Crypto startup funding surged to $2.4 billion in the first quarter of 2024, marking a second consecutive quarter of growth, according to data from PitchBook. Expectations of lower interest rates and the launch of the first US bitcoin spot ETF fueled this 40.3% increase from the previous quarter. Despite the global venture capital investments hitting a near five-year low, the crypto sector saw substantial investor interest spread across 518 deals.

PitchBook 的数据显示，2024年第一季度加密货币初创公司融资额飙升至24亿美元，连续第二个季度实现增长。利率下降的预期以及美国首个比特币现货ETF的推出推动了这一季度较上一季度 40.3% 的增长。尽管全球风险投资达到了近五年的最低点，但从518笔交易中可以看出，投资者对加密货币行业表现出了浓厚的兴趣。

The rise in funding comes after a significant downturn from the peak of over $10 billion in early 2022, driven by economic uncertainties and the collapse of major market players. However, the approval of spot bitcoin ETFs by US regulators, with offerings from financial giants like BlackRock and Fidelity, has bolstered the credibility of digital assets, pushing bitcoin to an all-time high of $73,803 in March. This renewed confidence is expected to continue driving venture capital into the sector, as PitchBook analyst Robert Le noted.

在经济不确定性和主要市场参与者崩溃的推动下，融资额在2022年初超过100亿美元的峰值后大幅下滑。然而，美国监管机构批准了现货比特币ETF，以及贝莱德 (BlackRock) 和富达 (Fidelity) 等金融巨头的产品，增强了数字资产的可信度，将比特币在3 月份的资额推升至73,803美元的历史新高。PitchBook 分析师Robert Le指出，这种新的信心预计将继续推动风险资本投资该行业。

Infrastructure-focused crypto and blockchain startups attracted the most funding during this period, with the largest deal being decentralised cloud platform Together AI’s $106 million early-stage round led by Salesforce Ventures, valuing the company at $1.1 billion. According to Le, early-stage deals are becoming increasingly competitive and often receive higher valuations than their late-stage counterparts. While exits remain low, mergers, particularly among exchanges, custodians, and infrastructure providers, are anticipated to increase as the market evolves.

在此期间，专注于基础设施的加密货币和区块链初创公司吸引了最多的资金，其中最大的一笔交易是由Salesforce Ventures早期融资领投1.06亿美元的去中心化云平台Together AI，该公司估值为11亿美元。Le 表示，早期交易的竞争越来越激烈，并且往往比后期交易获得更高的估值。尽管退出率仍然较低，但随着市场的发展，预计合并将会增加，尤其是交易所、托管机构和基础设施提供商之间的合并。