Data: In Q1 2026, crypto startups raised nearly $5 billion, with the market expected to lead by over $1.7 billion.

金色财经_ · 2026-04-04T00:57:58+00:00

In the first quarter of 2026, crypto startups raised nearly $5 billion, a 16% decrease year-over-year, with investment focus shifting to payments and trading infrastructure. The market leaders in funding include projects like Kalshi and Polymarket, which performed outstandingly and attracted investments from several top non-crypto institutions.

金色财经_

2026-04-04 00:57:58

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April 4 news, citing DefiLlama data from DLNews, reports that crypto startups raised nearly $5 billion in the first quarter of 2026, down 16% year over year. However, the investment ecosystem continues to evolve, with capital flows having clearly shifted from speculative tokens toward practical sectors such as payment and trading infrastructure. Among them, the prediction market sector led with more than $1.7 billion; payment and trading infrastructure attracted $735 million and $423 million, respectively. Top non-crypto institutions including Sequoia Capital, Founders Fund, Bain Capital, and Alibaba have also accelerated their entry.
The top 10 funding projects in Q1 are as follows:
•Kalshi: $1 billion, valuation $22 billion, led by Coatue Management, with the CFTC regulating the prediction market leader;
•Polymarket: $600 million, funded by the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), a leading decentralized prediction market platform;
•Rain: $250 million Series C, valuation nearly $2 billion, led by Iconiq Capital, stablecoin payment infrastructure;
•BitGo: $213 million, New York Stock Exchange IPO, valuation over $2 billion, a crypto custody provider;
•Flying Tulip: $206 million, public token sale, led by DeFi architect Andre Cronje, integrating trading/lending/insurance;
•Whop: $200 million, Tether.

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