Funding

Christie’s launches venture fund aimed at Web3 and blockchain investments

According to the auction company, its first investment will be in LayerZero Labs, a company developing solutions for enabling omnichain decentralized applications.

Christie’s, the auction house known for its sales of art and luxury items, has launched an investment fund to support emerging companies with technology enabling “seamless consumption of art.”

In a Monday announcement, the auction company said the fund, Christie’s Ventures, will financially support firms in Web3, “art-related financial products and solutions,” and technology related to art and luxury goods. According to Christie’s, its first investment will be in LayerZero Labs, a company developing solutions for enabling omnichain decentralized applications, allowing a more seamless transfer of assets between blockchains.

“We will focus on products and services, which can solve real business challenges, improve client experiences and expand growth opportunities, both across the art market directly and for interactions with it,” said Christie’s Ventures global head Devang Thakkar.

Related: Christie’s NFT expert to lead CryptoPunks, fake heiress launches NFT collection

The move into blockchain-related investments represented another step for Christie’s to support ventures in the crypto space. In 2021, the company hosted an auction for a piece of nonfungible artwork from Mike Winkelmann, also known as Beeple, raising more than $69 million. Since then, it has held several high-profile sales for NFT artwork and partnered with the OpenSea online marketplace for on-chain auctions.

2022 is shaping up to be a record year for blockchain-related venture funding. As Cointelegraph reported, blockchain- and crypto-focused firms raised $14.8 billion in the first quarter of the year, nearly half of 2021’s totals. Although activity has waned due to the bear market, startups with a focus on Web3 and the Metaverse continue to attract significant capital.

Crypto Biz: 3AC’s founders are nowhere to be found

Liquidators don’t know the whereabouts of Kyle Davies and Su Zhu. Meanwhile, Grayscale’s legal officer says the asset manager’s lawsuit against the SEC could take a while to play out.

In the world of crypto, there’s no such thing as “too big to fail.” Three Arrows Capital, once the most recognizable hedge fund in the industry, has essentially gone belly-up after its founders believed their own hype and decided to go full-degen mode during the worst macro climate of a generation. Since the proverbial shit hit the fan last month, founders Kyle Davies and Su Zhu have kept a very low profile. So low, in fact, that their whereabouts remain a mystery, according to court documents. 

This week’s Crypto Biz chronicles the latest developments surrounding Three Arrows Capital and explores Grayscale’s legal proceedings against the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Liquidators can subpoena 3AC founders despite ‘tricky issues’ with crypto assets

We may not know the whereabouts of Kyle Davies or Su Zhu, but that won’t stop liquidators from subpoenaing the founders of bankrupt Three Arrows Capital, also known as 3AC. Earlier this week, United States bankruptcy judge Martin Glenn issued an order giving 3AC liquidators permission to demand that the founders attend court. Apparently, Zhu and Davies haven’t been cooperating with their liquidators. Zhu broke his nearly one-month silence this week by alleging that the liquidators “baited” his firm. Whatever that means.

Grayscale legal officer says Bitcoin ETF litigation could take two years

Grayscale’s quest for a Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund (ETF) could get more complicated as the asset manager embarks on suing the SEC for denying its latest application. Specifically, Grayscale is trying to convert its GBTC product into an ETF, but securities regulators won’t let them because of “concerns” about manipulation in the spot BTC market. Craig Salm, Grayscale’s chief legal officer, said the litigation process could take up to two years before a resolution is reached. Who knows, by that time, the SEC may decide to waive its magic wand and approve another spot Bitcoin ETF.

Multicoin Capital raises $430M for new crypto startup fund

Crypto venture funding has slowed in recent months, but that hasn’t stopped major firms from continuing to raise serious capital. Prominent investor Multicoin Capital announced this week that it has launched a massive $430 million fund to bootstrap crypto and blockchain startups. The firm’s new “Venture Fund III” will allocate between $500,000 and $25 million to early-stage companies, with an increasing focus on decentralized autonomous organizations, the creator economy and consumer-facing products. 2022 is shaping up to be the biggest funding year ever for crypto.

Playboy to launch first ‘MetaMansion’ in The Sandbox

Iconic lifestyle brand Playboy is entering the Metaverse — and doing it tastefully, too. The company behind your dad’s favorite raunchy magazine has launched its first MetaMansion in The Sandbox, giving users access to a virtual version of the Playboy mansion. If you decide to pay a visit to the virtual property, you’ll be able to attend a host of gaming and social events and possibly collect nonfungible tokens (NFTs) in the future. Apparently, the MetaMansion builds on Playboy’s Rabbitar NFT project, which is comprised of 11,953 tokenized bunny avatars.

Don’t miss it! Why are crypto platforms going bankrupt?

The cryptocurrency market may never be the same after 2022 — and that could be a good thing or a bad thing. With companies like Voyager Digital, Three Arrows Capital and Celsius filing for bankruptcy, investors are worried about what comes next. Is your crypto safe being held on exchanges or lending platforms? In this week’s Market Report, I sat down with fellow analysts Jordan Finneseth, Marcel Pechman and Benton Yaun to discuss how the recent wave of bankruptcies will impact the market.

Crypto Biz is your weekly pulse of the business behind blockchain and crypto delivered directly to your inbox every Thursday.

Multicoin Capital raises $430M for new crypto startup fund

Even with Bitcoin, Ether and altcoins in a bear market, venture funding for the blockchain industry continues to grow.

Prominent crypto investor Multicoin Capital has launched a new venture fund valued at $430 million, further demonstrating venture capital’s growing interest in the blockchain economy amid the bear market. 

Multicoin’s Venture Fund III will invest between $500,000 and $25 million in early-stage companies across various crypto- and blockchain-focused industries, the company announced Tuesday. It’s also willing to invest values of up to $100 million or greater for later-stage projects with an established brand and market presence.

Related: VC Roundup: ‘Web5,’ Metaverse sports and Bitcoin monetization startups generate buzz

Venture Fund III will place greater emphasis on crypto projects that have demonstrated “proof of physical work,” or protocols that have created economic incentives for permissionless contribution.

“While the vast majority of crypto-innovation has been focused on coordinating digital communities and economies, tokens also create opportunities for innovation in capital formation and human coordination that extend beyond the digital world and into the physical,” Multicoin wrote.

The company also highlighted data decentralized autonomous organizations, also known as data DAOs, as offering strong incentives for user participation. As Cointelegraph reported, Multicoin Capital was a key investor in the data DAO project Delphia, which closed a $60 million Series A funding round in June.

Creator monetization, a category that includes social tokens, nonfungible tokens and decentralized finance, was also cited as a major investment theme moving forward.

Related: What are the top social tokens waiting to take off? | Find out now on The Market Report

As investors brace for more short-term pain in the cryptocurrency markets, venture firms continue to add to their portfolios. In the first quarter alone, $14.6 billion in venture funding flowed into crypto and blockchain startups, according to Cointelegraph Research. Although funding is expected to have declined in the second quarter, 2022 is shaping up to be a record year for venture funding.

Animoca Brands raises $75M to advance ‘open metaverse’ concept

The company behind The Sandbox continues to attract sizable investments as it eyes new acquisitions in the play-to-earn and metaverse sectors.

Blockchain gaming and venture studio Animoca Brands has closed another strategic funding round, giving the company additional resources to expand its acquisition targets in the metaverse sector. 

The company announced Tuesday that it has closed a $75.32 million funding round at a pre-money valuation of $5.9 billion backed by Liberty City Ventures, Kingsway Capital, Alpha Wave Ventures, 19T, SG Spring Limited Partnership Fund and others. The raise represents the “second tranche” of funding following a $358.8 million raise in January that was supported by venture giants Sequoia China, Winklevoss Capital, ParaFi Capital and 10T Holdings.

Animoca said the new capital will fund strategic acquisitions, product development and intellectual property licenses as it looks to advance the so-called “open metaverse” concept. The company said it plans to continue using blockchain technology, including nonfungible tokens (NFTs), decentralized finance and GameFi, to promote digital property rights.

Despite the presence of a bear market in digital assets, Animoca has been actively expanding its portfolio in 2022. In April, the venture studio acquired a large stake in Australian digital marketing firm Be Media — a move designed to expand partnerships with the local blockchain industry. The same month, Animoca purchased video game publishers Eden Games and Darewise Entertainment.

Related: VC Roundup: ‘Web5,’ Metaverse sports and Bitcoin monetization startups generate buzz

Animoca subsidiary The Sandbox (SAND) has played a leading role in advancing the still-nascent metaverse industry. As Cointelegraph reported, American lifestyle and entertainment brand Playboy recently announced the launch of a “MetaMansion” in The Sandbox — a virtual mansion that will give users the ability to participate in a host of gaming and social events.

The Sandbox currently has a total market capitalization of $1.4 billion, making it the second-largest metaverse project behind Decentraland, according to CoinMarketCap.

VC Roundup: ‘Web5,’ Metaverse sports and Bitcoin monetization startups generate buzz

PolySign, Mash, Floor, Euler, Trinsic, KYVE and Atmos Labs headline the latest funding deals from the world of blockchain and cryptocurrency.

A lot has happened in the Bitcoin (BTC) and cryptocurrency markets since our last edition of VC Roundup. The monumental collapse of the Terra ecosystem spilled over into other segments of the digital asset market, exposing over-leveraged traders, lending platforms and venture capital funds. In the process, Bitcoin’s price plumbed new lows, falling below the previous cycle’s peak for the first time in its history. 

Despite macro headwinds inflicting pain on the crypto markets, venture capital firms are still investing in the industry’s most promising startups. The latest edition of VC Roundup highlights funding deals for digital asset infrastructure providers, non-custodial crypto protocols, payment solutions and decentralized identity management companies.

Digital asset infrastructure provider closes $53M round

PolySign’s quest to bring institutional-level crypto custody solutions to investors has received backing from several venture capital firms. The firm recently raised $53 million in Series C financing backed by Cowen Digital, Brevan Howard, GSR and more. In addition, the company secured a $25 million credit facility from venture firm Boathouse Capital. Although PolySign didn’t specify how the funding will be allocated, the Series C was closed around the same time that the firm acquired digital asset fund administrator MG Stover.

Related: Goldman Sachs downgrades Coinbase stock to ‘sell’

Bitcoin startup raises funds to monetize creator economy

Bitcoin and Lightning Network payments platform Mash raised $6 million in seed funding in June as part of its ongoing efforts to remonetize the internet for developers and content creators. The funding round was co-led by Nic Carter’s Castle Island Ventures and Whitecap Venture Partners, with additional participation from Maple VC, Strategic Cyber Ventures, Aquanow and Spacecadet Ventures. The Mash platform allows developers and content creators to offer customers so-called “pay-as-you-enjoy” pricing options facilitated by BTC and Lightning Network.

NFT app Floor raises $8M

Nonfungible token application Floor has closed a Series A investment round valued at $8 million to advance its mission of making NFTs more accessible to mainstream users. The funding round was led by 6thMan Ventures, with additional participation from B Capital, Worklife Ventures, Collab+Currency, Crypto.com and others. Floor said it will use the funding to accelerate development and bring more utility to NFTs.

Euler receives major backing

Non-custodial crypto protocol Euler has closed a $32 million funding round that was led by Haun Ventures and included participation from FTX Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, Jump Crypto, Jane Street, Uniswap Labs and others. The funding will be injected into the treasury of Euler’s decentralized autonomous organization, or DAO, which is being rolled out in three phases. Euler is a decentralized finance protocol built on Ethereum that allows users to lend and borrow crypto assets.

“Web5” and decentralized identity attract VC interest

Decentralized identity protocol Trinsic recently closed an $8.5 million seed round to continue building its so-called user-controlled identity products. A spokesperson for the company said Trinsic’s products give real-world utility to Jack Dorsey’s “Web5” ambitions. A vocal critic of Web3, the former Twitter CEO announced in June that he is bypassing the third iteration of the internet in favor of “Web5”, a new Bitcoin-centric model for identity management.

Related: VC Roundup: The rise of blockchain gaming, DAO management and asset tokenization

KYVE closes $9M raise ahead of mainnet launch

Web3 archiving protocol KYVE has raised $9 million in funding ahead of a planned mainnet launch slated for the fourth quarter of 2022. The funding round, which had participation from Distributed Global, Wicklow Capital, IOSG Ventures, Blockchain Coinvestors, Huobi Incurabor and others, will be used to integrate more ecosystems into KYVE’s so-called decentralized data lake. Several blockchains currently use KYVE, including Avalanche, Zilliqa, Cosmos and Polkadot.

Atmos Labs targets Metaverse sports with seed raise

Play-to-earn developer Atmos Labs has closed an $11 million seed round to continue building Metaverse-focused sports games. The investment round was led by NFT-focused venture firm Sfermion, with additional participation from Animoca Brands, Collab+Currency, FBG Capital, CoinGecko Ventures and several others. Atmos Labs is looking to bring e-sports to a global audience by creating immersive gameplay in the Metaverse.

Italian government will provide $46 million in subsidies for blockchain projects

All companies developing IoT, AI or blockchain technology will be eligible to apply for government subsidies provided the funds will be used in specific sectors, such as health.

The Ministry of Economic Development of Italy has announced that certain blockchain projects will qualify to apply for up to $46 million in government subsidies starting from September.

In a Tuesday announcement, the Ministry said companies and public or private research firms will be able to apply for funding from the government for the development of projects related to artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and blockchain technology. The fund will have an initial budget of 45 million euros — roughly $46 million at the time of publication — for expenses and costs from 500 thousand (worth $512,150) to 2 million euros ($2,048,600) as part of the Italian government’s goals for investments in technology, research and innovation.

“We support companies’ investments in cutting-edge technologies with the aim of encouraging the modernization of production systems through management models that are increasingly interconnected, efficient, secure and fast,” said Minister of Economic Development Giancarlo Giorgetti. “The goal of competitiveness requires the manufacturing industry to constantly innovate and use the potential of new technologies.”

The government directive was made possible by a decree in December 2021 establishing criteria for using the fund and a subsequent one in June 2022 in which the Ministry set the terms and conditions for submitting applications. According to the decree, companies of any size will be eligible to apply for subsidies provided the funds will be used for IoT, AI or blockchain in sectors including industry and manufacturing, tourism, health, the environment and aerospace.

Related: ‘Bitcoin-thematic’ ETF lists on Italian stock exchange Borsa Italiana

A member of the European Union, Italy would likely be affected by recent regulations agreed upon by the EU Parliament aiming to bring crypto issuers and service providers within its jurisdictional control under a single regulatory framework. The country’s securities regulator, the Italian Companies and Exchange Commission, or CONSOB, has previously warned residents about the possible risks of crypto investments, while the Organismo Agenti e Mediatori is largely responsible for granting regulatory approval for crypto service providers — in May, the regulator gave the green light to major crypto exchange Binance to open a branch in Italy.

Crypto investor Sequoia Capital China reportedly raises $9 billion

Sequoia China is known for backing many crypto firms, including the troubled crypto lender Babel Finance, which halted withdrawals in mid-June.

Sequoia Capital China, the Chinese affiliate of cryptocurrency-friendly venture capital firm Sequoia Capital, is about to raise $9 billion for its four new funds focused on Chinese startups.

In raising the capital, Sequoia China has already exceeded its initial target of roughly $8 billion, The Information news agency reported on Monday, citing two people familiar with the matter.

The report notes that the final amount of the raise is supposed to be the biggest pool of capital ever raised by a single VC firm focused on Chinese technology startups.

The funding round signals the growing investor appetite for tech investment in China coming despite a major decline in the stock market as well as China’s crackdown on tech companies, which triggered a slowdown in investments by Sequoia’s global competitors.

Sequoia China reportedly plans to close the round sometime this week, with 50% of the raise being oversubscribed.

According to some local investors, major VC firms like Sequoia China and Hillhouse were still raising money despite many American wealth and pension funds halting China investments in 2022.

“Only Sequoia and Hillhouse can raise money from international investors right now, they see it as lower risk, like making an index fund investment,” one Beijing-based investor reportedly said.

Founded in 2005, Sequoia China is one of the world’s biggest tech VC firms, known for investing in TikTok operator ByteDance.

Related: Crypto lending platform Babel Finance reaches counterparty debt agreement

Sequoia China has also backed a number of crypto and blockchain-related firms, including the troubled Asian crypto lender Babel Finance, which halted withdrawals in mid-June amid the ongoing crypto lending crisis. As previously reported, Sequoia Capital China was among lead investors in a $40 million Series A funding round in Babel Finance in May 2022.

Sequoia China also previously led funding rounds for other industry platforms like the cryptocurrency wallet DeBank in 2021.

OP Crypto launches $100M fund to back early-stage crypto VCs

Targeting a hard cap of $100 million, the OP FoF I fund is expected to close by the end of Q3, OP Crypto’s chief operating officer Lucas He said.

OP Crypto, a cryptocurrency venture capital firm founded by former Huobi executive David Gan, is launching a new fund to support emerging fund managers focused on early-stage crypto investments.

Named “OP Funds of Funds I,” the fund has secured $50 million in commitments from major companies like FTX’s investment subsidiary LedgerPrime and FJ Labs.

The OP FoF I will target a hard cap of $100 million, with founders planning to close out the fund by the end of Q3, OP Crypto’s chief operating officer Lucas He told Cointelegraph.

The fund will work on identifying and supporting crypto fund managers with unique vertical expertise in areas like infrastructure, decentralized finance, nonfungible tokens, metaverse, gaming and others.

While the fund has a “differentiated focus” on the Asia-Pacific region, it will continue to invest on a global scale and seek to get exposure to fund managers in regions like Latin America, Africa, India, Southeast Asia and others, He noted.

Investors in the FoF will get access to the deal flow from all of the managers within the vehicle and have the opportunity to double down on specific projects via co-investment opportunities.

OP FoF I is the second fund to invest in emerging crypto fund managers by OP Crypto. In June 2021, the firm launched its $50 million OP Ventures Fund I, targeting pre-seed and seed projects across the Web 3.0 space. The fund was backed by major companies and institutional investors in the industry, including Mike Novogratz’s Galaxy Digital, the venture capital firm Digital Currency Group, Bill Ackman and Alan Howard.

“OP stands for open, operational and opportunistic,” He said, adding that those are the “traits that the fund ascribes by.” The exec went on to say that despite the current market downturn, there are a lot of investors looking for crypto exposure, stating:

“To our surprise, there is actually quite a lot of picked up demand due to people not knowing where exactly is best to park capital amidst the current bear market.”

Also acting as OP Crypto’s head of research, He will serve as the general partner at the OP FoF I. He is a veteran in the crypto space since 2013 and previously held investment and FoF roles at Huobi Capital and State Street. OP Crypto founder Gan will take the role of president and advisor to the fund.

Related: How crypto is attracting some institutional investors — Huobi Global sales head

Gan and He led the FoF strategy at Huobi and deployed capital on Huobi’s behalf and were seed investors in Multicoin Capital, Dragonfly Capital, and 1kx. “All of these investments were done early 2018 when those funds all had sub $50 million in assets under management,” He stated, adding that these funds eventually hit a milestone above $1 billion AUM three years later.

True Global Ventures doubles down on Web3 with $146M ‘follow-on’ fund

The TGV4 Plus Follow On Fund was led by a group of 15 general partners who committed over $4 million on average (over 40%) into the fund.

Venture capital firm True Global Ventures 4 Plus (TGV4 Plus) has announced the closure of a $146 million funding round earmarked for a wide range of Web3 projects — highlighting investors’ continued interest in crypto despite an ongoing bear market.

The latest closure, dubbed the TGV4 Plus Follow On Fund, was led by a group of 15 general partners who committed over $4 million on average (over 40%, or $62 million) into the fund. The majority of the funding will be primarily injected into Web3 companies within TGV’s portfolio, while the remaining will be used to invest in late-stage Web3 opportunities.

TGV previously invested in numerous Web3 initiatives using a base fund dedicated to the late-stage Series A, B and C across three business verticals: entertainment and gaming, financial services, and artificial intelligence. Prominent TGV investments include The Sandbox, Animoca Brands and Forge, among others.

Dušan Stojanović, one of TGV’s 15 general partners, shared his thoughts on investing during the bear market:

“It is much easier to see more clearly who the winners are now. This has created a high level of confidence amongst our investors.”

Stojanović also shared that market correction helps to select the strongest players as he advised fellow VCs to continue investing in crypto businesses:

“Regardless of the market situation, there are always good teams having great products at the proper time. Crisis is the best time to invest, not the bull market.”

Related: Huobi Global launches $1B investment arm focused on DeFi and Web3

Last week, on Friday, major crypto exchange Huobi Global launched Ivy Blocks, a new investment arm with a capital of over $1 billion in crypto assets.

In addition to the cash injection, Huobi offers other services including an asset management platform, a new blockchain incubator and a dedicated research arm.

Moreover, Lily Zhang, Huobi Global’s chief financial officer, confirmed that Houbi’s asset management department will provide “liquidity investments” to help decentralized finance and Web3 projects take off.

Crypto Biz: Stablecoins are paving the way for mass adoption of crypto, June 2–8

Checkout.com, FTX, PayPal and Crypto.com headline the latest business news from the world of cryptocurrency and blockchain.

Stablecoins are a controversial subject in crypto. Questioning the legitimacy and backing of Tether (USDT) is a right of passage for many entering the crypto market for the first time. The meltdown of the Terra (LUNC; or the old LUNA) ecosystem left little doubt that algorithmic stablecoins don’t have a future beyond Do Kwon’s fantasies. Pesky regulators are constantly poking and prodding at dollar-pegged assets to carve out firmer rules on their usage. 

But, if you look beyond all the fear, uncertainty and doubt, stablecoins are providing liquidity to millions of people who don’t have access to dollars because of capital controls or sanctions, or because hyperinflation is destroying their local currency. This week’s Crypto Biz newsletter looks at the role of stablecoins in fueling e-commerce. We also do some prodding of our own to see if a major payment platform is prepping its own stable asset.

Checkout​.com launches 24/7 stablecoin settlement in partnership with Fireblocks

If crypto is ever going to achieve mainstream success as a payment system, stablecoins will likely play a major role. This week, global payment processor Checkout.com announced that it was launching a new stablecoin settlement system centered around Circle’s USD Coin (USDC). Now, merchants who use Checkout.com will be able to receive USDC payments and convert them into fiat instantly. As it turns out, Checkout.com already settled more than $300 million in USDC transactions during its beta testing phase. Regardless of what you think of them, stablecoins continue to deliver real-world utility.

Crypto.com’s Cronos launches $100M accelerator for DeFi and Web3

On Tuesday, digital asset exchange Crypto.com announced that its Cronos blockchain ecosystem had launched a $100 million accelerator program to fast-track decentralized finance, Web3 and metaverse projects. The new fund aims to help up-and-coming crypto projects earn seed and pre-seed investments as they get their concepts and business models off the ground. You may have heard that venture capital funding into crypto has slowed somewhat from its torrid pace. That may be true, but 2022 is already shaping up to be a record-breaking year for VC funding — and we’re not even halfway through.

FTX will not freeze hiring amid layoffs at other crypto firms, CEO states

The bear market has been brutal on crypto exchanges and other blockchain-focused companies. Amid heartbreaking stories of people accepting jobs at Coinbase only to have their offers rescinded due to a hiring freeze, derivatives exchange FTX clarified this week that its HR department will continue to add personnel. CEO Sam Bankman-Fried explained that his exchange will “keep growing” despite the so-called crypto winter. In fact, the CEO said he has no plans to scale back. “We’re going to keep pushing forward,” he tweeted. Maybe it’s time to consider a career in crypto derivatives?

PayPal enables transfer of digital currencies to external wallets

When PayPal launched its crypto services in October 2020, the company provided a huge market catalyst by sucking up the available supply of newly minted Bitcoin (BTC). Now, finally, the global payment provider is allowing users to natively transfer, send and receive crypto between PayPal and external wallets and exchanges. Of course, the service is currently available only to United States residents. You may also be intrigued to know that PayPal is still actively exploring the creation of its own stablecoin — at least, according to the source code on the company’s iPhone app.

Before you go! Can the Merge save Ethereum from the ETH Killers?

There’s a lot riding on the successful rollout of Ethereum 2.0. On this week’s Market Report, I sat down with fellow analysts Jordan Finneseth, Marcel Pechman and Benton Yuan to explain what exactly Eth2 entails and whether competitors such as Solana (SOL), BNB, Cardano (ADA) and Avalanche (AVAX) can actually de-throne Ethereum as the largest smart contract platform. What do you think — do they stand a chance? Catch a recording of the discussion below and tell us what you think.

Crypto Biz is your weekly pulse of the business behind blockchain and crypto delivered directly to your inbox every Thursday.