Tor Project Launches Web3 Crowdfunding Drive as Checker Raises $8M for Stablecoin Rails
A coalition led by the Tor Project has launched its first Web3 crowdfunding campaign aimed at supporting censorship-resistant digital infrastructure. Beginning May 19, the initiative will channel funds to 10 nonprofit projects spanning privacy tools, secure communications, and public-interest digital infrastructure. Contributors can donate in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Zcash, Monero, and Golem. Organizers structured the drive alongside Funding the Commons to direct community-driven capital toward developers building tools that protect free internet access. The launch arrives at a moment when more than half the worlds population faced internet shutdowns or systemic censorship in 2025, according to advocacy researchers tracking digital rights. Stablecoin infrastructure startup Checker has closed $8 million in combined pre-seed and seed funding, with Galaxy Ventures, Al Mada Ventures, and Framework Ventures anchoring the round. The company offers a unified API that helps financial institutions launch and scale stablecoin products, addressing liquidity fragmentation and compliance overhead that have slowed institutional adoption across the DeFi stack and traditional payments. Additional backers included Bitso, Airtm, DFS Lab, Onigiri Capital, SNZ Capital, and Velocity, alongside angel investors such as Mesh CEO Bam Azizi and Tala CEO Shivani Siroya. Checker now serves more than 30 regulated clients and plans to expand across Brazil, Kenya,