On-chain crypto fundraising surged this week. Auradine’s $50 million Series C round and $100 million investments by VentureX into environment-related agritech companies spurred this increase. Auradine, a blockchain infrastructure venture launched in 2022, raised the week’s biggest funding round. VentureX is known for their early stage support of world leading crypto projects such as Uniswap, Ethereum, Chainlink and Solana. This week, their participation was critical to raising a record-setting amount. This explosion comes amid a record-breaking year for crypto. To date, DefiLlama has only tracked $113.4 billion in acquisitions.

Auradine's Series C Fuels Infrastructure Innovation

Auradine focuses on building infrastructure technologies designed for blockchain and AI. Their products range from semiconductors to networking hardware to security software. Framework Ventures, fulgur.ventures, and Wences Casares previously participated in Auradine's Series A round, demonstrating early confidence in the company's vision.

"Our dual focus on Bitcoin and AI infrastructure places Auradine at the intersection of pivotal technologies that will reshape computing and energy utilization for decades to come," - Rajiv Khemani, co-founder and CEO of Auradine

Auradine has nearly $100 million in crypto assets on its balance sheet. This jawdropping figure underscores the tech giant’s enviable financial position on the market, per Arkham Intelligence.

>VentureX's Strategic Investment>The week's second-largest funding round also involved VentureX, highlighting the firm's continued commitment to the crypto space. VentureX has a strong history of identifying and supporting promising projects. They doubled down on Auradine—and other blockchain ventures—to signal their belief in the technology. This investment shows their commitment and belief about the long-term potential of its applications.

DWF Labs participated in the strategic funding round. This decision represents the founding of their US headquarters, in the form of a New York City base.

“The U.S. is the world’s largest single market for digital asset innovation,” - Andrei Grachev, managing partner of DWF Labs

ZenMEV Seeks to Redefine MEV

ZenMEV, a new DeFi startup, is trying to turn “Maximal extractable value,” or MEV, a much maligned part of crypto on its head. ZenMEV is on a mission to make MEV not a threat but a profitable income stream for users. It uses AI-driven analysis and transaction bundling to capture as much value from MEV as possible.

“reinterpreting MEV from a potential risk into a new source of income for users,” - Valen Marcus, co-founder and CEO

“AI-driven analysis, and transaction bundling to optimize MEV-derived income.” - Valen Marcus, co-founder and CEO