Crypto Venture Capital Funding Surge: Public Leads with $135 Million Series D Round

The crypto venture capital landscape saw a significant boost in early December, with a total of over $220 million raised across various blockchain sectors. This marks a noticeable increase from the previous week’s $90 million, underscoring a clear shift towards infrastructure development and financial services integration in the cryptocurrency space. Public, a leading trading platform, was the standout performer, securing a hefty $135 million in its Series D funding round.

Public Raises $135 Million in Series D Round

Public, a comprehensive trading platform integrating NFTs, raised an impressive $135 million in its Series D funding round. This brings the company’s total fundraising to $446 million to date. The funds will be used to expand the platform’s offerings, particularly in the rapidly growing NFT space, as Public aims to enhance its position in the competitive landscape of digital asset trading. The Series D funding round was led by prominent investors, solidifying Public’s commitment to creating an all-encompassing platform for trading various digital assets.

Other Notable Crypto VC Funding Rounds

In addition to Public’s significant raise, several other blockchain-focused projects secured substantial funding, signaling ongoing confidence in crypto infrastructure development and fintech solutions.

• Union Labs raised $12 million in its Series A round, backed by Gumi Cryptos, LongHash Ventures, and Borderless. The funds will support Union Labs' work in blockchain infrastructure development, bringing the company's total raised to $16 million so far.

• Spexi secured $11.5 million in Series A funding, with support from BlockChange, Moonboots, and Protocol Labs. The project is focusing on building AI-powered data service infrastructure, positioning itself at the intersection of artificial intelligence and blockchain.

Additional VC Fundraising Highlights

Several other crypto projects also made notable fundraising strides, securing funds for a wide range of applications from financial solutions to AI infrastructure:

• Brighty raised $10 million in an undisclosed round to advance its work in finance and payment solutions.
• Interlace secured $10 million in Series B funding for the development of blockchain-based financial services.
• Earos raised $10 million in pre-seed funding to develop AI and AR/VR infrastructure.
• BLIFE Protocol brought in $7 million in an undisclosed round.
• Suilend secured $6 million in an unknown round.

Other smaller but still significant rounds include:

• Midas and The Binary Holdings each raised $5 million for their blockchain projects.
• Fiamma raised $4 million in seed funding, focusing on blockchain-related innovations.
• Sekai and Anzen each secured $3 million to fuel their early-stage growth.
• SuperFi Labs raised $2.5 million in Series A funding, focused on decentralized finance (DeFi) solutions.
• DeFi App raised $2 million in seed funding, with a fully diluted valuation of $100 million.

Smaller Grants and Seed Rounds

In addition to the larger funding rounds, several projects raised smaller amounts, many through grants or seed funding:

• Scrypted secured $1.5 million in pre-seed funding.
• Ancient8 received $1.23 million through grants to support its ecosystem development.
• LSP Finance and Dechat each raised $1 million for their respective projects.
• Redbelly Network raised $600,000 through a public sale.

Conclusion

December's surge in crypto venture capital funding demonstrates growing investor confidence in the evolving blockchain landscape. The notable rounds, particularly Public’s $135 million Series D, signal a strong interest in both infrastructure development and the integration of financial services within the blockchain space. As these projects continue to raise funds, the crypto industry is poised for further innovation, with emerging technologies like AI, DeFi, and NFTs taking center stage in shaping the future of digital finance.