Eightco Gets $125M Funding From Bitmine, ARK, Payward

Updated on: March 13, 2026

Eightco has secured $125 million in fresh funding from major institutional investors including Bitmine, ARK Invest, and Payward to expand its investments in artificial intelligence, blockchain infrastructure, and digital platforms.

Key Takeaways

Eightco raised $125 million in institutional commitments led by Bitmine with $75 million, while ARK Invest and Payward each committed $25 million.
Tom Lee, chairman of Bitmine, will join Eightco’s board of directors, while ARK’s Brett Winton will serve as a board advisor.
The company has already deployed capital with $50 million invested in OpenAI and $25 million invested in Beast Industries, the company of YouTube creator MrBeast.
Eightco aims to position itself at the center of AI, blockchain infrastructure, and creator driven digital platforms.

What Happened?

Eightco announced that it has secured $125 million in new funding commitments from a group of major institutional investors. The round was led by Bitmine Immersion Technologies, with additional backing from Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest and Payward, the parent company of crypto exchange Kraken.

The funding is expected to support Eightco’s strategy of investing in technologies that shape the next generation of artificial intelligence, blockchain infrastructure, and global digital consumer platforms.

LATEST: 📈 Eightco shares jumped 11.67% on Thursday after securing $125 million from Bitmine, ARK Invest and Kraken parent Payward, with Bitmine chair Tom Lee joining the board. pic.twitter.com/D9k92mt5rG
— CoinMarketCap (@CoinMarketCap) March 13, 2026

Bitmine Leads Funding Round

The investment round was led by Bitmine Immersion Technologies, which committed $75 million to the company. ARK Invest and Payward each pledged $25 million, bringing the total funding to $125 million.

As part of the investment agreement, Tom Lee, chairman of Bitmine, has joined Eightco’s board of directors. At the same time, Brett Winton, Chief Futurist at ARK Invest, will serve as an advisor to the board.

Lee said in a statement:

“

Bitmine invested in ORBS as we believe this company sits at the center of some of the most important future needs and developments for AI.

Eightco also confirmed that Dan Ives will step down from his role as chairman following the governance changes tied to the funding round.

The company noted that it is supported by a broader group of institutional investors including World Foundation, Coinfund, Discovery Capital Management, FalconX, Pantera, GSR, and MOZAYYX, among others.

Strategic Investments in OpenAI and MrBeast’s Company

Alongside the funding announcement, Eightco revealed that it has already begun deploying capital into high profile technology and media ventures.

The company said it completed an initial $50 million strategic investment in OpenAI and a $25 million investment in Beast Industries, the business behind popular YouTube creator Jimmy Donaldson, widely known as MrBeast.

These investments are designed to place Eightco at the intersection of artificial intelligence development, blockchain infrastructure, and digital content creation.

Lee highlighted the strategic alignment between these investments.

“

To me, there is tremendous synergy between Proof of Human (Worldcoin), the OpenAI foundational models, and connectivity to the greatest content creator in the world, MrBeast. And the Ark investment team, known for their pioneering work on identifying exponential opportunities, is further fueling synergy and innovation in this company.

Earlier this year, Bitmine itself invested $200 million into Beast Industries, further strengthening the partnership between the two companies.

Blockchain Strategy and Worldcoin Exposure

Eightco has also built a presence in digital assets through its treasury strategy.

The firm previously raised $250 million to establish a digital asset treasury centered around Worldcoin, the proof of humanity project co founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The initiative uses biometric verification to confirm human identity online.

Eightco continues to hold positions in Worldcoin and Ethereum, reflecting its long term belief in the ERC 20 protocol, the technical standard used to create tokens on the Ethereum network.

Sam Altman previously explained the motivation behind the World project.

“

We needed some sort of way for identifying, authenticating humans in the age of AGI. We needed a way that we could know what content was made by a human, by an AI. We wanted a way to make sure that humans stayed special and central in a world where the internet was going to have lots of AI driven content.

Investor Confidence in AI and Blockchain Convergence

Investors backing the funding round highlighted the potential value created by combining artificial intelligence, blockchain infrastructure, and large scale digital distribution.

Cathie Wood, Founder, CEO and CIO of ARK Invest said:

“

ORBS is taking on a unique initiative at the intersection of AI, blockchain, and creator driven platforms. At ARK Invest, we focus on technologies that have the potential to transform the global economy. We are excited to be partnering with ORBS to support their strategy as these technologies scale over the coming decade.

Arjun Sethi, co-CEO of Kraken and Payward, also emphasized the opportunity created by emerging technology platforms.

“

Technological revolutions tend to follow power law dynamics: a small number of platforms capture a disproportionate share of value. ORBS is positioning itself at the intersection of three such compounding networks, AI, cryptographic infrastructure, and global digital distribution.

CoinLaw’s Takeaway

In my experience covering crypto and emerging technologies, the biggest winners often sit at the intersection of multiple disruptive trends. Eightco is clearly trying to position itself exactly there.

I found the strategy interesting because it connects AI development through OpenAI, blockchain infrastructure through Worldcoin and Ethereum, and global content distribution through MrBeast’s media empire. Very few companies are trying to combine these three powerful ecosystems in a single investment strategy.

If Eightco can successfully execute this vision, it could become an important bridge between AI innovation, crypto infrastructure, and the creator economy. However, the company will still need to prove that these investments can generate sustainable long term value.