Portfolio Companies
7Astria
Astria completed a $12.5M strategic fundraise led by dba and Placeholder VC
WeatherXM
Swiss startup raising $7.7M to build the largest weather network in the world
Backpack
Backpack raises $17M in Series A funding for financial services for small and medium enterprises.
Squads
Solana-based multisig protocol raises $5.7M from Multicoin, Placeholder and others
Tensor
Tensor, a Solana-based NFT marketplace platform, raises $3M in seed funding.
Vault
Web3 music platform Vault raises $4M Series A led by Placeholder VC
Aleo
Aleo raised $28M in funding for zero-knowledge proof technology and privacy-focused blockchain infrastructure.
Recent Articles
27Expert Who Nailed The Bitcoin Top Now Says Buy At These Levels - TradingView
An expert who accurately predicted the Bitcoin market top has now identified key price levels where investors should consider buying, offering new guidance amid current market conditions.
1/26/2026
Expert Who Nailed The Bitcoin Top Now Says Buy At These Levels - CryptoRank
An expert who accurately predicted Bitcoin's market top is now identifying specific price levels as strong buying opportunities, drawing attention from the crypto investment community.
1/26/2026
$56,000 Bitcoin Bottom? Burniske Thinks The Market Still Has To Break - TradingView
Analyst Burniske suggests Bitcoin may not have bottomed yet, hinting the market could decline further before a true bottom is established around the $56,000 level.
12/1/2025
Placeholder VC partner: The market may be ready for a rebound - Bitget
A partner at Placeholder VC suggests the crypto market may be poised for a rebound, sharing insights on current market conditions and potential recovery signals as reported by Bitget.
11/22/2025
"Era of Selling Has Just Begun" — Placeholder VC Calls Crypto Top - Cryptonews
Placeholder VC has signaled a crypto market top, declaring the 'era of selling has just begun,' suggesting a bearish outlook for the cryptocurrency market ahead.
11/21/2025
Crypto Shock: Placeholder VC Warns of Market Peak, Selling Era Ahead - Crypto Economy
Placeholder VC has issued a warning that the crypto market may be approaching its peak, signaling a potential selling era ahead for investors.
11/21/2025
“Era of Selling Has Just Begun” — Placeholder VC Calls Crypto Top - Yahoo Finance
Placeholder VC signals a crypto market top, declaring the 'era of selling has just begun,' suggesting a bearish outlook and potential downturn ahead for cryptocurrency markets.
11/21/2025
What Is a Crypto VC (Venture Capital)? - Crypto.com
This article explains what a crypto venture capital (VC) is, how it funds blockchain and Web3 startups, and the role it plays in driving innovation within the cryptocurrency ecosystem.
1/27/2025
What Is a Crypto VC (Venture Capital)? - Crypto.com
This article explains what a crypto venture capital (VC) is, covering how these firms invest in blockchain and cryptocurrency projects, their role in the ecosystem, and how they differ from traditional VCs.
1/27/2025
What Is a Crypto VC (Venture Capital)? - Crypto.com
This article explains crypto venture capital (VC), which funds early-stage blockchain and crypto startups in exchange for equity or tokens, driving innovation in the digital asset space.
1/27/2025
What Is a Crypto VC (Venture Capital)? - Crypto.com
This article by Crypto.com explains what a crypto venture capital (VC) is, covering how crypto VCs fund blockchain and Web3 startups, their role in the ecosystem, and how they differ from traditional VCs.
1/27/2025
Astria Completes $12.5 Million Strategic Fundraise Led by dba, Placeholder VC - Crypto Reporter
7/11/2024
Astria Raises $12.5M in Funding - FinSMEs
Astria has successfully raised $12.5 million in funding, as reported by FinSMEs. The investment is expected to support the company's growth and advancement of its core operations.
7/5/2024
Swiss startup WeatherXM raises $7.7m to become the largest weather network in the world - marketingreport.one
Swiss startup WeatherXM has raised $7.7 million in funding with the goal of building the world's largest weather observation network, leveraging decentralized technology to expand global weather data coverage.
5/24/2024
Lightspeed Faction leads $7.7 million Series A round for DePIN weather startup WeatherXM - The Block
5/22/2024
Backpack Raises $17M in Series A Funding - FinSMEs
Backpack has successfully raised $17 million in a Series A funding round, marking a significant milestone for the company as it looks to expand its operations and accelerate growth.
3/3/2024
Solana Veterans Raise $17M for 'Backpack' Crypto Wallet, Exchange - CoinDesk
Solana veterans have raised $17 million to develop 'Backpack,' a crypto wallet and exchange platform, signaling continued investment in Solana-based infrastructure and tools.
2/28/2024
FTX, Alameda Alum Raise $17 Million for Crypto Exchange Backpack - Bloomberg.com
Former FTX and Alameda Research employees have raised $17 million to fund Backpack, a new cryptocurrency exchange, signaling continued entrepreneurial activity among alumni of the collapsed firms.
2/28/2024
Crypto exchange Backpack, founded by ex-FTX and Alameda employees, raises $17 million in Series A - The Block
Backpack, a crypto exchange founded by former FTX and Alameda Research employees, has successfully raised $17 million in a Series A funding round.
2/28/2024
Solana-based multisig protocol Squads raises $5.7 million from Multicoin, Placeholder and others - The Block
Squads, a multisig protocol built on Solana, has raised $5.7 million in funding from investors including Multicoin Capital and Placeholder, strengthening its position in the Solana ecosystem.
10/16/2023
AI Could Be Crypto’s Killer App, Say Placeholder VC Partners - unchainedcrypto.com
Placeholder VC partners suggest AI may serve as crypto's killer application, potentially driving mainstream adoption by combining blockchain technology with artificial intelligence capabilities.
7/25/2023
Tensor — the 'Blur of Solana' — raises $3 million in seed funding - The Block
3/7/2023
Web3 music platform Vault raises $4 million Series A led by Placeholder VC - The Block
Web3 music platform Vault has raised $4 million in a Series A funding round led by Placeholder VC, aiming to expand its blockchain-based music services.
2/9/2023
FanDuel Co-Founders Raise $4M for Digital Music Collectible Startup Vault - CoinDesk
The co-founders of FanDuel have raised $4 million for Vault, a new startup focused on digital music collectibles, signaling growing interest in blockchain-based music assets.
2/9/2023
Aleo Raises $28M in Funding - FinSMEs
Aleo has successfully raised $28 million in funding. This investment round highlights growing investor interest in the blockchain privacy platform as it continues to develop its technology and expand operations.
4/20/2021
What it means to own your data in USV co-founder Brad Burnham’s brave new world - The Block
11/6/2019
Chris Burniske of Placeholder on the Downsides of ICOs - unchainedcrypto.com
Chris Burniske of venture firm Placeholder discusses the drawbacks of ICOs, including regulatory risks, lack of investor protections, and concerns about project accountability in the crypto space.
4/6/2018
Investment Signals
14VCs are backing specialized NFT marketplaces on layer-1 blockchains like Solana, suggesting a thesis that chain-specific trading platforms can succeed.
Tensor, a Solana-based NFT marketplace comparable to Blur, has raised $3 million in seed funding, indicating investor confidence in Solana NFT infrastructure.
Astria completed a $12.5M strategic fundraise led by dba and Placeholder VC, indicating significant institutional backing for the web3 infrastructure company.
Brad Burnham's perspective on data ownership suggests a vision of future internet infrastructure where individuals retain control over their data, aligning with decentralized web3 principles.
USV co-founder Brad Burnham articulates a thesis around data ownership in a decentralized context, suggesting USV's investment thesis prioritizes web3 solutions enabling user control over personal data.
Aleo completed a $28M funding round, indicating significant capital deployment in privacy-focused blockchain infrastructure.
Lightspeed Faction is investing in DePIN (decentralized physical infrastructure) weather startups, signaling thesis interest in tokenized physical infrastructure networks.
Lightspeed Faction led a $7.7 million Series A funding round for WeatherXM, a decentralized physical infrastructure (DePIN) weather data startup.
Placeholder VC partner signals bearish sentiment on cryptocurrency market, suggesting the top has been reached and a selling phase is beginning.
Backpack completed a Series A funding round of $17M, indicating investor confidence in the fintech startup's business model and growth potential.
WeatherXM, a Swiss startup building a decentralized weather network, raised $7.7M in funding to expand operations and establish itself as the largest weather network globally.
Digital music collectibles and NFTs represent an emerging investment opportunity, attracting experienced entrepreneurs from the sports/gaming sector.
FanDuel co-founders have raised $4M for Vault, a digital music collectible startup, signaling investor confidence in web3-based music NFT platforms.
Squads, a Solana-based multisig protocol, raised $5.7 million from prominent crypto investors Multicoin Capital and Placeholder, indicating VC confidence in Web3 infrastructure solutions.