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.

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.

@Yellow Builders, this is your signal! 🤝

We’re excited to announce the first major partner of the newly formed Yellow Builders Alliance. @cointelegraphac will consider the best Yellow ecosystem projects, and those that make the grade could qualify for investments worth up to $100k alongside other valuable benefits.

Excited to partner with @Yellow, opening the door for high-potential teams to access funding, mentorship, and distribution. Together, we’ll help nurture the next generation of builders shaping the industry. 🤝

The biggest threat to Web3 may not come from within Web3 at all. Major VCs see sustained high interest rates as one of the top non-crypto risk factors for the crypto market over the next 18 months, followed by geopolitical escalation. Disruption in traditional financial institutions and regulatory uncertainty in the U.S. ranked closely behind. The signal is clear: web3 is increasingly being shaped by the same external forces influencing the rest of global capital markets. Founders and investors shall understand that the next cycle will not be defined by technology and innovation alone, but by the ability to operate through macro pressure, policy uncertainty, and global instability.

Still sitting on that pitch deck? 👀 Spots are going fast. The room is full of investors who want to hear from you. 🚀 Judging VCs: @Victusglobal @NobrainerCorp @1kxnetwork @MaelstromFund @LondonRealTV @JobitedCom Joined by @Yellow, @CointelegraphAc, @Bankless, @tokentus_AG, @VerdaVentures, @gda_capital and more! Do you have what it takes or nah? 🤔 Sign up now: luma.com/tbvdemoday12

@_thebestevent @Victusglobal @NobrainerCorp @1kxnetwork @MaelstromFund @LondonRealTV @JobitedCom @Yellow @Bankless @tokentus_AG @TobiasTBV @Brent_Fulfer Excited to be part of this! Looking forward to the pitches. 🤝

🔥 INSIGHT: Global macro conditions are clearly shaping venture investing. A survey by Cointelegraph Research shows that 75% of VC managers consider macro conditions when shaping their investment strategy. Only 25% described that influence as minor or negligible. Macro is no longer a background variable in venture. It is an active input into how funds think about deployment pace, risk calibration, follow-on planning, and portfolio management. That does not mean investors are suddenly making top-down bets. It means the operating environment is exerting real pressure on decision-making. Inflation, tariffs, and higher capital costs are contributing to a more selective fundraising market and changing how conviction gets expressed.

Builders accelerate on @Injective ⚡ A cohort of startups is moving through the Cointelegraph Accelerator Program, building new apps and infrastructure across the Injective ecosystem: • @Kustodia_mx • @SvimFinance • @SuperApp_io • @azmth_ai • @falqexchange • Realmint • @HandlPay • @ParadyzeFi • @enhancer_fi Founders get access to mentorship, funding opportunities, developer support, and global media exposure as they push toward the next stage of growth.

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BailSec is proud to be chosen as the new security partner for @Cointelegraph Accelerator. Excited to consult on security and mentor the next wave of teams on their journey - helping them build safely, grow, and win in the market. BailSec - exposes risks that others overlook.

Most Web3 accelerators offer KOL introductions and GTM support. That is table stakes in 2026. What most cannot offer: editorial coverage and direct distribution to 5M @Cointelegraph readers and almost 3M X followers. CT Accelerator is not a springboard. It is the amplifier. That is the difference between exposure and real distribution.

RWA is one of CT Accelerator’s 8 priority sectors for the 2026 cohort. The strongest applicants share three traits: • A verifiable onchain track record • A clear underlying asset • A real yield mechanism for holders

RWA is up 87% year-on-year, and the next wave of tokenization is already underway. Hong Kong just approved the world’s first tokenized concert revenue deal. This expands the RWA playbook beyond traditional assets like real estate and bonds. Now music royalties, ticket revenue, and entertainment cashflows can go onchain.

Every DeFi protocol should pass walkaway test, says Vitalik Buterin.

GM. With markets this volatile, are you heads down building or looking for entries? 👀

Deep dive here: 👇 s3.cointelegraph.com/reports/VC_Act…

🔎 INSIGHT: RWA tokenization has grown from $4.5B to $38.1B in just three years, despite market structure legislation remaining under negotiation. Dean Khan Dhillon of @RWA_xyz says, “The genie is already out of the bottle. The need for tokenised assets is structural. As long as institutions see lower costs, faster settlement, and more liquidity, this industry will keep booming.”

@CantonNetwork Read the full report: s3.cointelegraph.com/reports/VC_Act…

BlackRock, Franklin Templeton, Ondo, Backed, they all launched on Ethereum first. Why do institutions keep choosing public chains? Melvis Langyintuo of @CantonNetwork says, “The key differentiator is interoperability and composability. It gives the ability to atomically coordinate transactions across multiple stakeholders, products, and markets. These properties expand distribution, liquidity, and asset velocity.” The result: Ethereum hosts about 60% of tokenized RWAs and over 400 assets worth $12B+

What caused the drop in L2 funding? Deep dive here: 👇 s3.cointelegraph.com/reports/VC_Act…

🔎 RESEARCH: VC appetite for Layer 2s collapsed in 2025, with just $162M raised across 21 projects, marking a 72% drop in capital compared to 2024.