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The yet-to-launch mainnet Layer-1 blockchain Berachain has collected $100 million in a Series B funding round. Sales of NFT collections endorsed by former US President Donald Trump saw a 99% drop as criminal proceedings started in New York. Advertising and creative giant Dentsu has partnered with Chiru Labs, the company behind the Azuki NFT collection, to create an anime series featuring characters from the Azuki NFTs. We have compiled three significant events that marked the weekend in the crypto market for you.
Berachain Receives $100 Million Investment
Berachain announced in a post dated April 12 that venture firms Framework Ventures and Brevan Howard Digital led the round with contributions from Hack VC, Animoca Ventures, and Polychain Capital. According to Bloomberg on April 12, the company will use the funds to expand in several regions, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Investors in Berachain supported the blockchain network through a simple agreement for future tokens (SAFT). The blockchain testnet has reportedly processed 100 million transactions and aims to launch its mainnet compatible with Ethereum-based applications in the second quarter of this year.
Smokey The Bera, a founding partner of Berachain, said in a financing announcement seen by Bloomberg that the raise is a significant validation of their approach to building a blockchain based on feedback from real users and developers.
In mid-March, Bloomberg reported that Berachain had raised $69 million at a $1 billion valuation, citing familiar sources. The company did not share its new valuation.
Sales Halt for Trump NFTs
According to OpenSea data, the 45,000 Trump Digital Trading Cards NFT collection, the first NFTs licensed by Trump’s image, saw weekly sales in the hundreds at the beginning of February and then dwindled to just a handful of sales since the beginning of March. No sales have been seen in the collection since April 2. The second version of Trump’s NFTs performed better with 966 sales in the last 30 days compared to the original’s 16.
Newsweek reported last month, citing an OpenSea source, that the NFT collections were removed from sale until the end of 2024, but did not explain why. The former president does not own or control the NFT collection; instead, he licenses the rights to a company called NFT International, LLC.
Dentsu Announces Noteworthy Partnership
On April 11, Dentsu stated it would help produce a three-part anime series called Enter The Garden, with episodes releasing throughout 2024. The first episode will be released on April 30, alongside a trailer, coinciding with the partnership announcement. Azuki is an NFT collection that includes anime-style art characters and grants intellectual property rights to its owners. Some have established businesses through their NFTs, including skateboarding and tea shops.
Dentsu mentioned that the series will feature cameo roles of characters and product placements of businesses owned by NFT holders. Yusuke Nii, President of Dentsu’s anime operations, announced that anime has become a global phenomenon and claimed the firm would take this partnership even further.
