Crypto Venture Funding Rebounds: Surges to $5.11B in October

Crypto venture capital activity continued its steady recovery in October, closing the month with $5.11 billion in reported deals. Investor confidence strengthened after a slower summer, and funding levels nearly matched the March 2025 peak of $5.79 billion. Early data suggests that October’s final total could rise further once all undisclosed rounds are reported.

US Leads Crypto VC Revival as October Funding Hits $5.11B

Venture activity gained momentum across late-stage projects, indicating that investors favored established ventures over early experimental platforms. The United States maintained its dominant position, securing $2.26 billion in deals. 

Meanwhile, international projects with undisclosed deal details contributed another $1.63 billion. Overall, October ranked as the second-strongest month for crypto VC activity since 2022.

Over the past year, funding patterns have undergone notable shifts. Investors are focusing more on projects with proven business models and less on speculative tokens with limited liquidity. This change reflects lessons learned from the 2021–2022 cycle, during which many low-float assets struggled in secondary markets.

VC Market Recovers with 127 Deals and Late-Stage Focus

A total of 127 funding rounds closed in October, marking a return to typical investment activity levels. Coinbase Ventures once again led the space, participating in 10 rounds, followed by Yzi Labs with five deals.

Echo’s $375 million raise, led by Coinbase Ventures, was one of the month’s largest announcements. Founded by well-known crypto personality Jordan Fish (also known as Cobie), Echo attracted significant institutional attention. Prediction market platform Kalshi also raised $300 million, reinforcing the trend toward larger, late-stage investments.

Average deal sizes ranged between $3 million and $10 million, although major rounds such as Kalshi and Tempo helped lift overall totals. Larger fund allocations have become increasingly common as mature projects seek growth capital.

Investment activity was concentrated in several key sectors:

• AI-linked crypto projects accounted for 32% of all funding activity.
• Binance Alpha initiatives made up more than 15% of total deals.
• Real-world assets (RWA) and payment solutions remained steady investment targets.
• Developer tools continued attracting mid-sized rounds.
• NFT and gaming projects saw limited funding, reflecting a shift away from 2021’s dominant categories.

Coinbase Ventures also participated in several smaller rounds between $5 million and $20 million, expanding its footprint across early infrastructure and application layers.

Crypto Fundraising Tops $7B in October, Driven by Private Token Sales

Token sales continued to perform strongly alongside venture funding. October’s ICO and IDO activity reached $7 billion, just below September’s $7.15 billion. Private placements dominated with 177 token rounds, while public sales were quieter, raising roughly $94 million across 61 events. Retail participation declined further as institutional and large investors took on a greater role.

Rather than participating in public sales, many retail investors turned to airdrops and point-based reward systems, which have partially replaced traditional fundraising methods. Binance Wallet delivered some of the strongest returns, averaging 1,364% so far in 2025 and surpassing PancakeSwap as the leading token distribution platform.