Pump.fun Launches ‘Pump Fund’ to Support New Startups

Crypto News DeFi

Pump.fun Unveils ‘Pump Fund’ to Back Startups Beyond Meme Coins

Written by Aaron S.,

Editor-In-Chief

Last Updated: January 20, 2026

Key Takeaways

Pump.fun expands beyond memecoins with Pump Fund, a new investment arm supporting diverse startups;
A $3 million hackathon will reward 12 projects with $250,000 each and mentorship from the Pump.fun team;
The fund’s market-based model lets users, not investors, decide which projects earn support.

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Pump.fun Unveils ‘Pump Fund’ to Back Startups Beyond Meme Coins

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Pump.fun, known for its meme coin launch platform, has announced Pump Fund, an investment arm created to back promising startups beyond the world of meme coins.

The new fund was revealed alongside a $3 million hackathon. Over 30 days, participants will build projects, launch tokens, and share progress updates.

The top 12 teams will each receive $250,000 in funding, which values their projects at around $10 million.

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According to Pump.fun, the goal is to support a wide range of startups, not only those in crypto. The company said it wants to partner with teams that work fast, share their progress openly, and show long-term potential.

Founders will also receive mentorship from the Pump.fun team.

The company explained that this model lets the market decide which projects deserve funding. The team said:

Instead of having to please judges or investors for money, tokenizing allows the market to become the judge.

Pump.fun co-founder Alon Cohen said on X that recent crypto trends show there is still strong demand for good founders, even in uncertain markets.

Cohen added that the rise of instant liquidity has made it easier for builders to raise funds quickly. He said this trend has helped new crypto projects find early supporters and demonstrate the power of tokenized funding for startups.

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