A new funding model is emerging in crypto — and it’s openly rejecting pitch decks, private rounds, and closed-door decision-making.
Pump.fun has announced Pump.Fund, a new initiative kicking off with a $3 million global “Build in Public” hackathon that flips the traditional startup fundraising model on its head.
Instead of raising capital first and launching later, teams are required to launch a token publicly, build in real time, and let the market decide whether the project deserves funding.
The program will distribute $3M across 12 winning projects, with $250,000 in investment per team, and runs from January 19 to February 18, 2026.
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Launch First. Prove Demand. Get Funded.
At the core of the hackathon is a simple idea: real market participation should determine which projects get funded — not private investor committees.
Participants are encouraged to launch a token on Pump.fun, build openly, and share progress daily through social media, group chats, or live streams directly on the platform. Projects don’t need to be crypto-native, polished, or even fully formed at the start.
What matters is momentum, transparency, and the ability to iterate based on real feedback.
“If a project gains attention, trust, and momentum, that’s the signal. If it doesn’t, founders are encouraged to abandon it early and move on.”
Pump.fun Team
A Direct Shot at Venture Capital Norms
The initiative is an explicit rejection of the traditional VC model — one where a small group of investors privately select winners, capture early upside, and distribute risk to the public later.
Under Pump.Fund, capital comes after proof — not before. Funding can range from $50K up to $3M, depending on traction and market response, with continued investment possible beyond the hackathon window.
“For too long, VCs had an unfair advantage over retail in crypto. A small group picked winners in private, took the upside early, and sold to users later. We’re flipping that broken model. Tokens launch first, users prove demand in public, and capital follows what the market has already validated.”
Alon, Co-Founder of Pump.fun
Built for Builders at Any Stage
The program is intentionally inclusive. Teams may enter with:
A rough idea
A loose direction
A working prototype
Or nothing more than a strong intuition
What matters is speed, openness, and the willingness to build in public.
The hackathon also extends beyond a single funding moment. Pump.fun has framed this as an ongoing investment initiative, acknowledging that some projects need more time to reach meaningful traction.
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Why This Matters
Pump.fun’s bet is that markets are better judges than closed rooms — and that transparency should come before capital, not after.
As crypto matures, models like this signal a broader shift: away from gatekept funding and toward open experimentation, real-time validation, and community-driven capital formation.
Whether this approach replaces traditional venture funding or simply coexists alongside it, one thing is clear: the rules around how crypto startups get funded are changing — and they’re changing in public.
