Pump.fun has dropped Pump Fund, a brand-new investment arm aimed at backing early-stage projects in its ecosystem.
The Solana-based memecoin launchpad is kicking things off with a $3 million Build in Public, or BiP Hackathon that will fund 12 selected projects.
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The twist? No traditional VC panels or judges, the market decides winners through real token traction.
What Pump Fund Is Actually Doing
Pump Fund focuses on long-term alignment with builders, doling out cash to tools, apps, and ideas built openly on the platform.
Introducing the $3,000,000 Build in Public Hackathon
Brought to you by Pump Fund – pump fun’s New Investment Arm
It’s time to completely reimagine how early-stage projects are built and funded.
Learn more 👇 pic.twitter.com/l1TJcxv1J0
— Pump.fun (@Pumpfun) January 19, 2026
For the hackathon, projects must launch a token and hold at least 10% of supply themselves.
Pump.fun will pick winners based on organic traction, timely product rollout, open communication, and staying power.
Not hype or pitch decks. Each of the 12 gets funding (implied $250k each at $10M valuations in similar reports), plus mentorship.
It’s a deliberate shift, “Instead of pleasing judges/VCs for money, tokenizing lets the market become the judge,” as the announcement put it.
Users bet early by buying in, empowering projects that capture real attention.
How This Fits Memecoin and Launchpad Trends
Pump.fun dominated the 2024-2025 memecoin craze, launching millions of tokens and raking in hundreds of millions in fees.
Its native PUMP token exploded in July but has since cooled ~70% to around $0.0026 amid broader Solana memecoin slowdowns.
Still, momentum is there, daily launches hit a three-month high over 30,000 after creator incentive tweaks.
This fund move echoes how launchpads evolve beyond pure speculation, think Raydium or Jupiter adding ecosystem grants, or earlier platforms like Friend.tech trying venture plays.
It’s the sector trying to turn short-term meme hype into sustainable building.
Memecoin Platforms Growing Up Like Early Gaming Economies
This feels like Roblox or Fortnite going from simple games to full creator economies.
Early Roblox let users build and monetize with virtual currency, and now it has real revenue sharing and investments in tools.
Pump.fun started as a firehose for anyone to spin up a token in minutes, no gates, pure chaos.
Pump Fund adds structure, reward builders who stick around and deliver, using market signals (token buys) instead of centralized gatekeepers.
In broader crypto, it’s akin to DeFi protocols shifting from yield farms to sustainable incentives post-2022 crashes.
The scale? If successful, it could channel meme dollars into real apps, disrupting traditional VC where a few funds decide winners. No more waiting for Silicon Valley checks, let the crowd bet and win.
The Good News and the Bad News
If the hackathon surfaces strong projects, winners build lasting tools, and Pump.fun becomes a launchpad-to-incubator hybrid, boosting Solana’s ecosystem while keeping the fun, fair-launch spirit. PUMP could rebound on renewed utility.
In the worst case winners flop, funds get diluted in more memes, or it turns into another short-term pump. Market judging means hype can still win over substance, and holding 10% supply risks insider dumps.
But after memecoin fatigue, users want more than rugs, real creation and long-term plays. This lets the crowd fund what it believes in, turning speculation into something productive.
VC in Disguise or Genuine Shift?
Some will call it dressed-up VC, because Pump.fun still picks winners based on criteria, and token launches carry risks.
Critics might say it’s just extending the hype cycle. Maybe they’re right. But don’t forget the market-driven angle flips the power dynamic in a way traditional funds never did.
Pump Fund could be Pump.fun’s smartest pivot yet, or at least way better than the livestream thing, channeling meme energy into actual building.
If it works, it proves launchpads can evolve beyond chaos. Worth watching the hackathon results.
Disclosure:This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.
Kriptoworld.com accepts no liability for any errors in the articles or for any financial loss resulting from incorrect information.
Cryptocurrency and Web3 expert, founder of Kriptoworld
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With years of experience covering the blockchain space, András delivers insightful reporting on DeFi, tokenization, altcoins, and crypto regulations shaping the digital economy.
📅 Published: January 21, 2026 • 🕓 Last updated: January 21, 2026
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