Highlights of this episode
According to incomplete statistics from PANews, there were 10 investment and financing events in the global blockchain sector last week (November 10-16), with a total funding scale exceeding US$195 million; in addition, listed companies raised over US$210 million in cryptocurrency asset reserves. A summary is as follows:
- In the DeFi sector, three investment and financing events were announced, including Lighter completing a $68 million funding round led by Founders Fund and Ribbit Capital;
- One investment and financing event was announced in the Web3+AI sector: LISA, a Web3 AI security agent project, completed a $12 million financing round, with Redpoint and others participating in the investment.
- Three investment and financing events were announced in the infrastructure & tools sector, including a $10 million funding round for crypto startup Seismic, led by a16z crypto.
- In the centralized finance sector, Public announced a financing deal, acquiring Alto's crypto business for a total of $65 million in cash and stock.
- In the area of other Web3 applications , two investment and financing events were announced. Among them, Kyuzo's Friends announced the completion of an $11 million financing round, with investors including DeAgentAI;
- In addition, three listed companies have completed financing for their crypto treasury strategies, including Republic, which received $100 million in zero-interest financing to purchase ETH and expand its staking business;
DeFi
Decentralized trading protocol Lighter has raised $68 million in funding, led by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund and Ribbit Capital, with participation from Haun Ventures and Robinhood. The company is valued at approximately $1.5 billion after the funding round.
Founded in 2022 by Vladimir Novakovski, Lighter focuses on decentralized perpetual contracts and upcoming spot trading functionality. Built on Ethereum Layer 2, it aims to create a "fair and transparent financial infrastructure layer." Novakovski entered Harvard at the age of 16 and was personally recruited by Citadel founder Ken Griffin after graduating at 18. He later transitioned from the AI social platform Lunchclub to the crypto space.
Lending platform Curvance completes $4 million strategic funding round
Decentralized lending platform Curvance announced the completion of a $4 million strategic funding round. The round was led by F Prime Capital and 0xPrimal, with participation from Auros, GSR, Flowdesk, Q42, v3v ventures, and others. The project positions itself as a decentralized lending and collateral platform, supporting collateralization of yield assets such as LST, LRT, stablecoins, Pendle PT, and LP. The team stated that its architecture is self-developed, incorporating security features such as dual-oracle pricing, circuit breakers, and MEV capture-liquidation auctions. The funds will be used for launch, auditing, team expansion, and expanding asset integration.
Sui's ecosystem DEX Bluefin has completed a CHF 2 million funding round, with SUI Group participating.
Nasdaq-listed SUI Group announced a CHF 2 million (approximately USD 2.5 million) investment in Bluefin, a decentralized exchange within the Sui ecosystem. The two companies will collaborate to bring hedge funds, asset management firms, and market makers to the on-chain market.
AI
LISA raises $12 million to advance AI-native on-chain security systems.
LISA, a Web3 AI security agent project, announced the completion of a $12 million funding round to build an Agentic Security OS that combines AI and blockchain. This round of funding was led by Redpoint, UOB Venture Management, Signum Capital, NGC Ventures, and Hash Global, among others. LISA aims to improve the security of smart contracts and decentralized applications by using AI to detect complex, multi-step logic vulnerabilities that are difficult to detect with traditional auditing tools.
Infrastructure & Tools
Acurast raises $11 million to advance its mobile secure computing mainnet
Acurast has announced an $11 million funding round and plans to launch its mainnet on November 17th, simultaneously issuing its token ACU. The project claims to achieve verifiable, confidential, and tamper-proof computation on consumer smartphones, using hardware key proofs to allow only manufacturer-certified devices to access the network. Its network data shows nearly 150,000 phones have joined, processing approximately 494 million transactions and deploying approximately 94,200 services. Investors include Ethereum co-founder and Polkadot founder Gavin Wood.
Crypto startup Seismic raises $10 million, led by a16z crypto.
Seismic, a crypto privacy infrastructure startup, announced the completion of a $10 million funding round led by a16z crypto, with participation from Polychain, Amber Group, TrueBridge, dao5, and LayerZero. This brings the company's total funding to $17 million. Founded by CEO Lyron Co Ting Keh, Seismic aims to help fintech companies protect sensitive user information, such as salaries and rent, from public blockchains when using cryptography. Seismic has already partnered with stablecoin account platform Brookwell and private lending service provider Cred to provide them with private blockchain payment tracks, preventing transaction data exposure on public blockchains. The company plans to use the new funding to expand its services, including fiat currency deposit and withdrawal channels and a crypto card project, and expects to generate revenue in the first quarter of 2026, charging 1 cent per transaction. Its competitor is Tempo (valued at $5 billion).
Zero-knowledge identity protocol Self raises $9 million in seed funding and launches points program.
Self, a zero-knowledge identity and "proof-of-humanity" protocol, announced the completion of a $9 million seed funding round. Investors include Greenfield Capital, SoftBank's Startup Capital Ventures x SBI Fund, Spearhead VC, Verda Ventures, Fireweed Ventures, and several angel investors. Self provides privacy-focused identity verification using zero-knowledge proofs and verifiable credentials. It is integrated with Google, Aave, and Velodrome, supporting biometric passports, country IDs, and Indian Aadhaar verification, and is used for anti-Covenant airdrops and OFAC-compliant token distribution. The company also launched a points program to reward users who complete identity verification and interact on partner platforms.
DAT
(These types of transactions are not included in this week's financing report statistics)
Biotech company Propanc raises $100 million for cryptocurrency reserves and cancer therapy research.
Digital asset finance company Propanc Biopharma (NASDAQ: PPCB) announced Monday that it has secured up to $100 million in funding from Hexstone Capital, a family office active in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Dogecoin, and other digital assets. The private placement was conducted through a convertible preferred stock structure, with Propanc receiving an initial investment of $1 million and up to $99 million in follow-on funding over the next year. The proceeds will be used to build Propanc's digital asset portfolio and accelerate the development of its flagship oncology therapy, PRP, which is currently planned for its first human trial in 2026. CEO James Nathanielsz described the move as a "transformative phase" aimed at strengthening the company's balance sheet and funding its proenzyme-based research projects. The company did not specify which digital assets it plans to acquire. The funding news did not halt the decline in Propanc's stock price. On Monday, PPCB shares fell 4%, dropping below $1, and have now fallen 43% over the past month.
Canadian publicly traded company Republic Technologies (CSE: DOCT) announced it has secured $100 million in zero-coupon convertible bond financing from an institutional investor to expand its Ethereum staking and reserves business. The company stated that over 90% of the funds will be used to purchase ETH, with an initial investment of $10 million.
This financing is interest-free and requires no additional margin, making it a rare "cash flow neutral" structure in the crypto industry. It comes with warrants that exercise at 50% market value. Republic operates ETH validator nodes, allowing users to earn staking and validator rewards by holding tokens, and has partnered with QCP Capital to develop a structured ETH yield strategy with a weekly return of approximately 1.75%.
Matador Technologies Inc. announced that it has completed its first tranche of convertible bond financing, amounting to $10.5 million, with ATW Partners to increase its Bitcoin holdings. The company plans to use this facility to purchase up to 1,000 BTC by 2026 and accumulate 6,000 BTC by 2027, aiming to rank among the top 20 global corporate Bitcoin holders. The convertible bonds carry an 8% annual interest rate, which will decrease to 5% if the company successfully transfers its listing from TSX Venture to Nasdaq or the NYSE.
Centralized Finance
Public announced the acquisition of Alto's crypto business for $65 million in cash and stock, bringing its total assets under management (AUM) to approximately $600 million. AltoCrypto supports multiple crypto assets; in contrast, Fidelity's crypto retirement accounts only support Bitcoin. Public co-founder Leif Abraham stated that IRAs can adjust positions without immediate tax implications. The transaction is expected to be fully integrated in 2026, with Alto retaining its other businesses and continuing as a service provider. Public targets "upmarket" investors, with a median client age of approximately 38.
other
Web3 games:
AI-driven social gaming project Kyuzo's Friends announced the completion of an $11 million funding round, with investors including DeAgentAI, Stratified Capital, Chain Capital, KnightFury, X Wave, and LBank Labs. This round of funding will be used for global market expansion, upgrading the AI creation system, and strengthening on-chain infrastructure.
Kyuzo's Friends, launched by Key Origin, is its first officially licensed IP project. Based on the well-known IP "DNAxCAT," it has already been released on Sui and LINE platforms. The project combines AI creation with Web3 game mechanics, aiming to drive the transformation of traditional IPs towards a decentralized era. Key Origin is building a global Web3 officially licensed IP ecosystem, encompassing IP licensing, AI co-creation, and digital asset trading. The success of Kyuzo's Friends is expected to attract more well-known brands and creators to join.
Crowdfunding platform:
Crypto funding platform Shodai Network announced the completion of a $2.5 million seed funding round, with investors including Consensys, Consensys Mesh, and Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin. This investment will help Shodai Network expand its founder network and further develop its funding support platform.
Shodai Network brings together a group of entrepreneurs, developers, and crypto industry veterans. Through its founder network, it aims to help early-stage developers access resources, connect with other entrepreneurs, and scale projects systematically. Through its product division, Shodai focuses on developing novel fundraising technologies and open-source capital raising tools, striving to align incentives between protocol developers and investors from the early stages of protocol development.
