The U.S. dollar index is close to a 20-year high, the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury bond is as high as 3%, and funds flow out of risky assets. The Crypto market follows the U.S. stock market and adjusts sharply. Judging from the statistics of this week (a total of 7 projects), the number of investment and financing in the primary market of the encryption market has slowed down, and Web3 infrastructure (2), NFT (1), Game (2), and Metaverse (2) The number of investment and financing projects has decreased. CGV and CTC have summarized the investment and financing information worth noting in the global encryption market for a week. The following is the investment and financing information of the global encryption market from August 22 to August 28, 2022:
Hidden Road Partners | A round of financing of 50 million US dollars | FTX Ventures and others participated in the investment
On August 22, institutional credit network Hidden Road Partners recently announced the completion of a $50 million Series A round of financing led by Castle Island Ventures, FTX Ventures, Citadel Securities, Uncorrelated Ventures, Greycroft, XBTO Humla Ventures, Wintermute, SLN Capital , Profluent Trading, Coinbase Ventures and Corner Capital participated in the investment.
Hidden Road Partners aims to advance Wall Street's entry into crypto trading by addressing counterparty risk and conflicts of interest. For banks or other institutions that cannot directly hold digital assets, the company allows them to deposit U.S. dollars as collateral in a “three-party” setup with a custodian and collect profits and losses in U.S. dollars.
Original link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-22/wall-street-crypto-giants-line-up-to-back-startup-prime-broker#xj4y7vzkg
Mural | $5.6 million in seed round financing｜DCG and others participated in the investment
On August 23, Mural, an encryption company focused on decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) infrastructure, announced the completion of a $5.6 million seed round of financing. Mike Novogratz's Galaxy Ventures, Barry Silbert's Digital Currency Group (DCG), Firstminute Capital, 186 Ventures and others participated in the investment, which is the company's first external financing.
Original link: https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/23/mural-raised-5-6m-to-help-brands-deploy-dao-treasury-funds/
Cricinshots | Seed round financing｜Antler India leads the round
On August 24, Web3 cricket game Cricinshots announced the completion of a seed round of financing, led by Antler India, but the specific amount has not been disclosed yet. Founded in 2021 by game developer Harsh Savergaonkar and designer Aditya Kasibhatla, Cricinshots aims to redefine the gaming experience for the next generation of gamers and cricket fans, allowing users to own their in-game items forever.
Original link: https://bwdisrupt.businessworld.in/article/Web3-Game-Cricinshots-Raises-Pre-Seed-Funding-Led-By-Antler-India/24-08-2022-443577/
Animoca Brands Japan | Financing $45 million | MUFG and others participated in the investment
On August 26, Animoca Brands Japan announced that it had completed a financing of US$45 million at a valuation of US$500 million. MUFG and Animoca Brands participated in the investment. Animoca Brands Japan will use the new funds to continue to license popular intellectual property rights, develop internal capabilities, and promote multiple partners adopt Web3.
Original link: https://www.animocabrands.com/animoca-brands-japan-raises-usd-45-million-from-mufg-and-animoca-brands-to-grow-web3-business
Ready Player Me | $56 million in Series B financing | a16z leads the round
On August 23, Metaverse identity platform Ready Player Me completed $56 million in financing. This round of financing was led by a16z, Roblox co-founder David Baszucki, Twitch co-founder Justin Kan, King Games co-founder Sebastian Knutsson and Riccardo Zacconi, sports and entertainment company Endeavor, Kevin Hart and Hartbeat Ventures also participated.
Ready Player Me aims to allow users to establish virtual identities in the metaverse through virtual products such as NFT. Currently, more than 1,000 project parties have used their products on the platform. Media conglomerate Warner Bros., fashion house Dior, and sportswear brand New Balance are all working with Ready Player Me to integrate into the Metaverse in the future.
Com2uS | Financing about US$3 million｜SK Networks participated in the investment
On August 23, Com2Verse, a metaverse subsidiary of the game publisher Com2uS, announced the completion of 4 billion won (approximately US$3 million) in financing, and SK Networks participated in the investment to obtain uncirculated shares.
As of now, 70% of Com2Verse's shares are owned by Com2uS. After the financing is completed, Com2Verse will load SK Networks' offline services into Metaverse, such as customer service and business consulting.
Original link: https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/08/23/business/tech/Korea-game-metaverse/20220823152254430.html
NFT Genius | A round of financing 10.5 million US dollars ｜ Dapper Labs and other leading investors
On August 25, NFT Genius completed a US$10.5 million Series A round of financing at a valuation of US$150 million. Dapper Labs, Spartan Labs, Commonwealth Asset Management (CWAM) and Fundamental Labs led the investment, and Spartan, One Football and Unibanco participated.
NFT Genius, a company that provides NFT projects and marketplace technology, is developing Gaia, a Flow-based NFT secondary market powered by Dapper Wallet that accepts credit card payments to make it easier for non-crypto natives to buy NFTs.
Original link: https://www.nftgators.com/nft-genius-raises-10-5m-series-a-funding-at-150m-valuation-exclusive/
About Cryptogram Ventures (CGV)
Cryptogram Venture (CGV) is an encryption industry research and investment institution headquartered in Japan with compliance qualifications. With "research-driven investment" as the business orientation, he has participated in early investments in projects such as FTX, Republic, CasperLabs, AlchemyPay, The Graph, Bitkeep, Pocket, and Powerpool, as well as the yen stable currency JPYW under the supervision of the Japanese government. At the same time, CGV FoF is the LP of Huobi venture, Rocktree capital, Kirin fund and other funds. Currently, CGV has branches in Singapore, Canada and China.
Britain is ramping up its cyber defences in response to the growing threat of AI-driven attacks from Russia, with a new AI security lab and £8.22 million investment. McFadden emphasised the urgency of protecting digital systems, as Russia’s cyberattacks continue to target Ukraine and its supporters.
AnaisNiantic uses Pokémon GO player data to train an AI model that maps and predicts real-world environments with ground-level precision. This technology could transform gaming, urban planning, and augmented reality while raising privacy concerns about data usage.
JoyThe US Department of Justice is pushing for Google to sell its Chrome browser to reduce its dominance in online search and advertising. This move could disrupt Google’s business model, with potential buyers facing regulatory scrutiny and uncertainties about the impact on competition.
AnaisHECO Network will shut down in January 2025, urging users to move their HRC20 tokens before the deadline to convert them into Huobi’s new HTX token. The network’s decline was due to security breaches and increasing competition from other blockchains.
WeatherlyPump.fun has indefinitely disabled its livestreaming feature after widespread abuse, including threats, violence, and price manipulation, shocked the crypto community. Despite boosting moderation efforts and using automated tools, the platform admitted it could not control the surge in harmful content.
CatherineJustin Sun’s $30 million investment in Donald Trump’s DeFi platform, World Liberty Financial, revitalises the struggling WLFI token, which had raised just $21 million of its $300 million goal due to restrictive investor terms.
KikyoTelegram's crypto reserves surged to $1.3 billion, driving profits and offsetting challenges like CEO Pavel Durov's legal issues. Despite growth in ads and subscriptions, concerns over content moderation and debt financing linger.
WeatherlySky Mavis, the developer of Axie Infinity and the Ronin gaming network on Ethereum, has announced staff layoffs even as it hints at the development of a new Axie game.
CatherineRumble is investing up to $20 million in Bitcoin as part of its strategy to diversify its treasury and strengthen ties with the crypto community. This move follows the example of companies like MicroStrategy, which has invested billions in Bitcoin.
JoyThe Dogecoin Foundation is seeking donor support for its Dogebox initiative, aimed at driving global adoption and expanding Dogecoin’s accessibility, but the exact funding target remains undisclosed.
Kikyo
