Crypto venture capital keeps finding pockets of strength even in the midst of overall economic tightness. In June, DeFi, AI, and hybrid trading infrastructure startup companies attracted significant amounts of capital despite recent slowdowns in some areas of the market. Though some companies struggle to raise fresh funds, large segments — including blockchain infrastructure, tokenization, and real-world assets (RWAs) — remain attractive to investors, according to industry leaders. Rails Raises $20M for Hybrid Exchange Model Rails, the Kraken and Slow Ventures-backed exchange , has raised $20 million across two rounds. The exchange marries centralized velocity and decentralized custody. It is likely to resonate with professional traders who desire CEX performance without compromising on control over their assets. Slow Ventures termed Rails as a “hybrid perpetual exchange” designed for speed, security, and non-custodial trading. Beam Raises $7M to Expand Global Stablecoin Payments Beam, a Visa Direct and FedNow connected stablecoin payments service provider, raised a $7 million funding round from Castle Ventures. Beam will use the funds to expand its network in Latin America, Africa, APAC and the EU, targeting fintechs and banks. Frachtis Launches $20M Crypto-Native Fund Xavier Meegan, former Chorus One executive, started Frachtis, a $20 million fund backing early-stage ventures in decentralized AI, infrastructure, and DeFi. The fund has already closed eight deals and is seeking to help founders find long-term blockchain use cases. Inference Labs Raises $6.3M to Build AI Trust Layer Inference Labs raised $6.3 million to construct Proof of Inference — a cryptographic overlay to authenticate AI outputs with zero-knowledge proofs. The funding was led by DACM, Delphi Ventures, Arche Capital and Lvna Capital. The testnet is live, and mainnet deployment will occur Q3 2025. Gradient Network Raises $10M for Decentralized AI Gradient Network secured $10 million from Multicoin Capital and Pantera Capital. The company is building decentralized AI infrastructure on Solana, including Lattica and Parallax — tools to scale large AI models. Gradient’s Solana architecture attracted the attention of leading investors. OKX and Story Announce $10M IP Innovation Fund OKX crypto exchange and blockchain startup Story launched a $10 million ecosystem fund to support IP-related Web3 innovation . Initiatives are available for funding with Story’s native token, IP. PIP Labs, the company building Ethereum-based sidechain Story, has raised $140 million to date, including $80 million on its Series B round last August. Yupp Raises $33M from a16z to Evaluate AI Models Yupp raised $33 million in seed funding led by a16z Crypto. The platform allows users to experiment with outputs from leading AI models like ChatGPT and Claude and get crypto rewards for contributing. Yupp’s model aims to create human judgment a useful economic layer for blockchain. Blueprint Finance Adds $9.5M for DeFi Expansion Multichain DeFi infrastructure development company Blueprint Finance closed a $9.5 million round led by Polychain Capital. The funds will be utilized to cover new products in addition to its existing platforms — Concrete on Ethereum and Glow Finance on Solana. Blueprint’s raise comes as DeFi is rebounding, though TVL still lags its 2022 peak. Units Network Raises $10M to Enhance Web3 Scalability Units Network, built on the Waves protocol, has raised $10 million from Nimbus Capital to expand its validator network and AI integration. The platform will enhance crosschain liquidity and address scalability bottlenecks in the Web3 ecosystem. Nimbus Capital is backed by In On Capital, which has more than $1.2 billion in assets under management. Conclusion: Infrastructure and AI Drive VC Activity June’s VC move is a sign of investor enthusiasm in particular crypto verticals — particularly infrastructure, DeFi and AI. With top backers like a16z, Pantera and Multicoin continuing to deploy capital, the future generation of blockchain innovations will continue to be fueled by ventures that are working on real-world use cases and decentralized smarts.
