Autor Cointelegraph By Sam Bourgi

Uniswap Labs raises $165M as attention shifts to NFTs, Web3

Decentralized exchange Uniswap Labs has raised $165 million in a Series B funding round that had participation from some of blockchain’s biggest venture firms, putting the company on track to expand into other crypto-focused domains. The funding round was led by Polychain Capital with additiona participation from several existing investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Paradigm, Variant and SV Angel. The funding round confirms earlier reporting from Cointelegraph that Uniswap was looking to raise between $100 million and $200 million.Uniswap said the funding would go toward expanding its existing product offerings and improving the user experience through new web applications, developer tools and a shift toward mobile. The company also plans on launching nonfungible tokens (NFTs) projects in the future. The official announcement was titled, “Bringing Web3 to Everyone,” a sign that Uniswap was looking to incorporate many of the core ideas that separate Web3 from the current Web2 environment.1/ We’re proud to announce that we’ve raised $165 million in Series B funding to bring the powerful simplicity of Uniswap to even more people across the world https://t.co/ChilydWOEO— Uniswap Labs (@Uniswap) October 13, 2022Uniswap rose to prominence during the decentralized finance craze of 2020 as traders began scouring exchanges for low-cap DeFi projects. By February 2021, Uniswap’s cumulative trade volumes surpassed $100 billion for the first time. Uniswap’s cumulative trading volume has since grown to $1.2 trillion, according to founder Hayden Adams. Related: Decentralized exchange Uniswap v3 gets ‘Warp’ed’ onto StarkNetWhile demand for DeFi products has dried up over the past year, the sector has continued to operate as advertised during one of the most volatile periods in crypto history. DeFi platforms are filling a void left by the implosion of centralized financed companies as borrowers seek out new credit opportunities.

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M31 Capital launches $100M Web3 investment fund with $50M in commitments so far

Crypto-focused investment firm M31 Capital has launched a new investment fund dedicated to Web3 companies, further underscoring the industry’s shift toward decentralized internet projects. The M31 Capital Web3 Opportunity Fund will invest up to $100 million in token projects and private equity opportunities within Web3, the company announced Tuesday. Initially, the fund will invest in projects building decentralized internet infrastructure and applications. Presumably, the new investment vehicle will be a “liquid venture fund,” a structure that gives investors liquidity after only a 12-month lock-up period. M31 clarified that it has already secured $50 million in commitments from investors and will raise another $50 million before capping the fund at $100 million. Despite the ongoing crypto bear market, 2022 has seen a proliferation of investment funds dedicated to Web3 projects, a clear sign that investors see value amid the turbulence. As reported by Cointelegraph Research, Web3 has dominated venture capital interest this year. In the second quarter alone, Web3 projects accounted for roughly 42% of all individual venture deals within the blockchain space. Related: Spain’s largest telecom brand dives deep into Web3Crypto markets have exhibited a high degree of correlation with traditional equities for much of 2022, causing some investors to speculate that prices have diverged significantly from their fundamentals. However, a high correlation suggests more short-term pain could be in store for the crypto sector as central banks around the world attempt to rein in inflation. Nathan Montone, an early Bitcoin (BTC) investor who founded M31 Capital in 2016, said the current crypto market cycle is the first time in ten years that “price has trended down while fundamentals and revenue growth are hitting all-time highs nearly every day.”

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1inch wallet users get domain names with Unstoppable Domains partnership

Decentralized exchange aggregator 1inch has partnered with Unstoppable Domains to help users simplify cryptocurrency payments — a move the company says could strengthen wider adoption of DeFi products and services. Under the partnership, 1inch wallet users can enter “human-readable domain names” when sending crypto payments using Unstoppable’s naming service. This allows users to use customizable domain names instead of lengthy alphameric crypto wallet addresses. Like all Unstoppable Domains addresses, the wallet address will be minted on the blockchain as a nonfungible token (NFT), with no additional minting or renewal fees. Sergej Kunz, 1inch Network’s co-founder, said the Unstoppable Domains partnership could promote wider adoption of Web3 products and tools. “The issues of user experience, security and identity are still holding back Web3 mainstream adoption,” he said, adding that the partnership “opens up opportunities for overcoming these barriers by making Web3 onboarding more fun and attractive.”NFT domains platform Unstoppable gets $65 million in a funding round. The platform confirmed it will invest the money in product innovation and growth within Web3. https://t.co/4wvILOF8oW— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) July 28, 2022As of July, Unstoppable Domains had registered 2.5 million domains and integrated with over 150 Web3 applications. The 1inch integration adds to a growing list of over 80 wallets and exchanges supported by the NFT naming service. Related: MoonPay to make Web3 payments with Unstoppable Domains partnershipUnstoppable’s valuation ballooned to $1 billion this year after the company raised $65 million in a Series A funding round. Unstoppable’s growth has occurred in lockstep with the NFT boom, highlighting the popularity of digital identity profiles. Ethereum Naming Services (ENS), an Unstoppable competitor, has also seen a surge in demand with nearly 2 million domain registrations as of August. By the end of September, that figure had risen above 2.6 million.

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a16z leads $40M raise for decentralized knowledge protocol

Decentralized knowledge protocol Golden has closed a $40 million funding round led by venture firm Andreessen Horowitz, or a16z, with additional participation from Protocol Labs, OpenSea Ventures and the founders of Solana, Dropbox, Postmates and Twitch, among others. In addition to leading the Series B funding round, Andreessen Horowitz’s general partner Ali Yahya will join Golden’s board alongside a16z cofounder Marc Andreessen. The funding gives Golden additional resources to continue building its protocol, which is designed to standardize the discovery and verification of knowledge in the era of Web3. Specifically, Golden is developing a decentralized interface that incentivizes collecting and verifying canonical data. The company claims that over 35,000 users participated in early testnet phases of the protocol. Related: Microsoft, Avalanche, Polygon join $20M funding of Web3 automation startupWhile venture financing for the crypto industry has slowed recently, 2022 has seen record inflows for blockchain-focused startups. Recently, hedge fund Pantera Capital upped the ante by disclosing plans to raise $1.25 billion for its second blockchain fund. Projects specializing in Web3, which refers to some future iteration of the internet, have attracted outsized interest from the venture capital community. [embedded content]In describing its product, Golden said that incorporating Web3 technologies is “well suited to solve the core problems” of incentivization. Golden plans to use native tokens for rewarding ‘good actors” but also specified that the final product is “not simply ‘Web3 Wikipedia’.” The mainnet is scheduled for release in the second quarter of 2023.

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Crypto Biz: The Voyager Digital auction is over. What now?

Voyager Digital filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July after its exposure to the toxic Three Arrows Capital led to its ultimate downfall. This week, rumblings of a Voyager Digital auction surfaced, with Cointelegraph breaking the story on the afternoon of Sept. 26 after a reputable source confirmed the parties involved. A few hours later, a winner was announced — crypto exchange FTX US. But, not everyone is convinced that Voyager’s depositors will be taken care of.This week’s Crypto Biz chronicles the bidders involved in the Voyager Digital auction. We also document the resignation of a disgruntled crypto boss and major funding plans from a blockchain-focused hedge fund. FTX US wins auction for Voyager Digital’s assetsCointelegraph reported this week that crypto exchanges FTX, Binance and CrossTower were competing to acquire the assets of beleaguered crypto lender Voyager Digital. A few hours later, it was confirmed that FTX US had secured the winning bid for around $1.3 billion. The acquisition means that existing Voyager users can access funds through FTX US once the crypto lender’s Chapter 11 case concludes. Voyager is just one of several distressed crypto firms to implode during this year’s bear market. Its fate was tied to the catastrophic downfall of Three Arrows Capital, which failed to repay $650 million to the lender. Today, after a competitive auction aimed at returning maximum value to customers, @FTX_Official US was selected as the highest and best bidder. Press release linked below. More information about what this agreement means for customers to follow.https://t.co/OmOd7pvSza— Voyager (@investvoyager) September 27, 2022Voyage’s auction did not serve depositors’ best interests, alleges Wave Financial repFTX US may have won the auction for Voyager’s assets, but the outcome didn’t serve depositors’ best interest, according to a Wave Financial representative. In an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph, the representative for the Los Angeles-based asset management firm confirmed that Wave was also in the mix to acquire Voyager’s assets. They claimed that their proposal was better because it sought to “restore value in the VGX token via new and improved utility, saving $200 million worth of funds and redistributing assets back to existing Voyager customers.” What’s done is done, but Wave certainly made a compelling offer. Pantera plans to raise $1.25B for second blockchain fund: ReportCrypto-focused hedge fund Pantera Capital remains uber bullish on digital assets. According to CEO Dan Morehead, the company is “very bullish for the next 10 or 20 years” and is prepared to put its money where its mouth is. The company disclosed this week that it plans to raise a whopping $1.25 billion for its second blockchain fund. If all goes according to plan, the fund will achieve its target by May 2023. If you’re committed to Bitcoin (BTC) and digital assets like Morehead, the next six to 12 months will surely test your resolve. Pantera Capital is seeking $1.25 billion for its second blockchain fund, founder Dan Morehead says https://t.co/H5AXy55hqa— Bloomberg Crypto (@crypto) September 28, 2022

Celsius CEO Alex Mashinsky resignsThe faster they rise, the harder they fall. Celsius Network, once the darling of the CeFi industry with over $20 billion in assets at its peak, filed for bankruptcy in July. Its CEO, Alex Mashinsky, officially relinquished his role on Tuesday. While Mashinsky has attempted to revive the company through restructuring, he claims that his presence has served as a “distraction” more than anything. “I regret that my continued role as CEO has become an increasing distraction, and I am very sorry about the difficult financial circumstances members of our community are facing,” he said in a press release. Before you go: What impact will the collapsing British pound have on crypto?The British pound plunged this week to its lowest-ever level against the U.S. dollar. Investors in the crypto space are perplexed as to why the Great British pound sold off so sharply. They’re even more curious about what this could mean for Bitcoin and digital assets as a whole. In this week’s Market Report, Cointelegraph analysts dissect the pound’s apparent fall from grace and how this could influence investor sentiment moving forward. You can watch the full replay below.[embedded content]Crypto Biz is your weekly pulse of the business behind blockchain and crypto delivered directly to your inbox every Thursday.

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