Team Bringing Diem Blockchain to Life Confirms $200M Raise, Says Coinbase and More Are Building on Devnet

Aptos announced the funding round Tuesday and said major crypto brands were already contributing code.

AccessTimeIconMar 15, 2022 at 2:59 p.m. UTC
Updated May 11, 2023 at 5:58 p.m. UTC
10 Years of Decentralizing the Future
May 29-31, 2024 - Austin, TexasThe biggest and most established global hub for everything crypto, blockchain and Web3.Register Now

Aptos, a team helmed by former Facebook coders, announced a $200 million funding round Tuesday, confirming an earlier CoinDesk scoop.

The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) with Multicoin Capital, 3 Arrows Capital, Tiger Global, FTX Ventures, Coinbase Ventures and more also signing checks.

  • Crypto in Washington: What Politicians Are Saying About Digital Assets
    01:33
    Crypto in Washington: What Politicians Are Saying About Digital Assets
  • Crypto Traders Grow Bearish as Aptos Plans $103M APT Token Unlock in November: Data
    01:13
    Crypto Traders Grow Bearish as Aptos Plans $103M APT Token Unlock in November: Data
  • Thailand Issues Warning Against Meta Over Fraudulent Crypto Ads
    05:12
    Thailand Issues Warning Against Meta Over Fraudulent Crypto Ads
  • Thailand Warns Facebook Parent Company Meta to Curb Crypto Scams
    02:21
    Thailand Warns Facebook Parent Company Meta to Curb Crypto Scams
  • Aptos is among a handful of teams looking to bring the Diem (formerly Libra) blockchain to life outside of the watchful eye of Meta (formerly Facebook). 0L is another project similarly looking to revive Diem, in part through its Carpe app.

    In a second Aptos blog post on Tuesday, the team sketched out some of its blockchain’s tech specs.

    Notably, Aptos said its devnet, meant for coders to contribute open-source code, is now live – with developers at big-name crypto firms offering their time.

    “There are great companies like Anchorage, Binance, Blockorus, Coinbase [COIN], Livepeer, Moonclave, Paxos, Paymagic, Rarible and Streaming Fast in our community already giving feedback, and contributing code on Devnet,” Aptos wrote.

    “We have worked with the Aptos founders over the last few years to bring to life the decentralized vision we both share,” Joe Lallouz, head of product at Coinbase Cloud told CoinDesk in an email. “We are incredibly excited to support them and their team with solutions and infrastructure to bring more participants and builders to the ecosystem.” (Coinbase was a member of the Diem Association from its launch in mid-2019.)

    In its blog post, Aptos ID’d “next-gen social media platforms, rich [non-fungible token] experiences, Web 3 games, creator-first media and entertainment businesses, cheap and secure payments, [decentralized finance]-integrated fintech products, and so much more,” as potential applications to live on Aptos.

    UPDATE (March 15, 16:00 UTC): Adds Coinbase comment.

    Disclosure

    Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

    CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.

    Zack Seward

    Zack Seward is CoinDesk’s contributing editor-at-large.


    Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.