Kraken-Backed Rails and Beam Among Crypto Projects Raising Millions Amid VC Funding Challenges

• Recent venture capital activity in the crypto sector highlights a strategic focus on blockchain infrastructure, AI integration, and decentralized finance innovations.

• Despite a challenging macroeconomic environment, several startups have successfully closed significant funding rounds, signaling sustained investor confidence in key crypto themes such as tokenization, decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN), and real-world assets (RWA).

• According to COINOTAG, “Blockchain infrastructure remains the lead story in the crypto space,” emphasizing the sector’s resilience and evolving investment priorities amid market volatility.

Crypto venture capital funding centers on blockchain infrastructure, AI, and DeFi, with major rounds supporting innovation despite market headwinds.

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Rails Secures $20M to Launch Hybrid Trading Platform Backed by Kraken

Rails, a cryptocurrency exchange aiming to merge centralized exchange speed with decentralized custody benefits, has successfully raised $20 million across two funding rounds, the latest completed in April. Supported by prominent backers including Kraken, Slow Ventures, and Quantstamp, Rails is positioning itself as a hybrid perpetual exchange designed for professional traders seeking both efficiency and security.

Slow Ventures characterized Rails as offering “the speed of a CEX without giving up custody,” underscoring the platform’s innovative approach to trading infrastructure. This funding milestone marks a significant step toward enhancing market access and liquidity solutions within the crypto ecosystem.

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Beam’s $7M Raise Advances Stablecoin Payment Integration Globally

Beam, a stablecoin payment service provider, closed a $7 million funding round led by Castle Ventures to bolster compliance and expand its network capabilities. Beam’s infrastructure already supports major payment rails such as Visa Direct, Mastercard Send, and the Federal Reserve’s FedNow system, facilitating seamless stablecoin transactions for fintechs, banks, and consumer platforms.

The infusion of capital will accelerate Beam’s strategic expansion across Latin America, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and the European Union, reflecting the growing demand for interoperable digital payment solutions in traditional financial markets. With the stablecoin market surpassing $250 billion, Beam’s growth trajectory aligns with broader industry trends toward tokenized fiat alternatives.

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Emerging Crypto Funds and Infrastructure Projects Garner Investor Interest

Frachtis, a $20 million crypto-native pre-seed fund launched by former Chorus One executive Xavier Meegan, targets startups innovating in decentralized AI, infrastructure, and consumer applications. Backed by Theta Capital and RockawayX, Frachtis has already invested in eight early-stage projects, leveraging Meegan’s extensive experience in blockchain venture capital.

Meanwhile, Interface Labs raised $6.3 million to develop a cryptographic trust layer for AI agents using zero-knowledge proofs, addressing a critical gap in AI output validation. The company’s Proof of Inference technology is currently in testnet phase with plans for a mainnet launch later this year, supported by investors including DACM and Delphi Ventures.

Gradient Network and OKX Drive AI and IP Innovation with Multi-Million Dollar Funds

Gradient Network secured $10 million in seed funding from Pantera Capital, Multicoin Capital, and HSG to expand its decentralized AI runtime on Solana. Its core protocol, Lattica, launched in June, alongside Parallax, a decentralized inference engine designed to scale AI applications such as large language models. Gradient’s Solana-based architecture was a pivotal factor in attracting top-tier investment.

Additionally, OKX and Story have partnered to launch a $10 million innovation fund focused on intellectual property (IP) within the blockchain space. This fund supports startups developing decentralized IP frameworks and programmable IP applications, utilizing Story’s native IP token to facilitate onchain asset representation. Story’s developer, PIP Labs, recently closed an $80 million Series B round, underscoring strong investor confidence in IP tokenization.

AI-Powered Platforms and DeFi Infrastructure Attract Significant Capital

Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto arm, a16z Crypto, led a $33 million seed round for Yupp, a blockchain-based AI evaluation platform that incentivizes users to assess outputs from leading AI models. Integrating payment services from Coinbase, Stripe, and PayPal, Yupp aims to transform human judgment into a renewable economic resource, bridging AI and crypto ecosystems.

Blueprint Finance, a multichain DeFi infrastructure developer, raised $9.5 million to expand its product suite following the launch of Ethereum and Solana-based platforms. Led by Polychain Capital, the funding supports Blueprint’s efforts to capitalize on the DeFi sector’s recovery, despite total value locked (TVL) remaining below historic highs.

Units Network Advances Web3 Scalability with $10M Investment

Units Network, built on the Waves protocol, secured $10 million from Nimbus Capital to enhance validator capacity, improve crosschain liquidity, and advance its AI roadmap. This investment aims to address critical scalability and decentralization challenges in Web3 infrastructure, positioning Units Network for accelerated growth within the evolving blockchain landscape.

Nimbus Capital, backed by In On Capital with $1.2 billion in assets under management, brings substantial strategic support to Units Network’s development initiatives.

Conclusion

The latest venture capital activity in crypto underscores a clear investor focus on blockchain infrastructure, AI integration, and decentralized finance innovation. Despite macroeconomic headwinds, strategic funding rounds for projects like Rails, Beam, and Gradient Network demonstrate sustained confidence in the sector’s long-term growth potential. As these ventures advance their platforms and expand globally, the crypto ecosystem is poised for continued evolution, driven by technological innovation and increasing institutional participation.