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Web3 Investors & VC Firms

Browse OpenVC's database of investors funding startups in Web3, blockchain, and decentralized applications.

Last update: August 16, 2025

List author: Lucas Roquilly

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A Guide to Fundraising in Web3

There’s tons of money to be made in crypto, which has investors flocking to the space. However, there’s also plenty of money to be lost. Launches with “promise” never get traction, tokens crumble under broken fundamentals, dramatic sways in the market hinder your growth, and the ever-looming legalization of crypto can block your plans until further notice.

While investors are extremely excited about Web3, they’re also more cautious than ever. If your project doesn’t have real use cases, you’re probably NGMI.

What this guide covers:

  • What Web3 investors actually look for
  • How to raise in the current market
  • Trends shaping the next bull cycle
  • How to find the right investors for your Web3 startup

What Web3 Investors Look for in a Startup

  • Survival over speculation: The days of raising $50M on a whitepaper are over. Investors want projects that can actually ship.
  • Tokenomics that make sense: If you’re launching a token, it better have real utility—no one’s buying into vaporware anymore.
  • Product-market fit before fundraising: Airdrops and Twitter hype aren’t traction. Investors want active users and real adoption.
  • Regulatory readiness: Can your project survive SEC scrutiny, KYC compliance, and potential crackdowns? If not, that’s a problem.
  • Crypto-native but Web2-compliant: Investors want teams that understand on-chain mechanics but can onboard normies too.

🚩 Biggest Red Flags for Web3 Investors:

  • Tokenomics that favor insiders over the community.
  • "Ponzinomics" – unsustainable yield farming and staking loops.
  • Weak security practices – hacks, exploits, or reliance on unaudited smart contracts.

💡 Before raising, make sure your fundamentals are solid. If you don’t have working code, a real user base, or a legit revenue model, your chances of getting funded are slim.

How to Raise Capital from Web3 Investors

Who Funds Web3 Startups?

  • Crypto-Native VCs: Paradigm, Pantera, Coinbase Ventures, DWF Labs.
  • Generalist VCs dabbling in Web3: a16z, Sequoia, Lightspeed, Accel.
  • Angel Investors: OGs, devs, and ex-founders who made it big in past cycles.
  • DAOs & Community Grants: Web3-native funding sources like Gitcoin and Arbitrum grants.

Pre-Seed & Seed: What’s Expected?

💰 Pre-seed: Just an idea? Forget it. Investors want to see an MVP, early traction, and a strong team with crypto-native experience.
💰 Seed: If you’ve got early users, a clear token model, and solid product development, you’re in the running for funding.
💰 Series A+: If you made it here, you’re already doing something right.

Fundraising Timelines:

Venture funding in Web3 is cyclical, just like the market. Right now, VCs are more selective, but good projects still get funded

  • Bear market: 6-12 months
  • Bull market: 3-6 months
  • Hype cycle peak: You’ll get funded overnight (but don’t count on it).

💡 Wondering if your crypto project will actually be enticing to investors?

Use OpenVC’s Fundability Calculator to see how likely you are to get funded.

How to Find the Right Web3 Investors

Finding Web3 investors isn’t as simple as pitching random VCs. Many won’t touch crypto projects, and others may only back specific niches like DeFi, NFTs, or L2s. Be diligent with your time and focus on those most likely to understand your vision and the space you operate in.

With OpenVC, you can use this Web3 investor list as your starting point, and narrow down your investor search by geography, investor type, your startup’s stage, and desired round size.

🚀 Skip the cold emails—find the right Web3 investors instantly. Join OpenVC to get started.

Top Web3 Investment Trends: Where the Money is Flowing

What’s Hot in Web3 Right Now?

📈 DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure)Helium, Bee Maps, and Render Network.
📈 Restaking & Modular BlockchainsEigenLayer has investors betting big on this model.
📈 RWA (Real-World Assets) Tokenization – Big funds are eyeing on-chain real estate, stocks, and bonds.
📈 DeFi 2.0 & Institutional Onboarding – The next generation of yield products that aren’t Ponzi-like.

❄️ What’s Cooling Off?

📉 Overhyped NFT projects – The speculative bubble burst. Real utility or GTFO.
📉 Play-to-Earn (P2E) games – Unless your game is fun without the token, it won’t last.

How to Pitch Web3 Investors and Win Funding

What Web3 Investors Expect in a Pitch

📊 Clear use case: Why does your project need blockchain? If it works better on a database, investors won’t bite.
🚀 Traction, not hype: Your community size doesn’t matter—what matters is how many active users you have.
💡 Regulatory strategy: Do you have a plan to stay compliant in a changing landscape?

Common Mistakes That Kill a Web3 Pitch

🚫 No real product: Just an idea? That was fine in 2021. Not anymore.
🚫 Sketchy tokenomics: If your token is designed to pump and dump, investors will pass.
🚫 Faking traction: Airdropped wallets ≠ real users.

Before pitching, make sure your deck is bulletproof. Need help with your Web3 pitch template? Check out our blog on the Best Startup Pitch Deck.

FAQs: Raising Capital for Web3 Startups

How much traction do I need to raise a Web3 Seed round?
Some level of real adoption. A Telegram group with 10k people doesn’t count.

Should I raise from Web3-native VCs or generalist firms?
Web3 VCs understand the market better, but generalists bring institutional credibility.

What’s the biggest red flag for Web3 investors?
Shady tokenomics. If insiders hold too much supply, you’re in trouble.

Find the Best Web3 Investors and VC Firms on OpenVC

Ready to raise? Here’s how OpenVC helps crypto founders like you:

  • Find Web3 investors fast – Filter by stage, check size, and more.
  • Browse investor insights – See which firms are actively investing.
  • Submit your pitch deck directly – Skip the cold outreach and connect with Web3 investors who care.
  • Get replies – Automatically receive scheduled meetings from investors.
  • Close your round – Meet with investors and secure the funding your project needs to scale.

🔥 Join OpenVC today and start connecting with top Web3 investors instantly.

Frequently Asked Questions

OpenVC is a free fundraising platform where startup founders can search verified investors,  submit their pitch decks, and manage their entire raise. Users can search 20,000+ verified investors, shortlist the right ones, and submit your pitch deck directly. Our CRM, deck analytics, and warm intro tools help you run a smarter, more organized raise.

Founders raise with OpenVC because it is designed to cut through the noise and get founders in front of the right investors, fast. With built-in tools for CRM, analytics, and warm intros, it helps you stay organized and improve your chances of getting a reply.

OpenVC is for early-stage startup founders who want to raise capital efficiently. Find investors from dozens of industries including SaaS, AI, fintech, biotech, and more. Whether you’re pre-seed, seed, or Series A, OpenVC helps you find and pitch aligned investors without paying intro fees, aimlessly cold-emailing, or scraping databases.

Yes, OpenVC is completely free to use. You can search investors, submit your pitch deck, track engagement, and manage your raise—all without paying a cent. Premium features are available, but the core platform is free and always will be.

You create a free OpenVC account, build your investor shortlist, and submit your pitch deck directly through the platform. Investors receive a unique link to view your deck, and you get analytics on who opens it and how long they spend on it. No cold emails, no guesswork. For more info, check out our complete guide to fundraising on OpenVC.

Absolutely, OpenVC is designed for early-stage fundraising. You’ll find thousands of angel investors, pre-seed VCs, accelerators, incubators, and family offices who are actively backing startups across sectors and geographies. Use OpenVC’s filters to narrow your search and find the right investors for your startup.

Some examples of startups that successfully secured funding through OpenVC include Mobly (2.5M seed), Paxum ($1.2M seed), and Laennec AI ($400k pre-seed). OpenVC startups have gone on to raise more than $1 billion from top venture capital firms like YC, Sequoia, Google Ventures, and M12.

OpenVC was created by Stephane Nasser and Lucas Roquilly—two founders building tools to make startup fundraising more transparent and accessible. We launched OpenVC to help founders find investors, get replies, and raise smarter. The platform is bootstrapped, community-driven, and built with a lot of heart.

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