This is a series of articles about the history of blockchain, here are all the posts: Genesis (1980–2009), Consolidation (2010–2012), Volatility is Here (2013), New Projects, Old Scandals (2014), ICOs Everywhere (2016), Altseason, Forks, And All-Time-Highs (2017) and The Bull and the Bear (2018). Claps, comments and shares are much appreciated!
2015 began with a crashing market that soon found a bottom. After the Chinese ban of late 2014, the bitcoin price stabilised and soon started a new uptrend that will carry on until 2017 ATH.
In this longer-than-usual article, we’ll explore the explosion of significant investment in blockchain startups, as well as the major developments from the main protocols at the time.
We’ll also have a look at how regulators slowly started intervening in the space.
Big money comes in
The year began with Coinbase announcing in January a successful Series C round with $75 million funded, the largest funding round to date for a Bitcoin-focused company.
Well-known names like DFJ, USAA, Ribbit Capital and Andreessen Horowitz participated, giving legitimacy to the crypto space among the Silicon Valley investment network.