Coinbase has made a bold move to expand its Web3 ecosystem by acquiring Echo, a platform that allows communities to invest directly in early-stage projects.
Founded by prominent crypto figure Cobie, Echo is known for making fundraising more inclusive and transparent—two values that align closely with Coinbase’s mission to democratize access to investment opportunities.
This acquisition marks Coinbase’s deeper push into onchain capital markets, aiming to eliminate barriers between founders and investors. By integrating Echo’s technology, Coinbase plans to create an end-to-end infrastructure for token fundraising, giving both builders and investors new tools to engage directly onchain.
Bringing back Up Only was just the warm up.
We’ve acquired @echodotxyz, the leading onchain capital raising platform.
→ Joining builders with community capital
→ Giving investors access to new opportunities
→ Growing economic freedom worldwide pic.twitter.com/NCDF7t7B08— Coinbase 🛡️ (@coinbase) October 21, 2025
Reshaping How Crypto Projects Raise Funds
Traditional startup funding often leaves retail investors out of the picture. Echo flips that model, allowing projects to raise capital straight from their supporters through private rounds or self-hosted public token sales via Sonar. This community-led approach not only increases participation but also strengthens trust between founders and backers.
Since launch, Echo has helped raise over $200 million across nearly 300 projects, including powering the Plasma XPL token sale. The acquisition will bring these proven tools to Coinbase’s vast ecosystem, unlocking new fundraising possibilities for developers worldwide.
Coinbase’s Expanding Ecosystem
Coinbase is turning its platform into a full-stack solution for token projects—from creation to launch to trading. With Echo’s fundraising infrastructure, the company can now support every stage of a project’s lifecycle while maintaining compliance and user trust.
The benefits are clear:
- For builders: Easier access to community-aligned funding through Echo and Sonar.
- For investors: Direct exposure to early-stage projects previously reserved for venture firms.
- For the ecosystem: A transparent and efficient onchain capital market that fuels innovation.
Building Beyond Token Sales
While Coinbase’s immediate focus is on crypto token fundraising, Echo’s infrastructure will eventually extend to tokenized securities and real-world assets (RWAs). This signals Coinbase’s long-term ambition to merge traditional and decentralized finance under one umbrella.
Complementing Liquifi and Strengthening Coinbase’s Stack
Echo joins Coinbase’s earlier acquisition of Liquifi, a startup focused on token creation and cap table management. Together, they form a powerful toolkit that supports crypto founders from inception to fundraising, and eventually to market trading.
With Echo now part of its ecosystem, Coinbase is solidifying its role as the bridge between innovation and capital in the digital economy. This move positions the exchange not just as a trading platform, but as a key architect of the next generation of onchain financial infrastructure.
