Best VCs for Layer 1

24 venture capitalists actively investing in Layer 1.

24
Active VCs
12
Funds
20
Deals
$1.5B
Total Invested
#1Su Zhu

Co-Founder (Defunct)

Three Arrows Capital (3AC)

Leveraged crypto trading and directional bets. 3AC collapsed in June 2022 after over-leveraging.

4 deals

Token
#2Zi-hao Chen

Partner

NGC Ventures

Zi focuses on blockchain infrastructure from research through live network operation. He evaluates execution bottlenecks, layer-2 and appchain architecture, EVM compatibility and parallel processing,

No personal or firm ticket is disclosed on NGC's site. Zi's partner title, accelerator mentorship and infrastructure responsibilities show meaningful technical involvement but do not prove a standard range or unilateral decision authority.

2 deals

SeedEarly StageTestnet
#3Wayne Zhu

General Partner

NGC Ventures

Wayne's record points to foundational network investing informed by public-market research: he supported Solana and Algorand early, before their ecosystems became established, and NGC's current portfo

No first-party personal or firm check range is published. Third-party directories repeat a $100K–$5M estimate, but it is excluded here because NGC's own site does not substantiate it; founders should confirm stage and ticket directly.

2 deals

SeedEarly StageNetwork Formation
#4Alpin Yukseloglu

Partner, Investing & Research

Paradigm

Alpin partners with crypto founders and researchers who have strong instincts about the future and the courage to follow them. His work centers on protocol, market, and mechanism design—especially sys

Paradigm says it backs founders at every stage from first check through public markets, but it does not publish Alpin's personal check range or decision authority. A 2024 firm filing described vehicle investments from $1M to $100M or more; that historical firm range is not treated as his current personal range.

1 deals

Pre-SeedSeedEarly Stage
#5Matt Huang

Co-Founder & Managing Partner

Paradigm

Backs transformative crypto protocols and infrastructure. Crypto is the most important tech revolution since the internet.

1 deals

SeedSeries ASeries B
#6Azi Mandias

Investor

CoinFund

Azi looks for sovereign, user-controlled computing across crypto and AI. His interests span decentralized AI, novel consumer applications, applied privacy, new Layer 1 designs and post-quantum infrast

No personal check range or led CoinFund investment is publicly disclosed. Azi joined the investment team in July 2026; his official profile cites earlier seed investments in Osmosis and Ondo, but those do not establish a current CoinFund ticket or independent authority.

1 deals

Pre-SeedSeedEarly Stage
#7Charlie Noyes

General Partner

Paradigm

DeFi infrastructure, MEV, protocol economics. Intersection of market microstructure and blockchain design.

1 deals

#8Nick White

Co-Founder & CEO

1confirmation

Concentrated, conviction-driven crypto investing. Backs projects building fundamental infrastructure for decentralized systems with a long time horizon.

1 deals

SeedSeries A
#9Joe Eagan

Partner

Polychain Capital

Investing in blockchain infrastructure and tokens at Polychain Capital, one of the most prominent crypto-native funds.

SeedSeries ASeries B
#10Raye Hadi

Research Associate, Digital Assets

ARK Invest

Raye analyzes how cryptoassets can disrupt legacy financial systems, with particular depth in stablecoin architecture and DeFi application economics. He evaluates networks and tokens through reserves,

Not applicable as a personal founder check. Raye is a digital-assets research associate supporting ARK's managed investment strategies; the cited sources do not establish personal venture check-writing authority or a standard startup ticket.
Liquid CryptoassetsPublic MarketsThematic Research
#11Banafsheh Fathieh

General Partner

Lightspeed Faction

Banafsheh backs early blockchain companies and token networks that create fundamental utility. Her public discussions emphasize the infrastructure or 'plumbing' of crypto, globally relevant financial

No personal check-size range is published. Faction invests at Seed and Series A through both equity and tokens; the firm's reported fund size and company round totals are not Banafsheh's personal range.
SeedSeries AToken Networks
#12Jonah Burian

Investor

Blockchain Capital

Jonah studies where value and power accrue as crypto infrastructure matures. He argues that open rails can unbundle closed payment networks; user-owning applications can compress infrastructure margin

No personal check range or deal authority is disclosed. Jonah is an Investor focused on research and new opportunities at a multi-stage firm; public work and academic research demonstrate thesis depth, not a standard individual ticket.
ResearchSeedEarly Stage
#13Jonah Burian

Investor

Blockchain Capital

Jonah studies where value and power accrue as crypto infrastructure matures. He argues that open rails can unbundle closed payment networks; user-owning applications can compress infrastructure margin

No personal check range or deal authority is disclosed. Jonah is an Investor focused on research and new opportunities at a multi-stage firm; public work and academic research demonstrate thesis depth, not a standard individual ticket.
ResearchSeedEarly Stage
#14Julien Passagne

Venture Partner

CV VC

Julien brings a technical, crypto-native lens to early blockchain and AI opportunities. His background spans building a Big Four blockchain practice, operating at a Layer-1 company, bootstrapping an e

CV VC publicly invests up to $500,000 in qualifying pre-seed and seed companies. CV Pad and launchpad transactions can have different token terms; no reliable public source establishes Julien's personal allocation authority.
Pre-SeedSeedToken Launch
#15Rodney Yesep

Partner

Hack VC

Rodney backs technical infrastructure that removes adoption bottlenecks for high-value crypto use cases. His work favors modular, open AI stacks that solve data, compute and availability; stablecoin c

No personal or standard ticket is published. Hack VC is an earliest-stage investor and its articles identify the firm as leading rounds at pre-seed, seed and Series A; announced round leadership does not reveal Rodney's individual check authority.
Pre-SeedSeedSeries A
#16Chris Burniske

Partner

Placeholder

Crypto valuation frameworks and portfolio theory. Co-creator of Placeholder's crypto thesis.

#17Tom Shaughnessy

Co-Founder & Managing Partner

Delphi Ventures

DeFi research, crypto analytics, and investment analysis. Co-founded Delphi Digital.

#18Daren Matsuoka

Partner

a16z crypto

Data-driven crypto research. On-chain metrics, developer activity, ecosystem health. State of Crypto reports.

#19Paul Veradittakit

Managing Partner

Pantera Capital

Broadly focused crypto VC. One of the most prolific investors in the space.

SeedSeries ASeries B
#20Curtis Spencer

Managing Partner & Co-Founder

Electric Capital

Co-founder of Electric Capital. Uses data-driven analysis to identify the most promising crypto ecosystems by tracking developer activity and code commits.

SeedSeries ASeries B
#21Vishal Kankani

Partner

Multicoin Capital

Infrastructure, bridges, interoperability. Cross-chain communication and multi-chain future.

#22Luke Pearson

Partner

Polychain Capital

Zero-knowledge cryptography, privacy protocols, ZK-rollups.

#23Do Kwon

Founder of Terra (Convicted)

Formerly the creator of Terra/Luna, focused on algorithmic stablecoins and DeFi infrastructure. Currently facing legal proceedings related to Terra's collapse.

Token
#24Celia Wan

Principal

Dragonfly

Investing in crypto infrastructure and DeFi at Dragonfly. Focused on the intersection of technology and narrative in crypto markets.

SeedSeries A

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