Gate News update: On April 2, according to Gate market data, as of the time of writing, PIPPIN (pippin) is trading at $0.0603. Over the past 24 hours, it is up 20.56%, with a high of $0.0779 and a low of $0.0499. The 24-hour trading volume is $21.2392 million. Its current market cap is approximately $60.3162 million. Pippin is an SVG unicorn drawn using the latest LLM benchmark from ChatGPT 4o. Pippin was created by Yohei Nakajima, a widely recognized innovator and thought leader in the AI VC space. He is known for his public-building approach, and has been at the forefront of the "AI for VC" movement

Berachain announced that its native token $BERA officially launched in Japan, with spot trading now available on SBI VC Trade and supporting yen transactions. This move indicates that it has completed regulatory compliance requirements in Japan. SBI VC Trade also plans to launch a trading incentive program worth 10 million yen to attract user participation in trading.

On March 23rd, Kalshi early employees Adhi Rajaprabhakaran and Noah Zingler-Sternig are raising up to $35 million for a new venture capital fund 5c(c) Capital, focused on prediction market startups. The fund plans to invest in approximately 20 companies over the next two years, with the first close to be completed within a month.

SBI VC Trade launches USDC lending service for retail users in Japan, allowing users to earn interest by lending USDC to the platform with a maximum limit of 5,000 USDC per application. This service carries counterparty risk, as SBI may re-lend the borrowed USDC.

SBI VC Trade will launch USDC lending services in Japan on March 20, allowing users to earn yields by lending up to 5,000 USDC through fixed-term agreements. This product is a loan rather than a deposit; users must bear trading risks, cannot withdraw funds during the lending period, and face asset recovery risks.

Gate News: On March 17, tokenization platform Theo announced the launch of thUSD, a yield-bearing stablecoin backed by gold, and opened a liquidity pool with a maximum capacity of $100 million. The stablecoin is backed by thGOLD, its issued gold token, and generates yield through a cash and carry arbitrage strategy that holds spot gold exposure while shorting gold futures. Previously, Theo raised $15.5 million in funding led by Hack VC and Anthos Capital.

Japanese publicly listed company Metaplanet has established two wholly-owned subsidiaries, Metaplanet Ventures and Metaplanet Asset Management, to expand its digital asset ecosystem. Ventures will invest in Bitcoin-related startups, with an initial investment of approximately $2.5 million. Asset Management connects Asian and Western capital markets, offering a variety of investment services. Metaplanet holds approximately 35,102 Bitcoins and plans to increase this to 210,000 by the end of 2027.

Yili Hua pointed out that the decline in innovation in the crypto industry stems from tightening US policies and exchange lock-up mechanisms, which impose additional risks on VCs. He recommends improving exit mechanisms, stimulating investment, and promoting industry innovation and the listing of high-quality assets.

ChainCatcher News, the AI Agent Revenue Protocol Superpower announced on the X platform that it has completed its Pre-Seed funding round, with the amount not disclosed. Taisu Ventures, 280 Capital, Paper Ventures, and Catcher VC participated.

PANews March 2 News, according to crypto KOL YashasEdu citing data from The Block, the total funding for crypto startups in February reached $883 million. However, overall, the number of venture capital deals hit a 5.5-year low, with funding down approximately 80% from the 2022 peak. Capital is concentrating in a few specific areas, such as stablecoin infrastructure, custody, and compliance tools. Among tokens launched in 2025, 85% are trading below their opening prices, and VC narratives have shifted to "revenue-centric."