Venture capital pours $2.4 billion into crypto startups

Crypto startup funding surged to $2.4 billion in the first quarter of 2024, marking a second consecutive quarter of growth, according to data from PitchBook. Expectations of lower interest rates and the launch of the first US bitcoin spot ETF fueled this 40.3% increase from the previous quarter. Despite the global venture capital investments hitting a near five-year low, the crypto sector saw substantial investor interest spread across 518 deals.

Why does it matter?

The rise in funding comes after a significant downturn from the peak of over $10 billion in early 2022, driven by economic uncertainties and the collapse of major market players. However, the approval of spot bitcoin ETFs by US regulators, with offerings from financial giants like BlackRock and Fidelity, has bolstered the credibility of digital assets, pushing bitcoin to an all-time high of $73,803 in March. This renewed confidence is expected to continue driving venture capital into the sector, as PitchBook analyst Robert Le noted.

Infrastructure-focused crypto and blockchain startups attracted the most funding during this period, with the largest deal being decentralised cloud platform Together AI’s $106 million early-stage round led by Salesforce Ventures, valuing the company at $1.1 billion. According to Le, early-stage deals are becoming increasingly competitive and often receive higher valuations than their late-stage counterparts. While exits remain low, mergers, particularly among exchanges, custodians, and infrastructure providers, are anticipated to increase as the market evolves.