TechFlow news, on August 8, RootData data showed that from August 2023 to date, crypto financing activities have risen in tandem with secondary market trends, but the number of funding rounds has decreased by 10% compared to Bitcoin's peak in November 2021. During the same period, monthly funding volume dropped from $6.12 billion at the bull market peak to $1.01 billion, a decline of approximately 83%. In this cycle, project valuations have been adjusted, increasing funding needs, yet the difficulty of securing funding has also intensified. Participation from crypto angel investors will support more early-stage founders and project innovation.
Based on investment activity and influence, RootData released the top 50 crypto angel investors over the past year (August 1, 2023 – August 1, 2024). The top ten investors collectively participated in $18.8 billion across 234 funding rounds over the past year. Investments were primarily distributed across infrastructure (15.9%), DeFi (9.2%), and GamFi (8.3%). Emerging AI projects accounted for 4.7%, surpassing institutional investor interest in modular (2.6%), LSD (2.1%), DePIN (1.13%), and RWA (0.75%) sectors.
Over the past year, Sandeep Nailwal, co-founder of Polygon, was the most active, participating in 39 investments including Berachain’s $100 million Series B round, as well as projects such as Ether.Fi, Succinct, and Movement. Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder and CEO of Solana, invested in 12 infrastructure projects over the past year, accounting for 26% of his total investments. Prominent angel investor Balaji Srinivasan made 24 investments totaling $230 million, focusing primarily on AI and tool-related projects. Well-known NFT collector dingaling participated in over 30 funding rounds, with gaming finance projects making up 48% of his total investments.
