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Execs remain positive on long-term prospects amid VC funding downturn

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As crypto prices remain at lower levels, venture capital (VC) funding also recorded one of its worst quarters since 2021. Despite this, executives in the space remain optimistic about the industry’s long-term potential. 

Crypto data platform RootData highlighted that the second quarter of 2023 delivered one of the worst performances in terms of crypto fundraising. Compared with the first quarter of 2022, where $12.62 billion were raised across 559 funding rounds, Q1 2023 saw around $2.1 billion across 292 rounds — an 83% decrease in VC investments flowing into the space.

Quarterly crypto fundraising trend data chart. Source: Rootdata

Despite the flow of venture capital funds slowing down, professionals working in the space believe there’s still a strong ongoing belief that crypto has potential in the long term. 

Gvantsa Chkuaseli, the head of structuring and fundraising at Web3 accelerator Outlier Ventures, told Cointelegraph in a statement that despite the downturn in Q4 2022, there’s also been an uptick in activity. According to Chkuaseli, this suggests investors strongly believe in blockchain’s long-term potential.

“We can see with our own portfolio, such as Mawari’s recent $6.5 million seed round co-led by Blockchange Ventures and Decasonic, and Zinc’s $5 million Series A, that there is interest despite the challenging conditions,” Chkuaseli explained.

Chkuaseli added that some investors appear undeterred by the recent downturn and continue to back early-stage companies within the sector. “We still believe, though, there are reasons to be optimistic,” Chkuaseli said. The executive also noted the massive interest in startups focused on artificial intelligence (AI), highlighting that fetch.ai received $40 million in funding from DWF Labs earlier this year.

Saqr Ereiqat, co-founder of Dubai-based venture-building firm Crypto Oasis, believes that despite the negatives brought about by the downturn, there are still positive takeaways from the current situation. Ereiqat explained:

“On the positive side, this shift allows for a more discerning selection process, ensuring that only the most promising projects receive funding. Moreover, the challenging times serve to crystallize the winners, separating the truly innovative ventures from the rest.”

Even though there are positive outlooks, the executive still expressed empathy toward projects that are struggling because of the lack of funding. “It’s disheartening to witness numerous companies facing the risk of extinction due to the scarcity of funding opportunities,” he said. Ereiqat also told Cointelegraph that this situation emphasizes the importance of strategic decision-making for projects.

Similar to Chkuaseli, Ereiqat also highlighted how AI-focused projects are still seeing massive amounts of investments. Citing the $1.3 billion funding round for Inflection AI, the executive said there’s a growing opportunity within the AI startup landscape.

Related: Crypto VC is struggling only from a North American perspective — Animoca Brands CEO

Meanwhile, Phillip Lord, the president of the crypto payments platform Oobit, believes that it’s necessary for entrepreneurs to focus on building companies with sustainable business models and clear revenue streams. According to Lord, this help VCs be compelled to invest in their projects. He said:

“We are currently in a higher interest rate cycle, and rates are expected to remain high for the next three to five years. As such, businesses should avoid the ‘growth at any cost’ model, and instead focus on building strong and sustainable operations that will stand the test of time.“

Lord also highlighted that the VC model is experiencing a change because of AI. “Burn rates of companies can drastically come down if AI is fully embraced,” Lord said. The executive also predicted that there would be solo entrepreneurs earning more than $25 million annually “with literally no staff” because of AI.

Magazine: AI Eye: Is AI a nuke-level threat? Why AI fields all advance at once, dumb pic puns

Cryptocurrency

Coinbase Tanks 11% Pre-Market After $1.5B Q2 Revenue Miss

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Coinbase shares fell sharply after the company reported second-quarter earnings that missed expectations. Total revenue for the quarter came in at $1.5 billion, representing a 26% decline from the previous quarter.

The shortfall was largely driven by weaker-than-expected transaction revenue, which fell 39% quarter-over-quarter to $764 million.

Missing Expectations

In the official release, Coinbase revealed that its subscription and services revenue also declined 6% to $656 million. Despite efforts to reduce variable costs, operating expenses climbed 15% to $1.5 billion. Coinbase attributed this largely to the $307 million hit related to the data breach disclosed in May.

The crypto exchange recorded a net income of $1.4 billion, but this figure included $1.5 billion in pre-tax unrealized gains from strategic investments, including in Circle, as well as a $362 million pre-tax gain from its crypto investment portfolio. On an adjusted basis, net income stood at just $33 million, with adjusted EBITDA reaching $512 million.

Coinbase’s trading activity also underperformed the broader crypto spot market, as global and US crypto spot volumes declined 31% and 32% respectively. Meanwhile, its total trading volume fell 40% to $237 billion, and the consumer segment witnessed a 45% drop to $43 billion.

Consumer transaction revenue plunged 41% to $650 million, as volume shifted toward Simple trades amid low volatility. Institutional transaction revenue also saw a similar pattern, down 38% in both volume and revenue.

While Base Chain activity grew, other transaction revenue dropped 21% as average revenue per transaction declined.

As of the close on the previous trading day, Coinbase (COIN) shares were priced at $377.76, up slightly by $0.28. However, pre-market trading shows a sharp decline, with the stock down $42.30 (-11.20%) to $335.46. This steep drop suggests a strong negative reaction from investors, likely in response to recent earnings results.

Despite grappling with declining revenues and rising costs, Coinbase is doubling down on product innovation.

“Everything App”

Earlier this month, Coinbase rebranded its Wallet as the Base app, launching a crypto-focused “everything app” that merges trading, social media, USDC payments, mini-apps, and tokenized posts.

Announced at its “A New Day One” conference, the app runs on Coinbase’s Ethereum Layer 2 network and integrates Farcaster for social feeds, Zora for post tokenization, and encrypted XMTP chat. Users can earn from tips, interact with AI agents, and make one-tap payments.

The platform also introduced Base Pay for Shopify merchants and plans 1% USDC cashback in the US. The app is in beta, while a full public release and developer tools are expected soon.

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Cryptocurrency

Dogecoin Slides 8% but Long-Term Channel Holds, Can DOGE Rebound?

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TL;DR

  • Dogecoin dropped to $0.20, moving in a $0.23 to $0.20 range during heavy selling.
  • Analysts see support in the long-term channel and a wedge pattern aiming for $0.265.
  • Large holders bought 310 million coins, while Bit Origin added 40 million to reserves.

Dogecoin Records Sharp Daily Decline

Dogecoin (DOGE) fell 8% in the past 24 hours, dropping from $0.22 to $0.21. This was one of the steepest daily moves for the token in July. The price action moved within a $0.23 to $0.20 range, facing resistance at the top and heavy selling near the session close.

However, trading volumes spiked, with a midnight surge to 1.25 billion DOGE, which points to large liquidations and cascading sell orders from leveraged positions. 

Dogecoin trades at $0.20 as of press time, down 11% over the past week, giving it a market cap of $31 billion.

Long-Term Channel Remains Intact

Trader Tardigrade shared a 1-month chart showing DOGE inside a long-term ascending channel that has held since 2014. DOGE has often bounced from the lower boundary of this channel, shown in pink on the chart.

Meanwhile, the current price is near the lower-middle part of the channel, an area that has led to multi-month rallies when the trend held. Dogecoin’s long-term structure stays intact while it trades within this ascending channel, even after the recent decline.

In addition, Trader Tardigrade also noted that Dogecoin’s monthly candle closed as the third consecutive bullish engulfing candle, which he described as a setup for a potential “move to Valhalla.”

Short-Term Wedge and Institutional Activity

Ali Martinez noted that DOGE may be forming a falling wedge on the 1-hour chart, with a projected target of $0.265. A move above $0.229–$0.230 would confirm bullish momentum, while $0.215–$0.210 remains key support if the wedge fails.

Institutional wallets acquired 310 million DOGE during the correction. Bit Origin added 40 million DOGE to its treasury under a $500 million diversification program. Broader crypto markets remain pressured by macroeconomic uncertainty, with inflation and equity risk shaping short-term demand.

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Cryptocurrency

Pepe Dollar ($PEPD) Presale Picks Up Pace as Ethereum (ETH) Hovers Over $3,600

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[PRESS RELEASE – Covina, United States, August 1st, 2025]

Within the Ethereum ecosystem, Pepe Dollar ($PEPD) has entered its presale phase. Described as a meme token with integrated utility and cultural references, $PEPD introduces a tokenomics structure intended for long-term application. Certain Ethereum wallet holders have initiated ETH transfers to the presale, indicating early transactional activity.

Overview of $PEPD’s Positioning

Pepe Dollar ($PEPD) enters the market as a parody token referencing central banking themes, aiming to engage users through cultural commentary and decentralized finance (DeFi) mechanisms. Unlike traditional meme tokens, which often adopt simplified or repetitive token structures, $PEPD integrates design elements that combine cultural motifs associated with Pepecoin and components of DeFi architecture.

Comparison to Prior Meme Tokens

Pepe Dollar ($PEPD) enters the Ethereum ecosystem following the emergence of other meme tokens such as Pepecoin ($PEPE), $BONK, $LILPEPE, and $HYPER. The $PEPD model incorporates a tokenomics framework that includes a burn mechanism framed as a commentary on centralization. Its listing on CoinMarketCap has contributed to broader visibility. On-chain data indicates that several large Ethereum wallets have begun transacting with the token during its presale phase.

Pepe Dollar Presale – ETH’s Capital Rotation

Pepe Dollar’s presale architecture and project identity offer a compelling setup:

Presale Fundamentals:

  • Current Price: $0.004688
  • Tokens Sold: 166,938,905
  • Next Presale Price (Stage 2): $0.006495
  • Launch Price: $0.03695

Tokenomics and Supply

Pepe Dollar ($PEPD) will have a fixed supply of 3.6951 billion tokens. According to the project, 29% of the total supply is scheduled to be permanently removed at launch through a mechanism termed the “Federal Burn,” which is framed as a symbolic reference to traditional inflationary monetary systems.

Additional details disclosed by the development team include:

  • No developer tax mechanisms
  • No backdoor unlock functions
  • A publicly documented tokenomics model

Ethereum-Native Infrastructure

Pepe Dollar is designed to launch natively on Ethereum and integrate with existing Ethereum-based DeFi tools. The protocol includes functionality to support a meme asset minting platform, enabling users to create, deploy, and govern new assets using $PEPD. The project describes itself as operating at the intersection of cultural commentary and decentralized finance.

Project Links and Official Channels

About Pepe Dollar ($PEPD)

Pepe Dollar ($PEPD) is a decentralized Layer-2 payment infrastructure designed for the meme economy. Positioned as a satirical digital asset, $PEPD offers an alternative approach to traditional financial systems and aims to facilitate value creation within decentralized ecosystems.

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