Crypto VC inflows drop further as macro factors weigh on investments

cointelegraph.com:

July saw a drop in capital inflows from venture capitalists by 10.26% resulting in $700 million raised according to Cointelegraph Research VC Database. The last two months rejected the potential upward trend, as it seems that macroeconomic conditions revolving around the United States Federal Reserve rate hikes and geopolitical events are still having a more severe impact on VCs’ decision making. 

With this in mind, many firms are staying risk-off with most of their reserves, while some are deploying portions of capital to value investments. Generally, VCs are closely examining each new project for potential investment opportunities, preferring to follow smart money instead of taking stabs in the dark.

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However, not everything is so grim in the crypto VC sector. Polychain Capital launched an Investment Fund IV for $200 million, and CoinFund launched a Seed Fund IV for $152 million in July. Under current conditions, they can be considered notable outliers. For comparison, June only saw three crypto funds emerge, raising less than $100 million in total.

The hype around the potential approval of spot Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the U.S. is also heating up, and if one can receive approval from the SEC, it could revitalize the industry and drive the next crypto bull run. The approval will likely send an inspiring signal for crypto VCs and bring more attention and capital into the industry. Though, we are yet to see whether this will turn the investment trend upside down.

Web3 has been one of the most active sectors measured by the number of deals, and July was no exception, with 26 individual deals raising $256.2 million. Conversely, infrastructure has