Shalini Nagarajan

ParaFi Digital Opportunities, Framework Ventures, and 1kx allege that <a href="https://blockworks.co/tag/curve" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Curve</a> founder Michael Egorov carried out an elaborate fraudulent scheme that spanned six months, deceiving them in multiple ways.



Egorov purportedly misled the three venture capitalists starting in 2020 by making false promises of granting them a stake in Curve.&nbsp;



He is said to have used their network and reputation to gain trust and legitimize Curve, according to their most recent <a href="https://webapps.sftc.org/ci/CaseInfo.dll?SessionID=1F4572B39AD289AEBB9F14C065325F8203E47EB8&amp;URL=https%3A%2F%2Fimgquery.sftc.org%2FSha1_newApp%2Fmainpage.aspx%3FWeb_Server%3Dimgquery.sftc.org%26MINDS_Server%3Dhoj-imx-01%26Category%3DC%26DocID%3D08533304%26Timestamp%3D20230609013525%26Digest%3D05da02677bf2046d8a4610a17a67437b96563648" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">complaint</a> filed in San Francisco in April. The litigation, first <a href="https://www.dlnews.com/articles/people-culture/vcs-parafi-framework-1kx-sue-curve-founder-michael-egorov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a> by DL News, was originally filed in October.



As things unfolded, Egorov supposedly stole the plaintiffs&#8217; trade secrets, which included valuable information like industry contacts, investors and investment know-how for Curve.&nbsp;



Curve Finance is a platform meant for exchanging tokens with low fees by using pools of similar assets. Liquidity providers to the platform are rewarded with the protocols native token <a href="https://blockworks.co/price/crv" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CRV</a> and trading fees.



Egorov is accused of fraudulently luring the plaintiffs to invest in his company. He then allegedly used their money to boost the value of Curve, denied them their promised shares and fled to Switzerland, renouncing his US residency. All this was done to keep the profits for himself, leaving the plaintiffs out in the cold, they claim.



The plaintiffs’ claimed that Egorov justified “significantly shifting the power [to govern Curve] in his favor.” Instead of letting go of his power in the Curve DAO, he sold some CRV tokens to enrich himself while still keeping significant control, they added.



“Because he deposited plaintiffs’ funds into Curve’s liquidity pools, Egorov has received CRV tokens and fees as an incentive for providing liquidity,” attorneys for the VCs said.



Blockworks has reached out to ParaFi, Framework Ventures, 1kx and Egorov for comment.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Egorov seeks Swiss resolution for lawsuit</h2>



According to <a href="https://webapps.sftc.org/ci/CaseInfo.dll?SessionID=1F4572B39AD289AEBB9F14C065325F8203E47EB8&amp;URL=https%3A%2F%2Fimgquery.sftc.org%2FSha1_newApp%2Fmainpage.aspx%3FWeb_Server%3Dimgquery.sftc.org%26MINDS_Server%3Dhoj-imx-01%26Category%3DC%26DocID%3D08575322%26Timestamp%3D20230609020055%26Digest%3D21fc360c443dd4f9b50e8af253e5fe25bc485782">court documents</a> filed on May 22, Egorov&#8217;s attorneys claim that the lawsuit filed in San Francisco is a response to ongoing litigation in Switzerland that began three years ago. They argue that Egorov&#8217;s company, Swiss Stake (Curve’s license holder), had the right to terminate that litigation.



Egorov is now requesting to either postpone or dismiss the lawsuit filed by the plaintiffs, arguing that the case should be handled in Switzerland, as the parties contractually agreed to resolve it there.



“To justify their blatant forum shopping, plaintiffs concocted a new and compelling story painting Egorov as an evil villain who duped three naïve VC firms into giving up ‘trade secrets’ (such as the names of widely known investors) and $1M in invested funds (that Swiss Stake promptly offered to return),” Egorov’s lawyers said in the filing.



“This tale of woe — which, in three years of Swiss litigation, Plaintiffs somehow never mentioned — is fiction,” they added.



They further claimed that Egorov established Swiss Stake in 2019 in Switzerland, as the country is known for being a leading hub for blockchain tech. And during their negotiations, the plaintiffs desired to invest in Swiss Stake and engaged their own Swiss legal representation to draft and finalize an investment agreement with Egorov, they said.



Swiss Stake ultimately decided to end the investment agreement involving the plaintiffs and started refunding the funds that investors had initially paid, according to them.



While other investors allegedly accepted the refunds, the plaintiffs refused them and instead filed a lawsuit in Zug against Egorov and Swiss Stake in August 2020. They claimed breach of contract and specifically referred to the Swiss forum selection clause.



A hearing on the matter is scheduled for July 19.



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



Don’t miss the next big story – join our <a href="https://blockworks.co/newsletter?source=end" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">free daily newsletter</a>.



Follow Sam Bankman-Fried’s trial with the <a href="https://blockworks.co/tag/sbf-trial">latest news from the courtroom</a>.

Venture firms accuse Curve founder of elaborate fraud

Jacquelyn Melinek

<div id="highlights-block_622bc409e82cd" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>The week started off strong with Immutable’s $200 million financing round, valuing the company at $2.5 billion on Monday</li>
 <li>Bain Capital Ventures, which has about $155 billion in assets under management, launched a $560 million crypto-focused venture arm</li>
 </ul>
 
</div>



The crypto funding environment continued to heat up this week as massive mega rounds and funds launched in the space.&nbsp;



Over $1.82 billion in fresh capital entered the space, up 36% from <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/funding-roundup-1-34b-invested-in-crypto-companies-and-funds-this-week/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$1.34 billion </a>from last week. The total money invested this week came from about 30 deals and funds, according to PitchBook data.



The week started off strong with Immutable’s <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/immutable-notches-2-5b-valuation-after-series-c-funding/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$200 million</a> financing round on Monday, which valued the company at $2.5 billion. The round was led by Temasek and included other investors like Animoca Brands, Tencent, ParaFi Capital, Princeville Capital, Arrington Capital, Mirae Asset and Liberty Global.



On Tuesday, Bain Capital Ventures, which has about $155 billion in assets under management, launched a <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/bain-capital-ventures-launches-560m-crypto-focused-fund-as-ecosystem-booms/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$560 million</a> crypto-focused venture arm. The funds will be deployed into about 30 companies or protocols focused on DeFi and crypto infrastructure, Stefan Cohen, managing partner at Bain Capital Crypto, told Blockworks.



Over the next 10 years, the Bain Capital Crypto team anticipates crypto getting integrated and embedded into traditional consumer and business software stacks and plans to invest in companies that will bridge protocols into established software ecosystems, Cohen said on Tuesday.



Separately, Singapore-based platform Cake DeFi has launched its corporate venture arm with <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/singapore-based-cake-defi-launches-100m-in-capital-for-venture-arm/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$100 million</a> in capital, the firm told Blockworks on Wednesday. Cake DeFi Ventures (CDV) will focus its investments across Web3, the metaverse, the NFT space, gaming, esports and fintech spaces that will benefit its core business, it said.



It was also leaked that Ethereum layer-2 developer StarkWare is raising <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/ethereum-scaling-startup-reportedly-triples-valuation-in-four-months/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">at least $100 million</a>, which would increase its valuation to $6 billion, Israeli newspaper Calacalist <a href="https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/rjm00s7wbq" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>. StarkWare declined to comment Thursday. However, a company source, who spoke to Blockworks under condition of anonymity, said they couldn’t confirm it, “but it sounds entirely plausible.”



The new valuation is triple its previous $2 billion valuation from just four months ago, when the company raised $50 million in a Series C round led by Sequoia Capital.



Other notable capital raises this week:&nbsp;



<ul><li>Okcoin announces “Bitcoin Odyssey” collective with plans to invest <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/okcoin-announces-165m-bitcoin-odyssey-collective-partners-with-top-venture-firms-to-supercharge-bitcoin-adoption-301500256.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$165 million</a> over the next 12 months into Bitcoin-focused DeFi apps&nbsp;</li><li>Scaling and privacy solution for Web3 applications, Espresso Systems, debuted to the public with a <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/espresso-systems-launches-to-public-amid-a-32m-raise/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$32 million</a> funding round</li><li>Stablecoin payment builder Kado closed a <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/payment-builder-kado-closes-first-capital-raise-to-expand-access-to-stablecoins/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$5.4 million</a> fundraise&nbsp;</li><li>Swim Protocol raised <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2022/03/09/2400100/0/en/Swim-Protocol-Raises-4M-for-Innovative-Cross-Chain-Infrastructure.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$4 million</a> in seed funding by Pantera Capital with participation from FTX, Alameda Research, Coinbase Ventures and others</li></ul>



Check back next week for more funding news.



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



Don’t miss the next big story – join our <a href="https://blockworks.co/newsletter?source=end" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">free daily newsletter</a>.



Follow Sam Bankman-Fried’s trial with the <a href="https://blockworks.co/tag/sbf-trial">latest news from the courtroom</a>.

Funding Roundup: More Than $1.8 Billion Pooled Into Crypto Companies and Funds This Week

Morgan Chittum

<div id="highlights-block_622623f1e5b17" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>Staff will go from 170 to 350 full-time employees over the next year, co-founder Robbie Ferguson told Blockworks</li>
 <li>Immutable raised $60 million in Series B funding in September</li>
 </ul>
 
</div>



Immutable, creator of the NFT-focused layer-2 scaling protocol Immutable X, secured $200 million in Series C funding, launching the Sydney-based startup to a $2.5 billion valuation.



Led by Temasek, investors in the financing round include Animoca Brands, Tencent, ParaFi Capital, Princeville Capital, Arrington Capital, Mirae Asset and Liberty Global.



King River Capital, Prosus Ventures, AirTree Ventures, Declaration Partners, Fabric Ventures, Possible Ventures and Alameda Research all raised their existing investments in Immutable.



&#8220;We&#8217;ll be growing from 170 to 350 people over the next year — investing in a global partnerships and gaming advisory team and tripling our product and engineering teams,” Robbie Ferguson, co-founder of Immutable, told Blockworks.



Immutable made headlines in October for creating Immutable X, which powered TikTok’s NFT (non-fungible token) collection. It was billed as the first layer-2 protocol on Ethereum that allowed instant trading and zero gas fees, which often served as a roadblock for minting NFTs.



Earlier this month, Immutable announced a $100 million joint fund with GameStop for blockchain gaming startups.



The company was founded in 2018 by brothers Robbie and James Ferguson.



“In 2017, we saw NFTs come out with CryptoPunks and [my brother and I] said, ‘This is it,’” Robbie said. “This is going to be massive because there is more uniquely ownable stuff in the world than there is currencies. The ability to have digital property rights is going to be the most important thing.”



In its early years, Immutable was known for creating “<a href="https://godsunchained.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gods Unchained</a>,” which Robbie described as “the first multiplayer game with NFTs on Ethereum, [all] completely on-chain.”



The company has since expanded, launching tokens such as IMX in September, which sold out on CoinList in under an hour and raised over $12.5 million.



That same month, Immutable <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/layer-2-solution-immutable-closes-60m-series-b-round/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">announced</a> a $60 million Series B funding round to boost NFT trading. BITKRAFT Ventures and King River Capital co-led the round, with participation from Alameda Research, Galaxy Interactive, VaynerFund and Apex Capital.



Along with the Monday announcement, Immutable announced new C-suite hires such as former Riot Games exec Justin Hulog. The startup also tapped ex-Shutterfly chief marketing officer, John Boris, as its chief growth officer.



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



Don’t miss the next big story – join our <a href="https://blockworks.co/newsletter?source=end" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">free daily newsletter</a>.



Follow Sam Bankman-Fried’s trial with the <a href="https://blockworks.co/tag/sbf-trial">latest news from the courtroom</a>.

Immutable Notches $2.5B Valuation After Series C Funding

Michael Bodley

<div id="highlights-block_61e71e0f47627" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>The launch is the latest in an increasing number of venture capital funds focused on digital assets</li>
 <li>Pyxis is on track to raise at least $25 million for the launch and plans to institute a cap of $40 million</li>
 </ul>
 
</div>



A former family office executive and a veteran volatility trader are raising capital for a hybrid crypto-focused venture capital fund that would invest in early-stage liquid and illiquid plays, according to three people familiar with the matter.



Stephen Moskowitz and Anthony Merriman are aiming to raise at least $25 million for their Pyxis Capital, with a launch slated for the end of the first quarter or beginning of the second quarter, sources said.&nbsp;



Blockchain-focused investment firm <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/private-equity-firm-kkr-invests-in-defi-and-blockchain-focused-parafi-capital/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ParaFi Capital</a>, which ran about $1 billion of assets under management at year-end 2021, is backing Pyxis as an anchor investment, the sources said.



The firm has a number of other strategic investors coming in, according to sources, and also plans to make additional hires.&nbsp;



Sources were granted anonymity to discuss sensitive business dealings. Moskowitz and Merriman declined to comment.



The goal is to raise at least $25 million for Pyxis’ flagship vehicle, and indications are the first raise has been oversubscribed. The firm plans to cap capital contributions at $40 million.



Pyxis plans to invest in early-stage tokens, back nascent crypto startups and do a smaller amount of directional, hedge-fund-like trading of liquid cryptocurrencies.



Merriman, Pyxis’ chief investment officer, has Wall Street and crypto experience, having previously worked for firms including AQR Capital, Morgan Stanley and Celsius. He oversaw a crypto portfolio of about $200 million at Celsius.&nbsp;



Moskowitz, the firm’s chief operating officer and president, most recently worked for an undisclosed family office in the New York area, where he built out the firm’s crypto lending business — including closing a $20 million secured loan to crypto miner Bitfarms. He also worked on investing in liquid tokens and vetting crypto funds.



He previously spent time at firms including Morgan Stanley, FocusPoint Private Capital and Champlain Advisors. He’s an investor in crypto businesses including BlockFi and Gemini.&nbsp;



Moskowitz and Merriman first met in 2017, when they kicked around the idea of starting a fund. The two have deep experience in crypto, with the former getting into the space in 2016 and the latter in 2013.



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



Don’t miss the next big story – join our <a href="https://blockworks.co/newsletter?source=end" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">free daily newsletter</a>.



Follow Sam Bankman-Fried’s trial with the <a href="https://blockworks.co/tag/sbf-trial">latest news from the courtroom</a>.

ParaFi Capital-backed Crypto Venture Capital Firm Prepping Launch, Sources Say

<div id="highlights-block_61e71031b0e14" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>“We have set ourselves the ambitious goals of building an open Web3 and facilitating an open metaverse that expands financial inclusion,” Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands said in a statement</li>
 <li>The company is an active investor in over 150 NFT and metaverse-related companies, including OpenSea, Dapper Labs, Yield Guild Games, Star Atlas, Axie Infinity, Thetan Arena, and others</li>
 </ul>
 
</div>



The Sandbox parent company Animoca Brands has raised $358,888,888, to build out the open metaverse and enable individual digital ownership, the company <a href="https://www.animocabrands.com/animoca-brands-raises-usd358888888-at-usd5b-valuation-to-grow-the-open-metaverse" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">announced</a> on Tuesday.&nbsp;



This funding round gives it a pre-money valuation of over $5 billion, the company said. The money will be used to continue funding strategic acquisitions and investments, as well as product development and licenses for intellectual properties.



The round was led by Liberty City Ventures and included other investors like <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/10t-holdings-plans-to-launch-third-crypto-fund/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10T Holdings</a>, C Ventures, ParaFi Capital, Sequoia China, Stable Asset Management, Soros Fund Management and Winklevoss Capital, among others.



In 2021, Animoca Brands raised $216.28 million to build out the open metaverse by bringing digital property rights to online users through the use of blockchain and NFTs and The Sandbox closed a funding round for <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/the-sandbox-raises-93m-in-round-led-by-softbank/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$93 million</a> in November 2021, the company said.



“We have set ourselves the ambitious goals of building an open Web3 and facilitating an open metaverse that expands financial inclusion,” Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands said in a statement.&nbsp;



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">While there was tremendous growth in this space last year, “we believe we are still at the initial stages of a new Internet revolution, and there are tremendous opportunities ahead of us in 2022 and beyond,” Siu said.&nbsp;</blockquote>



The company is an active investor in over 150 NFT and metaverse-related companies, including OpenSea, <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/dapper-labs-backer-animoca-scores-85m-to-further-invest-in-the-metaverse/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dapper Labs</a>, Yield Guild Games, Star Atlas, Axie Infinity, Thetan Arena, and others.&nbsp;



Most recently, Animoca Brands participated in Metaplex Foundation’s <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/metaplex-foundation-closes-46m-funding-round/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$46 million</a> funding round on Tuesday and separately led an <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/animoca-brands-led-8m-series-a-for-burnt-finance/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$8 million Series A</a> for Burnt Finance on Monday, a new NFT auction protocol built on Solana’s blockchain, Blockworks previously reported.&nbsp;



“These technologies enable the true digital ownership of users’ virtual assets and data, and make possible various DeFi and GameFi opportunities,” the company wrote. Through elements like play-to-earn, asset interoperability and open frameworks, there can be greater equitability for all participants in the space, Animoca Brands noted.&nbsp;



The precise valuation of Animoca Brands, based on share price and shares on issue prior to the capital raise, is $5.4 billion, or A$7.6B, at current exchange rates. The raise included a subscription price of $3.23, or A$4.50, per share for a total of 111,173,515 new shares.&nbsp;



The company was not available for additional comment requested by Blockworks on Tuesday.



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



Don’t miss the next big story – join our <a href="https://blockworks.co/newsletter?source=end" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">free daily newsletter</a>.



Follow Sam Bankman-Fried’s trial with the <a href="https://blockworks.co/tag/sbf-trial">latest news from the courtroom</a>.

The Sandbox Parent Animoca Brands Raises $359M to Build Out Open Metaverse

Sam Reynolds

<div id="highlights-block_618e963dd41b6" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>Blockworks has learned that ParaFi is launching a new fund, the ParaFi Growth Fund LP, by mid-December </li>
 <li>ParaFi says that it will forgo the traditional Special Purpose Vehicle route and run a commingled fund because of the competitive deal timelines currently in the industry</li>
 </ul>
 
</div>



ParaFi is in the process of fundraising for its next fund, the ParaFi Growth Fund, and is planning to close the round in mid-December, Blockworks has learned.&nbsp;



Documents seen by Blockworks show that ParaFi is in the process of raising funds for a $200 million closed-end vehicle, and it plans on focusing on investing in up to 30 companies in the blockchain industry, particularly in early-stage venture and mid-to-late stage growth equity. Unlike some of ParaFi’s prior funds, such as the ParaFi Digital Opportunity Fund, this fund would be focused on equity plays instead of token investments.&nbsp;



ParaFi has said that this would be a commingled fund, rather than a special purpose vehicle, citing the “competitive deal timelines”, investor interest, and the scope of the current deal pipeline. It&#8217;s understood that this would be a more efficient means instead of an SPV to establish a fund given the aggressive timelines involved. ParaFi also says that it has lined up the first deals for the new fund and is currently warehousing them, meaning these investments are rolled into prior funds in advance of the new fund’s launch. 



So far the company has launched the Digital Opportunities Fund, Private Opportunities Fund — which has multiple series — and the Digital Credit fund. 



While the size of the fund might seem small, consider that many of the hottest DeFi and blockchain projects have considerably light capital requirements for the revenue they generate. Some of ParaFi’s prior investments include Beta Finance, a DeFi Protocol that allows for “lending, borrowing and shorting of any crypto asset” with one click which raised $5.75 million from investors in October. Another was Spectral, a protocol for programmable creditworthiness, which closed in November. ParaFi participated in this round, which came in at $6.75 million.&nbsp;



Institutional interest in blockchain and crypto continues to grow, with blockchain funding shattering past the $15 billion mark during the first nine months of 2021, with $6.5 billion of that coming during the third quarter of 2021, according to data from <a href="https://www.cbinsights.com/research/report/blockchain-trends-q3-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CB Insights</a>.&nbsp;



In September, Blockworks <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/private-equity-firm-kkr-invests-in-defi-and-blockchain-focused-parafi-capital/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a> that private equity firm KKR &amp; Co. has invested as a limited partner in ParaFi Capital’s flagship fund. ParaFi’s <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/parafi-capital-the-defi-focused-asset-management-firm-announces-strategic-investment-from-galaxy-digital-301139426.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">other shareholders include</a> Mike Novogratz’s Galaxy Digital.&nbsp;



ParaFi declined to comment on this story.