Metalayer Ventures, founded by former Chainlink and Two Sigma execs, launches $25 million fund targeting early stage investments

Metalayer Ventures, founded by former Two Sigma and Chainlink executives, has closed its first $25 million fund to invest in the intersection of traditional finance and the "onchain economy."

The Metalayer Fund I is targeting firms building "infrastructure and applications that will drive the next evolution of the global economy—onchain," the founding team wrote in a statement. This specifically includes capital markets infrastructure, stablecoin and payments applications, and the real-world asset tokenization sector.

In all, Metalayer plans to write checks between $500,000 to $1 million for around 30 early-stage startups. The firm’s current portfolio includes AnchorZero, Crossover Markets, ClearToken, Ethena, Station70, and Theo. Metalayer has also invested in an unnamed "stealth-mode stablecoin infrastructure play."

According to the announcement, Metalayer uses a proprietary data platform called Moirai for assessing investment targets. The system, developed by co-founder David Winton, supposedly gives the firm an edge by accessing metrics — like developer activity, protocol engagement, and blockchain transaction patterns — "that aren't readily available through conventional sourcing methods."

"Our sourcing engine allows us to identify promising teams early, before they hit the typical venture radar," Winton, a former Two Sigma vice president, said in a statement. "Our automated investor co-pilot tools help assess qualified opportunities by complementing qualitative assessments with benchmarking metrics around protocol usage, adoption, and growth."

Winton’s colleagues include Andy Kangpan, the former digital asset lead at Two Sigma Ventures, and Mickey Graham, the former head of growth at Chainlink Labs. Metalayer raised funds from the founder and executives of Two Sigma.