The Stratospheric Rise Of Blockchain Startup Investment In 2021 Is Breaking All Previous Records

Funding for crypto and blockchain startups shows no signs of slowing in 2021 as VC firms and angel investors appear keen to invest billions of dollars, breaking previous records. Crypto firms have received more funding in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the whole of 2020.

The ongoing bullish enthusiasm in the blockchain and crypto ecosystem underlines that VC appetite for innovative startups is at its peak, and it will continue throughout the year. The potential for outsized returns remains a crucial catalyst of increased equity investments in crypto start-ups for blockchain and mainstream VC funds.

Several significant participants in the mainstream arena seem keen to interact with emerging technology, especially with blockchain touted as the technology to disrupt global businesses. This appetite for supporting startups seems even more apparent to VC firms and angel investors, who are keen to maximize returns within a short period.

Flare’s FBA-Consensus Network Bags $11.3 Million Strategic Round

Flare, one of the newest decentralized smart contract platforms, is on the verge of redefining smart contract utility. The world’s first FBA protocol brings unparalleled scalability and low transaction costs. It integrates EVM, enabling easier integration of existing projects.

The project has made a name for itself in the world of blockchain, attracting several VC firms and private investors. Following the completion of a private round, the project has raised $11.3 million from Kenetic Capital, Digital Currency Group, Coinfund, LD Capital, cFund, Wave Financial, Borderless Capital, Newform Capital, Genesis Capital, ZB Group, Ripple, Backend Capital, and several other private investors.

Automata Network Collects $2.4 Million For Traceless dApp Privacy Solution

Automata Network, an innovative blockchain startup, has raised a $2.4 million seed round backed by prominent investors, such as KR1, Jump Trading, and IOSG Ventures, to address market demand for tamper-proof DeFi applications.

The decentralized service protocol aims to provide traceless privacy, high assurance, and frictionless computation for dApps on Polkadot and Ethereum. It also supports several use cases, including anonymous voting, MEV (Miner Extractable Value) minimization, and TEE (trusted execution environment) by leveraging cutting-edge crypto and privacy protection algorithms.

dotmoovs Closes $840,000 For Blockchain-Powered Sports Platform

Blockchain-powered competitive sports platform dotmoovs has caught the attention of several notable investors. The platform recently closed an oversubscribed private funding round, adding $840,000 in fresh capital from Ascensive Assets, AU21, Building Blocks, GBV Capital, Moonrock Capital, Morningstar Ventures, Rarestone, and Spark Digital Capital.

The newly acquired funds will accelerate product development and marketing, all while expanding the functionalities of the world’s first crypto mobile sports competitive platform. By leveraging DLT technology, dotmoovs, aims to offer a transparent and fair platform where users can play against each other and monetize their skills.

ROK Capital & Solana Foundation Contribute $20 Million To Solana Blockchain Development

Solana , the world’s first web-scale blockchain, has successfully concluded a capital raise from Solana Foundation and ROK Capital to advance development activities. A total of $20 million has been allocated to the Solana blockchain ecosystem to integrate more Solana-based Web 3.0, NFT, and DeFi projects. In addition, blockchain consulting firm FactBlock and community-based accelerator DeSpread are also supporting the funding round via a strategic partnership.

Solana’s blockchain solution is capable of hosting applications with exceptional computational bandwidth, offering support for 50,000 transactions per second (TPS), and delivering Layer-2 performance while maintaining the simplicity and security features of Layer-1. A portion of the funds will also be utilized to strategically invest and accelerate upcoming Solana-based projects in the Korean market.

Reef Finance Rolls Out $20 Million Grant To Empower dApp Developers Working On Reef Chain

In line with its vision of developing one of the fastest-evolving DeFi ecosystems, Reef Finance has launched a $20 million grant to empower developers and fund them throughout the development cycle of DeFi solutions on its platform, the Reef Chain. The grant aims to develop and deploy applications with high potential for mainstream adoption within the Reef ecosystem.

As per Reef Finance, the grant amount will be used to fund several initiatives, including NFT development, runtime modules and chains, digital wallets, decentralized exchanges, lending protocols, and many more.

Balancer Labs Raises $24.25 Million From Token Sale To Accelerate Development of Its Innovative Protocol

Balancer Labs , a non-custodial portfolio manager, liquidity provider, and price sensor, is developing the Balancer Protocol for programmable liquidity. The automated portfolio manager cum trading platform allows investors to leverage portfolios that generate yield and rebalance automatically based on market conditions.

Balancer’s unique solution has garnered a lot of backing from prominent investors and VC firms. It has recently partnered with several big investors from the crypto universe, raising $24.25 million from its native token ($BAL) sale. Other than Pantera Capital and Alameda Capital, Kain Warwick, Founder of Synthetix, Blockchain Capital, Fintech Collective, LongHash Ventures, Fenbushi Capital, and Continue Capital, have also extended financial support to help accelerate the development of the Balancer protocol.

DeFi Startup Cryption Network Acquires $1.1 Million To Build A User-Friendly Platform For DeFi Retailers

Retail DeFi startup, Cryption Network , is on a mission to make DeFi simple and accessible for all. Built on Polygon, the project aims at offering a unified platform for retail investors who want to get into the world of crypto but are worried about the underlying technical complexities.

With a wide range of products and services under development, the organization raised $1.1 million during its most recent funding round to advance its DeFi vision. The project received capital injections from several VC firms and private investors, such as Master Ventures, CMS Holdings, GravityX Capital, GenBlock, Ascensive Assets, X21 Digital, AU21, WaterDrip, Sandeep Naliwal (Polygon), and Humayun Sheik (Fetch.ai).

Panther Protocol Raises $8 Million To Develop The Much-Needed Privacy Solution For DeFi

With the rise of scrutiny, regulatory, and compliance laws, the DeFi ecosystem requires a robust privacy solution. With its novel concept of selective private disclosures, Panther Protocol sets a new benchmark in the blockchain ecosystem. The platform’s novel concept has grabbed the attention of several prominent VC firms and angel investors, raising $8 million from over 140 investors.

Firms across the globe, including A195 Capital, Alphabit Fund, Aquablock, Arcanum Capital, AU21, BlockArk, DeepVentures, Ellipti, Ex Network, Insignious Capital, Kosmos VC, MarketAcross, Master Ventures, Moonwhale, Nextgen, Protocol Ventures, Rarestone Capital, Titans Ventures, and several more, have staked the project with capital to date.