Crypto VC Funding Rockets to $16.5B in 2025—Smashing All-Time Records
Blockchain backers just doubled down—hard. Venture capital floods crypto at a blistering pace, with 2025's $16.5B haul putting previous bull runs to shame. TradFi dinosaurs, take notes.
The Gold Rush 2.0
Forget pickaxes—this time, VCs are deploying algorithmic shovels. DeFi, NFTs, and layer-2 solutions slurp up 78% of inflows while bankers still debate whether Bitcoin 'has intrinsic value.'
When Lambo? Now.
Series A rounds now close faster than a memecoin pump. Founders sport seven-figure Telegram handles, and SEC subpoenas are worn as badges of honor. Meanwhile, your pension fund still thinks 'stablecoin' refers to a reliable chair.
The train's leaving the station—and this time, it's powered by zero-knowledge proofs instead of hopium.
Half-year crypto venture capital deal volume since 2021 | Source: CEX.io
This volume already surpasses the $12.2 billion recorded in all of 2024. It also exceeds the $10.9 billion in 2021, which was previously the highest year on record. For this reason, CEX.io suggests that 2025 may become the top year ever for crypto startup funding.
Additionally, the crypto industry accounted for 5.3% of global venture funding—its highest share in three years. This figure has steadily grown since the 2024 U.S. elections, indicating that a shift in policy may be a key driver of renewed investor confidence.
Finance leads in Venture capital funding
The industry segment attracting the most funding remains finance, which captured 51% of deal volume. This includes both centralized and decentralized finance projects, which continue to dominate. Infrastructure, encompassing hardware, security, bridges, and oracles, also saw a notable increase, driven by large deals involving Bitmain and TWL Miner.
Blockchain L1 and L2 network deals saw a significant contraction, and now accounts for just 2% of deal volume. At the same time, the AI-focused crypto project share is steadily increasing, now reaching 5% of total deal volume.
While the total size of funding has grown in recent years, the number of funding rounds has declined. Notably, the average size of funding rounds hit a record $20 million in the first half of 2025, marking a sharp rebound from the downturn following the 2022 market crash.
