Pump.fun Pivots Beyond Memecoins With New ‘Pump Fund’

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Memecoin launchpad Pump.fun is venturing into a new domain by establishing a dedicated investment arm – the ‘Pump Fund.’

The venture marks a significant shift from Pump.fun’s core focus on memecoins to backing promising startups.

According to an announcement made on Monday, Pump Fun will launch Pump Fund in conjunction with a $3 million hackathon. The initiative aims to fund 12 projects at a valuation of $250,000 each and $10 million in total. This investment arm will not be confined to the crypto sector, offering mentorship from Pump.fun founders regardless of the project’s maturity, industry, or traction level.

The hackathon will last for 30 days, challenging participants to develop a token, share updates about their projects, and have the market determine its success.

As per a statement by Pump.fun, the system enables creators to secure funding without needing to impress judges or venture capitalists. Instead, users become the decision-makers by placing bets on potentially successful projects early on.

The Demand for Skilled Founders Remains Substantial

Alon Cohen, the platform’s co-founder, spoke on X about the increased demand for talented entrepreneurs in the crypto landscape over the past three years. The continued high demand for promising founders persists despite fluctuating market conditions.

Before pump fun was invented, myself and my co-founders tried building a ton of different ideas. Consumer, DeFi, SocialFi, NFTs – none of it worked.

One of the biggest problems we had (other than the fact that our solutions didn’t really solve anyone’s problems) is that we found… https://t.co/HKzBNEilk4

— alon (@a1lon9) January 19, 2026

Cohen emphasized that as tokenizing early-stage projects became more prevalent, AI projects emerged within the crypto space. A surge in fresh ideas became appealing to both builders and traders, demonstrating the significant potential of this innovative funding method.

Pump.fun Trading Volumes Dip Following Peak Demand

Pump.fun’s trading volume had surged to an all-time high throughout late 2024 and early 2025 as memecoins drew intense investor interest; however, the platform’s trading volumes have subsequently fallen since then.

In January 2025, the platform registered a record monthly trading volume of $11.75 billion. While impressive, the trading volume experienced a steady decline following this peak.

Pump.fun weekly trading volumes (Source: Token Terminal)

By December 2025, Pump.fun’s trading volumes were recorded at $2.43 billion, with speculative assets like memecoins becoming less attractive for traders amidst market volatility.

Diversifying investments to include promising projects and startups may signal a shift in focus for the platform after experiencing a downturn in memecoin trading popularity. As the crypto landscape evolves and matures, so too does Pump.fun’s strategic direction to cater to new opportunities and emerging trends.

Author

Steven Walgenbach

Steven's passion for cryptocurrency and blockchain technology began in 2014, inspiring him to immerse himself in the field. He notably secured a top 5 world ranking in robotics. While he initially pursued a computer science degree at the University of Texas at Arlington, he chose to pause his studies after two semesters to take a more hands-on approach in advancing cryptocurrency technology. During this period, he actively worked on multiple patents related to cryptocurrency and blockchain. Additionally, Steven has explored various areas of the financial sector, including banking and financial markets, developing prototypes such as fully autonomous trading bots and intuitive interfaces that streamline blockchain integration, among other innovations.

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