Index Ventures Raises $2B Fund, Signals Shift Away From Crypto

Brave Bio Files for $319M IPO, a16z Backs Biotech Bet

Soter Insure Closes First Tranche of Series B Led by Galaxy Digital

Crypto VC Firms Drop to 150, Lowest Since November 2020

Stripe Economist Says AI Isn't Fueling US Productivity Boom — Crypto Infrastructure Could Feel the Ripple

Nic Carter Declines World Liberty Financial Investment Over Lack of Product

Silicon Valley Pours Cash Into Nuclear Startups as AI Drives Power Hunger

Crypto Deal-Making Collapses to Just 44 Deals in July

Enigma Raises $70M in Seed Funding, Signaling Renewed Crypto Confidence

Real Madrid's Pursuit of Yan Diomande Signals Crypto-Style Speculation in Football

Chamath Palihapitiya Outlines Two Main Problems for Bitcoin — But Details Are Scarce

Anduril Industries in Talks for $100 Billion Valuation, Nearly Doubling Recent Round

Anduril's $61B Valuation and the Thunder Drone: What It Means for Crypto Investors

Lovable Nears $1B ARR, $6.6B Valuation Puts Crypto VCs on Notice

Founders Fund Hires Former OpenAI Executive Ryan Beiermeister as Partner

Draper Admits He Blew Coinbase Investment, Son Reaped the Rewards

Emergent Hits Unicorn Status After $130 Million Series C Raise

Bitcoin

The $2B valuation for a pre-launch startup underscores the massive capital inflows into AI, even amid a broader crypto bear market. This could accelerate the convergence of AI and blockchain, as investors seek tokenized models for data sharing, model training, and drug IP. However, it also highlights that traditional VC funding remains dominant, potentially sidelining crypto-native AI projects unless they demonstrate clear advantages in transparency or incentive alignment.

OpenAI researcher Miles Wang is leaving to launch an AI drug discovery startup, reportedly in talks to raise $200M at a $2B valuation.

OpenAI Researcher Miles Wang Leaves to Launch $2B AI Drug Discovery Startup

Miles Wang's $2B AI Drug Startup Proves DeSci Is Still a Niche – Crypto's Decentralized Science Tokens Face an Uphill Battle

Israeli Startups Raise $8.6 Billion in First Half of 2026, a 45% Jump

Smaller Venture Funds Outperform Larger Rivals, Data Shows

As traditional social media faces centralization and censorship issues, venture funds from ex-Big Tech talent often explore Web3 solutions. The Ghost Angels fund may indirectly accelerate crypto-native social platforms by bringing capital and Silicon Valley expertise. This aligns with a broader trend of tech talent migrating into crypto after leaving legacy companies.

A group of 20 Snap alumni launched a fund called Ghost Angels to back the next generation of social media.

Snap Alumni Launch Ghost Angels Fund for Next-Gen Social Media

Ghost Angels Launch in Extreme Fear: Snap Veterans Bet on Social Crypto Bottom While Retail Panics

Generalist AI Secures $400M Funding at $2B Valuation

Laffont: Unicorn Valuations Jump 70% Since September, AI Funding Soars

Benchmark Capital Raises $2 Billion, Breaks 20-Year Tradition of Smaller Funds

SOND’s $7M raise fits a larger trend of AI integration into daily wellness devices, mirroring how crypto projects often pivot to AI narratives for funding. While not directly crypto-related, it reinforces that AI hardware remains a hot sector, potentially diverting speculative capital away from crypto in the short term.

SOND, a sleep tech startup led by Bose's former head of sleep products, exited stealth with $7 million in funding for its AI-powered sleep earbuds.

SOND Exits Stealth With $7M for AI Sleep Earbuds, Led by Ex-Bose Exec

SOND's AI sleep earbuds will accelerate demand for decentralized personal data infrastructure, creating a hidden catalyst for crypto data markets.

The travel-tech fundraise signals that traditional venture capital is still flowing into offline sectors, which may compete for capital that could have otherwise rotated into crypto during a period of extreme fear. Larger trends show a divergence: while crypto markets are in bearish contraction (F&G at 11), non-crypto VC deals like this suggest risk appetite remains healthy outside the digital asset space.

Airbnb-led Series C round raises $58M for WeRoad's group travel platform expansion to the US.

Airbnb Leads $58M WeRoad Round for U.S. Expansion

Airbnb's $58M travel bet exposes crypto's extreme fear as a misplaced panic - capital is still flowing into growth assets, hinting at an upcoming relief rally.

AI Companies Raise $380 Billion in Capital, Dominating Investment Flows This Year

AI Funding Surge Reshapes Venture Landscape, Pressuring Non-AI Startups

Mega-Unicorn Valuations Face Revenue Reality Check

Anthropic Secures $65B in Funding as AI Infrastructure Investments Surge