Interestingly, 2018 was defined by what has been described as the 'Great Crypto Crash,' or a massive market sell-off after the boom that took place in 2017. Things had rebounded by 2021, which saw a bull market for crypto and the rise of NFTs and DeFi. That November, Bitcoin hit an all-time high of $68,000. After a bumpy few years, which saw the arrests of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried and Binance CEO and founder Changpeng Zhao, Bitcoin has rebounded, surging to an all-time high in 2025. Prices reached $113,156.57 on Oct. 15. In announcing its plan to acquire Echo, Coinbase said the two companies shared a similar mission of 'democratizing early-stage investing, so that more people can support the next generation of breakthrough companies.' The buy complemented its earlier acquisition of Liquifi, Coinbase said, noting that: 'While Liquifi strengthened our ability to support builders at the start of their journey, Echo extends that support into fundraising.'
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