VanEck, a prominent issuer of spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the U.S., has introduced a new initiative called VanEck Ventures, aimed at investing in early-stage cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence projects. Announced on October 9, the $30 million fund will primarily target fintech, crypto, and AI startups in their pre-seed and seed stages.
The fund’s core investment themes include tokenized assets, internet-native financial marketplaces, and payments based on stablecoins and tokenized capital markets.
Leading VanEck Ventures are Wyatt Lonergan and Juan Lopez, both former executives at Circle Ventures. Lonergan previously served as head of Circle Ventures, where he and Lopez invested over $50 million in a range of early-stage companies, from infrastructure to consumer applications.
Lonergan emphasized the relevance of stablecoin projects, describing them as an “open-source banking layer.” Lopez added that the current landscape is particularly exciting due to the emergence of on-chain utilities focused on programmability and compliance.
VanEck Ventures plans to make between 25 to 35 investments, with individual capital contributions ranging from $500,000 to $1 million. The fund has already completed four investments, details of which have yet to be announced.
According to reports, around two-thirds of VanEck Ventures’ capital is sourced from external investors, with the remainder coming from VanEck itself. The fund will engage in equity investments and may also acquire stakes in companies through token exchanges.
VanEck CEO Jan van Eck remarked on the company’s long-standing commitment to transformative opportunities, stating, “This fund extends that vision into the early-stage venture space. We look forward to supporting founders of what we believe are some of the most disruptive companies in fintech — those building the future of finance.”
