TL;DR

• a16z Crypto has rebranded as a16z Frontier, broadening the new fund’s investment mandate. Chris Dixon described the move as an expansion into frontier technologies and said the team would continue investing in crypto. Blurring industry boundaries, opportunities created by AI, and the firm’s internal investment structure were the main explanations offered.

• Leading firms can still raise capital, while funding for early-stage startups is shrinking. Paradigm, Framework Ventures, and Haun Ventures announced $1.2 billion, $400 million, and $1 billion in new funding, respectively. CryptoRank reported that the number of crypto venture deals fell 59.6% year over year in Q3 2026, with just 40 seed and pre-seed deals combined.

• Weak altcoin…