Fully on-chain game developer Curio has successfully raised $5.7 million in a recent funding round. The round was co-led by its original lead investor, Bain Capital Crypto, and SevenX Ventures. OKX Ventures also participated in this funding round. This brings Curio’s total funding to $8.6 million, with $2.9 million raised in 2023.
Founded in 2022, Curio has made significant strides in the gaming industry. The company previously launched a 4X strategy game demo called “Treaty” and has now released season 1 of its flagship wagering strategy game, “Duper.” In a time when Web3 wagering games are gaining popularity, “Duper” stands out as a browser-based game that offers social team play. It allows 5 players to engage in 40-minute high-stakes matches, fully deployed on-chain.
Kevin Zhang, co-founder of Curio, highlighted the uniqueness of “Duper,” stating, “While most crypto games attempt to imitate existing video games, we looked in another direction at classic board games and card games that are simple, infinitely re-playable, and integrate stakes with the game meaningfully, as part of the core game design. Because of this unique form factor, ‘Duper’ is highly accessible.”
Bain Capital Crypto partner Stephan Cohen expressed his admiration for Curio’s vision, stating, “We’ve worked with the Curio team since inception and continue to be impressed with their vision for how next generation games can leverage blockchain components. By focusing on emergent social dynamics and skill-based wagering, Curio combines the best elements of classic games like Poker and Mahjong with the immersive nature of video games.”