Former a16z Partner Katie Haun’s Crypto VC Fund Raises $1.5 Billion

Former federal prosecutor Katie Haun’s crypto venture capital fund has raised $1.5 billion to invest in crypto-related startups.

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Haun, Andreessen Horowitz’s first female general partner, announced Tuesday to complete a $500 million early-stage fund and another $1 billion for more established startups focused on web3 after leaving a16z in December,

Still, Haun said in an interview that:

“it’s not a bad time to deploy a crypto fund” despite those challenges. The extreme volatility is reminiscent of the first two crypto funds I deployed. What I learned from those funds is that great founders and great projects are going to be built in every cycle.”

Haun said her funds will be deployed for at least two years “and invest in digital tokens and equity in areas ranging from decentralized financial applications to NFTs and so-called decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs).”

“I did not fit the mold of the traditional venture investor,” she said in the interview. “I think we need more people who don’t fit the mold. I think web3 really needs those voices.”

Haun Ventures is currently a team of nine, with a roster that includes Sam Rosenblum, who was a general partner at Polychain Capital, and Chris Lehane, who was previously on the executive management team at Airbnb.

In addition, plans to expand the team size.

Lehane, chief strategy officer at Haun Ventures, said he would focus on partnering with different promising cryptocurrency startups, crafting relevant battles to make their products more mainstream, and addressing regulatory issues early.

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Former a16z Founder Katie Haun’s Crypto VC Fund Raises $1.5 Billion

Former federal prosecutor Katie Haun’s crypto venture capital fund has raised $1.5 billion to invest in crypto-related startups.

Haun, Andreessen Horowitz’s first female general partner, announced Tuesday to complete a $500 million early-stage fund and another $1 billion for more established startups focused on web3 after leaving a16z in December,

Still, Haun said in an interview that:

“it’s not a bad time to deploy a crypto fund” despite those challenges. The extreme volatility is reminiscent of the first two crypto funds I deployed. What I learned from those funds is that great founders and great projects are going to be built in every cycle.”

Haun said her funds will be deployed for at least two years “and invest in digital tokens and equity in areas ranging from decentralized financial applications to NFTs and so-called decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs).”

“I did not fit the mold of the traditional venture investor,” she said in the interview. “I think we need more people who don’t fit the mold. I think web3 really needs those voices.”

Haun Ventures is currently a team of nine, with a roster that includes Sam Rosenblum, who was a general partner at Polychain Capital, and Chris Lehane, who was previously on the executive management team at Airbnb.

In addition, plans to expand the team size.

Lehane, chief strategy officer at Haun Ventures, said he would focus on partnering with different promising cryptocurrency startups, crafting relevant battles to make their products more mainstream, and addressing regulatory issues early.

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Cypher Capital Rolls Out Worth $100m Blockchain and Digital Assets Fund

To expand the blockchain ecosystem, UAE-based venture capital firm Cypher Capital has launched a $100 million seed fund with a special interest in digital asset investments. 

The fund to be financed by Bijan Alizadeh, the firm’s founder, will be pumped into projects in decentralized finance (DeFi), metaverse, and blockchain gaming sectors. 

Cypher Capital plans to create a holistic blockchain community by collaborating with outstanding talent, visionary innovators, and other venture capital partners to make a significant difference.

Alizadeh noted:

“We will collaborate closely with our portfolio projects, offering them access to our network and equipping them with our knowledge, as well as investing alongside other venture capital partners into innovative blockchain, crypto, and digital asset projects.” 

With an assets under management (AUM) portfolio of $10 million, Cypher Capital plans to roll out between $2 million and $5 million on average each month with initial investments in South Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East regions. 

Vineet Budki, a managing partner at Cypher Capital, stated:

“We have the knowledge and expertise to mentor projects and entrepreneurs and equip them with the tools they need for success. At the moment, we are especially interested in projects in the DeFi, GameFi, and metaverse space, but we are always on the lookout for innovative blockchain projects in general.”

The firm also intends to create a digital asset, blockchain, and crypto hub to connect startups with potential investors.

Earlier this week, Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund, announced plans to back a crypto fund for the first time. 

Venture funding, including pre-seed and seed, has hit $3.4 billion so far this year, according to Crunchbase data. This sector has experienced significant growth, given that crypto companies raised $34 billion in 2021, per a PWC report. 

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Florida Governor Reveals Plan to Permit Crypto Tax Payments

Speaking at a press conference, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis disclosed plans to roll out a cryptocurrency payment option for businesses remitting taxes, as reported by Bloomberg. 

DeSantis pointed out:

“I’ve told the state agencies to figure out ways, where if a business wants to pay tax in cryptocurrency to Florida, we should be willing to accept that. We’re working through that.”

The governor has been responded to the call that the state is one of the emerging hubs for cryptocurrency investment, given that leading crypto companies like Blockchain.com have set foot in Miami.

DeSantis also proposed to have businesses submit state fees in cryptocurrencies in December.

As a prospective 2024 Republican presidential candidate, DeSantis has showcased his crypto-friendly approaches. For instance, he highlighted his reservation for government-owned digital currencies based on the power they would render the controlling authority compared to decentralized cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. 

DeSantis stated:

“There’s a difference between a decentralized digital cryptocurrency like Bitcoin and what some are talking about doing at the federal level to convert U.S. dollars into basically a digital currency.”

He added:

“I think there are a lot of hazards with that when it’s centrally controlled. I worry about the amount of power that would give someone in a central authority to basically be able to shut off access to purchasing certain goods. We’d be in uncharted territory.”

Miami has made Florida get the limelight, given that Mayor Francis Suarez has embraced cryptocurrencies in distinctive ways. 

In November last year, Suarez revealed he would accept his total salary in Bitcoin, Blockchain.News reported. The mayor promised to have part of his retirement package disbursed in the digital currency a month later.

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El Salvador Delays the Issuance of Bitcoin Bonds

El Salvador will delay the issuance of bitcoin bonds initially scheduled for March 15-20, possibly until September, according to Reuters.

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Due to the recent war between Russia and Ukraine, the cryptocurrency has experienced wild volatility.

El Salvador’s Finance Minister Alejandro Zelaya said Tuesday that authorities had changed the date to wait for favourable conditions for better financial markets.

In November last year, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele disclosed that the bond would be valued at $1 billion with a 6.5% coupon. 

The launch may be delayed until September. Alejandro Zelaya added that:

“In May or June the market variants are a little different. At the latest in September. After September, if you go out to the international market, it is difficult (to raise capital),”

El Salvador’s administration plans to send approximately twenty bills to Congress to cover investment in securities and financial markets to provide a legal framework for the issuance of Bitcoin bonds on January 5.

The bitcoin bond was not issued directly by the government but by the state-owned thermal energy company La Geo, but the state of El Salvador sovereignly guaranteed it.

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Crypto startup Worldcoin Raises $100m through Token Sales, Worth $3 Billion

Crypto startup Worldcoin is raising $100 million, which owns about $3 billion worth of cryptocurrency tokens in total, according to the report from The Information.

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Worldcoin raised $100 million from investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, a previous backer, and Khosla Ventures through the sale of its Worldcoin tokens. Their latest funding was raised on Jan 26 from a seed round.

On Oct 21, 2021, Worldcoin raised $25 million at a $1 billion valuation.

Investors include hedge fund Three Arrows Capital, a16z, Coinbase Ventures, Digital Currency Group, crypto fund Multicoin Capital, including angel investor Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of FTX, and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman.

Worldcoin, founded in 2019, is a new global digital currency that will launch by giving every human on Earth a free share.

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Acorns to Start Offering Customers Access to Bitcoin via ProShares ETF

Acorns, a U.S. fintech company that is best known as a micro-investing platform, announced Tuesday that it will allow its customers to use its mobile app to invest up to 5% of their portfolio in Bitcoin via an Exchange Traded-Fund.

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The California-based financial services company said that it made such a move in response to increasing interest from users of cryptocurrency.

Acorns stated that it will provide Bitcoin exposure to its customers through the ProShares Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF), which started trading in October as the first U.S. Bitcoin futures-based ETF.

Acorns mentioned that it will determine what percentage of a customer’s portfolio can be put in Bitcoin based on their investment profile, which includes income, age, and overall financial goals.

Noah Kerner, the CEO of Acorns, said that the percentage ranges from a ‘conservative’ 1% exposure to an ‘aggressive’ 5% exposure. “We’re really trying to drive home the philosophy of diversification and the principles of long-term investing,” the CEO elaborated.

Kerner further disclosed that about two-thirds of Acorns’ 4.6 million subscribers across the United States said they had not invested in cryptocurrency because of a lack of understanding of how digital currencies work, as well as the volatility associated with the asset class.

“Something like Bitcoin or any volatile asset class, it’s fine and sensible to have exposure to it, but it should be through the lens of a balanced portfolio,” Kerner said.

Encouraging Micro-Investing for Everyone

Launched in 2012, Acorns is a US micro-investing and robo-investing platform focused on getting low- and middle-income households to invest and save responsibly. Acorn’s platform has always been geared towards investing and saving with a more long-term strategy for everyday consumers.

In September last year, Acorns CEO told the CNBC media outlet that the platform was going to allow its users to customize their portfolios and add individual equities and cryptocurrency into a slice of their diversified portfolios.

In January, Acorns started developing a new feature that will let users choose their own investments for the first time. The expansion for Acorns into the new feature, called Customizable Portfolios (direct investing), will help the app to rival other mobile-first platforms like Robinhood Markets Inc and other popular online brokerage platforms such as E*Trade and Fidelity.

 

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Qualcomm Announces $100m Metaverse Investment Fund

Qualcomm has announced a $100 million investment fund for crypto companies.

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The San Diego-based chip supplier’s fund will go to companies building the metaverse using augmented reality, mixed reality or virtual reality.

The Qualcomm Chief Financial Officer said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that the company aims to broaden the market for its chips through this new Snapdragon Metaverse Fund.

He added that the fund would begin accepting applications in June.

On its website, Qualcomm said that the “Snapdragon XR1 and XR2 platforms are purpose-built to meet the particular demands and requirements of today’s virtual reality and augmented reality devices.”

The company added that it has planned to “deploy capital through a combination of venture investments in leading XR companies by Qualcomm Ventures and a grant program by Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. for developer ecosystem funding in XR experiences.” The XR experiences include gaming, health and wellness, media, entertainment, education and enterprise.

Among other notable achievements, Qualcomm’s portfolio includes chips for virtual reality headsets and a partnership with Microsoft for creating chips engineered for augmented reality. The deal generates 17% of its $10.7 billion revenue from selling chips related to the metaverse.

A growing number of startups have received funding to support the creation of virtual world initiatives; for example, firm Space Runner had raised $10 million to create fashion and other wearables as digital assets.

Popular entertainment conglomerate Disney has also made a move to grow its metaverse reach. While there is also an increasing number of firms that are filing trademarks related to trading items in many virtual spaces.

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Japan’s Coincheck to List on Nasdaq via SPAC Merger with $1.25 Billion Valuation

Coincheck, a major crypto wallet and exchange service in Japan, announced Tuesday that it plans to go public in the U.S. by merging with blank-check firm Thunder Bridge Capital Partners IV Inc.

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The merger is scheduled to be completed in the second half of 2022, which will see the combined entity listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker “CNCK.”

The proposed transaction is set to give the combined entity a valuation of about $1.25 billion.

Before expenses and assuming there are no redemptions by shareholders, Thunder Bridge will offer $237 million in cash to the combined company.

Coincheck is 94.2% owned by Japanese online brokerage Monex Group Inc, which will retain all the existing entities at closing, representing ownership of about 82% in the new entity.

Once the closing is done, Gary Simanson, the CEO and President at Thunder Bridge, will become the CEO of the combined company.

Building Innovation Capability for Service Delivery

Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Tokyo, Coincheck is a marketplace for buying and selling cryptocurrencies and an exchange for digital assets like non-fungible tokens. The exchange has about 1.5 million customers.

In January 2018, Coincheck was hacked, and approximately 500 million NEM tokens ($530 million) were stolen. As a result, the digital money heist prompted The Financial Services Agency, Japan’s financial regulator, to tighten regulatory scrutiny. The agency not only ordered Coincheck to improve its security practices but also called for an improvement in the risk management infrastructure of all other crypto exchanges in the country.

In April 2018, Coincheck was acquired by Monex Group for 3.6 billion yen (US 33.4 million). The acquisition was a reaction to the NEM hack, as Coincheck recognized that it needed to strengthen its management system and organization. The move directly responded to Japan’s Financial Services Agency, which requested the exchange to make changes following the January hack — which saw Coincheck compensating the affected users.

During that, Monex Group cited hopes to hold an IPO (initial public offering) of Coincheck shares at a future date. The plan is currently being actualized through the ongoing efforts to list the exchange on the Nasdaq stock exchange through a special purpose acquisition with Thunder Bridge Capital.

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FIFA Secures Deal With Crypto.com for Qatar 2022

FIFA has announced an agreement to a sponsorship deal with Crypto.com for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, according to a report from Reuters.

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Following the deal, the Singapore-based firm will be the only cryptocurrency trading platform for the football world cup in Qatar.

The FIFA World Cup will run from November 21 to December 18, 2022.

Kay Madati, FIFA’s chief commercial officer, said: “Crypto.com has already demonstrated a commitment to supporting top-tier teams and leagues, major events and iconic venues worldwide. And there is no platform bigger, or with a greater reach and cultural impact, than FIFA’s global platform of football.”

Crypto.com has also made other big investments in the sports sector. They have secured sponsorship deals with the NBA team Philadelphia 76ers, the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Formula 1 last year.

The company was founded in 2016. One of its major achievements includes acquiring naming rights to the Staples Centre, home of the NBA franchise Los Angeles Lakers, in a 20-year deal reportedly worth more than $700 million.

Crypto.com co-founder and CEO Kris Marszalek said that “through our partnership with FIFA, we will continue to use our platform in innovative ways so that Crypto.com can power the future of world-class sports and fan experiences around the world.”

In its recent developments, Blockchain.News reported that Crypto.com had announced the initial phase of its exchange platform launch in the United States. 

The report added that the platform is now available to waitlist users, and an eventual rollout is scheduled for the next couple of months.

As announced by the trading platform, interested professional or institutional investors can join the waiting list, and profiled VIP users of the trading platform “will have access to exclusive events, rewards, and cutting-edge market insights.”

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