From Cointelegraph

April 30, 2025 3:30:00 pm:

Crypto markets saw a positive shift in sentiment in April after months of volatility. Venture capital continued to flow into promising startups in layer-1 blockchains, infrastructure, RWA, and Web3 social media. Notable funding deals included Unto Labs raising $14.4M for their layer-1 blockchain Thru, Optimum closing an $11M seed round, and Octane launching with $6.75M for cybersecurity in crypto.

Unto Labs secured $14.4 million in funding to develop their scalable layer-1 network Thru, built on the RISC-V standard. Electric Capital and Framework led the funding round, with support from angel investors in the Solana engineering community. Thru aims to address mainstream adoption challenges faced by blockchains by offering a new approach to blockchain architecture.

Optimum, a blockchain infrastructure developer, closed an $11 million seed round with participation from 16 VC firms. The company is leveraging Random Linear Network Coding (RLNC) technology developed at MIT to create a high-performance memory layer for blockchains. RLNC helps blockchains overcome scalability issues by breaking down data into small pieces.

Octane, an AI cybersecurity startup, raised $6.75 million in a seed round led by Archetype and Winklevoss Capital. The platform focuses on detecting vulnerabilities in blockchain systems to prevent cyber attacks. With over $11.3 billion in losses from crypto attacks, Octane aims to provide continuous analysis of smart contracts for potential threats.

Inco, a blockchain confidentiality protocol, secured $5 million in funding from a16z CSX and other investors. The company is developing confidential computing technology for blockchains, with its first product, Inco Lighting, offering privacy for onchain applications. Inco aims to address the challenge of confidentiality in blockchain technology adoption.

Towns Protocol, a Web3 social media platform, raised $10 million in a Series B round led by a16z and Coinbase Ventures. With plans to launch 10 billion TOWNS tokens, Towns allows users to build messaging apps for digital communities. The platform has generated $11.5 million in total revenue, with 90% going to creators.

Colb Asset SA, a Switzerland-based fintech firm, raised over $7 million to tokenize pre-IPO equity opportunities. The funding will support Colb’s efforts to expand its tokenization platform and cross-border payment infrastructure. The company aims to boost adoption of its USC stablecoin, the first Swiss-compliant, US dollar-pegged stable asset.

Read more at Cointelegraph: Funding surge targets confidentiality, tokenization and Web3 infrastructure