VC roundup: Holiday lull doesn’t slow crypto funding as Sentient scores $85m, Lombard raises $16m

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As a seasoned crypto investor with a keen eye for emerging trends, I find this week’s funding activities an exciting reflection of the growing potential in web3 innovations. Despite the holiday lull, the collective $110 million raised by Sentient, Lombard, OpenLedger, Mamori.xyz, and Trever showcases a strong investor demand for decentralized solutions that promote collaboration, monetization, and security in the crypto space.

Over the last week, there was a noticeable decrease in cryptocurrency investment transactions, majorly attributable to the observance of the Independence Day holiday in the United States.

As a crypto investor, I’ve observed an intriguing trend despite the holiday season’s slowdown. Notable funding activities have surfaced, highlighting the burgeoning enthusiasm for web3 innovations.

Sentient, $85 million

An artificial intelligence (AI) research company named Sentient raised an impressive sum of $85 million during their early funding stage.

Sentient is excited to share the news of our $85M seed funding, jointly spearheaded by Founders Fund with Peter Thiel, and in collaboration with Pantera Capital and hiFramework. This significant milestone brings us closer to realizing an open AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) platform driven by the collective community.At Sentient, our goal is to foster a thriving AI ecosystem, where advanced technology development aligns with the vision of a collaborative, community-driven effort.— Sentient (@sentient_agi) July 2, 2024

As a researcher, I’ve discovered that the Founders Fund, Pantera Capital, and Framework Ventures took the lead in this investment round. A noteworthy group of investors also contributed, including Ethereal Ventures, Robot Ventures, and Delphi Ventures.

Sentient aims to encourage a thriving marketplace for AI creators through the development of platforms and standardized procedures, fostering open-source artificial intelligence advancements.

In this financing event, the growing interest in decentralized artificial intelligence (AI) systems that foster cooperation and financial rewards for creators is underscored.

Lombard, $16 million

Lombard, a new company focusing on incorporating Bitcoin (BTC) into the realm of decentralized finance (DEFIs), announced a successful fundraising of $16 million during its seed investment stage.

Yesterday, Lombard unveiled a $16 million seed investment round for initiating the Bitcoin staking infrastructure. Here’s what some partners and investors had to share:

— Lombard (@Lombard_Finance) July 3, 2024

Polychain Capital spearheaded the investment round, which was additionally participated in by BabylonChain, dao5, Franklin Templeton, and other investors.

Lombard’s star product, LBTC, provides a flexible and income-generating alternative for Bitcoins, enabling users to engage in DeFi transactions such as lending and exchange, all while retaining their Bitcoin holdings.

“This new development is designed to free up Bitcoin’s liquidity and infuse it into the decentralized finance world, which could lead to expansion in both markets.”

OpenLedger, $8 million

In the recent venture capital scene, OpenLedger, a pioneering web3 AI company, secured $8 million in seed financing. They aim to construct an open-access, data-centric framework for advanced artificial intelligence projects using this funding.

Two leading investment firms, Polychain Capital and Borderless Capital, spearheaded the investment in this round, while Finality Capital and Hashkey Capital were among the other contributors.

The goal of the project is to enhance AI model efficiency by distributing data delivery systems, intending to debut this technology on the main network within the next three months.

Mamori.xyz, $5 million

Last week, which was relatively tranquil, witnessed Mamori.xyz, a self-governing blockchain platform designed for extracting value, securing $5 million in funding during its seed round.

We’re delighted to announce that we’ve successfully closed a $5M seed funding round. @blockchaincap took the lead in this investment, while @velocitycap_ and @Web3com_VC also joined as participants. Additionally, several angel investors were part of this round, including @RosuGrigore, @dlubarov, @ThogardPvP, @0xshake, @Shujia_STEM, @mheinrich, @radedoc, and @agfviggiano.

— Mamori (@mamori_xyz) July 1, 2024

Blockchain Capital spearheaded the investment round, which was further supported by Velocity.Capital and Web3.com. Prominent angel investors including Antonio Viggiano, Shujia Liang, and Grigore Rosu also contributed to the funding.

At Mamori.xyz, we prioritize tackling security issues specific to the web3 realm by employing machine learning technology as our guide in fortifying blockchain security.

Trever, $2.6 million

As a researcher studying the latest developments in the venture capital (VC) world, I’d like to conclude by introducing Trever, a company specializing in providing an institutional operating system for digital assets. Recently, they successfully raised €2.4 million ($2.6 million) in seed funding to further their mission.

TX Ventures CH and Market One Capital LUX took turns leading the investment round, while Blockchain Founders Capital DE and Dr. Alex von Frankenberg also contributed financially to the funding.

As a researcher studying the financial technology sector, I’ve come across Trever, a company that provides infrastructure for managing digital assets for financial institutions. Specifically, this includes banks, brokers, and funds in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). To broaden its impact, Trever aims to extend its services throughout Europe, offering tailored software solutions for the burgeoning digital asset market.

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2024-07-06 18:46