Crypto downturn reveals gap between VC valuations and market cap

cointelegraphОпубліковано о 2025-12-24Востаннє оновлено о 2025-12-24

Анотація

The crypto market downturn has exposed a significant gap between venture capital valuations and actual market capitalizations for numerous blockchain startups. Data from CryptoRank reveals that projects once valued near $1 billion, such as Humanity Protocol ($285M market cap), Fuel Network ($11M), and Bubblemaps ($6M), have seen drastic devaluations. This trend reflects how aggressive VC pricing during bull markets often leads to severe corrections when sentiment fades. The reset affects even lower-valued projects, with examples like Camp Network and Treehouse now trading at just $15M and $16M despite previous $400M valuations. The report advises investors to maintain caution and assess risks carefully. Meanwhile, crypto VC funding remains weak, with only 57 disclosed rounds in November, despite a few large raises like Revolut's $1 billion round.

Several blockchain startups once valued near $1 billion now have market capitalizations that are only a fraction of those figures, as tighter liquidity forces valuation resets.

This is evident across several high profile projects, according to data compiled by CryptoRank.

Humanity Protocol, which carried a venture valuation of around $1 billion, now has a market capitalization of about $285 million. Fuel Network, also previously valued near $1 billion, is trading closer to $11 million, while Bubblemaps, once assigned a similar venture capital (VC) valuation, has a market cap of about $6 million.

“During bull runs and narrative hype, VCs tend to overprice projects and assign aggressive valuations,” Fundraising Digest, CryptoRank’s venture deals tracker, wrote on X. “However, once sentiment fades or the narrative loses traction, most projects get a reality check and the market resets those euphoric numbers.”

The recent crypto market downturn has exposed gaps between venture capital valuations and public market pricing, revealing how aggressively projects were priced during the last bull cycle.

Related: HashKey secures $250M for new crypto fund amid ‘significant interest’

More crypto projects see sharp reset from VC valuations

The gap continues with projects with relatively lower valuations.

Plasma, which was valued at about $500 million by venture investors now trades around $224 million. ICNT fell from a $470 million VC valuation to a market cap near $247 million. DoubleZero, valued at roughly $400 million in its last round, currently sits near $373 million.

Other projects show even steeper disconnects. Camp Network and Treehouse, each previously valued at about $400 million, now carry market caps of roughly $15 million and $16 million, respectively. Everlyn, once valued near $250 million, trades around $26 million, while SoSoValue has slipped from a $200 million valuation to about $152 million.

VC valuations vs. market caps. Source: Fundraising Digest

“That’s why it's important to keep a cool head and weigh risk across multiple outcomes, before investing,” Fundraising Digest said.

Related: From FTX fallout to fresh capital: Former US chief raises $35M for new exchange

Crypto VC funding stays weak

As Cointelegraph reported, venture capital funding in the crypto sector remained subdued in November, extending a slowdown that has persisted through late 2025.

While total capital raised has been supported by a handful of big rounds, overall deal activity continues to lag, with just 57 disclosed funding rounds recorded during the month.

High-profile funding included Revolut’s $1 billion round and Kraken’s $800 million raise ahead of its anticipated initial public offering, which have masked broader weakness in early- and mid-stage investment.

Magazine: 2026 is the year of pragmatic privacy in crypto — Canton, Zcash and more

Пов'язані питання

QWhat is the main reason for the gap between VC valuations and market caps in crypto projects?

ATighter liquidity forces valuation resets, and during bull runs, VCs tend to overprice projects due to hype, but market sentiment fading leads to a reality check.

QWhich project had the largest percentage drop from its $1 billion VC valuation to its current market cap?

AFuel Network, which dropped from a $1 billion VC valuation to a market cap of about $11 million, representing the steepest decline among the mentioned projects.

QWhat does Fundraising Digest advise investors to do before investing in crypto projects?

AFundraising Digest advises investors to keep a cool head and weigh risk across multiple outcomes before investing.

QHow has overall crypto VC funding activity been in November 2025?

ACrypto VC funding remained subdued in November 2025, with overall deal activity lagging and only 57 disclosed funding rounds recorded, despite a few large rounds supporting total capital raised.

QWhat are two examples of projects that were valued around $400 million by VCs but now have market caps below $20 million?

ACamp Network and Treehouse, each previously valued at about $400 million, now have market caps of roughly $15 million and $16 million, respectively.

Пов'язані матеріали

Google TPU Shipments Revised Up by 50%

Recent industry research indicates a significant upward revision in the shipments of Google's TPU (Tensor Processing Unit) chips. Previous expectations for 2027 were set at around 10 million units, but new estimates now point to 15 million units, a 50% increase. This substantial boost directly translates to higher demand across the entire supporting supply chain. Google's TPU clusters utilize a standardized all-optical interconnect architecture. Consequently, key hardware components are deeply integrated and scaled in fixed ratios with the chips. The 15 million TPU target will drive corresponding demand increases for NPO optical engines (roughly a 1:1 match), 1.6T optical modules, OCS optical switches, high-end server power supplies, fiber optics & MPO connectors, and liquid cooling solutions. Among these, liquid cooling is highlighted as the sector experiencing the most significant transformation and offering the most stable potential for excess returns. As next-generation TPU chips reach power levels where traditional air cooling is insufficient, liquid cooling becomes essential. 2026 is forecasted as the first year of substantial adoption for Google's liquid cooling solutions. This shift, coupled with delivery and capacity bottlenecks faced by incumbent overseas manufacturers, is creating a prime window for domestic Chinese suppliers to enter and secure Google's core supply chain. The market size for Google-specific liquid cooling is projected to potentially triple from a baseline of hundreds of billions to around 300 billion units by 2028. The logic for the fiber optic sector is also being rewritten. Once considered a cyclical commodity tied to telecom operator procurement, fiber is now a strategic and scarce resource for AI Data Centers (AIDC). A severe supply-demand imbalance, driven by the long lead time for preform production (18-24 months) and surging demand from cloud giants, is supporting strong performance. Chinese fiber manufacturers are well-positioned to capture a significant share of global AIDC demand, with exports potentially reaching 200-300 million core kilometers in 2026. Overall, the investment focus within the AI computing industry is shifting from pure "chip performance speculation" towards the more certain incremental growth in computing infrastructure and its supporting ecosystem. The upward revision in Google TPU shipments, along with the potential for further doubling by 2028, is seen as solidifying performance visibility for the entire supporting supply chain over the next two years.

marsbit55 хв тому

Google TPU Shipments Revised Up by 50%

marsbit55 хв тому

What Wall Street Really Wants After the Crypto Story Recedes

The tide of speculative crypto narratives has receded, revealing Wall Street's true objective: building a controlled, yield-generating, and compliant financial pipeline on distributed ledgers. They are migrating core functions onto blockchains, not for decentralization, but for efficiency and new revenue streams. Key developments include BlackRock's BUIDL fund, a tokenized treasury fund acting as a foundational reserve asset, and the rise of Securitize, which is going public and partnering with the NYSE to build a 24/7 digital securities trading and settlement system. This signals a major shift of securities clearing to blockchain technology. To make volatile assets like Bitcoin palatable for institutional investors, firms like BlackRock and Goldman Sachs are creating "covered call" ETFs (e.g., BITA). These products systematically sell options on Bitcoin holdings, transforming price volatility into stable monthly income, effectively repackaging crypto as a yield-bearing asset. Stablecoins are being positioned not as speculative tools but as efficient payment rails. Companies like Stripe and Mastercard are integrating them for instant, low-cost merchant settlements and cross-border card payments, respectively. Critically, new legislation like the GENIUS Act shapes them as non-interest-bearing, heavily regulated extensions of the US dollar system. In summary, Wall Street is quietly constructing a parallel, blockchain-based financial infrastructure featuring tokenized traditional assets, structured crypto yields, and programmable dollar pipelines—all under its control and fully integrated with existing regulatory and credit frameworks.

marsbit1 год тому

What Wall Street Really Wants After the Crypto Story Recedes

marsbit1 год тому

Tying Itself to SpaceX: Cursor's $60 Billion Rise

This article recounts the rapid rise of AI-powered coding startup Cursor and its 25-year-old MIT graduate CEO, Michael Truell. Launched in 2023, Cursor achieved explosive growth, reaching over 10 billion USD in revenue by late 2025. However, its journey highlights a central dilemma for AI application companies: dependence on foundational model providers. Cursor initially relied heavily on Anthropic's models but faced an existential threat when Anthropic launched its own competing coding tool, Claude Code. In response, Cursor declared an internal emergency in early 2026 and accelerated development of its own model, Composer. To secure the immense computing power needed, Truell struck a pivotal deal with Elon Musk's SpaceX in April 2026. The collaboration grants Cursor access to SpaceX's supercomputing resources for Composer, while SpaceX's Grok model benefits from Cursor's programming data. The agreement includes a potential 600 billion USD acquisition of Cursor by SpaceX later in the year, though a substantial termination fee is in place if the deal falls through. The story explores Cursor's intense, sometimes controversial hiring practices involving lengthy unpaid "work trials," its complex partnership-turned-rivalry with Anthropic, and its high-stakes gamble to ensure independence through the SpaceX alliance. The core question remains: will Cursor evolve into a defining, independent "generational" software company, or become a key piece in a tech giant's AI arsenal?

marsbit1 год тому

Tying Itself to SpaceX: Cursor's $60 Billion Rise

marsbit1 год тому

Торгівля

Спот
Ф'ючерси

Популярні статті

Як купити NEAR

Ласкаво просимо до HTX.com! Ми зробили покупку NEAR Protocol (NEAR) простою та зручною. Дотримуйтесь нашої покрокової інструкції, щоб розпочати свою криптовалютну подорож.Крок 1: Створіть обліковий запис на HTXВикористовуйте свою електронну пошту або номер телефону, щоб зареєструвати обліковий запис на HTX безплатно. Пройдіть безпроблемну реєстрацію й отримайте доступ до всіх функцій.ЗареєструватисьКрок 2: Перейдіть до розділу Купити крипту і виберіть спосіб оплатиКредитна/дебетова картка: використовуйте вашу картку Visa або Mastercard, щоб миттєво купити NEAR Protocol (NEAR).Баланс: використовуйте кошти з балансу вашого рахунку HTX для безперешкодної торгівлі.Треті особи: ми додали популярні способи оплати, такі як Google Pay та Apple Pay, щоб підвищити зручність.P2P: Торгуйте безпосередньо з іншими користувачами на HTX.Позабіржова торгівля (OTC): ми пропонуємо індивідуальні послуги та конкурентні обмінні курси для трейдерів.Крок 3: Зберігайте свої NEAR Protocol (NEAR)Після придбання NEAR Protocol (NEAR) збережіть його у своєму обліковому записі на HTX. Крім того, ви можете відправити його в інше місце за допомогою блокчейн-переказу або використовувати його для торгівлі іншими криптовалютами.Крок 4: Торгівля NEAR Protocol (NEAR)Легко торгуйте NEAR Protocol (NEAR) на спотовому ринку HTX. Просто увійдіть до свого облікового запису, виберіть торгову пару, укладайте угоди та спостерігайте за ними в режимі реального часу. Ми пропонуємо зручний досвід як для початківців, так і для досвідчених трейдерів.

376 переглядів усьогоОпубліковано 2024.12.10Оновлено 2026.06.02

Як купити NEAR

Обговорення

Ласкаво просимо до спільноти HTX. Тут ви можете бути в курсі останніх подій розвитку платформи та отримати доступ до професійної ринкової інформації. Нижче представлені думки користувачів щодо ціни NEAR (NEAR).

活动图片