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The archetypal 4th of 2025 has been highly volatile for crypto. Investor sentiment has swung from 1 utmost to the different arsenic Bitcoin (BTC) rallied to all-time highs, endured a large correction, and received a large statesmanlike boost from Donald Trump.
Amid each the noise, task superior firms continued to broaden their vulnerability to blockchain and crypto startups crossed decentralized carnal infrastructure networks (DePINs), Web3 gaming, real-world plus (RWA) tokenization and derivatives speech markets.
The latest variation of VC Roundup features 7 backing announcements from crossed the industry.
Alchemy announces $5M Web3 adoption fund
Blockchain developer Alchemy has launched a $5 cardinal “Everyone Onchain Fund” to beforehand Web3 adoption connected Ethereum. The backing volition supply developers gathering connected Alchemy with up to $10,000 successful state credits and $20,000 successful computing credits. Support volition initially beryllium rolled retired to OP Stack and Arbitrum Orbit.
Alchemy presently offers rollups-as-a-service, which allows developers to motorboat and turn their ain blockchain.
One of Alchemy’s astir salient partners is World, the biometric integer individuality task formerly known arsenic Worldcoin. Since its launch, World has reached much than 23 cardinal users astir the world.
Related: Superchain volition scope 80% of Ethereum L2 transactions successful 2025 — Optimism exec
Mavryk secures backing for layer-1 RWA
Mavryk Dynamics, the developer of a layer-1 RWA network, closed a $5 cardinal backing circular led by task superior firms Ghaf Capital, Big Brain, MetaVest Capital, Cluster Capital, Collective Ventures and Atlas Funds. Five different VC funds participated successful the round.
Mavryk is processing an RWA tokenization level that it says volition span the spread betwixt accepted concern and decentralized concern (DeFi) by offering non-custodial features that see a protocol treasury, grants and liquidity mining. The institution says its Mavryk Network has already secured much than $360 cardinal successful RWAs.
The RWA marketplace has grown importantly implicit the past year, reaching $17.9 cardinal arsenic of aboriginal March, according to RWA.xyz.
The worth of real-world assets onchain has grown significantly. Source: RWA.xyz
Rho Labs receives $4M successful effect funding
Rho Labs, the developer of the decentralized rates speech Rho Protocol, closed a $4 cardinal effect circular led by CoinFund. Additional investors included Auros, Flow Traders and Speedinvest. Rho operates a decentralized derivatives marketplace that lets users stake, lend and commercialized perpetual futures successful 1 venue. The institution says it has processed much than $7 cardinal worthy of notional volumes.
CoinFund co-founder Alex Felix said Rho Labs is filling a spread successful the crypto marketplace that is preventing the normalization of backing and guardant rates betwixt CeFi and DeFi.
Teneo raises $3M to democratize societal media data
Teneo Protocol, a DePIN project, closed a $3 cardinal effect circular led by task funds RockawayX and Borderless, with further information from Generative Ventures. The backing volition beryllium utilized to further Teneo’s ngo of democratizing entree to societal media data.
Teneo is built connected the layer-1 web Peaq and operates a Web3 browser hold that lets users lend to its information web successful speech for Teneo Points, which tin beryllium exchanged for the forthcoming Teneo Tokens. The institution claims to person much than 3.5 cardinal users crossed 191 countries.
DePIN maturation reached its highest successful December 2024. Source: DePINscan
Related: Crypto VCs are ‘especially bullish’ connected DePIN, RWAs — HashKey Capital
Polychain Capital backs Fluent Labs’ $8M round
Ethereum layer-2 developer Fluent Labs raised $8 cardinal successful a backing circular led by Polychain Capital, with further information from six task funds and 7 angel investors. Fluent describes itself arsenic a “blended execution network” due to the fact that it seeks to region siloes that constrain onchain virtual machines. It presently supports the Ethereum Virtual Machine, Solana Virtual Machine and WebAssembly applications.
There are presently much than 60 projects gathering connected the Fluent ecosystem, with usage cases extending to DeFi, user applications and gaming.
The Game Company receives backing for blockchain gaming infrastructure
The Game Company, a UAE-based blockchain startup, has received $10 cardinal successful backing to make its unreality gaming infrastructure that volition fto users play immoderate rubric crossed PCs and consoles. Investors successful the backing circular see Telcoin, BullPerks and Singularity DAO.
The Game Company claims to person much than 500,000 users connected its waitlist. Its latest UAE investigating signifier has seen much than 43,000 registrations, 41,000 onchain transactions and much than 10,000 caller unsocial wallets.
Once the level becomes operational, users volition person entree to much than 1,300 titles crossed PlayStation, Microsoft Store and Steam. Some of the titles it has entree to see Call of Duty, Fortnite and Rocket League.
a16z backs ACID Labs
Web3 gaming workplace ACID Labs closed an $8 cardinal backing circular led by a16z Speedrun to beforehand its societal gaming infrastructure. Additional investors included NFX, Fusion VC and assorted gaming executives. ACID is the institution down Boinkers, a Telegram crippled with 11.5 cardinal monthly players. It intends to usage the funds to proceed scaling its Web3 societal games connected Telegram.
The concern came against a backdrop of surging Web3 gaming activity. Between January 2024 and January 2025, the fig of regular progressive Web3 gamers reached 7.3 million, according to DappRadar. Overall, blockchain gaming enactment surged 386% implicit that period.
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