Celestia, Infinex raise capital this week

In this week’s venture capital update, more than $253 million poured into the crypto start-up world, but the bulk of that funding went to blockchain network Celestia Foundation.

Crypto.news examined social media and, using the latest data from Crypto Fundraising, determined that at least 15 more companies raised capital between September 22 and September 28.

Celestia Foundation, $100 million

The Liechtenstein-based nonprofit known for founding Celestia (TIA) has raised $100 million from major crypto-focused venture capital firms led by Bain Capital Crypto.

Infinex, $65.29 million

Infinex, a decentralized exchange, raised $65.29 million through the sale of a non-fungible token, or NFT. Framework Ventures, Solana Ventures, Wintermute, Eden Block, Moonrock Capital and Bankless VC participated in this study.

Pens Protocol, $30 million

Scroll’s auction platform and yield aggregator Pencils Protocol raised another $30 million. DePIN X, Taisu Ventures, Black GM Capital and Bing Ventures are among its strategic investors.

Initia, $14 million

Initia raised $14 million in its Series A round. Theory VC’s Tomasz Tunguz and Spencer Farrar led the effort. Delphi Ventures and Hack VC also participated.d.

Mawari Network, $10.8 million

TK

Mawari Network raises $10.8 million in strategic funding to pioneer the future of spatial computing 🕶️

Building on Mawari’s expertise in streaming immersive experiences, Mawari Network leverages DePIN to quickly and cost-effectively deliver 3D content to devices around the world. pic.twitter.com/SnNK2VzIPc

— Mawari (@mawariXR) September 26, 2024

Mind Network, $10 million

Mind Network raised $10 million in a pre-A funding round. Investors participating in this effort included Animoca Brands, Arkstream Capital, Cogitent VC, MH Ventures, Moonhill Capital, SwissBorg, IBC Group, Master VC and others.

Darkbright, $6 million

Bitkraft Ventures has led a $6 million seed round for Darkbright, the web3 studio behind the Smolbound role-playing game.

Sunshine, $6 million

Union Square Ventures and 1kx Network co-led a $6 million seed funding round in crypto platform Daylight. The startup is known for its transaction recommendation API.

Gunzilla Games, $6 million

Delphi Ventures invested in Gunzilla Games, its largest gaming investment to date. Gunzilla’s GUNZ blockchain is a key component of the studio’s upcoming Web3 game “Off The Grid.”

AminoChain, $5 million

AminoChain, a decentralized biobank and Layer 2 network, has remained relatively quiet over the past two years. That is, until a16z Crypto led a $5 million seed funding round for the startup. This brings total funding to $7 million. The deal marks a16z’s first investment in DeSci, or decentralized science.

After quietly building for 2 years, we are very excited to finally share what we have been working on at AminoChain and announce our $5 million led seed round. @a16zcrypto !

— AminoChain (@Amino_Chain) September 25, 2024

Funding rounds Eigenpie: Redemption SubDAO designed to maximize earnings potential for liquid staking token holders raises $4 million. Meshmap: Open and decentralized platform raised $4 million from a16z, Colosseum, Lattice, Escape Velocity, GSR and others. Meridian: ParaFi Capital, Borderless Capital, Amber Group, Saison Capital, Interop Ventures and Oak Grove Ventures raised $4 million for the Hong Kong-based decentralized liquidity marketplace. Helixlabs: Startup raised $2 million in pre-seed funding round from Tribe Capital, EMURGO Ventures, Taureon Capital, LD Capital and Double Peak Group. Its valuation is around $40 million. EarthFast: Nascent led a $1.4 million pre-seed funding round; Also joining the General Partnership were Kain Warwick, Roneil Rumburg and Bodhi Ventures.

Click here for last week’s column.