Prediction market boom spurs new VC fund backed by Polymarket, Kalshi CEOs

Markets Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Prediction market boom spurs new VC fund backed by Polymarket, Kalshi CEOs The fund, called 5c(c) Capital, is aiming to raise $35 million to fund startups tied to the rapid growth of event-based trading markets. By Helene Braun , AI Boost | Edited by Stephen Alpher Mar 23, 2026, 7:39 p.m. Make us preferred on Google What to know : A new venture capital firm, 5c(c) Capital, is launching to invest specifically in companies built around prediction markets, with backing from the CEOs of Polymarket and Kalshi. The fund aims to raise up to $35 million and back about 20 early-stage startups over two years, focusing on infrastructure and services such as data tools, liquidity provision and compliance systems rather than exchanges alone. The launch comes amid rapid growth in prediction markets, with rising trading volumes, new users and interest from major crypto and retail trading platforms, and has attracted more than 20 early investors including a Millennium Management portfolio manager and other prediction market founders. A new venture capital firm focused on prediction markets is launching with backing from Polymarket founder and CEO Shayne Coplan and Kalshi co-founder and CEO Tarek Mansour, Bloomberg reported. The firm, called 5c(c) Capital (named after a section of the Commodity Exchange Act that governs prediction markets) may be the first venture fund built specifically to invest in companies shaped by that regulatory and market structure. “We want to capitalize on the second-, third-, and fourth-order effects of what we built ourselves,” the founders wrote in a document viewed by Bloomberg. The launch comes as prediction markets shift from a niche corner of finance into a more visible part of how people track events. Since the U.S. presidential election, trading volumes have climbed and new users have entered the space. Platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi now host contracts tied to politics, economic data and cultural events, turning public opinion into tradable signals. Polymarket’s trades run on the blockchain. Many crypto-native companies, including Coinbase (COIN) and Kraken, as well as Robinhood (HOOD), have also entered the space in recent months. That growth has created new business openings beyond the platforms themselves. Startups are beginning to build data tools, liquidity services and compliance systems that support these markets. 5c(c) Capital plans to raise up to $35 million and invest in about 20 portfolio companies over the next two years, according to the document. The strategy centers on early-stage bets tied to infrastructure and services around prediction markets rather than the exchanges alone. Early backing includes more than twenty investors, among them a portfolio manager at Millennium Management, several crypto-focused venture firms and founders of other prediction market platforms such as PredictIt. Polymarket declined to comment. Kalshi did not respond in time for publication. Prediction Markets AI Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards . For more information, see CoinDesk's full AI Policy . More For You Strategy tops up capital-raising plans, bringing potential bitcoin buying power back to $42 billion By James Van Straten , AI Boost | Edited by Stephen Alpher 4 hours ago Expanded share issuance plans and new Wall Street partners boost capital raising firepower. 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