The assets leaving Grayscale Investment’s spot bitcoin ETF hit a new single day low, helping the broader fund category end a two-day net outflow streak. 

The Grayscale Bitcoin Trust ETF (GBTC) saw $17.5 million of net money leave its fund Wednesday, according to Farside Investors data. The total was a record low and reflected a substantial dip from net outflows of $303 million on Monday and $155 million on Tuesday. 

Helped by the shrunken GBTC outflow total Wednesday, the 11-fund US spot bitcoin ETF segment notched net inflows of $124 million. 

The BTC funds cumulatively endured net outflows of $224 million and $19 million on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, the data shows.

Bitcoin’s price hovered around 70,440 at 7:30 a.m. ET — up nearly 7% from a week ago.

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Community Labs, a company specializing in Web3 software development, is set to launch a 10-week incubator program called AO Ventures focusing on the Arweave ecosystem, with an initial investment of $35 million.

The program, scheduled to begin on April 23, aims to support projects within the decentralized storage network by providing access to funding, mentorship and technical workshops.

This initiative is backed by venture capitalists such as Factor and Distributed Global, among others. It offers selected Web3 entrepreneurs the opportunity to engage with industry veterans and potentially pitch their projects to prominent VCs after the program concludes.

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Mountain View, CA-based Simbian has emerged from stealth with $10 million seed funding from AI-focused investors including Cota Capital, Icon Ventures, Firebolt and Rain Capital. 

Simbian is moving the needle from security co-pilot toward autonomous security pilot – its name indicates the symbiosis of man and machine. For now, the firm still calls its platform a ‘co-pilot’ and ‘the first step’ toward autonomous security; but it nevertheless describes itself as “committed to making security fully autonomous”.

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While most of us spend our time in the metaverse trading assets or bopping around in virtual realities on legless avatars, astronauts working with NASA and SpaceX are using it to prepare for life aboard a lunar space station that hasn’t been built yet. 

The first humans to make their homes in deep space, according to NASA, will be the team tasked with operating a space station currently under development called “Gateway.”

The United States says Gateway will make its off-Earth debut no sooner than 2025 when its critical power and propulsion systems are set up in orbit around the Moon.

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Patlytics, a San Francisco, CA-based provider of an AI-powered patent workflow platform, raised $4.5M in Seed funding.

The round was led by Gradient with participation from 8VC, Joe Montana’s Liquid 2 Ventures, Tribe Capital, Vermilion Ventures, Gaingels, Alumni Ventures, Position Ventures and angel investors including select partners from premier law firms and Datadog President Amit Agarwal.

The company intends to use the funds to enable corporations and law firms to accelerate their patent workflow techniques, including prosecution and litigation through the integration of generative AI.

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Yuga Labs did a test of its Bored Apes-themed Otherside Metaverse for a handful of NFT holders this week.

The metaverse is designed for players to “decide their fun,” meaning that there is little guidance and players themselves must control their own experiences. Following the launch, users left with mixed reviews of their metaverse escapade. 

It is important to note that the Otherside Metaverse is not a “finished product being launched,” meaning the project is still a work in progress.

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Called the “Heritage Cars & Safe Drive Studio,” the new exhibit combines immersive depictions featuring three of Nissan’s most iconic automobiles from history with interactive educational safety exhibits.

Per a press release from Nissan:
“The studio commemorates Nissan's 90th anniversary year, which began in December. It features three iconic models from Nissan's past, each set in a meticulously crafted virtual environment that reflects its era.”

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The Artemis Fund, which invests in underrepresented founders, closed on its second fund with $36 million in capital commitments.

Stephanie Campbell, Diana Murakhovskaya and Leslie Goldman Tepper founded Artemis in 2019, naming the firm after the Greek goddess of the hunt, wild things and a champion of women.

Artemis, with offices in Houston and New York, leads seed rounds for diverse founders in fintech, commerce and care, having so far composed a portfolio of more than 20 companies that are all led by female founders, with over 60% that have Black, Latinx or immigrant leadership.

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Baanx plans to expand its footprint outside the UK market to the United States and Latin America later this year at an undisclosed date.

Blockchain payment firm Baanx has secured $20 million in a seed funding round from leading venture capital firms and investment companies. The funding is aimed at fueling Baanx’s efforts to advance the next generation of crypto payments.

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