After a cycle marked by regulatory uncertainties and a drop in digital asset prices, the crypto ecosystem returned to the radar of large investors in 2025. Startups in the sector are once again raising billions of dollars — now with a renewed focus on infrastructure, security, artificial intelligence, and decentralized finance (DeFi).
The movement indicates that the market is maturing. If before venture capital was attracted by promises of quick profits in speculative tokens, today funds are looking for technology-based solutions, with real potential for scale and integration with the global financial system.
In this article, we will bring you some updates on how the market for startups connected to the crypto universe is doing, so you can better understand potential opportunities in this sector.
The new profile of crypto startups
The startups that have raised the most funds in 2025 are not those that simply launch coins or trading platforms. Money is now going to projects with solid value propositions that help build the infrastructure of the new digital financial system.
The four main axes of capital attraction today are:
Blockchain infrastructure – scalable networks, interoperability between blockchains, Layer 2 and 3 solutions;
Digital security – tools for protection against fraud, hacks, and vulnerabilities in smart contracts;
AI applied to the crypto world – from trading bots to predictive analysis of on-chain data;
Institutional DeFi – platforms that connect large financial players to the universe of decentralized finance.
Thus, the current stage of maturity of the crypto universe has a direct connection with how the companies associated with it offer products and services. With greater demand for more sophisticated and in-depth items that solve more complex issues, it is naturally in this direction that we will see companies in the sector move.
Highlighted million-dollar rounds
The last few months have been particularly heated when we think about funding for crypto startups. According to market data, the total investments in these companies exceeded $2.7 billion during this period, marking a new breath for the sector.
This amount represents a 2.5% increase compared to the first quarter of the same year, although it is still 9.8% lower than the amount recorded in the same period of the previous year.
Among the highlights, we have:
The Swiss startup Colb, founded by Brazilian Yulgan Lira, raised $7.3 million in a seed capital extension investment round. The goal is to advance the project of tokenizing shares of companies in the pre-IPO process.
The decentralized social media platform Farcaster raised $150 million in a Series A round, standing out as one of the largest rounds of the period.
The startup MegaETH, co-founded by Shuyao Kong, raised $20 million in an initial funding round, focusing on the development of high-performance blockchains.
Tokenization also gains prominence
Another interesting movement is that the tokenization of real assets (RWAs) has ceased to be just a concept to become a form of fundraising. Some startups are replacing the traditional venture capital model with public or private sales of tokens backed by revenue streams, real estate, or financial instruments.
This model, although still sensitive in regulatory terms in some jurisdictions, has been adopted especially by financial infrastructure projects, which see tokens as a more liquid and accessible form of financing.
Why are investors returning?
The return of investments to the crypto sector in 2025 can be explained by a combination of factors.
First of all, there is an evident technological maturity: current projects are more robust, focusing on usability, scalability, and integration with the real world.
Moreover, institutional demand is growing — banks, funds, and even governments have shown interest in blockchain-based solutions, especially with the advancement of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and asset tokenization initiatives.
In addition, there is the return of liquidity in the global market, which has rekindled the appetite for risk among funds, although now with more technical and selective criteria.
Finally, the narratives for the next bull cycle are becoming increasingly solid — themes such as tokenized real assets, artificial intelligence applied to DeFi, and institutional blockchain infrastructure are drawing attention and expectation in the market.
Risks and cautions
Despite the optimism, the sector continues to demand attention from investors. Some points stand out:
Real adoption: many projects have yet to prove that they can attract real users;
Regulatory environment: the lack of clarity in some countries still generates legal uncertainties;
Speculative cycles: the risk of excessive hype remains, especially around themes like AI + crypto.
Therefore, even amid the euphoria, venture capital funds have been more selective. The focus is on experienced teams, transparent governance, and solutions with a defined target market.
One point that cannot be forgotten is that, even with a greater flow of investments into this sector, the cost of money in the world (i.e., interest rates) remains high, especially in developed economies like the US and the European Union.
As a result, projects that previously (with the global economy in 'zero interest') needed to prove themselves, now need to be much more robust to truly attract relevant investments.
So where are the opportunities?
The 2025 scenario makes it clear that investments in crypto startups are returning — but in a different way. Gone are the easy money from ICOs and in comes strategic capital in projects that build the foundation for the decentralized financial future.
The biggest opportunities are in infrastructure, security, institutional DeFi, and integration with real-world assets. For those who follow the sector with a long-term vision, this could be the ideal moment to identify the next unicorns in the Web3 universe.
In a market where technology evolves quickly and cycles are intense, understanding where capital is going is one of the best gauges to predict what lies ahead. And in 2025, the signs are clear: investors have returned — and they are more demanding than ever.
And you, have you considered investing in any crypto startup?
#startup #Investimentos #defi #RWA #AI
---
Photo by rawpixel.com, available on Freepik.
