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: 02/14/2026
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.
LayerZero Labs
$3B
LayerZero Labs is a blockchain messaging protocol developer that allows decentralized applications build across multiple blockchains. The company is a User Application (UA) configurable on-chain endpoint that runs a ULN.
Vancouver, Canada, North America
Number of Acquisitions 0
Total Funding Amount $351M
Anchorage Digital
$4B
Anchorage Digital is a regulated crypto platform that provides institutions with integrated financial services and infrastructure solutions. With the only federally chartered crypto bank in the US, as well as Anchorage Digital Singapore, which offers equivalent security and service standards, Anchorage Digital provides institutions an unparalleled combination of secure custody, regulatory compliance, product breadth, and client service. Founded in 2017, Anchorage Digital is valued at over $3 billion with funding from leading institutions including Andreessen Horowitz, GIC—Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, Goldman Sachs, KKR, and Visa. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Anchorage Digital is remote-friendly with offices in New York, New York; Porto, Portugal; Singapore; and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Learn more at anchorage.com, on Twitter @Anchorage, and on LinkedIn.
San Francisco, United States, North America
Number of Acquisitions 3
Total Funding Amount $487M
TRM Labs
$1B
TRM Labs is a blockchain intelligence company that helps financial institutions, crypto businesses, and government agencies detect and investigate crypto-related financial crime and fraud. Our products are trusted by leading companies including PayPal, Visa, FTX, Uniswap, Anchorage, and federal agencies such as the FBI and IRS. Every day, we tackle challenges in data engineering, data science, and threat intelligence to advance our mission to build a safer financial system for billions of people. To accomplish our mission, we have raised over $79M from JPMorgan Chase, Visa, Citi, PayPal, Block, Tiger Global, and Bessemer. Our team is made up of world class experts from the FBI, U.S. Secret Service, US Treasury Department, McKinsey, Coinbase, and top-tier tech companies. TRM is a remote-first workplace, with hubs in San Francisco, Washington, DC, and London.
San Francisco, United States, North America
Number of Acquisitions 2
Total Funding Amount $220M
Talos
$2B
Talos Trading is an institutional technology infrastructure provider that connects all crypto ecosystem participants to support a full trading lifecycle. Talos Trading is based in New York, NY and was co-founded by Anton Katz and Ethan Feldman in 2018.
New York, United States, North America
Number of Acquisitions 4
Total Funding Amount $190M
Mesh
$1B
Mesh Pay is a payment infrastructure platform that enables businesses to accept and send digital assets and cryptocurrency transactions through a single integration. It supports connectivity with hundreds of wallets and exchanges, and processes payments, deposits, verification,s and global payouts, settling funds in stablecoins or local currency to reduce volatility risk and increase completion rates. The platform includes SmartFunding™, which orchestrates funding from multiple sources to streamline checkout and payout processes, and offers real-time address validation and settlement features. Mesh Pay also provides programmable wallet capabilities for autonomous commerce and routes funds securely across wallets, banks and exchanges.
San Francisco, United States, North America
Number of Acquisitions 0
Total Funding Amount $195M
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
Kraken
$20B
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.
San Francisco, United States, North America
Number of Acquisitions 19
Total Funding Amount $1B
Discord
$15B
Discord operates as a voice, video, and text communication service to talk and hang out with friends and communities. It was originally created for people who loved to play games, but these passionate people realized it could be enjoyed for more purposes. Discord is now used by everyone from local hiking clubs, to art communities, to study groups.
San Francisco, United States, North America
Number of Acquisitions 3
Total Funding Amount $983M
Trade Republic
$15B
Trade Republic is a mobile-only and commission-free broker that brings the opportunity to invest easily. The company works as a broker for a new generation for a more mobile, more intuitive, faster - and permanently free of commission. Trade Republic was founded in 2015 and based in Berlin, Germany.
Berlin, Germany, Europe
Number of Acquisitions 0
Total Funding Amount $1B
OpenSea
$13B
OpenSea is a peer-to-peer marketplace for crypto collectibles and non-fungible tokens. It includes collectibles, gaming items, and other virtual goods backed by a blockchain. On OpenSea, anyone can buy or sell these items through a smart contract.
New York, United States, North America
Number of Acquisitions 4
Total Funding Amount $427M
Hedpay
$36M
Hedpay Inc. is a MSB company in Canada, holding Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) “Wallet, Payments, Currencies and Exchange” is FINTRAC registered #M21881883, compliant with the financial authority regulation in Canada. HEdpAY is an advanced hybrid fintech platform a next generation solution that merges regulated financial services with blockchain powered digital asset capabilities. The platform offers secure payments, global transfers, business tools, DeFi yield services, and seamless management of both fiat and crypto in one place. With scalability, compliance, and user experience at its core, HEdpAY aims to accelerate the global shift toward digital finance and strengthen its role as a leading hybrid banking provider worldwide. HEdpAY brings traditional banking and blockchain together into one smart, user friendly ecosystem. Whether you’re a business or an individual, you can now: • Manage FIAT and Crypto in one place • Send fast global payments • Access Hybrid DeFi earning tools • Use compliant digital services with real banking structure • Enjoy secure, borderless, modern finance • Enjoy virtual and physical card globally Why HEdpAY? Today’s financial world is divided. We built HEdpAY to connect them, giving users the reliability of traditional finance with the speed and opportunity of blockchain.
Montréal, Canada, North America
Number of Acquisitions 0
Total Funding Amount $3M
Web3Safer
$5M
Over $4B+ lost in 2025 to wallet compromises. Once a private key is compromised, loss is final. This creates two bad options: centralized custody (loss of sovereignty) or "use at your own risk" (total exposure to theft). This fundamental security gap blocks institutional adoption of tokenized assets (DeFi, RWAs) at scale. Web3Safer solves this with a dual-layer infrastructure: - ON-CHAIN: RBM protocol enables non-custodial post-compromise containment & recovery without trusted intermediaries - OFF-CHAIN: LockerApp secures keys/seeds against infostealers with encrypted multi-device vault + MFA We're building the security primitive that makes final loss obsolete—enabling secure self-custody at scale.
Number of Acquisitions 0
Total Funding Amount $0
Uniswap Labs
$2B
Uniswap Labs is a software company founded in 2018 by Hayden Adams, the company’s CEO, who invented the Uniswap Protocol, a peer-to-peer system for swapping digital assets that has processed $2.75 trillion in volume since its founding. Uniswap Labs builds some of the most widely adopted DeFi products including a web interface, self-custody mobile wallet, and an API for professional market players.
New York, United States, North America
Number of Acquisitions 1
Total Funding Amount $178M
iBLOXX
$30M
iBLOXX provides web based gaming development services. They also provide web3 support, marketing, and making services. They also develop AI design and machine learning algorithms. They provide consulting and advisory services, as well as infrastructure and software development.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Asia
Number of Acquisitions 0
Total Funding Amount $10M
LayerZero Labs
$3B
LayerZero Labs is a blockchain messaging protocol developer that allows decentralized applications build across multiple blockchains. The company is a User Application (UA) configurable on-chain endpoint that runs a ULN.
Vancouver, Canada, North America
Number of Acquisitions 0
Total Funding Amount $351M
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