VanEck Led $50M Raise for Cadenza Ventures’ Crypto Fund

The fund will use the capital to invest in crypto platforms and blockchain technologies internationally.

article-image

Blockworks exclusive Art by Axel Rangel

share
  • Additional investors include Solana and Dapper Labs as well as individuals from Coinbase, Kraken Ventures and more
  • To date, the venture capital firm has made approximately 36 investments in digital finance across companies that focus on custody, exchanges, asset management, payments, data and analytics and DeFi

Cadenza Ventures raised $50 million for its crypto venture fund, the company announced Monday. 

The early stage fund is led by Cadenza Ventures’ Co-Founders and Managing Partners Kumar Dandapani and Max Shapiro and anchored by VanEck. 

Others in the round include: Solana, Dapper Labs, WorldQuant Ventures, Mirana, TRON, Lennertz, Babel Finance, Social Leverage as well as individual investors from Coinbase, Kraken Ventures, Angellist and Norwest Venture Partners.

“We’re very excited to continue investing in entrepreneurs and developers that are working tirelessly to revolutionize financial services around the world,” Shapiro said in a statement. 

The fund will use the capital to invest in crypto platforms and blockchain technologies internationally, the firm said. 

The firm has already made its first investments in companies, including Rain, Vauld, Lemon Cash, Tulip Protocol and ZEBEDEE.

To date, the venture capital firm has made approximately 36 investments in digital finance across companies that focus on custody, exchanges, asset management, payments, data and analytics and DeFi, according to its website.

For reference, BlockFi and Casa are two of the 36 companies that it has invested in.


Get the day’s top crypto news and insights delivered to your inbox every evening. Subscribe to Blockworks’ free newsletter now.


Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Marina Bay Sands Singapore

October 7, 2026

DAS Asia is a a single-day summit at Marina Bay Sands Singapore featuring conversations between the builders, investors, and global leaders are shaping the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in Asia & North America.

Hilton Park Lane, London

November 10-11, 2026

DAS London is a two-day summit at the Hilton Park Lane in London featuring conversations between the builders, allocators, and policy makers who are shaping the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the UK, Europe, and North America.

recent research

Maple White.jpg

Research

Crypto lending has rallied 46.7% over the past week, making it the strongest sector tracked by Blockworks Research, yet Maple has been left behind. Since September 2025, Maple’s deposits have grown 69% to $4.9B and outstanding loans have risen 78% to $1.8B, while SYRUP is down 52%. Distribution is also widening through Robinhood and Kraken, while Ethena could become a sizeable source of institutional lending demand. This report examines what the market may be missing, what needs to change for earnings to grow again and whether wider distribution and rules-based buybacks are enough to bring SYRUP back into the spotlight.

Newsletter

The Breakdown

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Blockworks Research

Unlock crypto's most powerful research platform.

Our research packs a punch and gives you actionable takeaways for each topic.

SubscribeGet in touch

Blockworks Inc.

133 W 19th St., New York, NY 10011

Blockworks Network

PodcastsNewslettersEventsRoundtablesAnalytics