Venture Capital Targets Energy, AI, and Credit's Blockchain Makeover

VCs Fuel Energy Tokenization, AI Datachains, and Programmable Credit

Venture capital firms are increasingly channeling resources into tokenization initiatives, AI datachains, and programmable credit protocols, signaling a strategic shift in the crypto and blockchain ecosystem. In 2025, the real-world asset (RWA) tokenization market has emerged as a major growth driver, with on-chain asset value reaching $28 billion from $15 billion in the previous year. The convergence of institutional interest in blockchain and the demand for alternative yield sources has positioned tokenization as a focal point for investors seeking high-growth opportunities [3].

Energy assets are among the most actively tokenized categories. Plural, a platform focused on bringing energy infrastructure on-chain, recently secured $7.13 million in a seed round led by Paradigm. The platform targets high-yield investments in solar, storage, and data center assets, aligning with the anticipated surge in energy demand driven by AI expansion. The International Energy Agency estimates that electricity consumption from AI data centers could quadruple by 2030, underlining the strategic relevance of energy infrastructure in the tokenization space [3].

Parallel to energy tokenization, datachains are attracting significant attention. Irys, a layer-1 blockchain designed for data-intensive applications like AI, raised $10 million in a Series A round led by CoinFund. The project positions itself as a "datachain" that allows large-scale, cost-effective storage of data, enabling creators to convert stored information into programmable economic assets. Despite long-standing challenges in scalability and economic alignment, Irys aims to provide a scalable solution for storing and monetizing data [3].

Programmable credit protocols are also gaining traction. Credit Coop, a blockchain-based lending platform, closed a $4.5 million seed round led by Maven 11 and Lightspeed Faction. The protocol connects institutional lenders with borrowers using verifiable cash flow data, enabling traditional assets and projected revenues to be used as collateral for credit. To date, Credit Coop has processed over $150 million in total volume, with $8.5 million in active loans outstanding [3].

Stablecoin infrastructure is another sector experiencing robust investment. Utila, a stablecoin operations firm, raised $22 million in a Series A extension round led by Red Dot Capital Partners. The company offers custody, wallet management, and compliance tools for businesses integrating stablecoins, reporting over $60 billion in processed transactions as stablecoin adoption accelerates. With stablecoin market capitalization surpassing $285 billion, infrastructure providers like Utila are critical in facilitating broader adoption and operational efficiency [3].

The venture capital landscape in these sectors is characterized by a surge in activity across infrastructure and application layers. In a recent week, 27 deals were closed, with the infrastructure sector accounting for 41% of the total. The most funded deals included Rain, which secured $58 million for its enterprise stablecoin platform, and M0, which raised $40 million to build a stablecoin network infrastructure [6]. These investments reflect the growing importance of cross-chain interoperability and institutional-grade financial tools in the evolving blockchain ecosystem.

As tokenization, datachains, and programmable credit protocols mature, the potential for institutional integration and mainstream adoption continues to expand. The ongoing collaboration between traditional finance and blockchain innovation is reshaping the financial landscape, with venture capital playing a pivotal role in driving these transformative developments.

Source:

[1] title1 (https://www.galaxy.com/insights/research/tokenized-glxy)

[2] title2 (https://www.britannica.com/money/real-world-asset-tokenization)

[3] title3 (https://cointelegraph.com/news/venture-capital-roundup-tokenization-stablecoins-2025)

[4] title4 (https://mx.advfn.com/bolsa-de-valores/COIN/BTCUSD/crypto-news/96763943/vc-roundup-vcs-fuel-energy-tokenization-ai-datac)

[5] title5 (https://cointelegraph.com/tags/funding)

[6] title6 (https://medium.com/@gate_ventures/gate-ventures-weekly-crypto-recap-september-01-2025-bed3054671c6)