Quick take:
- Lava CEO Shehzan Maredia said the extension round was targeting strategic individuals.
- The fundraising follows a $10 million Series A round announced in December 2024, co-led by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund and Khosla Ventures.
- Lava’s platform allows investors to earn yield on their USD by funding Bitcoin-backed loans.
Bitcoin lending protocol, Lava, has raised $17.5 million in an extended Series A round backed by multiple angel investors. The fundraising attracted participation from Peter Jurdjevic of Qatar Investment Authority, Bijan Tehrani of Stake, Zach White of 8VC, and Saurabh Gupta of DST Global, among others.
Lava CEO Shehzan Maredia told The Block that the extension round was targeting strategic individuals. The fundraising follows a $10 million Series A round announced in December 2024, co-led by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund and Khosla Ventures.
Lava’s platform allows investors to earn yield on their USD by funding Bitcoin-backed loans, whilst also enabling Bitcoin holders to borrow USD without selling their BTC. Interest rates begin at about 5%, while investors can earn up to 7.5% annual yield.
According to Maredia, none of Lava’s lenders have ever taken a loss, with collateral liquidated if loan-to-value ratios deteriorate.
Maredia believes that by focusing on just Bitcoin for collateral, rather than multiple tokens, the protocol protects investors from exposure to weak tokens. “We believe that lending against bitcoin provides a very attractive risk-adjusted yield, but lending against other assets (or a blend of assets) entails too much risk,” Maredia said.
The company plans to use the fresh capital to scale both its lending and yield products.
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