U.S. cryptocurrency project gets $133 million investment from big investors

A start-up launched by three Princeton University graduates for a new cryptocurrency has raised $133 million from a slew of big investors in a private placement, Intangible Labs Chief Executive Officer and co-founder Nader Al-Naji said on Wednesday.

Intangible Labs is the creator of basis, a digital currency that aims to maintain a stable price and be usable around the world.

The company’s investors included Bain Capital Ventures, Google’s venture arm GV, venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, and Lightspeed Foundation Capital, Al-Naji said. 

Billionaire hedge fund manager Stan Druckenmiller and former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh also invested in the company.

The new token is built on the ethereum blockchain and has a built-in mechanism that controls its own supply to keep the price stable, Al Naji told Reuters in an interview.

“Volatility of cryptocurrencies has prevented their widespread adoption,” Al-Naji said. “We are trying to build cryptocurrencies that have all the benefits of crypto but is stable.”

The $133 million sale was structured as a private placement to accredited investors, Al-Naji said. The company is still deciding whether to issue tokens through a public crowdsale, as it is assessing the current regulatory environment, he added.

A global regulatory crackdown on cryptocurrencies has slowed the pace of virtual currency sales as questions mount about their transparency and the risk of scams for investors.

More than 500 digital technology startups around the world have raised funds by selling their own cryptocurrencies, or tokens, that sidestep banks or venture capital firms as intermediaries.

Source
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-crypto-currencies-basis/u-s-cryptocurrency-project-gets-133-million-investment-from-big-investors-idUSKBN1HP249