Funding Roundup: Crypto companies raised $823M in September

Thirty-three DeFi companies announced raises last month, data from the TIE terminal shows

article-image

Deacons docs/Shutterstock modified by Blockworks

share

$823 million. 

That’s the amount raised by crypto companies in September alone. The sum is broken up across 200 different companies that raised last month, with Celestia’s ecosystem fundraise of $100 million topping that list. 

Infinex was a close second, raising $65 million through public token sales. 

Strategic funding, like Celestia, topped the amount of funding done last month, in part helped by TON Foundation’s raises for its ecosystem funds. But seed rounds are topping the charts, per TIE data. 41 companies raised seed rounds last month. 

Read more: Funding Roundup: Celestia’s raised $155M

Last month, DeFi companies raked in the funding money, with 33 companies announcing raises. 

Source: The TIE Terminal

But that group didn’t raise the most money. Instead, it was Protocol Development, which raised a total of $192 million, per the data.

Source: The TIE Terminal

So far, October is looking quiet — aside from some token unlocks coming later this month. A reaction to the spooky season or are we just taking a collective breath? It’s too soon to tell.

Now onto a funding announcement…

Humanode exclusively told Blockworks that it was launching an Ecosystem Funding Program. The $10 million program aims to “support and nurture the next generation of Sybil-resistant projects on its chain.”

Read more: Funding Roundup: HackVC leads funding round for DePIN Grass 

It’s unclear who participated in the raise, however, with the team noting that it was supported by “funds and angels.”

The program will initially focus on “consumer dapps with the potential to reach one million users. To many, that goal may seem small, however, the key here is that this will be on the Humanode EVM, utilizing crypto biometrics for Sybil resistance.” 

Humanode plans to collaborate with the projects selected for the program, offering not only funding but also technical, media and community-building support. Both the founders and other members of the Humanode Core Team will assist these projects throughout the process.

Read more: Web3 Watch: EthCC attendees ask: “Where are the apps?”

They clarified in this case, “users” refers to unique individuals, not accounts.

“I know it sounds cliche, but we are investing in people and projects that have the drive and potential to hoist their flag, mark their place in the industry and understand the value of Sybil-resistance in their dapps,” Dato Kavazi, the co-founder of Humanode, said.


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

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

Upcoming Events

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

Research Report Templates.png

Research

Kaito stands out as a rare monetization success in AI, generating ~$20.8M ARR from Yapper Leaderboards and Kaito Pro. Already the default platform for token launches with 43 pre-TGE leaderboards, it is expanding into the post-TGE market with 49 major projects live. The Capital Launchpad has raised $12.7M in two weeks, adding $630K in fees. With underpriced staking yields and a defensible data moat, Kaito is positioned as the clear leader in InfoFi.

article-image

Hot markets have made for big paydays this year

article-image

Gold is proof that belief sustained over millennia creates real value; crypto is hoping to take a shortcut

article-image

Fears that rollups would abandon Ethereum haven’t materialized — instead, chains like Celo and Lisk have migrated the other way

article-image

Crypto IPO hype has room to run as Bitwise exec says there remains a “massive shortage” of public crypto firms

article-image

The state-backed token is being deployed across 7 blockchains and will direct profits toward education

article-image

Helium has over a million daily users, and recent mechanics include an emission halving and a circulating supply burn