Crypto fundraising hits record $3.5B last week amid market volatility

• Crypto fundraising hits record $3.5B across 28 deals, led by blockchain services.
• Bitcoin peaks at $126K before a sharp crash wipes $20B in crypto liquidations.
• Pantera, Coinbase Ventures lead amid rising investor confidence in crypto.

Crypto fundraising surged to an all-time high last week, with startups in the digital asset space raising a record $3.5 billion across 28 funding rounds, according to data from Cryptorank released on Monday.

The milestone marked the strongest week on record for crypto venture activity, surpassing the previous peak of nearly $3 billion set between July 28 and August 3.

The surge came after seven consecutive weeks of sub-$1 billion fundraising, signaling a sharp resurgence in investor confidence despite volatile market conditions.

Over the past six months, weekly fundraising has fluctuated widely—from as low as $150 million to nearly $3 billion—underscoring the unpredictable nature of capital flows in the sector.

Blockchain services lead as sector activity broadens

Data from Cryptorank showed that blockchain services dominated last week’s fundraising landscape.

Of the 28 funding rounds recorded between October 6 and 12, 12 were for blockchain service providers, making it the most active category of the week.

Centralized finance (CeFi) projects followed with six rounds, while the remaining deals were spread across blockchain infrastructure, decentralized finance (DeFi), gaming, and social ventures.

The data suggests investors are increasingly favoring service-oriented projects that support the broader crypto ecosystem rather than narrowly focused tokens or speculative ventures.

Among the most active investors, Pantera Capital participated in four separate deals last week—two in blockchain services and one each in CeFi and social ventures.

Over the past year, however, Coinbase Ventures has maintained its position as the most prolific investor in the sector, with 73 investments across multiple categories.

Animoca Brands followed with 63 deals, while YZi Labs, a Binance-affiliated fund, completed 38. Amber Group and Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto accelerator (a16z CSX) each recorded 37 investments, rounding out the top five.

Record fundraising coincides with Bitcoin’s new peak

The record-breaking fundraising activity coincided with Bitcoin’s (BTC) new all-time high of $126,000, reached on October 6, according to CoinGecko.

The rally was largely attributed to a migration of assets from centralized exchanges into self-custody, institutional funds, and digital asset treasuries, reflecting growing long-term confidence in the world’s largest cryptocurrency.

However, the optimism proved short-lived. On Friday, US President Donald Trump announced a 100% tariff on China, triggering a sudden sell-off across global markets—including digital assets.

Bitcoin’s price fell below $110,000 shortly after the announcement, ultimately plunging by $16,700, a 13.7% correction in under eight hours.

The crash also wiped out nearly 13% of Bitcoin’s futures open interest and resulted in approximately $20 billion in liquidations across crypto markets.

The decentralized perpetuals exchange Hyperliquid reportedly led the liquidation wave.

Investor confidence holds despite market shock

Despite the sharp downturn in crypto prices, analysts see the record fundraising week as a sign of resilient investor appetite for blockchain and digital asset ventures.

The timing—between Bitcoin’s all-time high and one of the largest single-day crashes in market history—highlights both the sector’s volatility and its capacity to attract substantial capital inflows.

The combination of renewed venture activity, sector diversification, and institutional participation suggests that investors remain focused on the long-term structural growth of the crypto economy, even as short-term market dynamics continue to fluctuate.