Large crypto funds are extending their investments into AI and robotics. Imran Khan, co-founder of Alliance, believes these sectors could converge within one or two cycles and open new opportunities for blockchain technologies.
Crypto funds are turning to AI
Crypto, artificial intelligence and robotics are drawing closer and could eventually form a single market. This is the outlook presented by Imran Khan, co-founder of the accelerator Alliance, in a text published on November 13 on X.
The investor says he recently had dinner with limited partners (LPs), investors who entrust their funds to venture capital firms. The participants, who represented 15 billion dollars, wondered why large crypto funds were turning to AI and robotics.
- Imran (@lmrankhan) November 13, 2026
The discussion quickly turned to whether crypto-specialized funds were still necessary. According to Imran Khan, the guests considered that they remained useful, but could join the broader market for advanced technologies within one or two cycles. He sees this shift as a sign of an industry maturing.
Funds too large to be limited to crypto
The investor explains this trend with a simple calculation: a 2 billion dollar fund aiming to triple its stake must return 6 billion. To achieve this, it needs significant holdings in several projects valued between 10 and 50 billion.
Base blockchains and infrastructure have long seemed to offer this potential. But, according to Imran Khan, value is now concentrating more in applications and companies that already have a large customer base. These companies can integrate stablecoins and compete with crypto startups, which sometimes end up merging, being sold or changing their activity.
By also investing in AI, robotics or computing power, large funds can multiply their chances of achieving gains commensurate with their capital.
A convergence bringing new opportunities
This convergence could also benefit crypto specialists. Imran Khan says AI companies are adopting his infrastructure for payments between agents, wallets and automated trading. They need the skills developed in this sector.
AI and robotics attract young talent, but the investor does not thereby describe a general exodus of skills. According to Alliance's observations, many experienced professionals are leaving large crypto companies to launch their own startups.
Framework Ventures reflects this broadening. At the end of June, the firm announced a fourth fund of 400 million dollars dedicated to crypto, AI, robotics and energy. Already invested in Plasma, it has also placed funds in Mecka AI, which provides data for training robots.
For Imran Khan, crypto therefore has a future in finance and payments, but also new opportunities in emerging technologies. He claims that the investors present at the dinner remained optimistic about its long-term prospects.
Sources: Imran Kahn on X, Coindesk, The Block
