The second week of April saw a wave of high-profile deals and fundraising in the crypto space, with total investments exceeding $1.5 billion. Leading the charge was Ripple’s massive $1.25 billion acquisition of prime brokerage firm Hidden Road. Other notable rounds include Wunder Social’s $50 million raise and several key developments across DeFi, Bitcoin-native finance, and social platforms.
🔹 Ripple Acquires Hidden Road for $1.25 Billion
Ripple, the blockchain company behind the XRP Ledger, made headlines with its acquisition of Hidden Road a global prime brokerage firm in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $1.25 billion.
The acquisition is designed to strengthen Ripple’s institutional infrastructure and expand its services to larger financial institutions. Part of the payment includes XRP tokens and Ripple equity. Hidden Road’s founder, Marc Asch, will continue to lead the firm under Ripple’s umbrella.
“Ripple needs to make sure we have the infrastructure in place to appeal and expand to a larger segment of the biggest bulge bracket institutions,” said CEO Brad Garlinghouse in an interview with Fortune.
This acquisition alone accounted for the majority of the week’s $1.5B+ crypto VC activity.
🔹 Wunder Social Raises $50 Million
British startup Wunder Social emerged with one of the largest social platform raises in the UK this year, securing $50 million in funding from Rollman Management and other key investors.
Set to launch in 2025, Wunder aims to reshape the $200 billion social media industry with a platform built on Base, promising zero bots, real ad revenue sharing, and a clean user-first experience. Former TikTok marketing head Ryan Martin has joined as the company’s CMO.
🔹 Blackbird Grabs $50 Million for Restaurant Loyalty
Restaurant-focused loyalty platform Blackbird raised $50 million in a Series B round backed by Spark Capital, Coinbase Ventures, and a16z crypto.
The platform, aimed at enhancing customer retention in the hospitality sector, has now raised $85 million total — following a $24M Series A. Blackbird is gaining traction with on-chain membership and loyalty solutions designed specifically for dining experiences.
🔹 Meanwhile Raises $40 Million for Bitcoin Life Insurance
Bitcoin-native life insurance provider Meanwhile closed a $40 million Series A, led by Framework and Fulgur Ventures.
Regulated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority, Meanwhile offers life insurance and annuity products denominated in Bitcoin, targeting users seeking protection against inflation and fiat currency risks. The round follows a $20.5 million seed investment, with notable backing from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley.
🔹 Solix DePIN Secures $29.5 Million
Decentralized bandwidth marketplace Solix DePIN raised $29.5 million in a round backed by Eclip Foundation. The capital will support enhancements to smart bandwidth allocation, AI-powered optimization tools, and global scaling efforts. Solix plans to collaborate with cloud service providers and content delivery networks to broaden its utility.
🔹 APX Lending Raises $20 Million
Compliant crypto-lending platform APX Lending secured $20 million from CypressHills, a private credit investment firm. The platform offers asset-backed lending solutions tailored for institutional-grade users looking to unlock liquidity from their crypto holdings.
🔹 BugsCoin Snags $12 Million for Web3 Financial Education
BugsCoin, a Web3 financial education platform, announced a $12 million Series A round with backing from Becker Ventures, Castrum Capital, BullPerks, and others. The total funds raised to date now stand at $20.5 million, and the platform aims to enhance access to decentralized finance education globally.
🔹 Towns Protocol Adds $10 Million to Series B
Decentralized communication protocol Towns secured $10 million in additional Series B funding. The round included fresh participation from a16z crypto, Coinbase Ventures, and Benchmark. With total funding now at $61 million, Towns is working to build on-chain, community-owned communication layers for the internet.
🔻 Notable Rounds Below $10 Million
- Cap Labs: $8M for DeFi yield aggregation
- Octane Security: $6.75M for AI-driven crypto security
- OpenZK: $6M in stealth funding
- DecentralGPT: $3M Series A for decentralized AI integration
- Firefish: $1.8M Seed for new DeFi protocol
- Sats Terminal: $1.7M for Bitcoin yield strategies
- Lyzi: $1.42M for Tezos-based payments
- Libraro: $1.28M Seed for decentralized content libraries
April’s second week showcased continued investor enthusiasm in the crypto and Web3 ecosystem. Ripple’s $1.25 billion Hidden Road buyout marked a return of major M&A activity, while innovative projects like Wunder Social and Meanwhile are signaling that capital is flowing toward both infrastructure and consumer-centric platforms. With over $1.5 billion raised, crypto VC is clearly off to a powerful Q2.
