Framework Ventures has closed a $400 million fourth fund that will finance startups developing crypto, artificial intelligence, robotics, and energy technologies as the venture capital firm broadens its investment mandate.
Summary
- Framework Ventures launched a $400 million fund to invest in crypto, artificial intelligence, robotics, and energy startups.
- About half of the new capital has already been deployed, with support from sovereign wealth funds, endowments, funds of funds, and nonprofit investors.
- Framework joined firms such as Haun Ventures and Paradigm in expanding beyond crypto as venture investment increasingly targets artificial intelligence.
Framework Ventures announced the new fund on Friday and said it will direct the capital toward what it describes as “frontier technology,” a category that includes blockchain, artificial intelligence, robotics, and energy.
Co-founders Vance Spencer and Michael Anderson told Fortune the firm has already committed about half of the capital.
Spencer and Anderson did not identify the limited partners behind the fund. They said contributors include sovereign wealth funds, funds of funds, an Ivy League endowment, and nonprofit organizations.
A filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission showed Framework managed $1.28 billion in assets as of December 2025.
Anderson told Fortune the investment strategy followed changes in the interests of founders already working with the firm rather than a response to the recent surge in AI investment. He said entrepreneurs within the firm’s network increasingly wanted to build businesses across both crypto and artificial intelligence.
AI joins crypto as investment priority
Framework launched in 2019 with a focus on decentralized finance and became an early investor in Aave and Chainlink. The firm later raised a $100 million second fund in 2021 before securing another $400 million crypto-focused fund in 2022.
The latest portfolio extends beyond blockchain projects. Fortune reported that Framework has invested in robotics data startup Mecka AI and also holds a stake in mortgage company Better.com.
Several crypto-focused venture firms have adopted similar investment strategies this year. As previously reported by crypto.news, Haun Ventures announced a $1 billion fund in May to back companies developing crypto financial infrastructure, tokenization, and AI agents.
Paradigm, one of the largest VCs in the crypto space, is also pursuing a larger investment vehicle. Fortune reported that the firm is seeking as much as $1.5 billion for a fund that will support crypto, artificial intelligence, and robotics startups.
Lately, OpenAI, Anthropic, and other AI developers have attracted growing venture capital interest as investors pursue new technology opportunities. At the same time, several crypto-focused investment firms have expanded their mandates beyond digital assets while continuing to finance blockchain companies.
For instance, crypto exchange BitGo announced this week that it would reduce nearly 15% of its workforce while redirecting resources toward security, trading, stablecoins, settlement, and AI-powered infrastructure.
Meanwhile, IP-focused Story Protocol has also replaced its original intellectual property licensing strategy on Thursday after rebranding as the DATA Foundation. The project said it will build infrastructure to source, verify, license, and compensate contributors for artificial intelligence training data through blockchain-based systems.
