The cryptocurrency industry is attracting an increasing number of institutional players. This is evidenced by new investments in infrastructure and the increasing attention that companies are paying to Bitcoin as an asset class. The most important events of recent weeks are in the ForkLog review.
AI startup Helsing raises €209 million to “defend democracies”
Defense-focused AI developer Helsing has closed a €209 million Series B funding round.
It was led by the venture capital firm General Catalyst. The Swedish group Saab was the strategic investor.
The startup was founded in 2021 and specializes in creating military solutions and components based on artificial intelligence, including for the upcoming modernization of NATO Eurofighter aircraft and the Future Combat Air System program.
According to the statement, the project focuses on developing modern technologies “to protect democratic countries.” The developer will use the raised funds to develop business in France, Germany and the UK.
AI startup Imbue raises $200 million at $1 billion valuation
AI-focused startup Imbue has closed a $200 million Series B round of funding led by the Astera Institute, a nonprofit founded by former Ripple CTO Jed McCaleb.
Investors also include Nvidia, Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt, Notion co-founder Simon Last and others. They valued the startup at more than $1 billion.
Representatives of the startup added that as part of the rebranding they abandoned the previous name General Intelligent.
Story Protocol raises $54 million to simplify IP verification
The team behind Story Protocol, an open-source platform for verifying intellectual property rights, has closed a $54 million funding round.
It was led by a16z crypto. Funds were also provided by Hashed, Endeavor, Samsung Next, Dapper Labs founder Roham Gharegozlou and a number of business angels.
The developers will use the received funding to “democratize the confirmation of intellectual property rights using a global and expandable repository.”
The team plans to provide a streamlined framework on the platform for managing the entire intellectual property lifecycle, including provenance tracking, licensing, and revenue sharing.
Pantera Capital led DEX Brine Finance investment round for $16.5 million
Book-based decentralized exchange Brine Finance has closed a $16.5 million funding round at a $100 million valuation.
It was led by Pantera Capital with participation from Elevation Capital, Starware Ltd, Spartan Group, Goodwater Capital, Up sparks Ventures and Deepthrough Ventures.
Brine Finance is deployed on StarkEx as part of the StarkNet L2 network. The latter is based on the ZK-STARK cryptographic mechanism, a type of zero-knowledge proof. This technology ensures confidentiality of trading positions.
Peter Thiel’s company supported the L2 project Layer N in a $5 million round
Blockchain startup Layer N has raised $5 million in a seed round led by venture capital firm Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund and decentralized investment group dao5.
Other participants include Kraken Ventures, Amber Group, SALT and a number of private investors.
For Founders Fund, the Layer N crypto project marks its second investment in the industry after hiring Joey Krug, former co-chief investment officer of Pantera Capital, as a new partner in April.
Peter Thiel’s firm contributed $1.8 million of the total. The circle also took part in financing the project as a business angel.
The startup is developing a second-layer blockchain based on Ethereum, aimed at scaling decentralized financial applications.
According to Krug, the long-term goal of Layer N is to allow centralized exchanges like Binance and Coinbase to create non-custodial offerings on the L2 network.
Also on ForkLog:
- Report: In August, the volume of venture deals in the crypto industry increased by 40%.
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