This past week was huge for crypto fundraising. Between October 12th and 18th, more than $1.059 billion flowed into 22 different crypto and blockchain projects — showing that investor confidence is still alive and well in the space.
And leading the charge? A massive $500 million Series A round from Tempo — one of the largest raises we’ve seen all year.
Let’s break it down 👇
Tempo — $500 Million Series A 🚀Tempo, a payments-first Layer 1 blockchain, just raised half a billion dollars in a Series A round, giving it a whopping $5 billion valuation.
The round was backed by some major names — Grey Wolf, Thrive Capital, and Sequoia — signaling strong belief in Tempo’s vision to build a faster, more efficient blockchain for payments and settlements.
This single raise alone made up nearly half of all crypto funding this week.
Kraken Buys SMALL Exchange — $100 Million Deal 🏦
Next up, Kraken made a bold move by acquiring SMALL Exchange for $100 million.
This deal gives Kraken access to a regulated platform for crypto derivatives trading inside the U.S., which could be a game-changer as exchanges look to expand their compliant offerings.
It also builds on Kraken’s earlier acquisitions like NinjaTrader and Crypto Facilities — showing they’re serious about becoming a full-service global trading powerhouse.
Daylight Energy — $75 Million Raise 🌞
Daylight Energy, a new player blending blockchain and clean energy, raised $75 million in an unknown round this week.
Investors included Framework, Turtle Hill Capital, and AI6Z.
So far, Daylight has raised a total of $88 million, and its goal is simple — to connect renewable energy markets through blockchain-powered data and finance systems.
Jito — $50 Million from a16z 💧
Big news for the Solana ecosystem — Jito, a liquid staking protocol on Solana, raised $50 million in fresh funding from a16z (Andreessen Horowitz).
Jito is helping Solana users earn rewards through liquid staking while improving network efficiency. The new funds are expected to boost Jito’s development and expand its staking tools globally.
Better Payment Network (BPN) — $50 Million Seed Round 🌍Another exciting raise this week came from Better Payment Network, which secured $50 million in a Seed round.
Their goal? To create a blockchain-native cross-border payments and FX protocol, simplifying how money moves across borders.
The project was backed by YZiLabs and is already being called one to watch in the payments space.
Other Projects Under $50 Million 💡
While the big rounds got headlines, there were plenty of smaller but important raises this week — showing that innovation is happening across all layers of the crypto world.
Here’s a quick rundown:
- Telcoin — $25 million (Series A)
- Tria — $12 million (Pre-seed)
- Inference — $11.8 million (Seed)
- TAO Synergies Inc. (formerly Synaptogenix) — $11 million (Unknown)
- DSRV — $9.57 million (Series B)
- Crown (BRL) — $8.1 million (Seed)
- Orochi Network — $8 million (Unknown)
- 4AI — $6 million (Strategic)
- Temple — $5 million (Seed)
- Ryder — $3.2 million (Seed)
- Voyage — $3 million (Pre-seed)
- CryptoMesh — $2.5 million (Series A)
- 375ai — $2 million (Public sale; $75M FDV)
- Octra — $2 million (Public sale)
- Dare Market — $2 million (Unknown)
- Legend Trade — $1.5 million (Pre-seed)
- Seer — $300,000 (Private round)
Together, these smaller projects added another $334 million in total funding — rounding the week out to just over $1.06 billion.
What’s Trending in VC Funding Right Now
If you’ve noticed a pattern, you’re not alone. This week’s funding shows that payment infrastructure and trading platforms continue to attract the most venture capital attention.
Projects focused on cross-border payments, blockchain efficiency, and digital finance tools are dominating investor interest.
In short — it’s not just about tokens anymore; it’s about real-world financial systems built on blockchain.
Final Thoughts
So, what does this all mean for crypto going forward?
Despite the ups and downs in the market — and even as Bitcoin’s price cools off a bit — the funding flow tells a different story. Investors are still betting big on the future of blockchain, payments, and Web3 infrastructure.
With over a billion dollars raised in just one week, it’s clear that innovation in crypto is far from slowing down. In fact, it might just be entering its next major growth phase.
