As crypto cools, a16zcrypto raises a $2.2B fund

In a blog station that lays retired a imaginativeness for crypto’s future, ranging from a “new fiscal system” to warnings astir “opaque” AI, a16zcrypto announced a caller $2.2 cardinal fund. This is the VC firm’s 5th money and brings the full raised to day to $9.8 billion, it says.

In addition, the money besides promoted its CTO, Eddy Lazzarin, to General Partner, bringing the GP investing squad to 4 people. Lazzarin joins Chris Dixon, Ali Yahya, and Guy Wuollet. The money has backed standout companies similar Coinbase, Kalshi, and Solana Foundation.

The timing of this quality is simply a spot ironic, with crypto trading successful specified a dilatory play that Coinbase announced connected the aforesaid time it was laying disconnected 14% of its workforce. March was the slowest trading-volume period crossed crypto exchanges since November 2023, crypto information and quality tract CoinGecko reported.

VC investing successful crypto startups has cooled, too, landing astatine astir $5 cardinal successful the archetypal 4th of 2026, compared to person to $6 cardinal successful the year-ago quarter, reports DLNews, citing stats from crypto information tract DefiLlama.

The a16zcrypto partners admit this. They picture however crypto highs gully successful concern and a fervor of startups, but that “we’re astatine 1 of those quieter moments now,” they write. However, they importune that overmuch of what gets built during a downtime “is usually much utile than it looked astatine the peak, and much durable than it looked astatine the trough.”

Hot marketplace oregon not, determination is VC wealth retired determination for blockchain-related startups that tin woo VCs. The portion founders volition person to flooded is that immoderate of the biggest crypto VCs are present being seduced by AI startups. This is an country swimming successful rising valuations.

For instance, Paradigm, 1 of the biggest and astir prestigious crypto funds, is reportedly moving connected raising a caller $1.5 cardinal money to grow its thesis into robotics and AI, The Wall Street Journal reported successful February. Plus, Y Combinator, which has cranked retired many crypto and blockchain-related startups implicit the years, didn’t inquire for immoderate successful its astir caller “Requests for Startups” list.

Earlier this week, erstwhile Andreessen Horowitz capitalist Katie Haun announced that her crypto-focused firm, Haun, has besides raised a caller $1 cardinal fund and volition proceed to put successful this market. But she’s besides looking for AI cause tech arsenic it intersects with crypto/blockchain and fintech.

The latest a16zcrypto money volition not beryllium lured distant by hotter markets, a spokesperson tells TechCrunch, promising that it volition beryllium “dedicated 100% to crypto entrepreneurs.”