Key Insights:
- Recent memecoin news indicates Pump.fun just rolled out a new investment arm that will back early-stage startups.
- The firm explained that the new investment arm will take a long-term approach.
- According to project details about the investment fund, tokenization changes who gets to decide what deserves funding.
According to recent meme coin news, meme coin launchpad platform Pump.fun rolled out a new investment arm that will back early-stage startups.
The move that marks the platform’s first major step beyond memecoin kicks off with a $3 million hackathon event that will fund 12 teams with $250,000 each.
Memecoin News: Pump.fun Debuts Investment Arm
Pump.fun announced on Monday that it is launching Pump Fund and pairing it with a $3 million hackathon. As per the latest memecoin news, the company said the program will back up to 12 teams, giving each one $250,000 based on a $10 million valuation.
The firm explained that the new investment arm will take a long-term approach. It also said it will support projects even if they are not crypto-focused. On top of the money, Pump.fun said founders will offer mentorship to help teams build and grow.
The timing matters a lot, given that the rollout comes at a time when trading activity on Pump.fun has cooled from the early 2025 peak. That time, the memecoin boom pushed volumes to their highs.
Now, the platform appears to be widening its playbook as that frenzy fades.
Pump.fun said its new investment arm will support projects at any stage. As per the memecoin news, it also plans to back teams across different sectors and levels of traction.
Still, it made one preference clear. It wants builders who ship fast and share their plans openly as they go.
The company said it will not judge projects on noise alone. It will track product progress and the buzz around it. However, the ten-million-dollar question will be if this idea can last or if it’s just another frivolous pursuit.
The hackathon will run for 30 days. Pump.fun said participants will launch a token, build in public, and post updates throughout the month. In the end, the market will decide who stands out and which projects truly break through.
According to project details about the investment fund, tokenization changes who gets to decide what deserves funding. Instead of pitching to judges or courting VCs, the company said builders can let the market do the judging.
It added that this flips the usual script on startup finance. In its view, the people who use the product become the backers. They fund teams by buying in early and betting on the idea from the start.
Founder Talent Remains the Hottest Asset
In a recent post on X, the co-founder of the memecoin launchpad, Alon Cohen, said the last three years in crypto tell a clear story. He said traders and long-term allocators still chase strong founders, even when the market turns rough.
He also said more teams are launching tokens for a simple reason. Users enjoy buying into new ideas early, especially when they believe a project has a real shot at success.
In his view, that matters because the pool is huge. He said millions of people could become both users and investors.
Cohen added that instant liquidity changed the funding game. He said it gave builders a faster path to capital, which helped push more artificial intelligence projects into crypto.
That wave, he said, showed both builders and traders just how big the opportunity could be if early-stage startups keep using tokens to raise and grow.
Trading on Pump.fun has cooled sharply since its late-2024 and early-2025 surge. The platform hit its high point in January 2025, when monthly volume climbed to $11.75 billion, according to Token Terminal.
It reached that mark barely a year after launching. Since then, activity has slipped month after month.
By December, Pump.fun’s monthly volume had fallen to $2.43 billion. The drop came as traders pulled back from speculative bets, and the memecoin sector lost some of its appeal during a choppy period for the broader market.
Source: https://www.thecoinrepublic.com/2026/01/20/memecoin-news-pump-fun-rolls-out-new-investment-arm-for-early-stage-players/
