CMS Holdings leads $1.3 million fundraise for Ethereum-Polkadot bridge

DeFi • January 27, 2021, 3:21PM EST
UPDATED: January 29, 2021, 9:50PM EST
The Block

ParaState — a project that offers Ethereum developers access to the Polkadot blockchain — has raised $1.3 million in a seed fundraising round, the firm told The Block. 

Led by CMS Holdings, the funding round included participation from Kenetic Capital, FBG Capital, and JRR Capital, according to a press statement. The firm raised at a $12 million valuation. 

In essence, ParaState provides Ethereum apps and smart contracts an on-ramp onto the Polkadot blockchain. "We aim to bridge the application and developer ecosystem between Ethereum and Polkadot," the firm's co-founder Marco Chen described. 

THE SCOOP

Keep up with the latest news, trends, charts and views on crypto and DeFi with a new biweekly newsletter from The Block's Frank Chaparro

By signing-up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
By signing-up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

ParaState said it had originally targeted a $1.2  million round but oversubscribed by $100,000.  The firm said the funds will be used to expand its team and launch its mainnet. 

The funding round is the latest in the burgeoning DeFi world. Earlier this week, dYdX — a decentralized exchange – announced a $10 million Series B. Last week, Saddle, an automated market maker for stablecoins, went live after raising $4.3 million.

This post has been updated to correct the CMS Trading to CMS Holdings. 

About Author

Frank Chaparro is Host of The Scoop podcast and Director of Special Projects. He also writes a biweekly newsletter. Chaparro started his career at Business Insider, where he specialized in the intersection of digital assets and Wall Street, market structure, and financial technology. Soon after joining Business Insider out of Fordham University, Chaparro was interviewing top finance and tech executives, including billionaire Mark Cuban, “Flash Boys” star Brad Katsuyama, Cboe Global Markets CEO Ed Tilly, and New York Stock Exchange President Tom Farley. In 2018, he become a sought after reporter in the crypto world, interviewing luminaries such as Tyler Winklevoss, the cofounder of Gemini, Jeremy Allaire, the CEO of Circle, and Fundstrat head Tom Lee. For inquiries or tips, email [email protected].