Follow Web3 news and funding trends with our daily updated dashboard on startups and investment in the Web3, crypto and blockchain sectors, based on Crunchbase’s comprehensive data.
Last updated: 10/16/2026
Eleven companies joined The Crunchbase Unicorn Board in April 2024 — a big jump up from the six companies that joined in April 2023 but still a fraction of the 40 added to the board in April 2022.
The Web3 Tracker is a one-stop shop for following Web3 trends, news and data about venture funding and leading investors in the sector.
Web3 refers to the next evolution of the internet primarily built on blockchain technology. While the concept has been around for just under a decade and didn’t enter mainstream usage until a few years ago, the Web3 sector has attracted more than $100 billion in investment, Crunchbase data shows.
Web3: A brief history
Whereas Web 1.0 represents the early days of the internet and its static, heavy content-related nature, Web 2.0 was the maturation of that into a more user-generated network that brought about more utility, sharing and interactivity.
Web3 could be the most significant step yet. The term was coined by Ethereum co-founder Gavin Wood in 2014 and refers to moving the internet toward decentralized technologies with the promise of increased transparency and accessibility. Proponents say the shift toward Web3 will make the internet open to more innovative technologies and shift power away from large tech companies.
Web3 is an umbrella term used to describe a new iteration of the Internet that’s primarily built on blockchain technology.
While the Internet of today—or Web2—primarily focuses on user generated content, social networking and cloud computing, Web3’s core focus is on decentralization, transparency and accessibility. The technology ushering in this new era was created in response to the centralized nature of the Internet and the perception that a handful of large corporations control what is and isn’t allowed on the web. Web3 proponents say it puts the power back into the hands of users and creates a more open, transparent and accessible Internet ecosystem.
A few examples of Web3 companies in the U.S. include Alchemy, a developer platform that helps companies build reliable decentralized applications; Polygon, a platform for Ethereum scaling and infrastructure development; and Chainlink, a startup that’s focused on making it easier for traditional data sources, such as APIs, to connect with blockchain technology.
The top three Web3 startups by total funding are Block.one, with $4.1 billion raised; Bitstocks Trading Limited, with £1.5 billion ($1.8 billion) raised; and FTX Exchange, with $1.7 billion raised.
The top three startups in the Web3 ecosystem with the highest valuations are FTX Exchange, valued at $32 billion; Blockchain.com, valued at $14 billion; and OpenSea, valued at $13.3 billion.
While Web3 isn’t a technology, there have been innovations created based on what the concept represents: a decentralized internet. An NFT, or non-fungible token, is an example of one such innovation. NFTs allow individuals to claim ownership over digital art and other assets. For example, if you’re an artist, you can turn an art piece into an NFT and sell it on a marketplace like OpenSea. To purchase the NFT, an individual might pay you 5 Ether for ownership rights. Your newly acquired Ether coins could then increase (or decrease) in value based on demand and market conditions.
A cryptocurrency is a digital currency that’s tradeable and uses cryptography to secure transactions. To create more transparency, these transactions are primarily stored on the blockchain, making them completely traceable.
There are a wide variety of cryptocurrencies, each with its own use case. For example, Bitcoin is considered a store of value. Stellar Lumens (also known as XLM), the token created by the Stellar Development Foundation, was created to help individuals transfer money quickly. These cryptocurrencies, and many like them, can be used for things like investing and making purchases.
Note: please do your research before investing in any cryptocurrency or digital asset.
No. Web3 is the name used to describe the innovations that blockchain technology has given rise to. Cryptocurrency is the digital currency used within the blockchain ecosystem.
To understand how Web3 works, first you need to know the basics of blockchain technology. The blockchain is a distributed database, or ledger, that’s not owned by any one entity (decentralization). It stores information, such as cryptocurrency transactions, in a digital format that can’t be edited or deleted (transparency). This information is stored in a “block” that connects to other blocks when it reaches storage capacity limits, creating a chain. Hence the name blockchain.
With the transparent and decentralized nature of the blockchain, developers are now building a new wave of innovative applications that leverage this technology; what is now known as Web3.
Yes. Our Web3 Tracker is a public resource. We do ask that you please cite Crunchbase as the data source and include a link to the Web3 Tracker when possible. For additional press inquiries, email press@crunchbase.com.
Please reach out to support@crunchbase.com if your company’s data needs to be updated or if something is missing.
All of our Web3 news and trends coverage is here.
The Data Foundation
$2B
The Data Foundation is a web3 technology developer whose goal is to change the way narrative universes are formed. The company's technology enables creators to develop a narrative plot with ownership and motivation by allowing them to create, control, and license intellectual property on-chain.
Bellevue, United States, North America
Number of Acquisitions 0
Total Funding Amount $164M
Nous Research
$2B
Nous Research develops open-source artificial intelligence models, agents, research tools, and infrastructure for AI development and deployment. Its work covers AI agents, model architecture, data synthesis, fine-tuning, reasoning, and natural language processing. The company develops Hermes Agent, an AI assistant available through terminal, desktop, and cloud environments, with capabilities for coding, research, creative tasks, and workflow automation. Nous Research also provides the Nous Portal, which gives users access to AI models, inference services, tools, and cloud hosting. Its research and product releases include language models, agent systems, datasets, and software designed for experimentation and practical AI applications.
Austin, United States, North America
Number of Acquisitions 0
Total Funding Amount $160M
OKX
$25B
OKX is a global digital-asset platform that provides cryptocurrency trading and investment services, including spot and derivatives markets, staking and other earning products, peer-to-peer trading, and Web3 tools such as a self-custody wallet and access to decentralized applications.
Mahé, Seychelles, Africa
Number of Acquisitions 0
Total Funding Amount $210M
SignSplit
$1B
SignSplit develops a platform for collecting, protecting, licensing, and monetizing real-world human data with consent and clear usage terms. The company connects individuals and institutions with organizations working in artificial intelligence, robotics, research, and media. Its infrastructure integrates identity verification, consent management, data attribution, licensing, and compensation to support transparent data contributions and responsible data use.
New York, United States, North America
Number of Acquisitions 0
Total Funding Amount $400M
Kraken
$21B
Kraken is a digital asset exchange and related services provider that enables users to buy, sell, trade, stake, and store cryptocurrencies. It offers spot trading, futures, margin trading indexes, over-the-counter (OTC) execution, and a multi-chain wallet. Kraken supports a large number of cryptocurrencies and fiat currency pairs, and it provides tools for both retail users and institutional clients. It also offers advanced order types, real-time market data, account management services, and resources for learning about blockchain and digital assets.
Cheyenne, United States, North America
Number of Acquisitions 21
Total Funding Amount $2B
Ripple
$40B
Ripple provides one frictionless experience to send money globally using the power of blockchain. It offers a global real-time payment system that enables banks and financial institutions around the world to directly transact with each other without the need for a central correspondent. The company also offers FX Market Making, a solution enabling enterprises to gain access to cross-currency liquidity through a distributed network that allows foreign exchange to be externally sourced from a competitive FX marketplace or an internal FX trading desk. This minimizes FX exposure thereby lowering the volatility and counter-party risk of trades. Ripple Insights features industry updates, insider perspectives, and in-depth market analysis.
San Francisco, United States, North America
Number of Acquisitions 8
Total Funding Amount $794M
OKX
$25B
OKX is a global digital-asset platform that provides cryptocurrency trading and investment services, including spot and derivatives markets, staking and other earning products, peer-to-peer trading, and Web3 tools such as a self-custody wallet and access to decentralized applications.
Mahé, Seychelles, Africa
Number of Acquisitions 0
Total Funding Amount $210M
Kraken
$21B
Kraken is a digital asset exchange and related services provider that enables users to buy, sell, trade, stake, and store cryptocurrencies. It offers spot trading, futures, margin trading indexes, over-the-counter (OTC) execution, and a multi-chain wallet. Kraken supports a large number of cryptocurrencies and fiat currency pairs, and it provides tools for both retail users and institutional clients. It also offers advanced order types, real-time market data, account management services, and resources for learning about blockchain and digital assets.
Cheyenne, United States, North America
Number of Acquisitions 21
Total Funding Amount $2B
Crypto.com
$20B
Founded in 2016, Crypto.com is trusted by millions of users worldwide and is the industry leader in regulatory compliance, security and privacy. Our vision is simple: Cryptocurrency in Every Wallet™. Crypto.com is committed to accelerating the adoption of cryptocurrency through innovation and development of new use cases including prediction markets and tokenized RWAs.
Singapore, Singapore, Asia
Number of Acquisitions 11
Total Funding Amount $400M
Polymarket
$15B
Polymarket enables participants to buy and sell shares that represent the probability of specific outcomes, with prices ranging between zero and one dollar to reflect market expectations. Trades occur in a peer-to-peer order book where users transact directly with one another rather than with a central counterparty. Polymarket uses USDC.e as collateral and represents positions as conditional tokens that are settled through smart contracts on the Polygon blockchain. Event outcomes are resolved through a decentralized oracle process that verifies results before distributing payouts to holders of winning shares. The platform uses a non-custodial model where participants maintain control of their assets through personal wallets while all transactions and positions remain publicly verifiable onchain.
New York, United States, North America
Number of Acquisitions 4
Total Funding Amount $2B
IPX Exchange
$125M
IPX Exchange operates an intellectual property exchange that tokenizes entertainment and cultural assets such as films, series, music, live events, podcasts, and sponsorship rights. The platform provides a SEC-aligned marketplace where creators, brands, and investors can fractionalize IP into on-chain assets, allocate capital, and receive automated royalty and revenue distributions in USDC. It integrates AI-driven tools for deal discovery, pricing, creator matching, and audience analytics, and uses smart-contract escrow with KPI-based release of funds. Through its ecosystem subsidiaries, IPX Exchange also supports live production, creator campaigns, sponsorship execution, podcast incubation, and studio-grade content development, all settling natively on the same exchange rails.
Number of Acquisitions 0
Total Funding Amount $4M
Saber Money
$4M
Saber Money provides stablecoin-based payment infrastructure for fintechs and businesses to manage cross-border transfers, crypto onramp and offramp services, and fiat settlement through APIs and local payout networks.
Bangalore, India, Asia
Number of Acquisitions 0
Total Funding Amount $0
mogul club
$126M
Our founders were trained at the epicenter of finance in the oldest, most prestigious club – Goldman Sachs. Shoulder-to-shoulder in the Real Estate Division, we spent 100-hour work weeks investing billions of dollars for the world’s wealthiest, old money establishments. With the little personal time we had, we tirelessly searched for a low-touch way to deploy our own capital into real estate. We found nothing. So, we built a solution, we used it, we loved it. Now we’re bringing it to you.
Washington, United States, North America
Number of Acquisitions 0
Total Funding Amount $20M
Jinghua Secret Computing is a company that provides cryptographic computing utilizing artificial intelligence.
Beijing, China, Asia
Number of Acquisitions 0
Total Funding Amount $15M
EFY Finance
$17M
EFY Finance is a cross-border payments platform with neobank features for Latin America. With corporate offices in Panama and operating under El Salvador's CNAD digital asset license, EFY enables individuals and businesses to move USD, USDT and other digital assets across borders — settling in hours instead of days, at a fraction of SWIFT's cost. The product suite includes the EFY Wallet, EFY Exchange, EFY Card (VISA), corporate USD sub-accounts and stablecoin on/off ramps, built on institutional-grade infrastructure. EFY Finance is operated by Efinti Holdings LTD (Cayman Islands).
Panama City, Panama, North America
Number of Acquisitions 0
Total Funding Amount $1M
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