Plume and Cicada Launch Early-Stage Investment Program for RWAfi Projects
Staff Writer • 2025-03-06
New Initiative Aims to Accelerate Real World Asset Finance and AI-Powered Trading in Blockchain NEW YORK, – Plume, the first Layer 1 blockchain purpose-built for Real World Asset Finance (RWAfi), and Cicada, a leading market maker, liquidity provider, and venture capital firm, have announced a strategic investment program to support the next wave of innovation in RWAfi and Real World AI (RWAI). The program is designed to provide funding, infrastructure support, and liquidity expertise to early-stage blockchain projects that are building the financial infrastructure of tomorrow. The initiative is not just about tokenizing assets—it aims to redefine how real-world assets function onchain, creating new financial primitives and institutional-grade applications. Plume’s full-stack RWA infrastructure will be combined with Cicada’s deep expertise in market making, liquidity provisioning, and venture investment, offering startups the capital and resources they need to scale effectively. Building the Future of RWA Finance Plume and Cicada’s investment program is designed to go beyond basic asset tokenization by fostering projects that are building new financial models for institutional and retail use cases. The program’s funding packages range between $50,000 and $100,000, ensuring that early-stage RWAfi and RWAI startups receive the necessary capital to launch and expand. Selected projects will gain access to Plume’s suite of infrastructure tools, including Arc, a full-stack tokenization engine, Nexus, a real-time data integration framework, and Passport, a composable and compliant smart wallet solution. Additionally, startups will be able to leverage Plume’s Aviation Academy, an initiative focused on specialized RWA applications in aerospace finance. Beyond technical support, projects will also benefit from Cicada’s market-making expertise, which ensures strong liquidity foundations and price stability from launch. With a presence across 30+ exchanges and a client base of over 40 blockchain projects, Cicada specializes in order book management, arbitrage strategies, and long-term liquidity solutions, enabling projects to maintain stable trading conditions even in volatile markets. A Strategic Partnership for RWA Adoption Plume’s focus has always been on creating demand-driven financial infrastructure for real-world asset adoption. According to Teddy Pornprinya, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer at Plume, this initiative is a natural extension of the company’s broader strategy. "Building a robust RWAfi ecosystem requires both technical infrastructure and strong market fundamentals," said Pornprinya. "Earlier this year, we announced our $25 million RWAfi Ecosystem Fund and $10 million RWAI Initiative—now, we’re ecstatic to take our ecosystem growth one step further with the Cicada team. This program provides a launchpad for builders who will define the next generation of RWA applications." Cicada sees this initiative as a critical step toward bringing institutional capital and liquidity into the blockchain space. Daniel Kislinskiy, Head of Business Development at Cicada, emphasized the long-term potential of RWAfi, noting that real-world assets are the key to sustainable growth in DeFi. "We strongly believe in the future of RWAfi and its ability to bring real financial use cases to decentralized finance," Kislinskiy said. "Partnering with Plume allows us to combine our expertise in market making, liquidity management, and venture investments to support real builders in this space. This fund will help RWA projects scale effectively while ensuring strong financial infrastructure and liquidity support." Who Can Apply? The program is open to early-stage projects that are innovating within the RWAfi and RWAI sectors. This includes tokenized financial products, asset-backed stablecoins, onchain institutional finance solutions, and AI-powered trading strategies. Builders looking to integrate automated lending models, portfolio management tools, and new financial applications for real-world assets are encouraged to apply. Startups accepted into the program will gain access to Plume’s full-stack RWA infrastructure, along with Cicada’s liquidity strategies, investment network, and deep expertise in market execution. The Growing Influence of RWAfi in Blockchain Finance Real World Asset Finance is becoming one of the most promising sectors in blockchain, with institutional capital pouring into tokenized financial products. The global RWA market is estimated to exceed $16 trillion by 2030, and blockchain infrastructure is evolving rapidly to support this growth. By integrating traditional financial assets into DeFi, RWAfi allows institutional investors to leverage blockchain efficiencies, reducing transaction costs, improving transparency, and creating new yield-generating opportunities. The tokenization of real-world assets removes middlemen, increasing accessibility and liquidity for previously illiquid markets. Plume’s EVM-compatible architecture ensures seamless integration with existing DeFi protocols, allowing developers to build, tokenize, and distribute real-world assets efficiently. Cicada’s role in market execution ensures that projects launching in the RWA space have strong liquidity from day one, preventing issues that have historically plagued early-stage tokenized assets. Plume and Cicada: A Strong Foundation for RWA Growth Cicada has established itself as a leading player in market making and liquidity provisioning, supporting Web3 projects at all stages of growth. With a team of over 50 traders and quantitative analysts, the firm manages over $100 million in assets under management (AUM) and provides liquidity solutions across centralized and decentralized exchanges. Plume, meanwhile, has positioned itself as the first full-stack L1 blockchain dedicated entirely to RWAfi, with over 180 projects currently building on its network. Its composable, institutional-grade ecosystem allows financial firms, DeFi protocols, and asset issuers to onboard and tokenize assets seamlessly. According to Paul Talbert, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Plume, this initiative marks a major step toward bringing blockchain-powered finance to mainstream adoption. "We believe tokenization will fundamentally reshape how capital is deployed in traditional markets. This program is designed to support the builders creating the next generation of financial products—those that will bridge traditional finance and blockchain in a scalable, efficient way." How to Apply Builders interested in joining the program can submit applications through Cicada’s official application portal. The review process will focus on technical feasibility, market potential, and alignment with Plume and Cicada’s long-term vision. With a dedicated investment pool, institutional-grade liquidity support, and a comprehensive infrastructure stack, Plume and Cicada are laying the groundwork for a new era of RWA-powered finance. The program represents more than just funding—it is a strategic accelerator for the most promising teams in blockchain finance.
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