. Blockchain finance company Canza Finance completes 2.3 million USD strategic financing, led by Polychain
Focusing on the South African market, blockchain finance company Canza Finance announced the completion of 2.3 million USD in strategic financing, led by Polychain, with participation from ProtocolLabs, AvaLabs, 99 Capital, BitscaleCapital, StratifiedCap, ContangoDigital, etc. This round of financing enables us to further develop innovative tools and services aimed at reducing the costs of doing business on the African continent.

According to the crypto data platform RootData, Canza is building the world's largest non-institutional financial system, utilizing decentralized finance (DeFi) and a strong network of experienced local money market participants to distribute financial and transaction-based services to the masses. Canza Finance's solutions involve five different but interconnected areas, including cryptocurrency entry and exit, cross-border settlement, treasury, decentralized finance, cryptocurrency ATMs, agent-based banking, and IPFS storage. (Source link)

3. Re-staking protocol Renzo completes 3.2 million USD seed round financing, led by Maven11
According to The Block, the liquidity re-staking protocol Renzo in the Eigenlayer ecosystem announced the completion of 3 million USD in seed round financing, led by Maven11, with participation from OKX Ventures, IOSG Ventures, Figment Capital, SevenX Ventures, etc.

According to RootData, Renzo is a re-staking protocol based on EigenLayer. Renzo abstracts the complex process of re-staking for end users, allowing stakers not to worry about the active selection and management of operators and reward strategies. ezETH is Renzo's liquidity re-staking token, which automatically acquires rewards and ensures liquidity, allowing users to participate in DeFi while retaining re-staking rewards. (Source link)

IV. GameFi

1. Mobile game studio AOFverse completes 3 million USD private placement round financing, led by Animoca Ventures
According to Decrypt, mobile game studio AOFverse announced the completion of 3 million USD in private placement round financing, led by Animoca Ventures, with participation from Liquid X Ventures, Chainridge VC, Ticker Capital, Flying Falcon, and BSCN Gaming Ventures. (Source link)

V. Social

1. Beoble announces strategic investment from DWF Labs
Web3 chat solution Beoble announced that it has received a strategic investment from DWF Labs, with the amount undisclosed.

Additionally, according to data from the crypto platform RootData, Beoble announced the completion of 2 million USD in Pre-Seed round financing in November 2023, with participation from DCG, Samsung Next, HashKey Capital, GBV Capital, Token Bay Capital, Momentum 6, etc. (Source link)

2. One-stop social platform DeBox reaches strategic cooperation with DWF Ventures and secures financing
One-stop social platform DeBox announced a strategic partnership with DWF Ventures and secured investment, with the financing amount yet to be disclosed.

It is reported that the joint curve subscription protocol Box launched by DeBox has exceeded 60 million USD in trading volume, becoming the largest social protocol on zkSync, with nearly 100,000 trading occurrences for the launched DeSwap. (Source link)

VI. Others

1. Safary completes 2.4 million USD Pre-Seed round financing, led by Lemniscap
Web3 analytics platform Safary announced the completion of 2.4 million USD in Pre-Seed round financing, led by Lemniscap, with participation from Arca, SevenX, Big Brain Holdings, Saison Capital, Diaspora Ventures, and 20 Web3 angel investors (14 of whom are members of the Safary community). (Source link)

2. South Korean Web3 research company Four Pillars announces completion of 500,000 USD financing, with investments from Hashed, etc.
South Korean Web3 research company Four Pillars announced the completion of 500,000 USD in financing, with investments from Kakao Ventures, Hashed, and Bass Investment.

Four Pillars can assist companies in effectively implementing blockchain technology, providing customized solutions based on its collaborative experience and technical understanding of blockchain projects, and timely insights on blockchain technology, fundamental principles, legal aspects, and market analysis, saving time and costs for companies considering entering the blockchain market. (Source link)

3. Web3 knowledge graph protocol 0xScope completes 5 million USD financing, led by HashKey Capital
Web3 knowledge graph protocol 0xScope has completed 5 million USD in Pre-Series A financing, led by HashKey Capital, with follow-on investments from Redpoint China, OKX Ventures, GSR Markets, Amber Group, Antalpha, and DHVC, as well as existing shareholders Mask Network, Hash Global, and XIN Family.

Additionally, 0xScope has released 0xScope V2, focusing on providing data support for Web3 AI applications through a proprietary Web3 data layer and connecting AI with Web3 in the process.