From 24 to 1 to 5: YC No Longer Invests in Crypto, But Crypto Hasn't Disappeared

marsbitPubblicato 2026-02-20Pubblicato ultima volta 2026-02-20

Introduzione

The article analyzes Y Combinator's shifting investment strategy in crypto, moving from a peak of 24 crypto startups in a single batch (Winter 2022) to a low of just 1 (Summer 2024), with a recent modest rebound to 5 in Winter 2026. The key insight is that while the *number* of crypto investments has drastically fallen, the *nature* of these investments has fundamentally changed. YC is no longer funding traditional crypto-native sectors like L1/L2 protocols, DeFi, or NFTs. Instead, the five recent investments are infrastructure companies that use crypto as a backend tool to solve specific problems, with the end-user often unaware of the underlying blockchain technology. Examples include: * **Unifold:** A Stripe-like API for crypto deposits. * **SpotPay:** A cross-border neobank powered by stablecoins. * **Sequence Markets:** An execution engine for digital asset trading. * **Orthogonal:** A payment gateway for AI agents to pay for APIs, utilizing crypto for machine-to-machine micropayments. * **Forum:** A regulated "attention exchange" to trade on cultural trends, potentially involving tokenization. The author, a professional in both crypto and AI, concludes that Silicon Valley's mainstream is redefining crypto's value proposition: its greatest potential is not as a standalone industry but as invisible infrastructure for other sectors, particularly in stablecoin financial services and emerging fields like AI agent economies. The message for crypto builders is to f...

Author: aiwatch, Crypto industry 6+ years, deeply involved in the AI track for the past two years, based in Silicon Valley, focused on GenAI product analysis and Crypto×AI cross-domain research.

I've been in the Crypto industry for six or seven years, and for the past two years, I've also been deeply involved in the AI track, based in Silicon Valley. Being in both circles, a very clear feeling is: in the mainstream Silicon Valley circles, the term Crypto is mentioned less and less, but the things Crypto does are being used more and more.

I want to bring back some signals from the AI side for Crypto practitioners to reference.

Crypto di tendenza

Domande pertinenti

QWhat is the main trend in Y Combinator's investment strategy regarding crypto companies, as described in the article?

AYC is no longer investing in crypto industry per se, but rather in companies that use crypto as infrastructure to solve real-world problems, with users often unaware they are interacting with blockchain technology.

QHow did YC's crypto investment numbers change from the peak in 2022 to Winter 2026?

AYC's crypto investments peaked in 2022 with 24 companies in Winter and 20 in Summer (44 total), then dramatically dropped to just 1 company in Summer 2024, before slightly recovering to 5 companies in Winter 2026.

QWhat are the two most notable crypto-related projects from YC Winter 2026 and what problems do they solve?

AOrthogonal creates a payment gateway for AI Agents to make micro-payments for API calls using crypto, while Forum is building a regulated attention exchange that quantifies and allows trading of attention as an asset class.

QWhat significant shift occurred in YC's Request for Startups (RFS) regarding crypto in Spring 2026?

AYC's Spring 2026 RFS specifically mentioned 'Stablecoin Financial Services' for the first time in nearly two years, highlighting regulatory developments and opportunities in yield-bearing accounts, tokenized real-world assets, and cross-border payment infrastructure.

QAccording to the article, what does the author believe is the most accurate interpretation of YC's changing crypto investment pattern?

AThe author believes the pattern indicates crypto is being redefined - its greatest value may not be as a standalone industry but as infrastructure for other industries, where the best crypto products are those where users don't even notice crypto's presence.

Letture associate

Why Bitcoin Holds Above $64,000 After Fed's Hard Pause

**Bitcoin Stabilizes Near $64,000 Following Hawkish Fed Pause** The cryptocurrency market, led by Bitcoin, remained stable around $64,000 despite a volatile reaction to the latest U.S. Federal Reserve meeting. The Fed paused interest rates but signaled a hawkish stance, with three committee members voting for an increase—the highest dissent since 2016. This limits risk appetite but hasn't triggered panic selling. Key market highlights include Bitcoin ETFs seeing a net inflow of $32.1 million, breaking a streak of outflows, while Ethereum ETFs experienced outflows of $18.65 million. Liquidations affected about 90,000 traders. Technically, Bitcoin finds support around $63,000-$63,500, with major resistance near $66,000. While its price is about 49% below its all-time high, institutional demand via ETFs and the absence of mass capitulation support a potential recovery scenario in the second half of the year. Major altcoins showed mixed movements, with Solana attracting capital while Ethereum faced selling pressure despite strong on-chain metrics like a growing staking queue. Regulatory news took a pause as the U.S. Senate delayed the CLARITY Act vote until at least autumn. For the final trading day of July, U.S. inflation and consumer spending data will be crucial. Bitcoin's key levels to watch are $63,000 support and $66,000 resistance. Sustained ETF inflows and Bitcoin holding above $63,000 are seen as positive signs for a potential market recovery later in the year.

cryptonews.ru45 min fa

Why Bitcoin Holds Above $64,000 After Fed's Hard Pause

cryptonews.ru45 min fa

Participants in XRP Fraud Scheme That Stole $9 Million from 71 Investors Arrested

South Korean police have arrested three individuals accused of operating a fraudulent investment platform that stole approximately 3.4 million XRP (worth about $9 million) from 71 investors between October 16 and 23. The suspects promoted the site Fxrpntwork.com through blogs, online articles, and YouTube videos, promising guaranteed principal and monthly returns of 1.5% to 1.8%. Investors were instructed to transfer XRP from Korean exchanges to overseas platforms and then to wallets controlled by the group before the site was shut down. The scammers copied the branding of legitimate projects Flare Network and FXRP to appear credible. Authorities warn that such impersonation frauds, which use familiar branding and urgent promises of guaranteed profits, are a common red flag. Legitimate companies do not solicit cryptocurrency transfers through unsolicited promotions. Seoul police have issued an Interpol Red Notice for a fourth suspect abroad and are investigating others involved in creating and promoting the fraudulent website. While investigators froze 17.3 billion won in assets, approximately 10 billion won was moved during the probe, with wallet analysis revealing transfers totaling 27.3 billion won, suggesting there may be additional unidentified victims and accomplices. The case underscores the organized, cross-border nature of crypto investment fraud.

cryptonews.ru48 min fa

Participants in XRP Fraud Scheme That Stole $9 Million from 71 Investors Arrested

cryptonews.ru48 min fa

Trading

Spot

Articoli Popolari

Come comprare T

Benvenuto in HTX.com! Abbiamo reso l'acquisto di Threshold Network Token (T) semplice e conveniente. Segui la nostra guida passo passo per intraprendere il tuo viaggio nel mondo delle criptovalute.Step 1: Crea il tuo Account HTXUsa la tua email o numero di telefono per registrarti il tuo account gratuito su HTX. Vivi un'esperienza facile e sblocca tutte le funzionalità,Crea il mio accountStep 2: Vai in Acquista crypto e seleziona il tuo metodo di pagamentoCarta di credito/debito: utilizza la tua Visa o Mastercard per acquistare immediatamente Threshold Network TokenT.Bilancio: Usa i fondi dal bilancio del tuo account HTX per fare trading senza problemi.Terze parti: abbiamo aggiunto metodi di pagamento molto utilizzati come Google Pay e Apple Pay per maggiore comodità.P2P: Fai trading direttamente con altri utenti HTX.Over-the-Counter (OTC): Offriamo servizi su misura e tassi di cambio competitivi per i trader.Step 3: Conserva Threshold Network Token (T)Dopo aver acquistato Threshold Network Token (T), conserva nel tuo account HTX. In alternativa, puoi inviare tramite trasferimento blockchain o scambiare per altre criptovalute.Step 4: Scambia Threshold Network Token (T)Scambia facilmente Threshold Network Token (T) nel mercato spot di HTX. Accedi al tuo account, seleziona la tua coppia di trading, esegui le tue operazioni e monitora in tempo reale. Offriamo un'esperienza user-friendly sia per chi ha appena iniziato che per i trader più esperti.

471 Totale visualizzazioniPubblicato il 2024.12.10Aggiornato il 2026.06.02

Come comprare T

Discussioni

Benvenuto nella Community HTX. Qui puoi rimanere informato sugli ultimi sviluppi della piattaforma e accedere ad approfondimenti esperti sul mercato. Le opinioni degli utenti sul prezzo di T T sono presentate come di seguito.

活动图片