VC Roundup: Lightning Network payment rail, DeFi trading platform and blockchain security company raise millions

ZEBEDEE, Halborn, Hashflow, Socios and EtherMail lead the latest funding offerings from the blockchain and cryptocurrency world.

Even with the onset of the crypto winter, 2022 has been a pivotal year for venture capital funding. Crypto and blockchain companies collectively raised $30.3 billion in venture capital in the first half of 2022, surpassing all of last year's totals. While the number of transactions has declined in recent months, startups at the intersection of blockchain payments, decentralized finance (DeFi) and cybersecurity are still attracting considerable interest from the VC community. The latest edition of VC Roundup highlights some of the most intriguing funding deals from the past month.

Related: The Risks and Benefits of VCs for Crypto Communities

ZEBEDEE, a Bitcoin (BTC) powered payment processor for the gaming industry, has raised $35 million from multiple investors including Kingsway Capital, The Raine Group and Square Enix. ZEBEDEE is basically a platform that allows game developers to incorporate programmable money, including BTC, into their games. The payment platform is powered by Lightning Network, making ZEBEDEE a “Bitcoin enabler of choice” for its partners, according to Kingsway Capital Managing Partner Afonso C...