[Huobi Inventory] Blockchain projects have attracted a total of US$1.8 billion. What does capital favor in blockchain?

2016 is known as the first year of blockchain. This year, blockchain has set off an unprecedented upsurge. Financial institutions and major banks around the world have been scrambling to conduct research on blockchain technology, and billions of dollars have been injected into blockchain-related companies. According to statistics from Huobi Blockchain Research Center, by the end of 2016, the total investment attracted by blockchain startups reached 1.8 billion US dollars, an increase of 900 times from 2 million US dollars in 2012 to 1.8 billion US dollars in 2016.

Huobi Blockchain Research Center has summarized the relevant data of the top 10 blockchain startups that received financing in 2016. Let’s review them together.

1. Blockchain API interface service provider received $7.1 million in financing

On January 6, 2016, blockchain API service provider GEM announced that it had received $7.1 million in Series A funding. Together with the previous round of $3.3 million, GEM raised a total of about $10.4 million. They used this funding to expand API development and develop a modular platform for blockchain applications.
The investment was led by Pelion Ventures, with participation from KEC Ventures, Blockchain Capital, Digital Currency Group, RRE Ventures, Tamarisk Global, Drummond Road Capital, Tekton Ventures, Amplify.LA, Danmar Capital, and angel investor James Joaquin.

2. Blockchain startup receives $52 million in Series A funding and will enter the Australian stock market

On January 22, 2016, Digital Asset Holdings, a blockchain startup led by former JPMorgan Chase executive Blythe Masters, received $52 million in Series A funding. The blockchain project being researched by Digital Asset Holdings is to allow all investors involved in securities trading to conduct real-time asset transactions in the same database.

Investors include ASX, JPMorgan Chase, CME Group, ICAP Plc, Accenture, Deutsche Börse, Citigroup, BNP Paribas, Broadridge Financial Solutions, PNC Financial Services Group, Santander Bank, etc.

3. Blockchain income sharing platform receives $4.5 million in financing

On April 28, 2016, the blockchain income sharing platform Stem received $4.5 million in financing. Stem mainly helps content creators track income sources and collect data from different platforms. Investors are Upfront Ventures and various music management experts.

4. Private blockchain technology development platform receives 670 million yen in financing

On April 28, 2016, private blockchain technology development platform Mijin received 670 million yen (about 6.26 million U.S. dollars) in venture capital, mainly in the form of additional equity issuance. This investment is mainly used for the overseas expansion of private blockchain technology. Investors include Tech Bureau, Alala, Infoteria, Asteria Warp, Japan Technology Venture Partners (NTVP), Hiroshima Venture Capital, Faisco, Money Partners Group, etc.

5. Japanese blockchain startup receives 72 million yuan in financing

On May 12, 2016, Japanese blockchain startup TechBureau received 72 million yuan (equivalent to 6.5 million US dollars) in Series A financing. TechBureau used this money to hire employees and develop blockchain application software. Companies participating in the financing include financial services company Arara, Japanese question-and-answer website OKWAVE, Japanese venture capital company NTVP, financial information service provider FISCO, and Tokyo foreign exchange broker Money Partners Group.

6. Bubi completed 30 million yuan of Pre-A round of financing

In June 2016, Bubi, a blockchain technology product and service provider, completed a 30 million yuan (about 4.31 million US dollars) Pre-A round of financing, which was mainly jointly invested by Qifu Capital, China Merchants Venture Capital, Sinovation Ventures, Wanxiang Distributed Capital, Jieshi Venture Capital and other investment institutions. So far, Bubi has raised nearly 40 million yuan (about 5.8 million US dollars) in total.

Bubi focuses on the Bubi blockchain financial service platform, providing institutions with commercial-grade blockchain products and industry solutions.

7. Israeli blockchain startup Colu receives $9.6 million in Series A funding

On June 24, 2016, Israeli blockchain startup Colu received $9.6 million in Series A funding. Colu was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Tel Aviv. Its product is a platform that can use electronic currency. Investors in this round of financing include Aleph, Spark Capital, Digital Currency Group and Tom Glocer, former CEO of Thomson Reuters. Including this round of financing, Colu's total financing amount has reached $12.1 million.

8. China's first blockchain digital financial service platform received 5 million angel round financing

On July 16, 2016, blockchain financial technology service company JinGuChain successfully completed a 5 million angel round of financing, with investors including Angel Hundred Fund, Chuangshi Capital, and JinGen Capital. JinGuChain was established at the end of 2015 and is also the first digital financial service platform in China built on blockchain technology.

9. Online music distribution, sales and licensing platform receives $2.5 million in Series A funding

On September 9, 2016, Revelator, an online music distribution, sales and licensing platform, announced that it had received $2.5 million in Series A funding. The investment was led by Exigent Capital, followed by Digital Currency Group and Israeli early-stage fund Reinvent. The Tel Aviv-based company raised a total of $3 million.

10. Blockchain portal website completes 10 million yuan round A financing

On December 28, 2016, blockchain portal BTC123 officially announced that it had received a 10 million RMB Series A funding round led by Illumination Capital, with a valuation of 100 million RMB. BTC123 is also one of the first domestic platforms in the digital currency industry.

Huobi has been committed to the research and development of blockchain technology. As a new cutting-edge technology, the decentralization and disruptive potential of blockchain have also attracted more and more attention and recognition. Currently, more than 70 countries and regions have begun to study blockchain technology. At the beginning of the new year of 2017, how will blockchain develop? Let us wait and see.