Introduction As another GDC has wrapped up, the feeling is palpable that the gaming industry stands at a critical juncture. Meanwhile, the annual State of Game Industry Survey crystallized tensions across the industry, with respondents reeling from mass layoffs in 2023 and speculation about the impact of AI on even more jobs, product development and creative IP. Rife for disruption and seeking novel approaches to capture value, we believe the vertical is poised for transformative convergence with blockchain technology imminently. We believe that web3 gaming has meaningfully addressed the quali ..read more

Is There Still Time to Talk About Women in Web3? CoinFund values unconventional thinking, and our approach to International Women’s Day is more than cut and paste. Our mission, to champion the leaders of the new internet, is about more than just company and founder support — it means hiring incredible female talent and advocating for the diverse ecosystem we want to see, every day. Today is no longer International Women’s Day, but we should still be talking. We believe this starts in the workplace. Women need women in leadership positions to mentor and open doors. Currently, one fif ..read more

Introduction For crypto investors, the allure of staking — securing the network and earning passive rewards — is already core to Ethereum’s network identity and others, similar to how yield-bearing instruments in traditional finance play an important role in any portfolio. With the mainnet launch of Eigenlayer (with Eigen Labs recently announcing another $100M raise ahead of the AVS launch phase later this year), the ability for Ethereum to lend its security model to other protocols became possible, leveraging mainnet Ether to do so through a process called restaking. Enter ether.fi, the marke ..read more

Bagel Network: The Next-Gen Computable Data Layer for AI CoinFund is proud to lead a $3.1 million financing for Bagel Network, a startup building a decentralized protocol for collaborative embeddings datasets and expanding the decentralized AI computable data ecosystem. To get caught up on CoinFund’s ongoing research and investments on the emerging web3 x AI stack please see our previous content on Worldcoin, Giza, 2022 AI x web3 overview and our Gensyn seed thesis. Intro to Vector Embeddings As an introduction, vector embeddings are a way to convert words, sentences, images, and oth ..read more

The rush of this new year brings the feeling of growing interest in blockchain’s real-world applications beyond the more established sectors of payments, DeFi, gaming, and NFTs. Google Searches for DePIN (decentralized physical infrastructure networks) have more than doubled since August 2023. Companies specializing in DePIN are applying blockchain technology to existing market opportunities and introducing innovative and improved methods for managing marketplaces, physical and digital services, real-world assets, IoT, and data. While these more intricate use cases might not land with the hyp ..read more

“What leg of the journey is this, and what’s behind that hill?!” It’s a typical conversation in an emerging category, but perhaps no more so than in crypto, as a technical and social movement evolves on top of what feels like the careening rails of a roller coaster (or some days, a haunted house.) Web3 enthusiasts are passionate advocates for the future, tirelessly demonstrating the next iteration and eager to set the record straight when the mainstream may not quite see the vision that drives us. We have maxis, DAOs, crews and alpha. Gossip and good journalism. And if we didn’t already ..read more

Asset tokenization will be the bridge between crypto and traditional finance We are thrilled to announce that CoinFund has co-led Superstate’s $14MM first close of their Series A round, after participating in their seed round earlier this year. Superstate plays a critical role in the journey of traditional finance moving onchain, a long-promised vision whose moment appears to be approaching. For years, we have all heard the mantra “The Institutions are coming”, yet there has been limited overlap between traditional finance and blockchains to date. It’s not for a lack of synergies. Blockchains ..read more

What kind of market are we in today? Is it a bull market, a bear market, or something in between? Going to conferences is one of the best ways to truly get a sense of what’s happening on the ground. It allows for a firsthand view of how many developers are building in an ecosystem, what they are building, what challenges they face, what problems they see as the most important to solve, what holes exist in the tech stack that need to be filled, what unfulfilled customer demands exist, how mission driven are the builders, and seeing it all at once. Going to Breakpoint through the years has give ..read more

Why I Joined CoinFund — Dmitry Lapidus I am very excited to announce that I have joined the investment team at CoinFund to help the firm research, invest in, and champion the leaders of the new internet. Together with my colleagues, I am looking forward to dedicating my time and effort on supporting the formation of a future internet and financial system that is more transparent, objective and equitable. How did we get here? It’s a rarity in life when passion, personal experience, and professional pursuits align, and as I recount the path that led me here, it feels like a serendipit ..read more

Founder’s Corner: DIMO — the DePIN Force Driving the Future of Mobility co-authored by Natasha Khimji Welcome to the first edition of Founder’s Corner — where we interview founders of our portfolio companies who are making waves as the leaders of the new internet. Kicking off with Alex Rawitz from DIMO — read on for more about their vision for the future, and add your vehicle today. CoinFund (CF): Tell us a little bit about DIMO. What’s your one line pitch? Alex Rawitz (AR): DIMO is an open connected vehicle network that provides 20,000+ drivers and fleets with the best ..read more