Pump.fun announces $3mln fund for startups – A move away from memecoins?

The Pump Fund is a new investment arm designed to back early-stage teams through participation, rather than traditional venture processes. The initiative opened with a $3 million “build in public” hackathon, making community traction the main funding filter.

Source: X

Instead of pitching to judges, selected teams receive funding based on how well their projects resonate publicly. Participants are required to launch a token, retain a portion of the supply, and show visible progress.

The idea is to let real users decide what deserves capital.

The move is the latest in Pump.fun’s recent efforts to reduce rug risks and support longer project lifecycles.

Revenues bounce back

These developments come as Pump.fun’s core business revives. After weeks of weak activity, a very brief memecoin rebound was enough to lift the platform’s fee revenues.

Over the past week, Pump.fun generated an estimated $7.6 million, back to levels last seen in September 2025.

Source: CryptoQuant

For much of the prior period, weekly fees had settled in a $4-$6 million range, so the platform is sensitive to even modest bursts of speculation. The improvement also showed up on a longer view, with the 30-day rolling total rising from $21.6 million to $24.8 million.

PUMP price slows

After going up steadily in early January, PUMP struggled to hold recent highs and is now moving sideways. RSI slipped toward neutral territory, while MACD had flattened.

Upside strength is lesser, and the pullback is indicative of consolidation.

Source: TradingView

PUMP remains closely tied to sentiment around memecoins and platform activity. It remains to be seen whether the latest developments result in prolonged demand.

Final Thoughts

• Pump.fun’s $3M Pump Fund will fund projects that the public deem worthy.
• With weekly fee surges and token consolidation, the platform’s long-term turn hasn’t yet reflected in price.