Compiled by: Luan Peng, RootData
According to RootData's incomplete statistics, 21 public investment and financing events occurred in the blockchain and crypto industry from August 11 to August 17, 2025, with a total financing of approximately $2.295 billion.
In terms of track distribution, the financed projects are mainly concentrated in infrastructure and CeFi tracks. Hot projects include crypto payment infrastructure company Mesh, Seattle game studio Neon Machine, GPU collateral stablecoin protocol USD.AI, and Kenyan Web3 payment platform HoneyCoin.
Additionally, Web3 payment infrastructure company Transak announced a new round of $16 million financing, co-led by IDG Capital and Tether, with participation from Primal Capital, 1 kx, Protein Capital, and Fuel Ventures.
[The rest of the translation follows the same professional and precise approach, maintaining the specific terminology as instructed.]According to BitKE, the Kenyan Web3 payment platform HoneyCoin announced the completion of a $4.9 million funding round led by Flourish Ventures, with funds to be used for expanding operations, enriching product lines, and recruiting executives. HoneyCoin's founder David Nandwa established the company in 2020 at the age of 19, and the platform now has a monthly transaction volume exceeding $150 million, serving 350 enterprise clients and tens of thousands of users.
HoneyCoin enables instant or same-day settlement through a stablecoin-compatible platform, supporting business in 45 countries, and has established partnerships with institutions like MoneyGram, UBA Bank, and Stripe. This funding will help further expand its team and compliance layout.
According to CoinDesk, Web3 payment infrastructure company Transak announced the completion of a $16 million funding round, co-led by IDG Capital and Tether, with participation from Primal Capital, 1kx, Protein Capital, and Fuel Ventures.
Transak plans to use these funds to expand its stablecoin payment stack and enter new markets.
Peter Thiel investment group acquires 7.5% stake in Ethereum treasury company ETHZilla
According to Cryptobriefing, billionaire investor and PayPal and Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel disclosed holding a 7.5% stake in biotech company ETHZilla (formerly 180 Life Sciences), which recently completed a $425 million private placement and $156 million convertible debt issuance to be used for increasing Ethereum holdings.
This is Thiel's second Ethereum treasury enterprise investment after acquiring a 9.1% stake in BitMine in July. Following the news, ATNF's stock price rose over 11% in a single day and surged 57% after hours.
V. Others
According to PR Newswire, Nasdaq-listed Thumzup Media Corporation, in which Donald Trump Jr. has invested and holds cryptocurrency reserves, announced the issuance of pre-funded warrants to replace common stock to certain investors at $10 per share, with an expected total fundraising of $46.5 million. The transaction is expected to be completed around August 12, 2025, subject to customary closing conditions.
The company intends to use the net proceeds from this issuance to purchase cryptocurrencies and mining equipment, working capital, and general corporate purposes.
Blockchain payment company Riva completes $3 million seed round, led by Project A
Global payment company Riva Money announced the completion of a $3 million seed funding round, led by Project A, with participation from individual investors from Revolut, Monzo, and J.P. Morgan.
Riva optimizes cross-border payment processes through blockchain technology and stablecoins, aiming to reduce costs, accelerate settlement, and provide more favorable exchange rates. Founded by former Revolut and Wise executives Niklas Hoejman and Mahendra Katoch, the company is applying for payment institution authorizations in the UK and EU, as well as MICA and VASP licenses to advance its global compliance layout.
According to businesswire, Nasdaq-listed Heritage Distilling announced the completion of a $220 million funding round, with participation from a16z crypto, Amber Group, Arrington Capital, dao 5, Hashed, Mirana Ventures, Neoclassic Capital, Open World, Polychain Capital, Selini Capital, Stix, and Syncracy Capital.
The company will allocate $82 million to purchase IP tokens to establish an IP token reserve.
