Bitcoin Startup 21 Announces $116 Million All-Star Backing

By Joon Ian Wong

Stealth bitcoin startup 21 Inc, formerly 21e6, has announced new information about its funding history, staff members and investors, revealing it has raised $116m in fundraising over multiple rounds.

In a new interview with the Wall Street Journal, 21 CEO Matthew Pauker indicated that Andreessen Horowitz, Data Collective, Khosla Ventures, RRE Ventures and Yuan Capital are among the firms that have participated in the company’s funding rounds.

Dropbox CEO Drew Houston; eBay co-founder Jeff Skoll; Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi; PayPal co-founders Peter Thiel and Max Levchin; and Zynga co-founder Mark Pincus have also invested in the startup.

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Bonafide Raises $850k to Build Reputation System for Bitcoin

By Daniel Cawrey

A startup called Bonafide has raised $850,000 to build a reputation system for the bitcoin industry.

The funding round, which comes from Quest Venture Partners, Crypto Currency Partners and the AngelList Bitcoin Syndicate, among others, is a step towards creating a scoring system for addresses on bitcoin’s network.

Notably, Bonfide.io was included in Silicon Valley’s 500 Startups incubation program last year.

Brian Moyer, the firm's co-founder, said that 500 Startups venture partner Sean Percival saw early on the potential for Bonafide to create more credibility in bitcoin commerce, whether between consumers and merchants, or in person-to-person payments.

Moyer said:

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Bitcoin Startup Coinbase Raises $75 Million From DFJ, the NYSE and Two Banks

By Jason Del Rey

Coinbase, a software company that allows people to buy bitcoin and enables businesses to accept it as payment, has closed a giant $75 million investment. In real U.S. dollars.

The round is by far the biggest investment in a bitcoin company to date. Beyond its size, the funding is sure to make waves in financial services thanks to the participation of three industry investors: the New York Stock Exchange, USAA Bank, and BBVA, a multinational bank with a large presence in Spain and Mexico. Former Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit also personally invested in the company.

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