Blockchain security firm Ledger raises $75m funding
In a Series B round led by Draper Esprit, cryptocurrency and blockchain security firm Ledger has raised $75 million (€61 million) in new funding. The investment takes the company’s total capital to more than $85 million, reports David Penn at Finovate (FinTech Futures’ sister company).
Ledger plans to use the funds to scale its operations. In addition to Draper Esprit’s backing, the round also featured participation from current investors, CapHorn Invest, GDTRE, and Digital Currency Group. Via the Draper Venture Network funds, Draper Associates, Draper Dragon and Boost VC, FirstMark Capital, Cathay Innovation, and Korelya Capital were also involved in the round.
Tim Draper, founder of DFJ, the Draper Network, says: “Ledger lets me take control of my currency rather than having to ask my bank.”
Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Paris and San Francisco, Ledger offers Ledger Blue. This includes a touchscreen for improved UX/UI, “but is still small enough to be easily handheld”. The hardware wallet can be connected to a laptop, PC, or smartphone via USB or Bluetooth.
Last fall/autumn, Ledger announced a collaboration with Intel that enabled it to integrate its Blockchain Open Ledger Operating System (Bolos) into Intel’s Software Guard Extensions (Intel SGX).
Introduced in 2016, Bolos enables developers to build source code portable native applications around a core which protects the core against application attacks and keeps applications isolated. The company calls it “our way of turning Bitcoin hardware wallets into personal security devices”.
