Cointelegraph Accelerator

What does $34B in crypto VC tell us about 2025? Not what you’d expect. • Top-3 deals account for $5B • Focus is on Strategic rounds, investments up 160% • RWA’s funding exploded (from $0.8B to $2.5B in 2 years) • L2 funding collapsed (down 72% YoY) The market didn’t just recover. It reorganized. Our new report breaks down who’s winning and who got left behind. Featuring insights from: @CryptoRank_io,@DWFLabs ,@CantonNetwork, @RWA_xyz, @Mercuryo_io.

Builders are accelerating on @injective. ⚡ Cointelegraph Accelerator recently wrapped its 12-week Injective cohort with a Demo Day featuring 8 projects building across AI, RWAs, trading infrastructure, payments, and DeFi. Hosted by Cointelegraph Accelerator Head David Shengart, founders pitched investors, VCs, mentors, and ecosystem partners after weeks of support across strategy, product, tokenomics, compliance, GTM, fundraising, and community growth. Meet the cohort: • @Kustodia_mx — smart contract escrow infrastructure for high-value LATAM P2P transactions • @ParadyzeFi — AI-powered trader development platform for perpetual futures with behavioral analytics and onchain trading identity • @HandlPay — social media handles as cross-chain stablecoin payment addresses • @0xundefined_ — institutional RWA credit curator connecting Asian real-world credit markets with onchain capital • @realmintio — cross-chain RWA marketplace with a native scoring and discovery layer • @SvimFinance — AI-powered onchain wealth layer aggregating RWAs, DeFi, and trading strategies • @projektanimas — AI execution engine for prediction markets and DeFi • Founder @Lahnshen — building Falq, a unified onchain trading terminal for perpetuals, memecoins, and prediction markets From tokenized credit and RWA infrastructure to AI-native trading systems and seamless stablecoin payments, the cohort reflects the expanding range of applications emerging on Injective. A huge thanks to the Injective ecosystem, mentors, advisors, investors, and partners who helped support the program and the founders building through it. The next generation of Injective builders is already shipping.

We are happy to share 10X Founders Demo Day landed on @Cointelegraph ⚡️ One of the biggest media moves in Web3. Kudos Cointelegraph team! 🔗 cointelegraph.com/press-releases… 150+ founders applied. Top VC judges confirmed. $125,000+ prize pool locked. Massive thanks to @yellow__capital, @Yellow, @Chain_GPT, @CointelegraphAc, @LunarStrategy and @cedehub — we built this together; every co-host brought real work to the table. Shoutout to the VC judges joining us on the panel – @dunleavy89 (@VarysCapital), @al_nechaev (@FundersVC), @jessiexiao_eth (@StarknetFndn), @CharCrypto96 (@Magnus_Fund), @eddybitcoin (@CoinsiliumGroup), @BTC_Mick (@DraperVC). Thanks for showing up and giving builders a real shot at being heard. May 1. The room is set. Pitch lineup dropping soon 👀

Most demo days are a stage. This one is a gauntlet. Inspira Labs and @yellow__capital are launching the 10X Founders Demo Day — and we are pleased to welcome four formidable industry leaders as our co-hosts: @Chain_GPT, @CointelegraphAc, @LunarStrategy and @cedehub. A structured virtual pitch session where selected Web3 founders present to a judge panel composed of Inspira Labs, Yellow Capital, and leading VCs, receiving structured feedback, direct introductions, and real capital conversations. Every project on stage is pre-vetted. Every judge at the table deploys capital or runs infrastructure. This isn't a showcase. It's a stress test. 🔗 Apply now: luma.com/x1uvhjxj

-30% off all PRO packages 🤩 We’re celebrating April with a special offer from CryptoRobotics — connect any PRO package for a period of 1 month or more with a 30% discount. The monthly packages will cost you: • Basic PRO — $13 instead of $19 • Expert PRO — $69 instead of $99 • Signals PRO — $89 instead of $129 What do the PRO packages include? ✅ Trading Bots ✅ Signals from professional analysts ✅ Advanced smart orders and trade automation ✅ Unlimited analytics dashboard for portfolio and instrument monitoring ✅ Adding strategy to the bot function 🏆 Become a PRO with a 30 % discount 👉 CryptoRobotics.ai The sale is valid until April 30, 2026 ⚡️

Brickken has closed a €3M Pre-Series A round at a €38M valuation. The round brings in strategic partners from across Europe, investors with deep expertise in digital transformation and financial infrastructure at an institutional scale. They came in on the back of a year defined by execution: • 150+ clients onboarded across 30 countries • $500M+ in assets tokenized • Client base and revenue doubled Institutional tokenization is a long game. The past year was about proving we could play it. This round wasn't planned, it was earned. As institutional traction built, strategic investors came forward ahead of our Series A. We brought in partners whose expertise and networks accelerate what we're already executing on. The capital has a clear mandate: establish The Brickken Group as our international holding structure, build out our regulatory capabilities across key markets and financial hubs, including MiCA in the EU and VARA in the UAE, expanding the infrastructure capabilities that enable us to serve institutional clients worldwide. As major institutions move from exploration to deployment, tokenization infrastructure layer for capital markets has become essential, and that is exactly what we provide. "This financing marks a deliberate step toward institutional scale. We are investing heavily in regulatory readiness and operational depth to support asset managers, issuers, and financial institutions as on-chain finance becomes a core component of capital markets." Edwin Mata, CEO of Brickken. Series A is ahead. The foundation is in place.

We’re beyond excited to have our old friends join us tonight! 🚀 Suji @suji_yan: Founder of @masknetwork Emily @emilyRioFreeman: Founder of @byreal_io VladimirS @Vladimir_CT: Head of Research @Cointelegraph Jessica Young @JessicaMetaEra: CEO of @MetaEraCN As we celebrate a major SoSoValue milestone, we’re bringing together an incredible panel to discuss: "How to build a new financial world onchain." Don’t miss out on this deep dive into the future of DeFi and the launch of SoDEX. Tune in at 10 PM SGT / 2 PM UTC: x.com/i/spaces/1pKkO…

Meet the speakers joining the Infrastructure Adoption panel at Cointelegraph Connect: Cannes Edition @luke_judges, Partner Director, @Ripple @ashtokyo, CCO, @Mercuryo_io @jdetychey, President, @Ethereum_France @al_nechaev, Partner, @fundersvc @MlvsBznz, Executive Director, @CantonFdn 🗓April 2 📍Canopy by Hilton, Cannes

Join top DeFi leaders at Cointelegraph Connect: Cannes Edition @charlesdhaussy, CEO of @dYdXfoundation @bees_neeth, Investment Partner & Co-founder of @etherealvc @0xJHan, CEO of @eulerfinance @0x_eunice, Co-founder of @monad 🗓 April 2 📍 Canopy by Hilton, Cannes

💥We’re excited to welcome @StaniKulechov, Founder of @Aave Labs, to the stage at Cointelegraph Connect: Cannes Edition. Join us for an exclusive fireside chat diving into the future of DeFi and beyond. 🗓April 2 📍Canopy by Hilton, Cannes.

@StaniKulechov @aave RSVP→ lu.ma/z7gy1iax

🌐 Join us at Cointelegraph Connect: Cannes Edition and hear from leading voices shaping tokenized finance: @mr_optimax, Co-founder & President, @centrifuge @0xMuchScience, Chief Blockchain Officer, @TokenySolutions @RedoudouM, Executive Director, @entethalliance @arthurkatz_eth, CIO, @OneAsset_io 🗓April 2 📍Canopy by Hilton, Cannes

@mr_optimax @centrifuge @0xMuchScience @TokenySolutions @RedoudouM @EntEthAlliance RSVP→ lu.ma/z7gy1iax lu.ma/z7gy1iax

💥We’re excited to welcome @StaniKulechov, Founder & CEO of @Aave, to the stage at Cointelegraph Connect: Cannes Edition. Join us for an exclusive fireside chat diving into the future of DeFi and beyond. 🗓April 2 📍Canopy by Hilton, Cannes

@StaniKulechov @aave RSVP→ lu.ma/z7gy1iax lu.ma/z7gy1iax

Launch a White Label platform and monetize your audience 💰 Do you have a strong community, but no product that can be scaled and earn a steady income? Every day you attract attention, share expertise, and build trust.… But your community uses third-party services for trading. It's time to fix it! 😎 ✅ With a ready-made White Label solution from CryptoRobotics, you get your own trading platform. What does this mean? 🔹 A quick start — from idea to launch in just 1-6 weeks 🔹 A product packaged in your corporate identity 🔹 Functionality for your tasks: bots, signal bots, signals, smart orders, demo exchanges, a panel with advanced analytics We'll also provide you with a personal manager, the necessary documentation, and provide training for the team. Are you ready to take it to the next level? 📲 Please contact our manager to learn more about the terms and conditions: t.me/greg135

Builders, this is your moment! Join the Pitch Contest at Cointelegraph Connect: Cannes Edition — April 2! Powered by @FundersVC with an epic $25K cash prize 💸 💥 $180K total prize pool 🏆 Prizes by: @FundersVC , @QuillAudits_AI, @hashlock_, @chain_GPT, @chaingpt_Pad, @Cointelegraph Ready to pitch? 👇 airtable.com/app7iGYyQ3icct…

@FundersVC @QuillAudits_AI @Hashlock_ @Chain_GPT @ChainGPT_Pad More details: luma.com/z7gy1iax

We’re bringing Cointelegraph Connect to Cannes! Join us for a curated Web3 gathering for founders, investors, and industry leaders. Co-hosted by @CointelegraphAc 🗓April 2 📍Canopy by Hilton, Cannes

@CointelegraphAc RSVP→ lu.ma/z7gy1iax

75% of VC firms are not pulling back on crypto in 2026. According to a Cointelegraph Research survey, 75% of firms expect their crypto allocation in 2026 to increase or remain unchanged from 2025. Only 25% anticipate a decrease. The signal is clear: institutional interest in crypto is holding. Capital may be deployed more selectively, but most firms are maintaining or expanding exposure rather than stepping away.