Pump.fun launches new investment arm for funding startups

Memecoin launchpad Pump.fun PUMP has launched Pump Fund, its new investment arm dedicated to startup projects in its ecosystem.

"It will advance the startup ecosystem on pump fun by aligning itself with projects long-term," Pump.fun wrote in an announcement on X.

As its first initiative, Pump.fun is kicking off a Build in Public (BiP) Hackathon, which is set to distribute $3 million in funding across 12 projects. The platform said its upcoming hackathon — a time-limited event where participants collaborate to build new tools or applications — will differ from traditional programs because the market will be the judge.

"Instead of having to please judges/VCs for money, tokenizing allows the market to become the judge," Pump.fun wrote. "Your users are the ones that fund you by betting on you early. Those who can capture the minds of the people are empowered like nowhere else."

To participate in the hackathon, a project must launch a token and own at least 10% of its supply. Pump.fun said it will prioritize organic traction, timely deployment of products, open communication, and long-term viability in choosing winners.

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The Solana-based platform led the memecoin fever in 2024 and 2025, launching millions of tokens and generating hundreds of millions of dollars in fees. It rolled out its own native token, PUMP, in July, raising over $1 billion within minutes. 

Since reaching an all-time high in September, PUMP has dropped roughly 70% to $0.0026 as of today, amid a broader cooling in the Solana memecoin trade.

While the memecoin frenzy has cooled, momentum has persisted. Pump.fun recently hit a three-month high in daily token launches earlier this month, surpassing 30,000. This came after the platform announced that it would launch a series of updates to the incentives program for creators.