Bored Ape Yacht Club Creator Snags $450M in Funding for $4B Valuation

Yuga Labs, the creator behind blue-chip NFT collection BAYC, notched a $4 billion post-money valuation on its latest raise

article-image

Bored Ape Yacht Club | Source: NTFS.WTF

share
  • Venture capital firm Andreesen Horowitz (a16z) led the round
  • Yuga Labs recently acquired the intellectual property rights to NFT collections CryptoPunks and Meebits from Larva Labs

Yuga Labs has secured a virtually unprecedented $450 million in seed funding, bringing the startup to a post-money valuation of $4 billion.

Best known as the creator of popular NFT collection Bored Ape Yacht Club, Yuga Labs will use the capital for staff expansion and future partnerships, according to a Tuesday announcement.

The raise was led by venture capital firm Andreesen Horowitz (a16z). Other participants included blockchain-based game studio Animoca Brands, The Sandbox, LionTree, Sound Ventures, FTX and MoonPay.

“This capital will give Yuga speed to market on many things underway, and bring in new partners with strategic thinking that share the vision,” Guy Oseary, partner at Yuga Labs, said in a statement.

The move follows Yuga Labs’ recent acquisition of commercial rights to NFT (non-fungible token) collections CryptoPunks and Meebits from Larva Labs. The consolidation gives Yuga Labs the intellectual property rights of some of the three most profitable cryptoassets in the industry.

“Already, a new economy is possible with the IP of Apes, Punks, and Meebits, owned by the community,” Nicole Muniz, chief executive of Yuga Labs, said in a statement. “The possibilities for blockchain’s impact on culture are endless, and so we are building a beautiful, interoperable world for people to explore and play in. There’s a lot to come.”


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Javits Center North | 445 11th Ave

Tues - Thurs, March 24 - 26, 2026

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Unlocked by Template (1).jpg

Research

As AI supercharges surveillance, privacy becomes a prerequisite and the winning stack will combine confidentiality with selective disclosure. Zcash’s Tachyon, composable standards on Ethereum/Solana, and compliance-aware pools aim to make private rails the new norm.

article-image

The startup says it aims to rival Stripe and Worldpay by using stablecoins to speed merchant settlements from days to seconds

by Blockworks /
article-image

“S&P 500” for crypto comes as segment gains “established role in global markets,” S&P exec says

article-image

The S&P Digital Markets 50 Index combines 15 cryptocurrencies with 35 crypto-linked companies, offering investors hybrid exposure

by Blockworks /
article-image

Gnosis is betting that openness — not ownership — will define the future of onchain money

article-image

Crypto’s quest to imbue shareholder protections for tokens

article-image

Grass previously raised a seed and Series A rounds and plans to utilize the token purchase to execute on its roadmap