Below you will find a comprehensive list of some of the Best Crypto Venture Capital Funds in the trading market, according to research in South Africa. (Updated 2025)
Overview of the Best Crypto Capital Funds for South Africans
- ✔️Overview
- ✔️Crypto Venture Capital Funds and Cryptocurrencies/Blockchain technology
- ✔️Benefits of Venture Capital Financing
- Coinbase Ventures
- Andreessen Horowitz
- Standard Merchant
- Draper Associates
- Pantera Capital
- Kraken Ventures
- Master Ventures
Two of the largest, busiest, and most promising areas in the crypto space revolves around the Decentralised Finance (DeFi) and the Nonfungible token (NFT) companies.
Overview
Venture Capitalists can simply be defined as private equity investors who offer capital to start-up companies that show significant potential for future growth. Venture Capital funds are not likely to fund start-ups because they have not yet commercialized their ideas and there is no way to gauge their growth potential.
Venture Capitalists typically look for strong management teams, large potential markets, and a unique product or a service with a significant competitive advantage over others.
Even though these Venture Capitalists do not typically consider start-up companies, the cryptocurrency market is a different story and many crypto firms fit the profile with what Venture Capitalists want.
Two of the largest, busiest, and most promising areas in the crypto space revolves around the Decentralised Finance (DeFi) and the Nonfungible token (NFT) companies.
Bitcoin is currently surrounded by several precarious regulatory environments, pushing more investors towards NFTs, In addition to this, with DeFi developing rapidly and offering several applications in the real world, there is increased regulatory overhang.
Crypto Venture Capital Funds and Cryptocurrencies/Blockchain Technology
The crypto market has seen massive expansion and growth in the past few years. In 2025, Venture Capital funds have already invested over $17 billion into cryptocurrencies and blockchain which is an overall yearly record since 2009 when cryptocurrencies were first launched.
The previous yearly record was last achieved in 2018 when a total of $7.4 billion was invested. Thus far, 2025 has managed to incorporate the combined investment amount of all previous years into one year, from 2010 to date.
Some large firms and companies are looking for more opportunities to gain exposure in the market. This allows these investors to place themselves at the front of the line with future developments in crypto and blockchain technologies.
Many Venture Capital firms have been expanding their portfolios by adding several different crypto and blockchain companies. This has subsequently boosted the crypto market even further.
Benefits of Venture Capital Financing
Venture Capitalists are trustworthy and well-regulated, making them a viable option for funding.
Venture Capitalists are not as harsh if the project fails as opposed to investors who may regard the project as a scam if the initial coin offering (ICO) fails, damaging the reputation of the start-up before it has a chance to launch properly.
Start-ups that can secure funding from a reputable and well-regulated Venture Capital firm can build a good reputation.
When start-ups raise funds from Venture Capital, they are given an improved image of reliability as well as confidence.
Venture Capital firms offer expertise and support to crypto start-ups.
Coinbase Ventures
Established in 2018, Coinbase Ventures was founded by the Coinbase crypto exchange trading platform, which is one of the largest, most reputable exchanges in the crypto space. Coinbase Ventures aims to provide funding to early-stage Venture Capital deals and it only focuses on cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology.
There are over 159 investments that are spread across different regions in the world, with more than 1,000 co-investors, more than 130 cryptocurrency and blockchain deals that have been completed thus far, with the latest completed in August.
Coinbase Ventures’ investor status is currently set to “Actively seeking new Investments”, which means that it is on the lookout for any emerging technology with high potential growth.
Coinbase Ventures is extremely active in the blockchain and crypto space, with an inherent interest in certain technology such as CoinDX and the blockchain-based media distribution including Livepeer.
Andreessen Horowitz
Andreessen Horowitz, also known as a16z, is one of the largest, most prominent crypto investment funds in the world. The firm is focused on technology as well as blockchain start-ups, with the focus on offering funds from seed rounds right through until late-stage rounds.
In May, Andreessen Horowitz announced an $800 million (12 billion ZAR) to $1 billion (15 billion ZAR) investment into the crypto space, making it one of the largest capital funds.
Andreessen Horowitz has more than $16.6 billion (250 million ZAR) in assets that are under management with the firm, spread across a wide range of funds. The new crypto fund that was added, was included in an existing $865 million (13 billion ZAR) fund.
Despite the bullish nature of the cryptocurrency market this year, there are many firms such as Andreessen Horowitz, Pantera Capital, and others who continue to build crypto-centric investment funds.
Standard Merchant
Standard Merchant is a leading early-stage Venture Capital firm that has been in operation for the past decade. Founded in 2011, Standard Merchant has worked ceaselessly to ensure that many crypto start-ups receive the expertise and support they need to take their projects from early stages right through to success.
Standard Merchant has an impressive portfolio of more than 25 different ventures, with 80% of all projects receiving the funding and support they need to add a competitive edge in the ever-expanding crypto space.
Standard Merchant’s professional, experienced team features different individuals from around the globe, including BlackStone, Deutsche Bank, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and many more. Some of the most recent early backings include some of the following start-ups:
Solbank
Concordium
Master Ventures
Senswap
Univest, and several others
Draper Associates
Draper Associates is a leading early-stage Venture Capital arm of Tim Draper’s Venture Capital portfolio. In addition to owning an impressive portfolio of Venture Capital firms, Tim Draper also founded the Draper University, an entrepreneurship program that is in Silicon Valley, US.
Tim Draper became a mainstream name in the crypto space after he purchased a significant amount of Bitcoin that was seized by the US Marshall Services. These funds were taken from an illegal darknet marketplace called Silk Road.
Draper Associates has an extensive portfolio that consists of some of the following investments:
7Shifts
Bancor (BNT)
AZA Finance
Atomwise
Bitcoin (BTC)
Box (BOX)
Coinbase (COIN)
CloudMedX
Ethereum (ETH), and many more.
Pantera Capital
Pantera Capital traces its digital asset investment back to 2013, offering its investors a wide range of exposure to the cryptocurrency market. Pantera Capital is a large investment firm in addition to being a reputable hedge fund.
However, despite this, most of the investment in Pantera Capital was obtained through venture-style seed funding that was offered to start-up blockchain and cryptocurrency companies.
Pantera Capital has supported Ripple early on and it has since invested in over 30 different investments in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space. In addition to this, Pantera Capital has invested in different initial coin offerings (ICOs) over the years.
According to the official Pantera Capital website, the firm offers some of the following investments:
Early-Stage Token Fund – which provides actively managed exposure to a range of early-stage blockchain protocols that follow a specific venture-style model. Liquidity on this investment is provided quarterly and the assets that are offered include private investments in token projects before their launch.
Liquid Token Funds – which are actively managed exposure to publicly traded digital assets. Liquidity is given quarterly, and the assets include tokens that are publicly traded.
Blockchain Fund – which is managed exposure that is provided to all facets of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency venture capital markets. Blockchain liquidity at the end of the fund and assets include venture equity, liquid tokens, and early-stage tokens.
Kraken Ventures
Kraken Ventures is a reputable Venture Capital company that has investment across several different businesses as well as projects, all at the nexus of the Blockchain, cryptocurrency, and FinTech revolution, with the expectation that it will redefine how consumers and businesses interact in the digital age with the widespread adoption of cryptocurrencies and blockchain.
Kraken Ventures is a proven leader in the cryptocurrency exchange trading platform scene that supports the development of products and partnerships, global growth, and strategic planning for different portfolio companies around the world.
Master Ventures
Master Ventures works according to a simple philosophy that aims to create a better future for the entire world through blockchain technology. This is one of the main reasons why Master Ventures invests heavily in projects that can revolutionise the industry and subsequently how financial systems function.
Master Ventures prides itself in being a blockchain-focused Venture Studio that constructs the next generation of infrastructure companies that work to boost blockchain adoption. The team at Master Venture works to bring together visionary ideas, excellent talent, and investment capital that builds companies poised to change the world.
Master Venture has an impressive portfolio that includes Kraken, Ripple, and Coinbase. It recently announced that Poker (PKR), a centralized exchange that has partnerships with Polygon and integration with ChainLink, would join its portfolio as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are crypto venture capital funds?
Crypto venture capital funds are investment funds dedicated to providing financial backing for startups and projects in the cryptocurrency and blockchain industries. These funds support early-stage companies working on innovative ideas and technologies within this ecosystem, provide capital, expertise, and actively contribute to their growth and success. Investing in crypto venture capital funds provides exposure to potentially high returns offered by this ever-evolving landscape of digital currencies and blockchain.
How do crypto venture capital funds generate returns?
Crypto venture capital funds generate returns by investing in early-stage cryptocurrency and blockchain projects that offer potential for fast growth and profit. Some ways that returns are generated include: Capital appreciation, Token appreciation, Token sales and liquidity events, Dividends and revenue sharing, Secondary market sales.
How do crypto venture capital funds evaluate potential investments?
Crypto venture capital funds use various criteria and methodologies to evaluate potential investments in the blockchain and cryptocurrency industries, including these common factors they take into consideration: A strong and capable team with relevant industry knowledge, Technology and Innovation, Market Potential, Business model, Token Economics, Markets traction and adoption, Regulatory and legal considerations, Risk assessment.
What types of projects do crypto venture capital funds typically invest in?
Crypto venture capital funds typically invest in various projects within the cryptocurrency and blockchain space, including: Blockchain Platforms and Protocols, Decentralized applications (DApps), Cryptocurrency exchanges, Infrastructure projects, Security and Privacy solutions, Blockchain interoperability, Tokenization platforms, Cryptocurrency-focused funds and financial services, Decentralized finance (DeFi), Non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
How does Crypto venture capital funds differ from ICO/IEO?
Crypto venture capital funds differ from Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) and Initial Exchange Offerings (IEOs) in several key ways:
Structure: Crypto Venture Capital funds are investment vehicles that pool funds from multiple investors and use it to finance startups and projects within the cryptocurrency and blockchain space. On the other hand, Initial Coin Offerings and Initial Exchange Offerings involve direct sale of tokens or coins directly to the public in return for funding the project directly.
Investor Protection: Crypto venture capital funds follow established legal and regulatory frameworks to offer investors some level of investor protection, while initial coin offerings (ICOs and IEOs) tend to operate under less stringent regulation with few investor safeguards in place.
Funding Mechanism: Crypto venture capital funds typically fund their projects using traditional investment mechanisms like equity investments or private sales of tokens; by contrast, initial coin offerings (ICOs and IEOs) and initial equity offerings (IEOs) involve public sales of tokens often at an early stage in order to raise development funding.
Due Diligence: Before investing, crypto venture capital funds typically conduct rigorous due diligence on any prospective projects they consider investing in, including its team, technology and market potential evaluation. By contrast, initial coin offerings (ICOs and IEOs) often employ less rigorous processes which may increase fraudster or inferior projects getting funded.
Investor Access: Crypto venture capital funds tend to cater only to accredited or institutional investors meeting certain criteria, while initial coin offerings (ICOs and IEOs) generally open themselves up for participation by anyone, subject to any relevant legal restrictions.
Top 4 Brokers
