Framework Ventures has closed its fourth fund — a $400 million vehicle that signals the firm’s broader pivot into what it calls “frontier technology”: blockchain, artificial intelligence, robotics, and energy.
Key facts
- Fund size: $400 million (fourth fund).
- Commitments: roughly half of the capital has already been allocated, according to co-founders Vance Spencer and Michael Anderson.
- Limited partners: unnamed, but described as sovereign wealth funds, funds of funds, an Ivy League endowment and nonprofit organizations.
- Assets under management: Framework reported $1.28 billion in AUM in an SEC filing as of December 2025.
Why this matters
Framework — founded in 2019 and an early backer of DeFi staples like Aave and Chainlink — has steadily broadened its remit beyond pure crypto. The firm raised a $100 million fund in 2021 and another $400 million crypto-focused fund in 2022; the new vehicle officially extends its scope to encompass AI, robotics and energy bets alongside blockchain projects.
According to Anderson, the decision to widen the strategy was driven by entrepreneurs in Framework’s network increasingly building companies that straddle crypto and AI, rather than simply chasing the recent AI funding boom.
Portfolio signals
The new fund’s ambitions are already reflected in Framework’s holdings. Recent investments include robotics data startup Mecka AI and a stake in mortgage company Better.com, showing the firm’s appetite for tech beyond decentralized finance and infrastructure.
Broader VC trend
Framework’s move tracks a wider shift among crypto-focused VCs that are expanding into AI and adjacent areas:
- Haun Ventures unveiled a $1 billion fund in May to support crypto infrastructure, tokenization and AI agents.
- Paradigm is reportedly targeting as much as $1.5 billion for a fund to back crypto, AI and robotics startups.
- Traditional AI developers like OpenAI and Anthropic continue to attract strong VC interest, intensifying competition for talent and deals that sit at the intersection of AI and blockchain.
Industry context: crypto firms evolving
Several crypto companies and projects are reshaping priorities to capture AI-tailored opportunity while maintaining blockchain activity. Examples:
- Custodian and infrastructure player BitGo announced about a 15% workforce reduction as it reallocates resources to security, trading, stablecoins, settlement and AI-powered infrastructure.
- Story Protocol rebranded as the DATA Foundation and shifted from IP licensing to building blockchain-based systems to source, verify, license and compensate contributors for AI training data.
Bottom line
Framework’s $400 million fund underscores growing convergence between crypto and AI investing. The capital move highlights an industry pivot: venture players that once focused narrowly on digital assets are now positioning to back cross-disciplinary startups that blend blockchain, artificial intelligence and robotics — a development that could accelerate new infrastructure and product innovation at the intersection of those technologies.
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