pump.fun launches its Pump Fund investment arm along with a $3 million hackathon to fund startups, marking an effort to shift away from its reliance on memecoin.
pump.fun launches Pump Fund to nurture new startups within its ecosystem.
Launching Pump Fund alongside a $3 million hackathon.
- The memecoin issuance platform pump.fun is making a significant shift with the official launch of Pump Fund, a new investment arm aimed at funding startups within its ecosystem.
Introducing the $3,000,000 Build in Public Hackathon
— Pump.fun (@Pumpfun)January 19, 2026
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
According to pump.fun, Pump Fund was established with the goal of long-term support for startups, rather than just Vai as a platform for issuing memecoins as before. The first competition on Pump Fund is the 30-day "Build in Public" hackathon, with a total prize pool of up to $3 million USD.
Specifically, Pump Fund will select up to 12 projects, each receiving $250,000 at a valuation of $10 million. Unlike traditional incubation programs where projects must present to a panel of judges or Venture Capital, Pump.fun's hackathon adopts a different philosophy where the market is the judge.
- pump.fun emphasized in the announcement:
"Instead of having to please a jury or VCs, Tokenize allows the market to become the judge. Your users will be early funders by placing bets on you,"
Requirements for participating in the hackathon
- To qualify for the hackathon, projects are required to Token Issuance and hold at least 10% of the total supply. According to pump.fun, the selection process will not be based on slide decks or long-term vision, but will focus on more practical metrics such as natural user traction, product launch speed, transparent and open communication with the community, and the long-term feasibility and sustainability of the model.
Eligibility requirements
— Pump.fun (@Pumpfun)January 19, 2026
- Launch a Token
- Build a project
- Own at least 10% of the token's supply
- Build in Public: Posting on X, forming a Community & Streaming on Pump fun are HIGHLY encouraged
-Apply via the form: https://t.co/QPWHidRgab
Notably, Pump Fund does not limit the field of activity of participating projects; funded startups do not necessarily have to be crypto-native, demonstrating Pump.fun's ambition to expand into areas beyond the pure memecoin ecosystem. Besides Capital, selected projects also receive direct mentorship from the Pump.fun founding team.
Memecoin cools down, pump.fun needs a new story.
- The launch of Pump Fund comes amidst a sharp decline in trading activity on pump.fun compared to its peak in early 2025. According to data from Token Terminal, pump.fun's monthly volume reached an all-time high of $11.75 billion in January 2025, just one year after the platform launched.
However, this figure gradually declined throughout 2025, falling to $2.43 billion in December, as market risk appetite weakened and memecoin was no longer a focal point of speculation.
Monthly Volume statistics on pump.fun. Source: Token Terminal (January 20, 2026)
- Nevertheless, pump.fun still shows considerable attention. Recently, the platform recorded its highest daily Token issuance in three months, surpassing 30,000 Token, after announcing new updates to its creator incentive program.
- Pump.fun co-founder Alon Cohen observes that, despite market cycles, the demand for "skilled founders" remains consistently high:
"Crypto trends over the past three years show that traders and long-term Capital are always on the lookout for good founders, regardless of market conditions."
He argued that Tokenize early-stage projects provides instant liquidation , allowing startups to secure funding directly from the user community, and opens up a new Capital model where ideas, products, and markets are directly connected.
The PUMP price hasn't fluctuated much since the announcement, rising 2.5% in the last 24 hours and currently hovering around $0.0025.
Price fluctuations (PUMP) over the past 24 hours, screenshot from CoinGecko at 3:00 PM on January 20, 2026.
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