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Haun Ventures just closed a billion-dollar fundraise.
The venture firm, known mostly for backing crypto startups, said it’s now going after artificial intelligence deals too. Katie Haun founded the outfit and she’s betting that AI will basically take over big chunks of economic work—stuff that people and companies do every day. Services will have to adapt, she thinks, and Haun Ventures wants to fund the ones that figure it out first.
The new cash gives the firm room to chase two fast-moving sectors at once. Crypto’s been Haun’s bread and butter since she left Andreessen Horowitz to start her own shop. But the AI boom changed the game. Pretty much every VC in Silicon Valley is scrambling to get into machine learning and large language models, and Haun’s no different. She sees overlap between the two worlds—decentralized tech and intelligent automation—and figures the firm can play both sides.
What the Money Means
A billion dollars is a lot of dry powder. It puts Haun Ventures in the same weight class as some of the older, bigger names in venture capital. The firm didn’t break down how much of that cash will go to AI versus crypto, and it didn’t name any specific AI startups it’s eyeing. That’s typical for early-stage venture firms. They raise the fund, then spend months hunting for deals.
Haun said AI will handle more economic tasks going forward. She didn’t elaborate on which tasks or which industries, but the implication is clear: automation is coming for white-collar work, financial services, supply chains, maybe even creative jobs. Companies that build tools to manage that transition—or profit from it—are the ones Haun wants to back.
The firm’s existing portfolio leans heavily into blockchain infrastructure, DeFi protocols, and NFT platforms. Adding AI to the mix means Haun Ventures can now write checks for machine learning startups, data analytics companies, or anything that uses neural networks to do something useful. It’s a big shift. And it’s kind of risky, because AI and crypto don’t always play nice together. The cultures are different, the business models are different, and the regulatory headaches are definitely different.
Haun’s Track Record
Katie Haun made her name as a federal prosecutor going after cybercriminals and darknet markets. Then she jumped to Andreessen Horowitz, where she helped launch the firm’s first crypto fund. That fund raised $300 million in 2018, right before the last crypto winter hit. Haun left a16z in 2021 to start her own firm, and she raised $1.5 billion across two funds that year. Now she’s back with another billion, but this time the pitch includes AI.
Haun’s bet is that AI and crypto will converge in ways that aren’t obvious yet. Maybe that means decentralized AI training, where blockchain networks coordinate compute power. Maybe it means AI agents that use stablecoins to pay for services. Maybe it’s something else entirely. She didn’t spell it out, and the firm hasn’t announced any AI deals yet. But the money’s there, and the strategy’s set.
Venture capital firms love to talk about “thesis-driven investing,” which basically means they pick a trend and then hunt for startups that fit. Haun’s thesis now covers two of the hottest—and most hyped—areas in tech. That could pay off huge if both sectors keep growing. Or it could mean the firm’s spreading itself too thin, chasing buzzwords instead of real businesses.
The firm’s existing crypto bets include some well-known names. It backed OpenSea, the NFT marketplace, and Uniswap, the decentralized exchange. Those deals worked out pretty well during the 2021 bull run. But crypto’s been choppy since then, and a lot of the projects Haun funded are still figuring out product-market fit. Adding AI to the portfolio gives the firm another shot at catching a wave, but it also means more competition. Every big VC is doing AI deals now, and valuations are kind of insane.
Haun didn’t say when the firm will start announcing AI investments. She didn’t name any target companies or sectors. The fundraise just closed, so it’ll probably take a few months before the first checks go out. But the signal is clear: Haun Ventures is no longer just a crypto firm. It’s a tech firm that thinks AI and blockchain are the future, and it’s willing to bet a billion dollars on that idea.
The AI pivot comes at a weird time for crypto. Bitcoin’s been range-bound for months. Ethereum’s dealing with scaling issues and competition from faster chains. Regulators in the U.S. are still trying to figure out how to treat tokens, and the SEC’s been suing pretty much everyone. Meanwhile, AI’s having a moment. ChatGPT went viral, Microsoft and Google are throwing billions at the space, and every startup with a machine learning model is raising money at crazy valuations.
Haun’s probably thinking that diversification makes sense. If crypto stays in the doldrums, maybe AI picks up the slack. If both sectors boom, the firm wins twice. But there’s a risk that the firm loses focus, that it becomes just another generalist VC chasing whatever’s hot. Haun built her reputation on crypto expertise, and branching into AI means she’s betting that expertise will translate.
The firm didn’t give details on fund structure or LP composition. It didn’t say how much of the billion came from institutions versus high-net-worth individuals. It didn’t break down the management fees or carry. That’s all pretty standard—VCs don’t usually share those details publicly. But the size of the fund matters. A billion dollars means Haun Ventures can write bigger checks, lead more rounds, and compete for the best deals in both crypto and AI.
No word yet on specific AI projects. No partnerships announced. No portfolio companies named. Just the fundraise and the expanded mandate. Haun’s keeping her cards close, which is smart. In venture capital, you don’t want to tip your hand before you’ve closed the deals.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did Haun Ventures raise in this round?
Haun Ventures raised $1 billion, expanding its investment focus to include artificial intelligence alongside cryptocurrency.
Who founded Haun Ventures and what’s the new strategy?
Katie Haun founded the firm, and she’s now betting that AI will handle more economic tasks, requiring businesses to adapt.
