Pump.fun pivots into early-stage investing as memecoin activity cools
Memecoin launchpad Pump.fun is moving into early-stage investing, launching a new initiative aimed at backing startups in what marks its first major shift away from pure memecoin experimentation.
The platform said Monday it is rolling out “Pump Fund” alongside a $3 million hackathon, structured to fund 12 projects with $250,000 each at a $10 million valuation, reports Cointelegraph.
Pump.fun framed the move as a long-term alignment strategy, saying it will support teams beyond token hype cycles and even consider projects that are not crypto-related. The firm also promised mentorship from Pump.fun founders, positioning itself as a builder-friendly alternative to traditional venture capital. The pivot comes as activity on Pump.fun has cooled sharply from the memecoin frenzy that defined late 2024 and early 2025. Still, the platform is betting that its audience and distribution can translate into a new onchain pathway for startup funding.
A hackathon model where the market becomes the judge
Pump.fun’s hackathon will run for 30 days and pushes founders to launch a token, ship product updates publicly, and let market participation determine which projects gain traction. The team said it wants to fund projects of “all maturities” and across different verticals, focusing on teams that execute quickly and communicate openly. Rather than courting judges or venture firms, Pump.fun argued that tokenization makes users the funding mechanism, as early buyers effectively “bet” on projects they believe will succeed.
The company also said it will evaluate long-term viability, hinting at a shift toward more durable startup selection criteria. Pump.fun co-founder Alon Cohen reinforced the narrative by saying demand for “good founders” remains high even in weaker market conditions. He pointed to recent token launches — including AI-related experiments — as proof that instant liquidity can turn early excitement into real funding.
Volume has cooled, but Pump.fun wants a second act
The move follows a clear slowdown in Pump.fun’s core business as speculative trading appetite faded through 2025. According to Token Terminal data cited by the project, Pump.fun hit an all-time high monthly trading volume of $11.75 billion in January 2025, only to slide to $2.43 billion by December. That decline mirrors the broader market’s shift away from meme-driven momentum and toward more selective risk-taking.
Pump.fun’s new fund appears designed to turn its distribution engine into something more sustainable than “launch-and-forget” memecoins. If successful, the initiative could blur the line between a memecoin factory and a startup incubator, using token markets as both discovery and capital formation tools. But it also raises the stakes, since startup-style investing demands longer timelines and credibility beyond viral cycles. For Pump.fun, the bet is that its next growth phase will be built on founders, not just memes.
Recently we wrote that the government of Bermuda plans to build a “fully onchain” national economy by leveraging digital asset infrastructure provided through a partnership with cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase and stablecoin issuer Circle.
Latest Crypto News
-
Afghanistan
-
Albania
-
Algeria
-
Angola
-
Argentina
-
Armenia
-
Australia
-
Austria
-
Azerbaijan
-
Bahamas
-
Bahrain
-
Bangladesh
-
Belarus
-
Belgium
-
Bolivia
-
Botswana
-
Brazil
-
Brunei
-
Bulgaria
-
Cambodia
-
Cameroon
-
Canada
-
Chile
-
China
-
Colombia
-
Congo
-
Costa Rica
-
Cote d'Ivoire
-
Croatia
-
Cuba
-
Cyprus
-
Czechia
-
DR Congo
-
Denmark
-
Dominican Republic
-
Ecuador
-
Egypt
-
El Salvador
-
Estonia
-
Eswatini
-
Ethiopia
-
Finland
-
France
-
Georgia
-
Germany
-
Ghana
-
Greece
-
Haiti
-
Hong Kong
-
Hungary
-
India
-
Indonesia
-
Iran, Islamic republic
-
Iraq
-
Ireland
-
Israel
-
Italy
-
Jamaica
-
Japan
-
Jordan
-
Kazakhstan
-
Kenya
-
Korea
-
Kuwait
-
Kyrgyzstan
-
Laos
-
Latvia
-
Lebanon
-
Lesotho
-
Libya
-
Lithuania
-
Luxembourg
-
Madagascar
-
Malaysia
-
Malta
-
Mauritius
-
Mexico
-
Moldova
-
Mongolia
-
Montenegro
-
Morocco
-
Mozambique
-
Myanmar
-
Namibia
-
Nepal
-
Netherlands
-
New Zealand
-
Nigeria
-
North Macedonia
-
Norway
-
Oman
-
Pakistan
-
Palestine
-
Panama
-
Papua New Guinea
-
Paraguay
-
Peru
-
Philippines
-
Poland
-
Portugal
-
Puerto Rico
-
Qatar
-
Reunion
-
Romania
-
Rwanda
-
Saudi Arabia
-
Serbia
-
Singapore
-
Slovakia
-
Slovenia
-
Somalia
-
South Africa
-
Spain
-
Sri Lanka
-
Sweden
-
Switzerland
-
Syria
-
Taiwan
-
Tajikistan
-
Tanzania
-
Thailand
-
Trinidad and Tobago
-
Tunisia
-
Turkey
-
UAE
-
Uganda
-
Ukraine
-
United Kingdom
-
United States
-
Uruguay
-
Uzbekistan
-
Venezuela
-
Vietnam
-
Yemen
-
Zambia
-
Zimbabwe
- Forex
- Crypto
