The DeFi Revolution: IntoTheBlock and Trident Conquer $25M for Their Grand Mission

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Behold! The union of decentralized finance prodigies IntoTheBlock and Trident Digital, now reborn as Sentora.
This newly forged titan is on its way to securing a modest $25 million, with backing from New Form Capital, Ripple, Tribe Capital, and a cast of illustrious investors, all eager to help usher institutional investors into the brave new world of DeFi.
Sentora’s platform promises a delightful buffet for asset managers, offering an all-in-one solution to navigate the increasingly labyrinthine world of DeFi markets.

In a shocking turn of events, decentralized finance (DeFi) giants IntoTheBlock and Trident Digital have decided to merge forces and create a new, sparkling entity known as Sentora. It’s a match made in blockchain heaven, or at least in a very well-funded conference room.

This dynamic duo, led by the ever-ambitious Anthony DeMartino (the co-founder of Trident and former head of risk strategies at Coinbase), is poised to close a modest $25 million founding round. New Form Capital is taking the lead, but fear not, Ripple, Tribe Capital, UDHC, Joint Effects, and even more strategic ecosystem investors are lining up to throw their hats (and dollars) into the ring. While most of the money is already in, two firms are still dawdling, set to join the fun by June.

Ah, the timing couldn’t be more perfect! DeFi, once the Wild West of finance, is now maturing into something resembling a more structured financial system—still with all the excitement but with fewer tumbleweeds. And in the midst of this growth, the crypto industry seems to be consolidating at a pace that could make even the most seasoned mergers and acquisitions experts dizzy. In fact, there were 88 mergers in just the first four months of 2025, according to Architect Partners, which means that 2025 could very well be the year that sets all the records.

What a match-up! Sentora combines IntoTheBlock’s prowess in DeFi analytics (with over $3 billion in institutional deployments) and Trident’s experience in crafting liquidity programs and financial products. It’s like peanut butter meeting jelly—but for finance nerds.

The plan? To create an all-in-one platform for institutional investors. Yes, dear reader, you can now get yield strategies, compliance tools, risk management, and access to structured products—all in one delightful digital package. Why settle for less when you can have it all?

“Our vision,” says Jesus Rodriguez, the co-founder of IntoTheBlock and now Sentora’s CTO, “is to build the core primitives that every institution needs, whether it’s a crypto institution, a traditional finance giant, or a family office—so they can interact with DeFi in a way that feels smart, safe, and secure.” Because who doesn’t want their finances to feel *safe* while dancing with the complexities of blockchain, right?

But wait—there’s more! A major hurdle for asset managers looking to jump into DeFi is the sheer complexity and fragmentation of the space. Different chains, protocols, wallets—it’s enough to make you yearn for simpler times, like… well, never mind. Anthony DeMartino sums it up: “It shouldn’t be this hard! You shouldn’t need a PhD just to move your assets around.”

And the fix? Well, DeMartino has an answer for that too. According to him, the solution is to hide the complexity and offer a single platform that handles all the risk management and liquidity. Because why do all the heavy lifting when Sentora can do it for you—while keeping everything transparent, of course?

Of course, DeFi is still a mere speck on the giant financial landscape. According to DeFiLlama, less than $130 billion in assets are currently floating around DeFi protocols, which pales in comparison to the trillions managed by the likes of BlackRock and Fidelity. But fear not! DeMartino has grand visions for the future: “We’re building the rails for the next 130 trillion of assets to come onchain.” Dream big, right?

2025-05-06 13:40

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