Blockchain Financing Highlights: a16z Invests in Story Protocol, Pantera Backs Brine Fi

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Last week witnessed a surge in blockchain financing activity with 21 deals totaling $282 million**, averaging **$13.43 million per deal. Key sectors included digital asset management/payment (41.84% of funding) and social/creator economy (20.57%). Notably, Story Protocol (IP infrastructure) and Brine Fi (DEX) secured major investments, signaling strong investor confidence in decentralized solutions.


Key Sector Breakdown

🎮 Metaverse/GameFi ($51.2M | 18.16%)

  1. Nazara Technologies ($49.2M)

    • Indian gaming giant expanding into esports/blockchain games.
    • Valuation: $230M; investors include SBI Mutual Fund.
      Strategy: Diversified gaming platform targeting emerging markets.
  2. GAM3S.GG ($2M Seed)


🎨 NFT/Digital Fashion ($5M | 1.77%)


💰 DeFi ($26.5M | 9.40%)

  1. Brine Fi ($16.5M)

    • Privacy-focused DEX on StarkWare; $100M valuation.
    • Pantera Capital-led round highlights trust in order-book DEX models.
  2. LeverFi ($5M Strategic)

    • Decentralized leveraged trading with multi-collateral support.

🌐 Social/Creator Economy ($58M | 20.57%)


⚙️ Infrastructure ($13.9M | 6.84%)

  1. Socket Protocol ($5M)

    • Cross-chain interoperability for Coinbase Wallet/Base.
  2. D3 Global ($5M Seed)

    • Bridging Web2/Web3 domain systems.

💳 Digital Asset Management/Payment ($118M | 41.84%)


FAQ Section

❓ Why is Story Protocol significant?

It revolutionizes IP management by recording creative evolution on-chain, enabling transparent collaboration.

❓ What makes Brine Fi unique?

Its order-book model reduces slippage vs. AMMs, with 80ms latency—industry’s fastest.

❓ How does Pop Social empower creators?

By storing content on decentralized networks (IPFS), ensuring true ownership and censorship resistance. 👉 Learn about Web3 social


Trend Insight: Infrastructure and DeFi projects are attracting strategic funding despite market conditions, underscoring long-term viability.

Data sourced from public disclosures; commercial links removed per guidelines.


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