ChainCatcher news, CoinDesk analyst Sam Reynolds stated that according to Pitchbook data, venture capital financing in the U.S. cryptocurrency sector was approximately $861 million in the first quarter of 2025, while the AI industry attracted nearly $20 billion, with funding still clearly leaning towards artificial intelligence. Major financing in the AI sector includes: Databricks $15.3 billion, Anthropic $2 billion, totaling 795 transactions. The largest financing in the cryptocurrency industry was Abu Dhabi MGX's investment of $2 billion in Binance, with other financings including Mesh $82 million, Bitwise $70 million, and Sygnum Bank $58 million.Historical data shows that AI financing grew from $670 million in 2011 to $36 billion in 2020, with an overall growth rate far exceeding that of the cryptocurrency sector, where in 2021, a classification adjustment briefly caused cryptocurrency financing to surpass AI. Despite the dominance of AI funding, the cryptocurrency industry still obtains funds through unique mechanisms such as airdrops, which generated a total of $700 million from the top 11 airdrops from 2020 to 2024.According to Statista data, historical data shows that venture capital has generally favored artificial intelligence (AI) over cryptocurrencies, with funding for AI and machine learning continuing to grow and expand exponentially, increasing from $670 million in 2011 to $36 billion in 2020.

ChainCatcher news, according to Blockworks, PitchBook reveals in a new report that crypto venture capital spending will remain sluggish until the end of 2024. Specific data shows that the transaction value in Q4 2024 surged to $2.4 billion, a 13.6% increase from Q3, but the number of transactions decreased from 411 to 351.PitchBook's Robert Le pointed out: "Although there has been a return of funds, indicating ongoing support from investors for mature teams and differentiated technologies, the continuous decline in the number of transactions reflects an increased selectivity among investors, a trend that has been evident since Q3."Comparing the data from 2023 and 2024, the figures are quite similar. In 2023, the total amount of crypto venture capital reached $10.3 billion, involving 1,936 transactions; while last year, spending in this sector also amounted to $10 billion, covering 1,940 transactions.Additionally, the average transaction amount in the seed stage increased by 20%, jumping from $2.5 million to $3 million; early-stage financing grew by 26%, reaching $4.8 million. However, late-stage financing saw a slight decline, dropping from $6.4 million to $6.3 million. Le stated that this reflects "founders of more mature companies turning to smaller but strategically focused funding rounds, rather than pursuing the large financing rounds that were common in the past."

ChainCatcher news, the Web3 asset data platform RootData tweeted that in the past two months, venture capital activity in the crypto market has sharply declined, specifically as follows:The number of VCs with no venture capital activity increased from 10 to 20;Institutions conducting 1 venture capital activity remain at a low level, with 14 VCs (in the past 2 months) and 10 VCs (in the past 1 month);More than 50% of active venture capital VCs made 0 or 1 investment, indicating extreme caution in the market and risk aversion, suggesting a potential deeper bear market phase ahead.

ChainCatcher news, according to DL News, in January 2025, investment institutions including Sequoia Capital, Paradigm, and Andreessen Horowitz have invested nearly $1.2 billion in 79 projects in the cryptocurrency and blockchain sector, a 63% increase compared to January 2024.PitchBook analysts predict that venture capital firms will invest about $18 billion in the crypto industry this year, up from the average of $9.9 billion in 2023 and 2024. Analysts believe that Trump's support for cryptocurrency is a key driving factor.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, a research report from JPMorgan indicates that crypto venture capital (VC) funding is expected to rise this year, as regulatory clarity and more crypto-friendly policies emerged during the tenure of U.S. President Donald Trump. However, due to increased competition from large financial institutions, high interest rates, and the rise of ETF products, funding levels may not reach the highs of previous years.The report notes that new cryptocurrency projects are avoiding selling large amounts of tokens to venture capital firms and are increasingly turning to community-driven platforms for fundraising.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, Galaxy Digital stated in a research report on Wednesday that despite the recent rise in digital asset prices, cryptocurrency venture capital (VC) activity remains below previous bull market levels. In 2024, the total capital allocation of venture funds to the crypto industry is $11.5 billion, down from 2023. Galaxy pointed out that in the early rounds of bull markets in 2017 and 2021, VC activity was highly correlated with crypto asset prices, "but in the past two years, despite the rise in cryptocurrencies, VC activity has remained sluggish."There are several reasons for the stagnation in the venture capital market. Galaxy stated that these reasons include a "barbell market," where Bitcoin and its new spot ETF take center stage, while meme coins have "limited marginal net new activity." These meme coins struggle to secure funding and have a "questionable lifespan."The report noted that new projects at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and cryptocurrency are gaining increasing attention, and upcoming regulatory changes may bring more opportunities for stablecoins, decentralized finance (DeFi), and tokenization. The report indicated that some large investors may gain exposure to cryptocurrencies through Bitcoin spot ETFs, "rather than turning to early VC investments."Galaxy stated that the U.S. completed the most transactions and invested the most funds in the fourth quarter. Galaxy added that early-stage deals accounted for 60% of the total investment in the fourth quarter, with stablecoin companies raising the most funds.The report also noted that in 2024, venture capitalists invested a total of $11.5 billion in startups focused on cryptocurrency and blockchain. These funds invested $3.5 billion in 416 deals in the fourth quarter, a quarter-over-quarter increase of 46%.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, early-stage venture capital firm Sigma Capital has launched a $100 million fund focused on Web3 startups.According to an announcement released via email on Tuesday, the Dubai-based company is trying to leverage the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) reputation as a cryptocurrency hub. The fund will focus on decentralized finance (DeFi), tokenization, and blockchain infrastructure by managing a portfolio of liquid tokens.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, in the fourth quarter of 2024, the total amount of venture capital in the cryptocurrency sector reached $4 billion, with a total of 687 transactions, setting a record for the highest quarterly investment total since the fourth quarter of 2022.Among them, the infrastructure sector leads, followed by financial services (with a deployment amount of $970 million). The number of transactions for Web3 projects is the highest at 141, followed by NFT/games at 132. Transactions and brokerage investments fell from $320 million in the first quarter to $161 million in the fourth quarter. The distribution of transactions across various sectors indicates a shift in venture capital focus:DeFi remains stable, with a total of 125 transactions;The number of transactions for infrastructure projects (111) is lower than other categories but occupies the largest share of funding;Data and analytics remain selective, with only 10 transactions, while enterprise solutions had 18 transactions.The strong performance in financing this quarter, especially in infrastructure investments, indicates a renewed confidence from venture capital in the crypto industry, as the market anticipates potential changes in regulation from the new U.S. government.

ChainCatcher news, DWF Labs co-founder Andrei Grachev stated that DWF Ventures' venture capital in 2024 will increase threefold compared to 2023, and DWF Ventures will carefully study and invest in the most promising projects.

ChainCatcher 消息，据 The Block Pro 的融资仪表板，2024 年风险投资者在加密和区块链初创公司上投资了约 137 亿美元，相比 2023 年的 107 亿美元同比增长 28%。然而，这一数字仍远低于 2022 年 333 亿美元和 2021 年 290 亿美元的巅峰水平。 Dragonfly 的普通合伙人 Rob Hadick 表示，尽管比特币今年迄今已上涨超过 150%，但风险投资资金未能加速增长，主要是因为有限合伙人（LP）市场依然相对冷静，许多风险投资公司尚未有足够信心在筹集到新基金之前投入剩余资金。 2024 年早期融资主导市场，Pre-seed 交易创历史新高，达到 1,180 笔，同比增长 68%。种子阶段融资总额为 34 亿美元，接近 2021 年的 38 亿美元。A 轮融资超过 175 笔，募资 28 亿美元，同比增长 46%。中后期融资出现下降。

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, the stablecoin issuer Tether has invested in Arcanum Capital's Arcanum Emerging Technologies Fund II with its first crypto venture capital fund, which is a tokenized investment tool focused on decentralized Web3 projects, with an investment amount of $2 million.James McDowall, managing partner of Arcanum Capital, revealed that the fund focuses on investing in blockchain technologies that can enhance remittances, cross-border payments, privacy protection, and provide banking services to the unbanked population. Tether's CEO Paolo Ardoino emphasized in an interview that the common goal of Tether and the fund is to overcome review resistance and promote open communication.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Defiant, the venture capital database Pitchbook predicts in its 2025 Corporate Technology Outlook report that venture capital firms will double their investments in cryptocurrency next year, with investments exceeding $18 billion, nearly double the $9.9 billion invested in 2024.Pitchbook analysts state that as comprehensive venture capital firms return to the blockchain and cryptocurrency space, and with the participation of large financial institutions, cryptocurrency-focused venture capital firms will be strengthened; although the $18 billion investment "is far below the $24.7 billion in 2021 and $29.8 billion in 2022, the participation of major traditional financial institutions such as BlackRock, Franklin Templeton, and Goldman Sachs is expected to continue to enhance investor confidence in the cryptocurrency market; in addition to a large client base, these institutions also bring legitimacy to the cryptocurrency industry and have the potential to accelerate mainstream investors' acceptance of digital assets. They also bring expertise and long-term relationships with regulators, which will make them "effective intermediaries, creating a trust environment that cryptocurrency-native companies often find difficult to achieve while complying with regulations."

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, the venture capital firm on TON and The Open Platform (TOP) have launched the self-custody wallet TON Space. TON Space offers both custodial and non-custodial wallet options in a single interface, allowing users to switch between account types. The updated platform also improves navigation features, optimizing the experience for new users. TON Space will introduce new features, including a dApp directory, decentralized exchange (DEX) integration, staking aggregation solutions, and NFT and Jetton giveaway mechanisms.TOP announced, "During the testing period, over 100 million Telegram users created self-custody wallets using TON Space."