Trump uncertainty: Crypto startups raise $362m despite roaring ‘Sell America’ trade
VCs piled on $362 million for crypto startups despite market volatility.The ‘Sell America’ trade has rattled crypto markets.BitGo kicks off 2026 with a $213 million IPO.Venture capitalists are pursuing crypto startups despite US President Donald Trump’s barrage of threats blasting asset markets with uncertainty.Investors doled out another $362 million to 14 crypto startups in the third week of January, already bringing the total to over $1 billion so far this year, DefiLlama data shows.Startup fundraising is generally safe from short-term volatility triggered by news events, Annabelle Huang, CEO of Altius and former venture partner at Amber Group, told DL News.“The ‘Sell America’ trade we are seeing is mostly occurring in the public markets, not on the fundraising scene,” Huang said. Venture capitalists “generally operate in the primary [and] early-stage markets, so they’re not entirely in tandem with the broader market in the short term,” Huang said.Some investors are even capitalising on the heightening geopolitical tensions, according to Huang.“They’re essentially looking for the next Palantir or Anduril, which are companies that benefit from the heightened tensions we’re seeing,” she said.“Even so, the uncertainty around geopolitical risks should bring caution to all investors.”To be sure, the amount raised is over 50% less than the same period last year when crypto markets were at the height of a major bull run. Here are the top raises this week.BitGo, $213mBitGo’s initial public offering towered over the week’s capital markets activity, hauling in $213 million, Nasdaq data shows. A provider of institutional crypto plumbing, the firm supplies the custody, security and settlement infrastructure relied upon by global banks, hedge funds and major exchanges operating at scale.BitGo first announced plans to go public in September 2025, following successful listings from stablecoin issuer Circle and crypto exchanges Bullish and Gemini.Founded in 2013, BitGo stores digital assets for major players in the crypto space, including Trump-backed DeFi project World Liberty Financial, which last year hired the firm to custody its stablecoin, USD1.Superstate, $83mSuperstate raised $83 million in a Series B round led by Bain Capital Crypto and Distributed Global, as investors doubled down on tokenisation. The firm is bringing blockchain rails into asset management, issuing tokenised investment products, including an Ethereum-based open mutual fund tied to short-term US bonds, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.By marrying public ledgers with traditional securities, Superstate is positioning itself at the crossroads of regulated finance and decentralised infrastructure. Backers including Haun Ventures and Brevan Howard Digital are betting on real-world asset tokenisation.Space, $14mSpace, a prediction market built on Solana, closed a $14 million public token sale, underscoring growing appetite for the betting industry. The platform allows users to take leveraged positions on future events, blending onchain transparency with incentive-driven mechanics designed to attract sophisticated, capital-efficient traders.Space says it offers a low-latency environment for speculation across economic, political and cultural outcomes. You’re reading the latest instalment of The Weekly Raise, our column covering fundraising deals across the crypto and DeFi spaces, powered by DefiLlama.Lance Datskoluo is DL News’ Europe-based markets correspondent. Got a tip? Email at lance@dlnews.com.
