ChainCatcher news, the official TON blockchain stated on social media: "Contrary to some news media reports, the TON Foundation did not 'raise' $400 million. In fact, what the foundation disclosed is that over $400 million worth of Toncoin is currently held by some of the most forward-looking venture capital firms in the United States."

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, former Blocktower Capital venture team members Thomas Klocanas, Steven Venino, and Winnie Lau have founded a new company, Strobe, and plan to raise $100 million for its second fund.The team is currently still deploying its first $150 million fund, which is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Klocanas stated that establishing an independent company allows the team to maintain a lean structure, focus on venture capital business, and adopt a more patient and independent investment strategy.Strobe's portfolio already includes projects such as Morpho, Ethena, Ledger, TYB, Aptos, and Maple Finance. Klocanas emphasized that they are looking for founders who can solve real problems and focus on fundamentals, rather than social media influencers, and believes that "if you can't create hundreds of millions of dollars in value for hundreds of millions of users, trading billions of dollars is unsustainable."

ChainCatcher news, according to the official announcement, the crypto venture capital firm 1confirmation has acquired PTC Crypto and appointed its founder Brett Shear as a general partner.1confirmation founder Nick Tomaino stated, "The crypto industry has primarily focused on funding and infrastructure over the past 15 years, and the next 15 years will focus on practical applications. Brett has been at the forefront of consumer-grade crypto technology for a long time, and we are excited to work with him."Relevant information shows that PTC Crypto is an early-stage venture fund launched in early 2021, investing in the crypto creator economy. PTC Crypto connects crypto-native relationships with mainstream cultural icons, becoming a market partner in the field.

ChainCatcher news, Becker Ventures today announced that it will host an "Exclusive Venture Horizon" investor invitation-only cocktail party on February 19 at 18:00 at SOHO House, Central, taking advantage of the annual blockchain event Consensus in Hong Kong.According to official disclosures, this event will selectively invite representatives from leading institutions such as OKX Ventures, Alliance DAO, Paradigm, as well as high-quality Web3 projects that have been selected for the Becker Ventures acceleration program.The event will adopt a dual-track mechanism of invitation and registration review, focusing on cutting-edge tracks such as Infra, DeFi, and AI, with special sessions for project roadshows, thematic roundtables, and free networking."Hong Kong, as a hub for Web3 innovation and consensus, is attracting builders from around the world to converge here," said a founding partner of Becker Ventures. "We look forward to creating a chemical reaction between builders who truly create value and discerning VCs through deep social scenarios."It is reported that the fund's first phase has a scale of $50 million, focusing on innovative projects from seed to Series A rounds. The event has opened a limited registration channel, and Web3 entrepreneurs can submit their BP through luma to obtain entry qualifications. Industry observers point out that this closed-door event may become the most valuable capital matchmaking platform for Hong Kong's Web3 month.

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, according to DL News, a PitchBook research report shows that the number of cryptocurrency venture capital deals in 2024 is expected to decline by 14% year-on-year to 351 deals, while the total financing amount remains at $10 billion. The median valuation of early-stage projects has doubled year-on-year to $52 million, while late-stage projects account for only 5% of the total financing rounds.The report predicts that in 2025, there will be a wave of mergers and acquisitions in the fields of infrastructure providers, exchanges, and custodians. Venture capital is primarily focused on two major tracks: the first is the crypto AI sector, which has reached a market value of $55 billion, and analysts expect it to contribute up to $20 trillion in incremental value to the global economy by 2030; the second is the stablecoin market, which currently has a total size of $231 billion, with Tether's USDT and Circle's USDC both ranking among the top ten cryptocurrencies by market value, particularly Tether, which holds nearly 70% market share, achieving a profit of $13 billion in 2024.

ChainCatcher news, according to Blockworks, Empire analyst Jason Yanowitz pointed out that if we exclude the Bitcoin purchases by Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy), the current cycle may still be in its early stages. The current Bitcoin price is entirely reliant on the over $20 billion that Strategy has spent since the end of last year. The market is still in the "pure player mutual liquidation" (PvP) phase, and venture capital has not yet entered on a large scale.Dan Matuszewski from CMS Holdings agrees, noting that the impact of the 2022 bear market is still ongoing, and market liquidity is essentially absent, preventing substantial capital inflows. Currently, apart from a "few selected targets," there has not been a large-scale influx of funds. The debate over "whether we have reached the peak" will intensify. However, regardless of the cycle position, we must acknowledge that the new regulatory framework has just begun, and its policies may become catalysts in the future.

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 Cointelegraph, the 0G Foundation announced the launch of an $88.88 million DeFiAI ecological fund to accelerate the creation of AI-driven decentralized finance (DeFi) applications and autonomous agents (also known as DeFAI agents). The fund has received strategic support from Web3 investment firms, including HackVC, Delphi Ventures, Bankless Ventures, and OKX Ventures.

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 Theblock, the Sei Foundation has announced the launch of a $65 million venture capital fund named "Sapien Capital --- Open Science Fund I," which focuses on supporting decentralized science (DeSci) startups built on the Sei blockchain.The fund is fully funded by the Sei Foundation and plans to complete capital deployment over the next 3 to 4 years, with investment amounts ranging from $100,000 to $2 million, covering both token and equity forms. DeSci aims to improve the funding model for scientific research, data sharing, and the distribution of scientists' rights through blockchain technology, and has attracted the attention of mainstream institutions such as Binance Labs and a16z.

ChainCatcher news, as of January, the venture capital funding received in the crypto space has reached $1.14 billion, representing a potential 100% increase compared to January 2024 ($653.3 million).For cryptocurrencies and small projects, the metrics for small to medium financing are more important, as they indicate the level of confidence and enthusiasm for startups. The current level of funding has returned to "normal" levels, with funding rounds ranging from $1.5 million, and multiple projects raising between $10 million and $25 million.According to statistics, the funding amount in the crypto space for 2024 is estimated to be between $11.5 billion and $13.6 billion. Optimistic forecasts suggest that venture capital funding in the coming year could reach as high as $18 billion.

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 Bloomberg, as the cryptocurrency continues to rise, Changpeng Zhao's net worth has reached $70 billion, and he has transformed the venture capital firm Binance Labs into a large family office.Binance Labs announced its rebranding to YZi Labs. Ella Zhang has returned to YZi Labs and will serve as the head. Ella Zhang co-founded Binance Labs with Changpeng Zhao in 2018 and was its first head.In an interview, Ella Zhang stated that YZi Labs is a variation of the name of Binance's co-founder and has now become "a pure family office investment tool." A spokesperson for YZi Labs mentioned that the company does not have a formal headquarters, as its employees work remotely.

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 looking 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.