MIT-bred startup Kalshi has raised more than $300 million at a $5 billion valuation and will open its prediction platform to customers in over 140 countries, according to a press release. The company, which is on pace for $50 billion in annualized trading volume, also eclipsed Polymarket to claim over 60% global market share in September.
Backers in the Series D funding round include Sequoia Capital and new investor Andreessen Horowitz, alongside Paradigm, CapitalG, and Coinbase Ventures — a list of crypto hitters signifying the prediction markets’ recent attempt to garner attention from the industry.
Head of Crypto John Wang previously told The Block the platform aims to be on “every major crypto app” within 12 months, expanding its reach beyond existing distribution deals that let users trade event contracts via Robinhood and Webull. The push could widen retail access alongside its overseas rollout, notable given that rival Polymarket is reentering the U.S. following Commodity Futures Trading Commission approval.
Historically, Kalshi focused on a compliance-first strategy in the U.S. market. In May, the CFTC dropped its legal challenge to Kalshi’s election-related contracts, even as several U.S. states have since sued over its sports offerings, arguing the products skirt state gambling rules.
Kalshi’s rise to prediction market colossus can also be attributed to its sports-based contracts — including complex parlays. The company was previously valued at $2 billion after a $185 million Series C. Earlier this week, Polymarket announced that NYSE parent Intercontinental Exchange would invest up to $2 billion in the platform at a $9 billion post-money valuation.
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