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Exclusive | Hong Kong crypto venture capital firm CMCC Global launches US$100 million fund - South China Morning Post

Reported by Scmp
Oct 4, 2023· 3 min read
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Key Takeaways
  • • CMCC Global, a Hong Kong-based crypto venture capital firm, closed the first round of its Titan Fund at US$100 million with participation from more than 30 institutional and strategic investors, including Block.one, Winklevoss Capital, Jebsen Capital, Pacific Century Group, and Animoca Brands founder Yat Siu.
  • • The Titan Fund is CMCC Global's fourth fund and targets early-stage blockchain start-ups with a strategic focus on Hong Kong companies, positioning the firm to capitalize on Hong Kong's regulatory embrace of virtual assets and Web3 innovation.
  • • The fund has already deployed capital across five investments, including leading participation in Mocaverse (an NFT project by Animoca Brands that raised US$20 million in September) and a pre-seed round in Terminal 3, a Hong Kong-based Web3 data infrastructure company.
  • • CMCC Global maintains a global investment mandate while leveraging its "natural attachment" to Hong Kong, where co-founder Martin Baumann believes regulatory support and fintech infrastructure create significant opportunity for early-stage blockchain entrepreneurs seeking initial capital.
Summary
CMCC Global, a Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency venture capital firm established in 2016, has successfully raised US$100 million for the Titan Fund, its fourth institutional investment vehicle. The fund closed its first round on Wednesday with commitments from more than 30 investors, signaling sustained institutional appetite for blockchain-focused venture capital despite ongoing headwinds in the crypto sector following multiple high-profile industry collapses in 2022.

The investor syndicate reflects a blend of established crypto-native and traditional financial players. Notable participants include blockchain infrastructure company Block.one, the Winklevoss twins' Winklevoss Capital, Hong Kong billionaire Richard Li's Pacific Century Group, Jebsen Capital, and Animoca Brands founder Yat Siu. This composition underscores growing mainstream institutional legitimacy for blockchain venture investing and demonstrates confidence in Hong Kong as a Web3 hub despite broader crypto market uncertainty.

The Titan Fund's strategy centers on early-stage equity investments in blockchain start-ups with pronounced emphasis on Hong Kong companies, reflecting CMCC Global's positioning to benefit from Hong Kong's regulatory framework supporting virtual asset development. Co-founder Martin Baumann emphasized that while the fund does not impose strict geographic allocation mandates and targets "the best entrepreneurs globally," CMCC Global retains a structural advantage in identifying and supporting Hong Kong-based founders navigating the city's increasingly favorable regulatory environment for fintech and Web3 innovation. The fund has already made five investments, with two based in Hong Kong, including lead participation in Mocaverse, an NFT project by unicorn Animoca Brands that raised US$20 million in September, and pre-seed backing for Terminal 3, a Web3 data infrastructure platform.

Baumann's statement that "if Hong Kong continues on its route of embracing Web3, there will naturally be more and more entrepreneurs starting companies in that space" reflects confidence that regulatory momentum will drive deal flow and validate early-stage investments. The timing of the Titan Fund's close—amid a pronounced crypto industry contraction—suggests selective institutional capital remains available for managers with established track records and geographic advantages in emerging Web3 ecosystems.

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Sources

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AlphaMaven summarised this story from the reporting below. Each link opens the original article.

Scmp Exclusive | Hong Kong crypto venture capital firm CMCC Global launches US$100 million fund - South China Morning Post