Coinbase strikes again. The platform has just acquired Echo, the key player in decentralized fundraising founded by Cobie, for approximately 375 million dollars. This deal, funded in cash and shares, already marks the eighth acquisition of the year for the American giant, as it continues to strengthen its ecosystem while the crypto market experiences a new surge under the Trump administration, which is very favorable to the sector.
A New Tool to Democratize Early-Stage Investment
Founded by Cobie, an iconic figure in Crypto Twitter and a fervent advocate of community finance, Echo allows projects to raise funds directly from their community, bypassing traditional venture capital channels.
Its flagship product, Sonar, enables the organization of self-hosted public token sales, while Echo private sales are reserved for qualified investor groups. In essence, it serves as a bridge between founders and investors, designed to make fundraising more inclusive, transparent, and on-chain.
Coinbase openly states that its ambition is to democratize access to fundraising and expand investment opportunities for its users. The acquisition of Echo will allow its clients to participate in token sales from the early stages, a privilege previously reserved for a handful of private funds.
Cobie: “I Thought Echo Would Fail, But It Was Worth Trying”
In a lengthy post on X (formerly Twitter), Cobie delivered a reaction that was both insightful and humorous about this unexpected acquisition.
When I started Echo two years ago, I knew there was a 95% chance of failure. I thought it would be, at best, a noble failure… I never imagined that Coinbase would buy Echo, yet here we are.
The creator of Echo also specified that the platform will remain independent for now, while gradually integrating the Sonar product into Coinbase. He also mentions “new gateways between founders and investors” to come directly on the platform.
In a nod to Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase, Cobie adds:
I’ve often complained to Brian, but he has always taken the time to listen. Now, instead of complaining, I’ll have the chance to try to make things better.
A statement that perfectly reflects the spirit of Echo: one born out of community passion and the desire to build a fairer financing model.
Towards a 100% On-Chain Capital Market
Echo has already proven its effectiveness: over 200 million dollars raised across 300 completed deals since its launch.
With this integration, Coinbase aims to go further. The company plans to extend Echo’s model to new markets, including real-world assets (RWA) and tokenized securities, to create a complete infrastructure linking founders, capital, and community.
This strategy is in line with the “full-stack solution” vision advocated by Coinbase. After acquiring Liquifi, specializing in token creation and cap table management, Echo completes the chain: from creating a token to its listing, through fundraising and secondary liquidity, everything will now happen within the Coinbase ecosystem.
A Natural Extension for the American Giant Coinbase
Valued at nearly 90 billion dollars, Brian Armstrong’s company has seen a stock price increase of over 40% since January. This dynamism is explained by a clear strategy: vertically integrating all components of on-chain finance.
With Echo, Coinbase is no longer just an exchange platform: it becomes a complete market infrastructure, capable of supporting projects from ideation to liquidity.
The stakes are high: by removing intermediaries and opening private sales to the public, Coinbase is breaking down the barriers between retail and venture capital. A gentle yet profound revolution that could fundamentally change how crypto startups are financed and how individuals invest in tomorrow’s innovations.
