Exclusive: Core Ventures deployed $1m to grow Bitcoin’s DeFi ecosystem

Core Ventures, the investment arm aligned with the Core Foundation, has deployed more than $1 million across 15 Bitcoin-aligned projects since launching in early 2024. Core Ventures is on a mission to transform Bitcoin (BTC) from a passive store-of-value into an active layer of financial infrastructure that can serve as the foundation for lending, yield generation, stablecoins, and decentralized finance, crypto.news can exclusively report. As the BTCFi continues to grow with a total value locked across Bitcoin-based DeFi protocols up 2,700% since January, Core Ventures is funding projects that push Bitcoin’s programmability. The portfolio spans key verticals including lending, staking, real-world assets, DeFi infrastructure, and financial primitives such as stablecoins. Among the standout investments are Colend, a lending and borrowing protocol on Core, which boasts more than $170 million in TVL and recently launched the first web3 credit card; and Solv Protocol, which provides liquid staking, structured yield products, and Bitcoin fund management services. Another notable project is BitFLUX, a Core Ventures-incubated platform focused on liquidity aggregation and BTC yield generation. ‘Fund the people actually shipping’ Sats Terminal , a Bitcoin-native DeFi aggregator offering simplified access to DEXs and yield tools, and BIMA Labs, the developer of USBD, a Bitcoin-backed universal stablecoin designed for cross-chain DeFi use, also feature prominently in the fund’s growing portfolio. Several projects are co-backed by major firms like Coinbase Ventures, OKX Ventures, and Draper Associates. “Core Ventures is here to back the innovative apps, tools, and protocols that make the system truly useful,” said Brendon Sedo, Initial Contributor at Core DAO and Head of Core Ventures. “We’re not here to debate opcodes. We’re here to fund the people actually shipping Core itself serves as the technical foundation for this ecosystem: a Proof-of-Work-backed, EVM-compatible blockchain that enables non-custodial Bitcoin staking. With over 6,000 BTC staked, more than 50,000 daily users, and more than $500 million in TVL, it anchors what is now the largest Bitcoin DeFi environment. Looking ahead, Core Ventures plans to continue deploying capital into projects that advance Bitcoin’s utility across lending, collateralization, decentralized identity, and real-world asset tokenization. The team emphasizes that its investment strategy favors builders already shipping, rather than those still drafting whitepapers.