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The world’s largest NFT marketplace, OpenSea, has faced a substantial setback as its valuation plummeted by 90% as a major investor divested from it.
Coatue Cuts Stake
With its valuation dropping by a staggering 90%, OpenSea might have experienced its biggest blow yet. With tech investment leader Coatue Management backing out of its OpenSea investment, the NFT platform has lost a significant chunk of its funding. The investment company has significantly reduced its holdings in OpenSea, slashing its once-assessed $120 million investment in the NFT platform down to a mere $13 million. This substantial markdown indicates that OpenSea’s current valuation now hovers at $1.4 billion or possibly even lower.
Reconsidering Investments
Coatue’s decision to downsize its investment in OpenSea isn’t isolated. In a similar move, the tech-focused investment manager also reduced its stake in web3 infrastructure company MoonPay by 90%.
These markdowns underscore how venture investors are reevaluating the value of their investments made during the cryptocurrency market’s peak, given the substantial market decline. It’s worth noting that just last year, OpenSea enjoyed a valuation of $13.3 billion following a funding round led by Coatue Management and Paradigm.
OpenSea In Troubled Waters
OpenSea’s journey has been turbulent. The platform attained its peak valuation of $13.3 billion after securing $300 million in Series C funding in the previous year, with Coatue Management as a key player in the investment round. However, the onset of the crypto bear market triggered a series of shareholder sell-offs, and the NFT market failed to mirror the crypto market rally of 2023.
On November 3, OpenSea’s CEO, Devin Finzer, disclosed a significant development within the company. To shift its focus towards enhancing technology, reliability, speed, quality, and overall user experience, OpenSea decided to reduce its workforce by 50% across all departments. Additionally, the company announced plans to streamline its organizational structure with fewer middle managers.
Committed To Progress
Despite these challenges, OpenSea remains committed to its mission. The marketplace recently introduced OpenSea Studio, an NFT studio, empowering creators to develop and manage their own NFT projects. Additionally, OpenSea Pro has expanded its offerings with cross-chain trading on both Ethereum and Polygon blockchains through the interoperability protocol Socket to simplify cross-chain navigation for users.
OpenSea Pro has also introduced a new feature – private sales. Users can now create listings tailored for specific wallet addresses without incurring platform fees. This strategic move aims to cater to the unique needs of its user base.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.
