Infrastructure projects are raising good money

Infrastructure projects are raising good money

Alen

It's been a jam-packed week for crypto's VC scene, with multiple infrastructure protocols receiving funding, including four different blockchains. 

Curious to know more? Let’s jump right in!

1. Miden - The Edge Blockchain raised $25M from a16z

Privacy blockchain - Miden has raised $25M in a Seed funding round led by a16z crypto, Hack VC, 1kx, with participation from Finality Capital, Symbolic Capital , P2 Ventures , MH Ventures, Delta Blockchain Fund, Avery Ching, Sreeram Kannan. 

Many blockchains currently struggle with issues like scalability, privacy, or compromising the foundational principles of Web3. Miden offers a solution for that, by shifting execution and state management to the edge, it supports both public and private transactions at scale, while maintaining decentralization.

Miden - Edge Blockchain is a spin out from Polygon and an innovative zk-powered system where execution takes place on the client side. This opens up new possibilities for applications that require both high performance and privacy. Edge execution represents the next evolution of blockchain technology.

2. L1 Camp Network raised $25M from 1kx

Autonomous IP layer 1 blockchain - Camp Network has raised $25M in a Series A funding round at a 400$M token valuation led by 1kx, Blockchain Capital, with participation from OKX Ventures , Lattice Fund, Paper Ventures, dao5 TrueBridge Capital, Selini Capital, Hypersphere, Maven 11 Capital, Protagonist.

Camp Network is a Layer 1 blockchain designed for the intersection of IP and AI. It offers gasless IP registration, royalty distribution, and isolated execution environments for agent-based workflows and automated licensing. Developers can launch app chains with dedicated blockspace and compute for scalable, high-performance workloads.

At its core, Camp Network's Proof of Provenance protocol registers IP on-chain with traceable origin, usage rights, and attribution, enabling derivative creation, licensing, and monetization. Its native agent framework allows users to deploy AI agents on user-owned IP, ensuring transparent data interaction and automated monetization for contributors.

Murthy - Camp Network’s founder said he plans to launch their own cryptocurrency “later this year.”

3. Unto Labs raised $14.4M to build RISC-V powered blockchain  - ThruVM

RISC-V powered Layer 1 blockchain - Unto Labs (ThruVM) has raised $14.40M in a funding round led by Framework Ventures, Electric Capital. The $14.4M rounds are a combined pre-seed and seed raises, Framework Ventures led their pre-seed.

Thru is a next-generation base layer blockchain designed to solve the complexities and inefficiencies of current blockchain technologies. They’ve already built the ThruVM, a smart contract runtime based on the RISC-V architecture.

Thru prioritizes decentralization from the start, enabling anyone to become a block producer through competition rather than stake accumulation. The platform introduces universal basic apps and DeFi primitives, allowing creators to focus on innovation instead of infrastructure. Guided by the belief that blockchain technology needs to scale, compete with Web2, and serve practical utility, Thru is built to advance the next phase of blockchain evolution, moving beyond ideology to real-world applications. 

4. Tokenized RWAs protocol Dinary raised $12.7M 

Company focused on providing access to RWA backed tokens - Dinari has raised $12.7M in a Series A funding round led by Hack VC, Blockchange Ventures, with participation from VanEck, F-Prime Capital, Blizzard, and many more.

Dinari aims to provide access to RWA backed tokens through its dShare Platform on the Arbitrum network. dShares™, fully backed, tokenized representations of individual U.S. stocks and ETFs—available through a single, developer-friendly API. With Dinari, platforms can offer real U.S. equities without building new infrastructure or assuming unnecessary risk.

Here is what dShares™ offers:

  • 100+ listed stocks and ETFs, including SPY, TSLA, AAPL, NVDA, META, GOOGL, and more
  • Built-in compliance with programmable restrictions and real-time settlement logic
  • SEC-registered infrastructure, including Registered Transfer Agent status
  • Global access already live in 60+ countries across LATAM, MENA, Southeast Asia, and beyond

5. Gata raised $4M from Binance’s VC arm

Decentralized AI Data infrastructure platform - Gata has raised $4M in a Seed funding round from YZi Labs, Gate Ventures, IDG Blockchain, Maelstrom, Manifold, MH Ventures, Anti Capital, and many more.

Gata is focused on developing decentralized technologies for large model inference, training, and data management, aiming to support the global AI economy. By decentralizing these resources. Gata’s vision is to create a decentralized version of LAION, driving the production of frontier data essential for AI breakthroughs. Through token-based incentives, Gata accelerates the conversion of cutting-edge AI research into large-scale data generation.

A key achievement is the launch of the DataAgent platform, which utilizes global computing resources to automatically generate AI training data, eliminating the need for manual data labeling, coming next is the other 2 data-earning products: GPT-to-Earn and All-in-One Chat

6. Stablecoin company ZAR raised $7M from Dragonfly Capital & VanEck

Zar is a platform transforming how people in emerging markets access and use digital dollars. In regions across Latin America, Asia, and Africa, where cash-first economies dominate and local currencies are unstable, Zar enables seamless access to digital dollars without changing user habits.

By leveraging existing trusted agent networks, such as corner stores and remittance counters, Zar turns physical touchpoints into access nodes for the digital dollar economy. Users can access digital dollars easily through a mobile app, while agents monetize additional services.

In short, Zar is a decentralized protocol connecting:

  • A cash exchange network of real-world agents powered by smart contracts.
  • A mobile-first self-custody wallet with Visa card integration for spending.
  • An incentive layer for agents, ambassadors, and liquidity providers to earn through fees and token emissions.

Currently, ZAR has a waitlist with nearly 100K signups and 7K agents across 20 countries.

Global USD digital wallet ZAR raised $7M in a funding round co-led by Dragonfly Capital, a16z crypto, VanEck, with participation from Coinbase Ventures.

Conclusion

The fundraising market saw 32 rounds, totaling $137M, significantly lower than last week but still packed with high-potential projects. Most of the projects are infrastructure-based, with four new blockchain projects making waves: Camp Network, Unto Labs (Thru), Miden, and Kaia Chain. Each of these projects secured large rounds, with over $10M in funding.

With hundreds of blockchains already in existence, the question arises: do we really need more? Will these new blockchains serve unique and necessary purposes, or are they simply adding to the noise? The next wave of blockchain development could be the key to unlocking scalability, privacy, and performance in ways we haven't yet seen, but only time will tell if these new projects can deliver on their promises.