• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Some Fortune Crypto pricing data is provided by Binance.
The LedgerBlockchain

Here’s How the World’s Top VCs Bet on Blockchain in 1 Chart

Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
Down Arrow Button Icon
Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 17, 2017, 8:00 AM ET

Venture capital firms have been plunking down millions of dollars in funding on startups pitching blockchain tech, the innovative accounting ledgers that underpin cryptocurrencies and power nifty, distributed databases.

As interest in all things crypto heats up, initial coin offerings—a crowdsourced way for crypto projects to raise money—have become all the rage, allowing fledgling projects to raise ample funds without needing institutional backers. Despite the democratizing trend, VC firms are on track to ink 77 traditional deals with blockchain startups by year’s end—more than any year prior.

So far, VC firms have struck 59 deals this year, already exceeding the 57 signed last year.

Now you can see where the biggest brand name investors’ purses intersect. CB Insights, a market research firm that tracks the venture capital industry, mapped out the relationships between some of the most prestigious VC dealmakers in a new report previewed exclusively with Fortune.

Many of the firms will be familiar to people who follow the money in Silicon Valley and beyond: Sequoia Capital, Union Square Ventures, and Andreessen Horowitz among them. The diagram below reveals which traditional equity deals these firms have in common.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter

Courtesy of CB Insights

Several trends become clear as you peruse the ties. Andreessen Horowitz likes to invest alongside Union Square Ventures, as seen in joint fundings in Coinbase, the most well-known crypto broker, OpenBazaar, a decentralized online marketplace, and Mediachain, a song royalty tracker since acquired by Spotify. Sequoia, meanwhile, places bets more sparingly, backing only Bitmain Technologies, a Bitcoin miner—though the firm has also contributed non-equity investment funding to hedge funds like Polychain and Metastable as well as ICO-backed projects like FileCoin.

Note that the biggest-name investors included above are not necessarily the biggest investors in blockchain tech. Digital Currency Group, an investment firm led by Barry Silbert, founder of SecondMarket (an exchange for private company stock) and alumni of Fortune’s40 Under 40 list, leads the pack with more than 100 investments in roughly 75 blockchain companies. Blockchain Capital lands in the runner-up spot, with Draper Associates placing third in terms of number of deals.

Check out the CB Insights report for more interesting blockchain VC tidbits. And tune into this October 26 webinar, where CB Insights analyst Arieh Levi, the report’s author, and I will provide a rundown of the blockchain landscape as well as field questions from attendees.

Correction 10/23/17: This post and accompanying graphic have been updated to reflect the relationships of several VC firms and their investments in blockchain startups. Sequoia Capital was not an investor in the now defunct company Koinify. And while Andreessen Horowitz and Union Square Ventures are both limited partners in the hedge fund Polychain Capital, only the latter is an equity investor.

This article is part of Fortune’s new initiative, The Ledger, a trusted news source at the intersection of tech and finance. Click here for more on The Ledger.
About the Author
Robert Hackett
By Robert Hackett
Instagram iconLinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in The Ledger

CommentaryEndorsements
Keeping up with the SEC: Here’s what Kim Kardashian and your financial adviser have in common
By Michael BoeseNovember 29, 2022
3 years ago
FinanceFTX
Crypto lender BlockFi files for bankruptcy after FTX implosion
By Chris MorrisNovember 28, 2022
3 years ago
The LedgerFlorida
New York bans new crypto mining power plants—for now
By The Associated PressNovember 23, 2022
3 years ago
The LedgerFTX
Sam Bankman-Fried gives most detailed explanation yet about FTX’s collapse in letter to staff while still claiming ignorance of wrongdoing
By Joanna Ossinger and BloombergNovember 22, 2022
3 years ago
The LedgerCryptocurrency
Crypto brokerage Genesis said to be warning investors it may declare bankruptcy if it can’t raise at least $1 billion
By Lydia Beyoud, Sonali Basak, Vildana Hajric, Muyao Shen and BloombergNovember 22, 2022
3 years ago
The LedgerFTX
New FTX CEO hired to clean up Sam Bankman-Fried’s mess is being paid $1,300 an hour
By Jack Schickler and CoinDeskNovember 21, 2022
3 years ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Two months into the new fiscal year and the U.S. government is already spending more than $10 billion a week servicing national debt
By Eleanor PringleDecember 4, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
‘Godfather of AI’ says Bill Gates and Elon Musk are right about the future of work—but he predicts mass unemployment is on its way
By Preston ForeDecember 4, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Nearly 4 million new manufacturing jobs are coming to America as boomers retire—but it's the one trade job Gen Z doesn't want
By Emma BurleighDecember 4, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admits he works 7 days a week, including holidays, in a constant 'state of anxiety' out of fear of going bankrupt
By Jessica CoacciDecember 4, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Real Estate
‘There is no Mamdani effect’: Manhattan luxury home sales surge after mayoral election, undercutting predictions of doom and escape to Florida
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 4, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Tariffs and the $38 trillion national debt: Kevin Hassett sees ’big reductions’ in deficit while Scott Bessent sees a ‘shrinking ice cube’
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 4, 2025
1 day ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.