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 determined that more than a dozen companies raised capital between September 22 and September 28, based on the latest data from Crypto Fundraising. Here they are:

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 < $5 million 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.