Financing Weekly | 25 projects received investment, Praxis raised $525 million

Compiled by Golden Finance

The largest financing round this week

Praxis

Praxis raised $525 million in a round of financing from GEM Digital Limited, Arch Lending, Manifold, Dan Romero, Will Price and Anirudh Pai, among others.

Praxis is a network nation that aims to create a global online community with common values, governance systems and physical cities. It combines crypto infrastructure with social, economic and institutional development to build a new social model. By crowdfunding physical spaces and leveraging blockchain for governance, Praxis promotes decentralized governance and financial systems. While it is committed to rebuilding Western civilization, it is also moving towards a future of digital and physical collaboration.

Seed and Pre-Seed Investment Rounds

Hyve DA

Hyve DA raises $1.9M in a pre-seed round with participation from Lemniscap*, Paper Ventures, Frachtis, P-OPS Team.

HyveDA is a decentralized data availability network designed for high-throughput, low-latency data processing. It leverages advanced infrastructure to handle intensive data demands, supporting applications such as Layer 2 scaling, DePIN, decentralized AI, and DeFi. HyveDA achieves 1 GB/s throughput and sub-second latency, making it a great fit for decentralized infrastructure that requires efficient data availability and verification.

Drop Protocol 

Drop Protocol raises $4M in a seed round with participation from CoinFund*, CMS Holdings, Anagram, Chorus One, Interop Ventures, Vasiliy Shapovalov, Mustafa Al-Bassam, Zaki Manian.

Drop is a decentralized platform that provides cross-chain liquidity staking, allowing users to earn staking rewards with automatic reinvestment while maintaining asset liquidity. Built on Neutron and secured by the Cosmos Hub, Drop offers dAssets that can be used in DeFi applications to earn additional yield. The platform also supports validators and developers, enabling them to integrate with liquidity staking tokens. Users can earn and redeem Droplets in the ecosystem in exchange for DROP tokens.

Surge 

Surge raises $1.8M in a pre-seed round with participation from Gerstenbrot Capital, Samara Asset Group, Coingecko, Sats Ventures, Double Peak Group, Vamient Capital, Autonomy Capital, Bobby Ong, TM Lee.

Surge is a decentralized MetaLayer designed to scale Bitcoin, supporting modular rollups and dApps. It leverages Bitcoin’s PoS consensus for security while providing high-throughput, low-latency infrastructure. Surge aims to unlock the next generation of the Bitcoin economy by facilitating seamless interoperability for decentralized applications, leveraging ZKP aggregation and Bitcoin liquidity without relying on third parties.

Hermetica 

Hermetica raises $1.7M in a seed round with participation from UTXO Management*, Silvermine Capital, Newman Capital, CMS Holdings, Arch Network, Sats Ventures, Trust Machines, Ethos Fund, Kilowatt Capital.

Hermetica is a DeFi platform that provides a Bitcoin-backed, yield-generating stablecoin. Its core product, USDh, offers up to 25% annualized yield, allowing users to earn a stable return on perpetual futures funding payments. Hermetica supports staking, trading, and lending in the Bitcoin DeFi ecosystem while maintaining price stability without relying on fiat currencies. The platform aims to provide sustainable yield opportunities and integrate Bitcoin liquidity into DeFi.

Opacity Network 

Opacity Network raises $12M in seed funding from Archetype, Breyer Capital, a16z Crypto Startup Accelerator (CSX), Finality Capital, Bodhi Ventures, North Island Ventures (NIV), Escape Velocity, Ambush Capital, GD1.

Opacity is a zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) protocol that enables trustless verification of information without revealing details. Through its Verified Data Network (VDN), it connects provers and verifiers to enable secure data sharing across Web2 and Web3. Opacity leverages zkTLS for privacy, MPC architecture for scalability, and EigenLayer for economic security to provide a high-security solution for private data sharing and verification.

Blockcast

Blockcast has raised $2.9M in a seed round with participation from Lattice Fund*, Alliance DAO (formerly DeFi Alliance), Protocol Labs, Finality Capital, Zee Prime Capital, RW3 Ventures, Anatoly Yakovenko.

Blockcast is an open, decentralized content delivery network (CDN) that leverages a unique caching architecture to reduce delivery costs and improve content quality. It aggregates capacity from a global network of caching nodes, enabling efficient content delivery even in remote areas. By integrating multicast technology, Blockcast supports streaming, gaming, and other high-bandwidth services, enabling broadcasters, CDNs, and ISPs to expand capacity and coverage. Users and operators who run Blockcast nodes can be rewarded through token incentives.

The Arena 

The Arena raises $2M in pre-seed funding round with participation from Abstract Ventures, C² Ventures, D1 Ventures, Sarson Funds, AlphaCrypto Capital, Balaji Srinivasan.

Arena is a SocialFi platform that combines social networking with decentralized finance, allowing users to connect, interact, and monetize their interactions. It integrates blockchain technology to provide a next-generation social experience where users can earn rewards and participate in decentralized communities. The platform emphasizes social engagement and financial empowerment through a user-centric ecosystem.

Pell Network

Pell Network has raised $3 million in a pre-seed round with participation from Halo Capital, Mirana Ventures, Paper Ventures*, ArkStream Capital, Cogitent Ventures, Caliber Venture Builder, Contribution Capital, Delta Blockchain Fund, D11-Labs, J17 Capital, Mantle Network, Sats Ventures, Side Door Ventures, Web3Port Labs, 071labs (Zero Seven One Labs).

Pell Network is a decentralized platform that specializes in providing validation services for the Bitcoin ecosystem. It focuses on enhancing the security, efficiency, and scalability of Bitcoin by providing decentralized infrastructure and services. The network combines the strengths of Bitcoin with decentralized technology to enable new use cases and improved performance for a variety of applications.

Other Investment Rounds

ZeroBase

ZeroBase raised $5 million in a round from Binance Labs Fund, Lightspeed Faction, dao5 (daofive), IDG Blockchain, Symbolic Capital (formerly Hyperedge Capital), MH Ventures, Oak Grove Ventures, 10K Ventures, Web3Port Labs, 071labs (Zero Seven One Labs), Lecca Ventures, K24 Ventures, and PAKA.

ZeroBase is a decentralized platform that aims to provide secure and real-time zero-knowledge (ZK) proof generation. It focuses on enabling scalable and compliant computation in multiple fields such as finance, AI, and blockchain while maintaining privacy. The platform offers solutions such as zkLogin (for privacy-preserving authentication), zkDarkPool (for confidential transactions), and zkKYC (for secure identity verification). By leveraging Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs), ZeroBase ensures sensitive data remains private without sacrificing transparency or compliance. It aims to make zero-knowledge cryptography more accessible, scalable, and efficient, enabling seamless integration in decentralized ecosystems.

Plasma 

Plasma raised $3.5M in a round of funding from Bitfinex*, Christian Angermayer, Anthos Capital, Karatage, Manifold, and Split Capital, among others.

Plasma is a high-throughput, zero-fee payments platform built on top of Bitcoin. It enables feeless USD₮ transfers and supports over 1,000 transactions per second while leveraging Bitcoin’s security. Plasma introduces a novel Nakamoto PoS consensus mechanism and hybrid UTXO/Account architecture that allows developers to build and execute modular smart contracts. The platform aims to enhance Bitcoin’s utility for payments and decentralized applications with a scalable, low-latency solution.

zkPass 

zkPass raised $12.5 million in Series A funding from dao5 (daofive), Animoca Brands, CE Innovation Capital (CEIC), L2 Iterative Ventures (L2IV), UOB Venture Management, Flow Traders, Amber Group, Leland Ventures, IOBC Capital, Signum Capital, Bing Ventures, MH Ventures, WAGMI Ventures, Taisu Ventures, Ceras Ventures, and Global Coin Research (GCR).

zkPass is a composable, privacy-preserving decentralized identity solution designed for Web3 that leverages multi-party computation (MPC) and zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) technologies to securely verify and validate private data without revealing or uploading the data. It enables users to selectively and privately verify various types of data while maintaining trust and privacy in applications such as decentralized identity passes, DeFi lending protocols, healthcare data marketplaces, and more.

Marketnode 

Marketnode raises an undisclosed amount from Euroclear in a funding round.

Marketnode is a developer and operator of financial market infrastructures (FMIs) designed to manage data, transactions, and lifecycle processes for digital assets. Using distributed ledger technology (DLT), Marketnode aims to revolutionize the issuance, trading, and servicing of financial assets such as credit, funds, and structured products. The platform, and specifically its Gateway service, provides a comprehensive solution for the issuance, settlement, and automated servicing of tokenized assets, targeting issuers, financial institutions, and their agents.

Lombard 

Lombard raises $1M in funding from Binance Labs Fund in a funding round.

Lombard is committed to unlocking the potential of Bitcoin by integrating it into DeFi, establishing a universal standard for cross-chain, yield-generating BTC without fragmenting liquidity. Its flagship product, LBTC, is a liquid Bitcoin backed 1:1 by BTC, allowing users to earn, stake, trade, and participate in DeFi while using Bitcoin as a store of value. Lombard is currently in Phase 1 on the Ethereum mainnet, aiming to expand access and grow the Bitcoin re-staking ecosystem.

Yellow Card Financial

Yellow Card Financial has raised $33 million in Series C funding from Blockchain Capital*, Polychain Capital, Block, Winklevoss Capital, Third Prime, Castle Island Ventures, Galaxy Digital, Blockchain Coinvestors, and Hutt Capital.

Yellow Card Financial is a pan-African cryptocurrency exchange.

Mento Labs

Mento Labs has raised $10 million in a funding round from T-Capital, Hashkey Capital, Flori Ventures, No Limit Holdings (NLH), Verda Ventures, and w3 fund.

Mento Labs is a decentralized platform focused on creating and operating multi-currency stablecoins. It aims to promote financial inclusion by providing transparent, low-volatility stablecoins, especially in emerging markets. The platform supports a variety of stablecoins, including cUSD, cEUR, and cREAL, and integrates an automated market maker (AMM) for efficient currency exchange. Mento Labs also provides partners with customized solutions to issue digital assets, while focusing on financial stability, low fees, and accessibility.

CCData 

CCData raised an undisclosed amount from CoinDesk in an acquisition funding round.

CCData is a provider of institutional-grade digital asset data, indices, and market insights. The platform provides real-time and historical data from more than 300 exchanges, covering 300,000 currency pairs. Its services include trading data, derivatives, order book insights, and regulated reference pricing. Authorized by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), CCData provides financial institutions with reliable benchmarks and research to support data-driven decision-making in digital asset markets.

Azra Games

Azra Games has raised $42.7M in Series A funding from Pantera Capital*, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z crypto), a16z Games, and NFX.

Azra Games is a studio focused on creating immersive role-playing games (RPGs) that offer rich storytelling and real-time action. Led by industry veteran Mark Otero, creator of Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, Azra is focused on creating next-generation RPGs such as Project Legends, which is set in a dark fantasy world and features real-time combat and unique character abilities. Azra emphasizes engagement with fans, and the Azraverse allows players to participate in quests, earn rewards, and shape the game's evolving narrative. Azra combines innovative gameplay with community-driven experiences.

Towns

Towns raises $25.5M in Series A funding from Andreessen Horowitz (a16z crypto), Benchmark, and Framework Ventures.

Towns is a Web3 group chat protocol and application developed by Not There Labs that allows online communities to build blockchain-based meetups in a fully decentralized way. It offers a complete system for community builders: on-chain (Ethereum) ownership and actions, composability with smart contracts, end-to-end encryption, fully decentralized, and open source.

Blockstream

Blockstream raises $210M in Series A funding from Fulgur Ventures*.

Blockstream is a global leader in Bitcoin and blockchain technology, providing Bitcoin and blockchain technology solutions for financial markets. It builds crypto financial infrastructure on top of Bitcoin.

Bitnomial 

Bitnomial raises $25 million from Ripple* in Series C funding.

Bitnomial is a regulated cryptocurrency exchange based in the United States that offers futures and options trading on Bitcoin and other digital assets. It offers physical delivery contracts, allowing traders to receive Bitcoin when the contract expires. The platform focuses on institutions and professional traders by providing advanced risk management, regulatory compliance, and high liquidity.

Predicate 

Predicate raised $7 million in a round from 1kx, Tribe Capital, Figment Capital*, Reciprocal Ventures, Hashkey Capital, White Star Capital, Very Early Ventures, Cyber ​​Fund, GSR Markets LTD, Department of XYZ, Everstake Capital, ConsenSys, Near Foundation, Calvin Liu, Rene Reinsberg, Marek Olszewski, Sandeep Nailwal, Georgios Vlachos, and Waikit Lau.

Predicate is a decentralized network that enables customizable ex-ante trade rules for on-chain applications. It allows developers to create policies that are executed by operators, ensuring secure, rule-based trades. Policies can manage anti-money laundering (AML), know your customer (KYC), and anomaly detection, and are stored on Ethereum for transparency.

Solv Protocol 

Solv Protocol raises $11M in a strategic funding round from Laser Digital, Blockchain Capital, OKX Ventures (formerly OKEx Blockdream Ventures), gumi Cryptos Capital (gCC), CMT Digital, Berachain, EigenLayer, GMX, Curve Labs, Movement Labs, Ethena, Mezo, Core DAO, Binance Labs Fund, The Spartan Group, and 071labs (Zero Seven One Labs).

Solv Protocol is a decentralized platform that bridges liquidity between DeFi, CeFi, and TradFi, providing access to diverse asset classes and yield opportunities in a secure and transparent manner. It enables global institutional and retail investors to access trusted crypto investments through a trustless fund infrastructure powered by ERC-3525.

World of Dypians 

World of Dypians raises an undisclosed amount from IBC Group in a funding round.

World of Dypians is a metaverse platform built on blockchain technology that provides an immersive virtual experience where users can explore, interact, and earn rewards. The platform incorporates DeFi and NFT elements, allowing players to own assets, trade, and participate in governance. It provides multiple play-to-earn opportunities and supports a community-driven ecosystem.

Bracket Labs 

Bracket Labs raises an undisclosed amount from 071labs (Zero Seven One Labs) in a funding round.

Bracket Labs is a project that aims to build leveraged structured products on-chain with a simple interface and innovative, adaptive pricing, greatly improving usability. Bracket Labs has launched the BracketX.fi platform, which helps traders quickly take advantage of volatility in sideways and trending market conditions.