Blockchain Industry Investment and Financing Weekly Report: 11 events with a total scale exceeding 107 million USD

Last week (7.14-7.20), there were a total of 11 financing events in the global Blockchain field, with a total funding scale exceeding 107 million USD. In addition, the total amount of financing for listed companies' cryptocurrency asset reserves exceeded 635 million USD. The main investment and financing situation is as follows:

• In the DeFi sector: Tokenized money market fund platform Spiko has completed a $22 million Series A funding round, led by Index Ventures.

• Two events in the Web3 gaming sector: Among them, the Web3 dream football game Football.Fun completed a $2 million financing.

• Web3+AI field together: XerpaAI has completed a $6 million seed round financing, led by UFLY Capital.

• 5 incidents in the infrastructure and tools sector: Among them, the decentralized messaging protocol XMTP completed a $20 million Series B financing round, with multiple well-known institutions jointly leading the investment.

• Other application areas: The blockchain-based travel platform Blockskye has completed a $15.8 million Series C financing, led by Blockchange.

• In the centralized finance sector: Stablecoin bank Dakota, founded by a former executive of a certain trading platform, completed a $12.5 million Series A financing, led by CoinFund.

DeFi

The tokenized money market fund platform Spiko has completed a $22 million Series A financing round, led by Index Ventures. Participating investors include institutions such as White Star Frst, Rerail, Bpifrance, and Blockwall, as well as several angel investors.

Spiko provides tokenized currency market fund services for European enterprises, allowing users to earn daily returns by investing in low-risk assets such as Eurozone and US government bonds. The platform employs blockchain technologies such as Ethereum and Arbitrum and has processed over $900 million in liquid assets. The company plans to collaborate with institutions like Memo Bank, aiming to exceed $1 billion in assets under management by 2025.

A decentralized derivatives exchange has acquired the crypto social trading platform Pocket Protector, marking its first external acquisition. The transaction was completed in a cash + token combination, with the specific amount undisclosed. The two co-founders of Pocket Protector will join the exchange in key positions, and the Telegram trading bot and tech team they developed will be integrated. Pocket Protector was founded last year and has raised $7 million.

Web3 Games

Web3 fantasy football game Football.Fun has completed a $2 million funding round, led by 6th Man Ventures(6MV), with participation from Devmons, Zee Prime Capital, Sfermion, and The Operating Group. Football.Fun is a Web3 fantasy football platform where player cards can be traded like meme coins. Users can build teams through player card packs, participate in tournaments, and trade player shares on a dynamic market based on AMM.

The global mini-game platform PlaysOut has received strategic investment from the venture capital department of a certain trading platform. This round of financing will mainly be used to promote the deep implementation of the "Mini-Game 2.0" model in technology and ecology. PlaysOut is a global mini-game infrastructure and distribution platform aimed at embedding modular game systems into super applications. It will build a bridge between web2 and web3 through mini-games, achieving seamless monetization, user growth, and cross-ecological expansion.

AI

The artificial intelligence growth platform XerpaAI has completed a $6 million seed round of financing, led by UFLY Capital. This round of funding will be used for product innovation, international expansion, and strategic recruitment. XerpaAI focuses on AI and social networks, aiming to enhance user acquisition, brand influence, and distribution efficiency for innovative companies in the Web3 and AI sectors. Currently, XerpaAI has operational teams in Silicon Valley, Tokyo, and Singapore, and is engaged in deep cooperation with significant ecosystem partners in the Blockchain and AI industries.

Infrastructure and Tools

The decentralized messaging protocol XMTP's developer Ephemera has completed a $20 million Series B funding round, led jointly by Union Square Ventures, a well-known venture capital firm, and Lightspeed Faction, with participation from multiple institutions. Following this funding round, Ephemera's equity valuation stands at $300 million, while the broader network encompassing the XMTP protocol, which will issue tokens, is valued at $750 million.

The XMTP protocol has now been integrated into a newly launched application of a well-known exchange, upgrading from an optional feature to a core infrastructure. The protocol provides end-to-end encrypted communication services, supporting secure interactions between wallet addresses. The testnet was launched in February this year. Ephemera stated that it will expand its team size to promote the mainnet launch and ecological construction of the protocol. USV partner Fred Wilson will join its board.

The privacy financial protocol AI Cross Matrix(ACM) has completed a $12 million seed round financing, with participation from Asva Capital, Genesis Capital, BuzzBridge Capital(BZB), Avalon Wealth Club, and M2M Capital. ACM utilizes ZKP( zero-knowledge proofs), ring signatures, and AI-based routing obfuscation technology to build a tracking-resistant cross-chain asset transfer infrastructure.

The crypto infrastructure company Function(, formerly Ignition), has completed a $10 million seed round financing led by Galaxy Digital, with participation from Antalpha and Mantle. In addition to investing, Galaxy Digital will also engage in core activities such as liquidity provision and governance framework design for FBTC. The company is dedicated to developing institutional-grade yield solutions for Bitcoin. Function's core product, FBTC, is a fully reserved and composable Bitcoin derivative asset, with a total locked value of (TVL) reaching $1.5 billion. This product allows institutional users to allocate Bitcoin to yield scenarios while maintaining custody control and 1:1 asset backing.

Web3 smart layer W3.io has completed a $7 million seed round of financing, led by Blockchange Ventures, with participation from Framework Ventures, Arrington Capital, and other institutions. The alliance is building a programmable smart automation network called Prodigy Network, aimed at lowering the barriers for enterprises to use Blockchain technology. The CEO of W3.io stated that the project is dedicated to developing plug-and-play business solutions, covering global micropayments, mortgages, and other scenarios.

The stablecoin payment and embedded financial services platform KUN has announced the completion of its Series A financing, with investors including BAI Capital, GSR Ventures, a Hong Kong listed company, and Eternium Global. Since its establishment 20 months ago, KUN has raised a total of over $50 million.

Other Applications

The blockchain-based travel platform Blockskye has completed a $15.8 million Series C financing, led by Blockchange, with participation from United Airlines Ventures, Lightspeed Faction, KSV Global, Lasagna, Litquidity Ventures, Longbrook Ventures, and TFJ Capital. This round of funding will be used to expand into the European, Latin American, and Asian markets, and to develop real-time payment products based on stablecoins.

Blockskye directly connects suppliers such as airlines through Blockchain technology, helping corporate clients reduce travel costs. The company claims its platform can reduce travel expenses by 14.5% and achieve an 84% savings on agency fees. Currently, the team has more than 40 people and plans to add 30 positions in technology, sales, and other areas.

Centralized Finance

The stablecoin bank Dakota, founded by former executive Ryan Bozarth of a certain trading platform, has completed its Series A financing of $12.5 million, led by CoinFund, with participation from 6th Man Ventures, Digital Currency Group, and Triton Ventures under a certain exchange. Dakota facilitates fund transfers through stablecoins, providing bank account-like services for enterprises and individuals. Its business model combines traditional banking functions with Blockchain technology, mainly serving overseas corporate clients in non-crypto sectors. The platform has processed $1.6 billion in transaction volume and is expected to reach $4 billion by the end of 2025. Although it does not hold a banking license, the company is registered as a money service business in the U.S. and Europe.