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VCs have billions of dollars ready to pour into crypto and open internet startups, according to the founder of $2 billion blockchain nonprofit Dfinity

Summary List PlacementMainstream venture capital firms are sitting on “billions and billions of dollars” that they’re ready to invest in crypto and so-called “open internet” startups, according to the founder of $2 billion technology nonprofit Dfinity. Cryptocurrencies including bitcoin, Ethereum’s ether, and even meme token dogecoin, have all attracted widespread investment this year with companies including…

Summary List PlacementMainstream venture capital firms are sitting on “billions and billions of dollars” that they’re ready to invest in crypto and so-called “open internet” startups, according to the founder of $2 billion technology nonprofit Dfinity.
Cryptocurrencies including bitcoin, Ethereum’s ether, and even meme token dogecoin, have all attracted widespread investment this year with companies including Tesla, Jack Dorsey’s Square, and software firm MicroStrategy, all taking up positions in digital assets.
Now, venture capital firms are ready to pour billions into startups that are best placed to leverage blockchain technologies. That’s according to Dominic Williams, the chief scientist and founder of Swiss not-for-profit Dfinity.
“There are billions and billions and billions of dollars in major venture capital funds ready to go to fund crypto and open Internet enterprises,” Williams told Insider.
“If you’re an entrepreneur, this is your chance, this is the next big wave … Entrepreneurs all over the planet are going to start participating in the tech economy in a way that they’ve never been able to before.”
Williams was speaking as Dfinity launched the “Internet Computer”, a new blockchain-based protocol that hopes to tackle the monopolization of the web by a handful of Big Tech companies. 
Effectively, the Internet Computer aims to allow developers and entrepreneurs to build their technology directly onto the internet, instead of relying on cloud-hosting systems provided by the likes of Amazon’s AWS, Microsoft’s Azure, and Google’s Cloud.
Dfinity has already captured investment from high-profile VCs Polychain Capital and Andreessen Horowitz in a round that valued it at in excess of $2 billion. The nonprofit claims its “open” version of the internet will be faster, more secure, and cheaper, than existing services provided by the Big Tech companies.
The Internet Computer, which is a culmination of five years of research by a host of top cryptographers, has become the world’s first blockchain that runs at web speed and with unlimited capacity, according to Williams. He also insists the new protocol creates a world where users are “no longer tracked across internet services”.
“There’s a lot of people in the corporate space, who invested an awful lot of money in the the old way of doing things,” Williams said.
“People have spent the last 10 years getting the most-valued professional exam from AWS, or wherever, and are very proud of those qualifications.  When you ask them about the Internet Computer, they’re going to say something like AWS is faster, they’re not going to be persuaded easily. It will take years.”
But for Williams, the business case for porting across to an open internet is very clear. He said the game of traditional IT was that cloud providers tried to “lock you in”.
“At a business level, you know, it makes absolute sense for corporations to migrate to the Internet Computer as soon as they can to hightail it out of a traditional IT,” he said.
Williams believes his version of the internet will dramatically reduce the cost of running a business online. As a result, it will open up a world of new tech talent beyond San Francisco.
“We all know what an advantage proximity to the network of angels and VCs in Silicon Valley has meant for people creating companies here,” he said.
“Only a tiny fraction of the world’s technical talent is in Silicon Valley. It’s not so easy (to start a tech company) in Europe. It’s damn near impossible from Africa.”
The Dfinity founder insists his technology will enable someone with a “banged up Chromebook” in Africa to start a new business.
“That’s incredibly exciting, it’s not only democratizing and spreading opportunity around the world, but it’s going to just bring in an incredible amount of human intelligence and creativity to bear,” he said.
“This is going to drive growth like no one has ever seen.”
Dfinity has a host of high-profile backers. Polychain Capital is a San Francisco-based hedge fund that was set up in 2016 to invest in blockchain startups. Polychain itself is invested in a by an array of high-profile VCs, including early Apple and Google-backer Sequoia Capital. For Andreessen Horowitz, its investment into Dfinity represented the first time it had invested into the development of a digital process rather than a company.
In 2019, Williams spoke to Insider about how Google’s acquisition of DeepMind was “an outrage”.Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: July 15 is Tax Day — here’s what it’s like to do your own taxes for the very first time
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South Africans can now buy Apple, Alphabet shares as digital tokens on Luno

From early August, Luno, a cryptocurrency and digital investment platform, will allow its users in South Africa to invest in tokenised stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), making global equities like Apple and Alphabet accessible for as little as R20 ($1.13). The move positions Luno as a multi-asset investment platform and marks what it says is

From early August, Luno, a cryptocurrency and digital investment platform, will allow its users in South Africa to invest in tokenised stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), making global equities like Apple and Alphabet accessible for as little as R20 ($1.13). The move positions Luno as a multi-asset investment platform and marks what it says is a first-of-its-kind offering in South Africa’s fast-evolving financial landscape.

Tokenised stocks are digital representations of real shares, backed 1:1 by actual securities. By enabling access via rands, Luno is removing longstanding barriers such as currency conversion costs, high fees, and trading-hour restrictions for retail investors in emerging markets.

“Until now, access to global financial markets has been locked behind red tape and legacy systems,” said Christo de Wit, Luno’s country manager for South Africa. “With tokenised stocks, we are offering South African investors easy access to global investments any time of the day or night.”

The platform will support over 60 U.S. companies and market indices, including Apple, Alphabet, NVIDIA, and the S&P 500. These tokenised products are made available through partnerships with infrastructure providers like Kraken’s xStocks and Backed Finance, which Luno says will ensure regulatory compliance, secure custody, and alignment with global financial standards.

How Luno tokenised stocks work

Customers can start investing with as little as R20 ($1.13), even in companies like Apple and Google. Instead of paying nearly R4,000 ($226) for a full Apple share, they can buy just a piece. These tokens are digital versions of real stocks, and customers trade them through blockchain. 

“This represents a fundamental shift in how we think about investing,” explained de Wit. “We are not just digitising old processes, we are reimagining what is possible when you combine improved technology with investor needs.”

Launched in 2013, Luno has grown to become one of Africa’s leading crypto exchanges, but now it’s adding tokenised stocks and ETFs. South Africa remains one of the continent’s most active crypto markets. Over 5 million South Africans are estimated to own crypto, with digital asset ownership expected to grow by nearly 8% annually through 2031.

Luno competes with platforms like VALR, Binance, AltcoinTrader, and wealthtech apps like EasyEquities and Satrix that focus mainly on traditional stocks and ETFs. 

Still, the expansion into tokenised equities could bring Luno under closer scrutiny. As digital tokens backed by real-world financial instruments, these offerings may fall within capital market regulations, including investor protection and transparency requirements. South Africa’s Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) is already in the process of licencing crypto asset providers and building a clearer framework for digital securities.

Mark your calendars! Moonshot by TechCabal is back in Lagos on October 15–16! Join Africa’s top founders, creatives & tech leaders for 2 days of keynotes, mixers & future-forward ideas. Early bird tickets now 20% off—don’t snooze! moonshot.techcabal.com

Sakhile Dube Associate Reporter

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Crypto summer on 1xBet: iPhone 16 Pro Max, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, Apple Watch Ultra 2 and other gadgets in the draw

Updated 18 July 2025 at 10:54 IST The rapid pace of cryptocurrency adoption has a significant impact on our daily lives. While in 2010, paying for two pizzas with bitcoins was a meme within the geek community, today you can use digital coins in online stores like Gucci, Balenciaga, and Shopify, as well as deposit

Updated 18 July 2025 at 10:54 IST The rapid pace of cryptocurrency adoption has a significant impact on our daily lives. While in 2010, paying for two pizzas with bitcoins was a meme within the geek community, today you can use digital coins in online stores like Gucci, Balenciaga, and Shopify, as well as deposit
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House Republicans block Democratic maneuver to force release of Epstein files

House Republicans on Monday night voted against attaching a Democratic amendment to landmark cryptocurrency legislation that would force the Justice Department to release the Jeffrey Epstein files.Why it matters: It’s the outcome Democrats anticipated, and one they plan to gleefully cite as President Trump continues to grapple with the MAGA fallout over the DOJ’s handling

House Republicans on Monday night voted against attaching a Democratic amendment to landmark cryptocurrency legislation that would force the Justice Department to release the Jeffrey Epstein files.Why it matters: It’s the outcome Democrats anticipated, and one they plan to gleefully cite as President Trump continues to grapple with the MAGA fallout over the DOJ’s handling of the documents.”The question with Epstein is: Whose side are you on?” Rep…
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Microsoft trolls Apple’s new Liquid Glass UI for looking like Windows Vista

Some of Microsoft’s social media accounts recently poked fun at the upcoming “Liquid Glass” user interface design language Apple unveiled at WWDC this week. Although the Cupertino giant has hailed the update as a major innovation, many immediately began comparing it to Microsoft’s nearly two-decade-old Windows Vista UI.Read Entire Article…

Some of Microsoft’s social media accounts recently poked fun at the upcoming “Liquid Glass” user interface design language Apple unveiled at WWDC this week. Although the Cupertino giant has hailed the update as a major innovation, many immediately began comparing it to Microsoft’s nearly two-decade-old Windows Vista UI.Read Entire Article…
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