IS A VENTURE CAPITALIST GOOD OR BAD FOR CRYPTOCURRENCY INDUSTRY?

At the moment, blockchain is a trendy issue. Bitcoin’s innovative new technology has the potential to disrupt a wide range of sectors that presently take their seeming invincibility for granted. From healthcare and remittance to banking, real estate, and, yes, venture capital, disruption is on the way.

Disruption is nothing new to venture investors. They frequently earn their income by advising firms that adopt disruptive new technology and figure out how to profit from them, and they’re constantly on the lookout for new trends that are influencing diverse sectors and may be used elsewhere.

According to PitchBook, venture investors spent heavily on crypto start-ups in 2021, spending more than $27 billion worldwide as of late November, more than in the preceding ten years combined.

Many of the investments were made by crypto firms’ venture capital departments, businesses whose future success will be dependent on the ecosystem’s expansion.

When it comes to disruptive new technologies that have the potential to transform the way we conduct business, Blockchain fits the description perfectly.

What is the definition of venture capital financing?

Venture capital funds are made up of a group of investors or venture capitalist that want to earn a lot of money soon. Potential investors are invited to join in a fund by receiving a prospectus from the fund management. A prospectus is essentially a paper that sells people on an investment fund.

VC fund managers spend a lot of time evaluating hundreds of companies to see whether they have the potential to expand. Venture capital companies, although being conservative investors, seek to diversify their chances. They avoid placing all of their eggs in one basket this way.

When a company isn’t ready to go public, it normally seeks VC capital. Alternatively, they may not be able to attract cash from regular investors. Because of the former, crypto businesses have been hesitant to seek VC funding, but that is changing rapidly.

Venture Capitalists in the Cryptocurrency Industry

Several individuals are already comparing the cryptocurrency surge to the gold rush of decades ago. As a result of this expansion, a large number of retail and conventional investors have entered the market. Several venture capital firms recognize that the crypto world is the way of the future. As a consequence, these companies are increasing their stakes in the cryptocurrency sector. For most venture capital companies, blockchain technologies like NFTs and DeFi are the most profitable.

VC funds are no longer limited to crypto unicorns, which are uncommon startups valued at at least a billion dollars as evaluated by VC firms. As they see fresh prospects, many VCs are embracing “pick and shovel” company models. Pick and shovel enterprises are crypto-related companies that provide derivative services to the same consumer base. Crypto tax reporting firms, bitcoin charting software, and a variety of other enterprises fall under this category.

In the crypto industry, 2021 was a major year for VC investment. According to sources, VC companies have spent over $27 billion worldwide as of November 2021. This sum eclipses that of the preceding 10 years combined, demonstrating how much VC companies are paying attention to and interested in crypto. Andreessen Horowitz, for example, is aggressively investing in the crypto industry.

What Attracts VC Firms to Crypto?

Venture capitalist are interested in advancement and expansion. Their growing involvement in the crypto area demonstrates that the industry today has more potential than it has ever had. The crypto ecosystem today has more adoption than in prior years combined, and this is entirely due to its mainstream acceptance. Facebook and Google, for example, have opted to relax their prohibitions on crypto advertising. This provided blockchain initiatives the motivation to increase crypto awareness in the mainstream media.

The crypto space has been welcomed by a number of countries. This recognition offers venture capital companies the confidence to enter the market without fear of institutional backlash. Despite the fact that the cryptocurrency market is very unpredictable, it need greater awareness in order to attract investors. The blockchain sector is linked to Facebook (Meta), Microsoft, and Twitter. As a consequence, VC firms regard cryptocurrency as the next step in their quest for more riches.

The Graph Protocol’s VC backers have released funds for the platform’s development.

The Graph Protocol is the most recent initiative to get funding from venture investors. Backers of the initiative put up $250 million to help developers build on the platform. The Graph is a protocol that allows decentralized application developers to access on-chain data effortlessly.

The newly obtained money will be used to finance initiatives based on The Graph Protocol. This will aid projects in developing dApps using the platform’s querying technology in many areas of the crypto realm. The Graph Foundation raised $50 million in a private sale of its GRT token a month ago, thus this fund is timely.

It’s no surprise that crypto ventures depend on venture capitalists to help them achieve their goals. When their favorite crypto projects get into problems, some of these supporters serve as bailouts. Following an assault earlier this month, VC company Jump Trading Group stepped in to save Wormhole. Jump invested $320 million in Ethereum to help Wormhole get up and running and protect Solana from collapsing.

Crypto users have conflicting feelings about the occurrence. Some considered venture capitalists as important in the crypto sector, while others believed they would wreck the business.

The Benefits of VC Funding in Crypto

Crypto venture capitalist investment is comparable to regular venture capitalist funding. It does, however, have certain benefits and drawbacks. VC firms are looking for high-yielding shares with the chance of a quick exit. This means that there may be pressure to achieve quickly at the expense of losing control.

Being a venture capitalist offers a variety of benefits, one of which is that it gives the crypto company legitimacy. This trustworthiness has the potential to bring in more funds from normal investors. Because VC companies are profit-driven, they often invest ventures after extensive research and analysis. For project review, several VC companies use the help of specialist fund managers. Other crypto financing options, such as initial coin offerings (ICOs), have lower entry hurdles but may not get the same level of scrutiny as VC firms. As a consequence, a venture capitalist’s engagement in a project offers it the much-needed momentum it requires.

VC companies often provide additional benefits to the ventures they fund, such as mentoring and networking possibilities. These businesses are in there to make a profit, and they will put their full weight behind a project that they believe is worthwhile. In addition, venture capital funds help enterprises expand into new sectors and markets

The Drawbacks of VC Funding

Despite these tempting benefits, there are some drawbacks. Because they are profit-driven, venture capitalists are likely to demand a significant stake in decision-making. This is to guarantee that their finances are put to good use and provide a profit. Furthermore, most project developers have a firm grasp on how their initiatives should function. However, because to a lack of funds, they may be obliged to cede some control to their investors. This might lead to crypto ventures succumbing to egotistical motives. Furthermore, in the vast majority of situations, these goals run counter to the concept of a decentralized platform free of external influence.

Furthermore, most VC companies’ expectations for crypto start-ups may be unrealistic. Before rushing into the market, these new ventures will require additional time to mature. Venture investors aren’t interested in investing for the long haul. There is no such thing as a free lunch when it comes to venture capital investment. Furthermore, obtaining cash from these investors is time-consuming. This time might be better spent on the project’s construction and development.

Conclusion

Finally, there are benefits and drawbacks to Venture Capitalist investing in the crypto field. However, before bringing in outside investors, project owners must be aware of these advantages and disadvantages.

When it comes to blockchain, the only thing that is guaranteed is that it will be unpredictable. Because the technology is still in its infancy, it’s difficult to predict what its final influence will be. What we do know is that, if present trends are any indicator, disruption is on the way, whether we like it or not. The only true issue is whether to evolve with the times or fall behind.

This is both a gift and a curse for venture investors, as it will create an environment where individuals at the top of their game will be rewarded handsomely. Unfortunately, those that don’t quite make the cut will face a slew of failures.

There’s a lot going on in the globe right now. Best wishes.