General Catalyst, Jump Trading pile on as crypto startups raise $155 million

Investment Overview - Venture capitalists invested $155 million into 14 crypto startups this week, bringing total investment to nearly $25 billion in 2023, representing a 160% increase from last year [1] - Major investors include tech-focused firms like General Catalyst, Jump Trading, Coinbase Ventures, and traditional financial institutions such as BNY Mellon and Nasdaq Ventures [1] Market Trends - Investors are increasingly focusing on real revenue and infrastructure, with layer-1 blockchains and stablecoin issuers attracting significant capital due to their clear business models and measurable traction [2] - The funding reflects Wall Street's commitment to developing compliant and high-performance digital asset infrastructure for institutional markets [4] Notable Funding Rounds - Canton Network raised $50 million in a strategic round, backed by BNY Mellon, Nasdaq Ventures, iCapital, and S&P Global, aiming to power tokenized assets through atomic transactions [3] - Portal secured $25 million led by JTSA Global, focusing on Bitcoin's utility in DeFi through layer-2 atomic swaps across multiple blockchains [5][6] - Ostium Labs raised $20 million in a Series A round led by General Catalyst, offering decentralized exchange services for perpetual futures on real-world assets [7]