startups

According to The Block, the well-known startup accelerator Y Combinator will hold interviews in New York City for the first time, focusing on fintech and cryptocurrency startups, hoping to support more companies in this field.YC stated on Wednesday: "This is the first time YC has moved the interview process for a specific industry offline in this way, as they are meeting with founders who are forming a key ecosystem."A YC spokesperson said the interviews will take place offline in New York on May 21. The standard investment terms for selected startups are a $500,000 investment for 7% equity. Earlier this year, after YC launched this option, startups can also choose to receive funding in the form of Circle's stablecoin USDC.The YC Winter 2026 batch includes several crypto and fintech startups, including the financial infrastructure Sponge Wallet for the AI agent economy, the crypto deposit service provider Unifold, the unified trading platform for crypto, real-world assets, and prediction markets Sequence Markets, and the cross-platform trading platform for prediction markets Valence.Since its establishment in 2005, YC has invested in over 5,000 companies, with a total valuation exceeding $1 trillion. Its portfolio includes OpenAI, Airbnb, Stripe, and Reddit. YC's first crypto investment was in Coinbase in 2012, and it has since invested in over 150 crypto and fintech companies, including the prediction market platform Kalshi, the DeFi trading platform Axiom, and the NFT marketplace OpenSea. Last year, YC partnered with Coinbase to support startups building on-chain infrastructure, which YC referred to as "Fintech 3.0."

According to DL News citing DefiLlama data, cryptocurrency startups raised nearly $5 billion in the first quarter of 2026, a year-on-year decrease of 16%. However, the investment ecosystem continues to evolve, with funding shifting significantly from speculative tokens to practical sectors such as payments and trading infrastructure. Among them, the prediction market sector leads with over $1.7 billion, while payments and trading infrastructure attracted $735 million and $423 million, respectively. Top non-crypto institutions such as Sequoia Capital, Founders Fund, Bain Capital, and Alibaba are also accelerating their entry.The top ten financing projects in Q1 are as follows: • Kalshi: $1 billion, valuation of $22 billion, led by Coatue Management, CFTC-regulated prediction market leader • Polymarket: $600 million, investment from Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), leading decentralized prediction market platform • Rain: $250 million Series C, valuation of nearly $2 billion, led by Iconiq Capital, stablecoin payment infrastructure • BitGo: $213 million, NYSE IPO, valuation of over $2 billion, crypto custody institution • Flying Tulip: $206 million, public token sale, led by DeFi architect Andre Cronje, integrating trading/lending/insurance • Whop: $200 million, Tether.

According to official news, YZI Labs has launched the Atlas Scout Program to help college students support Web3, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology startups.Ella Zhang, head of YZi Labs, stated: "During recent meetings with founders, I was impressed by young entrepreneurs aged 16 to 18. In this AI-driven new era, the pace of learning and entrepreneurship is accelerating exponentially. We launched the Atlas Scout Program to empower the next generation of investors, allowing them not only to witness the future but also to identify, fund, and co-create it."It is reported that the Atlas Scout Program is a student-managed $1 million venture capital initiative that will support 5 to 10 top college students as investors, providing funding for founders in the fields of Web3, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology. Atlas Scouts will receive a global travel budget, rewards aligned with incentive mechanisms, and direct access to the ecosystem of over 300 portfolio projects under YZi Labs.

According to the official website of the SEC, Paul Atkins, the chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, announced new cryptocurrency guidelines at the DC Blockchain Summit, and proposed the concept of a regulatory safe harbor for crypto assets, which includes three exemption pathways:Startup Exemption: A maximum of four years, allowing projects to have a regulatory buffer period before reaching maturity, with a fundraising limit of no more than $5 million within four years, requiring the submission of principal disclosure information.Financing Exemption: Allowing up to $75 million in fundraising within 12 months, requiring the submission of disclosure documents to the SEC that include principal disclosures, financial status, and financial statements.Investment Contract Safe Harbor: When the issuer completes or permanently ceases core management efforts under the investment contract, the relevant crypto assets may be exempt from the definition of securities.Atkins stated that this framework draws on Congress's work in recent years, particularly the CLARITY Act, and proposed rules are expected to be released for public comment in the coming weeks.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong posted on the X platform that cryptocurrency will soon break down the barriers surrounding financing and capital formation. He stated that the reduction of financing friction will increase the number of startups globally and accelerate the development process. Every entrepreneur knows that the fundraising process is time-consuming and expensive.

Polygon Labs announced that it has completed the acquisition of cryptocurrency startups Coinme and Sequence, with a total acquisition price exceeding $250 million. However, Polygon Labs declined to disclose the specific acquisition prices for each company and did not specify whether the transactions were conducted in cash, equity, or a combination of both.Polygon Labs CEO Marc Boiron and Polygon Foundation founder Sandeep Nailwal stated that the acquisitions aim to support the stablecoin strategy of the blockchain network. Coinme holds a range of remittance licenses in the United States, while Sequence is focused on building blockchain infrastructure, including cryptocurrency wallets.

According to The Information, in recent months, JPMorgan has frozen accounts used by at least two rapidly growing stablecoin startups that operate in high-risk countries like Venezuela. The bank's actions highlight the risks that cryptocurrency trading poses to banks, as they must understand their business counterparts and the sources of funds.The bank has frozen the account of Blindpay.

Solana co-founder Raj Gokal stated at the Solana Breakpoint conference, "Among the 20 companies that recently reached $100 million in revenue, most are from the crypto industry, and the majority of these companies are built on Solana. This has actually been the goal we initially envisioned.I believe that to achieve this, we need the entropy brought by thousands of entrepreneurs------constantly exploring various potential value propositions of utilizing block space. And I feel that Solana now has this ecological potential. Events like the 'Colosseum' hackathon are growing larger, with over 1,700 teams participating each time."

ChainCatcher news, according to Business Post, Norio Ventures is raising a €10 million fund to invest in fintech startups focused on blockchain technology (covering pre-seed and seed stages).It is reported that Norio Ventures is led by Pete Townsend, who previously led the Techstars Web3 accelerator program in Dublin and served as a non-executive director at Coinbase. The first closing of Norio Ventures Fund I is expected to be completed in April.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, Japan's financial giant Credit Saison's venture capital division will launch a blockchain investment fund called Onigiri Capital.The fund has a size of $50 million and aims to build an institutional-level bridge between American innovation and Asia's mature blockchain and financial networks, helping founders create global financial products. According to a spokesperson, Onigiri is supported by Saison Capital and has raised $35 million through "joint investments from Credit Saison and external investors," with a maximum fund limit of $50 million, and can also accept additional funds. The fund will focus on early-stage startups in the real-world asset space, covering financial infrastructure such as stablecoins, payments, tokenization, and DeFi, with a particular emphasis on connections with Asia. Credit Saison is a large financial services company based in Tokyo, associated with the Mizuho Financial Group, and is the third-largest credit card issuer in Japan, also involved in various business sectors. Its venture capital division has been investing in cryptocurrency companies since 2023.

ChainCatcher message, according to the Web3 asset data platform RootData X tracking data, in the past 7 days, the platform supporting startups star.fun has gained the most new X (Twitter) top influencer followers, including anonymous Twitter KOL Inversebrah(@inversebrah), crypto KOL Kill Wolf (@Wolfy_XBT), and Altcoin Gordon(@AltcoinGordon).In addition, the project with the most X top influencer followers also includes Polyfactual.

ChainCatcher news, the artificial intelligence company Anthropic announced that it has recently completed a new round of financing of $13 billion, with its valuation soaring to $183 billion. This financing, which far exceeded expectations, makes it one of the highest-valued startups in the world. The round was led by Iconiq Capital, with participation from Fidelity Management and Research, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Singapore's GIC, Insight Partners, and the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA).According to previous reports, Anthropic's initial goal was to raise $5 billion, which was later increased to $10 billion, ultimately reaching $13 billion. In a statement on Tuesday, Anthropic stated that this investment "confirms Anthropic's unprecedented growth rate and solidifies our leadership position as the preferred intelligent platform for enterprises, developers, and high-end users."

ChainCatcher news, according to TheBlock, the South Korean Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced today that it plans to amend the "Special Act on the Promotion of Risk Enterprises," intending to allow virtual asset trading and brokerage service providers to register as "risk enterprises." This move will enable crypto companies to receive tax reductions, financing support, and other policy benefits.The current regulations have excluded crypto companies from the risk enterprise certification scope since 2018, categorizing them alongside restricted industries such as bars and nightclubs.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel and Anduril founder Palmer Luckey are launching a digital bank called Erebor, specifically designed to serve cryptocurrency and tech startups.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel and Anduril founder Palmer Luckey are launching a digital bank called Erebor, specifically designed to serve cryptocurrency and tech startups.

ChainCatcher news, citing a report from the British Financial Times by Xinhua News Agency, a group of billionaire Silicon Valley entrepreneurs has applied for a charter banking license in the United States, preparing to establish a national bank focused on supporting startups engaged in businesses such as cryptocurrency.After the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in March 2023, some startups involved in high-risk businesses like cryptocurrency trading have faced difficulties in financing in the U.S. The report cites sources familiar with the matter, stating that the new bank is named "Erebor," after the treasure location in "The Lord of the Rings," with major investors being Silicon Valley big donors from the current Republican administration, such as Peter Thiel.According to application documents disclosed earlier this week, "Erebor" Bank will be a national bank providing traditional banking products and services related to virtual currencies for businesses and individuals. The primary target customers are companies participating in the U.S. "innovation economy," especially those in the fields of cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence, defense, and manufacturing, as well as individuals working for or investing in these companies, including those with "insufficient access to credit." The bank will also seek to collaborate with non-U.S. companies "looking to enter the U.S. banking system."According to reports, "Erebor" Bank's headquarters will be located in Columbus, Ohio, with an office in New York City, providing only online customer services.