What does LootRush do?

LootRush is a San Francisco company that began as an NFT rental platform for blockchain games and now offers a global operating account.

Who founded LootRush?

LootRush was founded by Anderson Ferminiano in 2022.

Who are LootRush's investors?

LootRush's investors include Andreessen Horowitz, Paradigm, Y Combinator, Juniper Capital, South Park Commons, The Chainsmokers, Venture Investment Associates, Vivi Nevo.

How much funding has LootRush raised?

LootRush has disclosed $12M raised across 1 of its 3 known rounds.

Where is LootRush headquartered?

LootRush is headquartered in San Francisco, US.

LootRush

YC S21

San Francisco, US · Founded 2022 · 16 employees on LinkedIn · Hiring · 13 known investors

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LootRush provides a multi-currency account that allows individuals to earn income in one country, reside in another, and access their funds internationally.

Also known as Smelt Technologies Inc. · Gemfy · Smelt · Smelt, Gemfy · LootRush, Inc.

Crypto & Web3 Fintech Crypto / Web3United States of AmericaAmerica / CanadaFully Remote

Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (S21)

LootRush was founded in 2022 by Anderson Ferminiano.

Anderson Ferminiano Founder · CEOFounder of LootRush, which offers multi-currency accounts enabling users to earn income across borders and manage funds internationally.

Ari EngHead of Operations

Gustavo GaionHead of Brand Marketing

Ignacio CorderiHead of Engineeringformer

Lucas SantosHead of Product Engineeringformer

Carina ShiraiwaRecruitingformer

Investors · 13

Andreessen Horowitzlisted by Andreessen HorowitzMenlo Park · $500K – $50M

How we know: a16z's portfolio · funding news · coindesk.com · research · theblock.co · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Paradigmlisted by ParadigmSan Francisco · $1M – $100M

How we know: Paradigm's portfolio page · funding news · news.fintech.io · the VCSheet dataset · research · theblock.co · open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Y Combinatorlisted by Y CombinatorSan Francisco · $500K

How we know: the Y Combinator directory · funding news · research · theblock.co · open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Not right? Tell us

Juniper CapitalreportedHouston

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

South Park CommonsreportedSan Francisco · $1M – $10M

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Not right? Tell us

The ChainsmokersreportedNew York

How we know: research · theblock.co · Not right? Tell us

Venture Investment AssociatesreportedPeapack

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Vivi Nevoreported

How we know: research · theblock.co · Not right? Tell us

Also in the syndicate · 5

Brex foundersfounders of Axie Infinityfounders of Dapper Labsfounders of Plaidfounders of Wildlife Studios

Funding

SEC filings, press & company announcements

$12M disclosed across 1 of 3 rounds · 2022

$12MraisedMay 2022 · 2 sources
a16z, Paradigm
Source ↗
Undisclosed amountSeedMay 2022
Paradigm (lead)
Source ↗

Source: company announcements and press reports — follow each round's link for the claim.

Company profile

researched Aug 2026

LootRush is a San Francisco-based company backed by Y Combinator (Summer 2021 batch). Its original product was a global platform through which gamers could access in-game NFTs required to play crypto games, and through which NFT owners could list their assets for others to use. The company described its aim as removing the financial and technical barriers to crypto gaming, cutting setup time from hours to minutes and lowering the cost of obtaining the NFTs needed to start playing. The user flow was described as choosing a game, selecting NFTs and starting play in a few clicks.

More recent company positioning, as reflected in its Y Combinator profile, describes LootRush as a "global operating account" designed for users to earn income in one country, live in another, and access assets internationally. The company is categorized under Crypto / Web3. Public listings show a small team and remote-friendly hiring for senior front-end and Node.js engineering roles.

Sources give inconsistent founding years: the Y Combinator profile states the company was founded in 2022 while participating in the Summer 2021 batch, and Built In San Francisco and South Park Commons list 2021.

Founding story

Company founder Anderson Ferminiano, identified as CEO, stated in a blog post announcing the seed round that the team's mission was to eliminate barriers of entry that can take players hours before they can play, asking what it would be like if playing a game built with Web3 technology were as easy as playing a game on Steam or mobile.

Business model

In its crypto-gaming form, LootRush operated a two-sided marketplace: NFT owners listed in-game assets and gamers obtained access to those assets in order to play blockchain games, described by South Park Commons as renting gaming assets instantly. The sources do not state pricing, fee structure, or the business model of the later global operating account product.

Not specified in the available sources.

Traction

Built In San Francisco lists 17 total employees and states LootRush has customers worldwide. No revenue, user or transaction figures are disclosed in the sources.

Latest developments

The Y Combinator profile presents LootRush as an active company describing a global operating account for earning in one country, living in another and accessing assets everywhere, and lists open senior front-end and Node.js engineering positions.

▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies

Market position

LootRush is described as backed by prominent technology and gaming investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Y Combinator and Paradigm. The sources provide no market share, ranking or comparative data.

The company frames its differentiation as removing financial and technical barriers of crypto gaming: reducing setup time from a few hours to a few minutes, making games playable in a couple of clicks, and making NFTs available at lower cost. South Park Commons additionally describes the platform as privacy-friendly.

Technology

The platform is built around blockchain game assets (NFTs), providing a few-click flow for selecting a game and the NFTs needed to play it, and a listing mechanism for asset owners. Engineering roles referenced include Node.js back-end and front-end development.

Go-to-market

LootRush positioned itself directly to gamers seeking access to crypto game assets and to NFT owners seeking a convenient way to list their assets, emphasizing simplified onboarding as the acquisition mechanism.

Gamers who want access to NFTs required to play crypto games, and NFT owners who want to list their in-game assets; the later product description targets individuals who earn income in one country and live in another.

Geography

Headquartered in San Francisco, California, with a hybrid workspace model. Built In San Francisco describes LootRush as a global platform with customers around the world and a globally distributed team; open roles are listed as remote and remote (US).

History

LootRush participated in Y Combinator's Summer 2021 batch. In May 2022 it announced a $12 million seed round led by Paradigm with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, Y Combinator, the founders of Brex, and angel investors. The company is also listed among South Park Commons portfolio companies. Its public description subsequently shifted from an NFT rental platform for crypto games to a global operating account for earning, living and accessing assets across countries.

Risks & controversies

No controversies, litigation or negative events regarding LootRush appear in the available sources. A general risk noted implicitly by the sources is the inconsistency in reported founding year and the substantial shift in the company's stated product focus from crypto gaming asset rental to a cross-border financial account.

Compiled by commissioned research from 7 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.

Key figures

latest reported

Open job postingsJan 20262 roles

Total employeesJan 202617 employees

Y Combinator batchJan 2021Summer 2021

Company-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.

Related companies · 7

SteamSteam is a digital platform for purchasing, downloading, and playing video games, serving both individual gamers and game developers worldwide.

BitaccessBitaccess builds Bitcoin ATM infrastructure for enterprises, enabling customers to convert fiat currency to cryptocurrency at their machines.

CoinbaseCoinbase is a cryptocurrency exchange platform that offers trading, custody, and financial services for cryptocurrencies, stocks, derivatives, and prediction markets to consumers, institutions, and developers. The company operates a full-stack infrastructure including secure custody, liquidity services, stablecoin infrastructure, and global settlement rails.

CoingeckoCoinGecko is the world's largest independent cryptocurrency data aggregator, providing comprehensive market data including price, volume, and market capitalization across thousands of cryptoassets. It serves millions of users globally with tools, research, and APIs for cryptocurrency market analysis and insights.

Protocol LabsProtocol Labs is an innovation network connecting over 750 tech organizations developing breakthrough technologies across web3, AI, AR, VR, BCI, hardware, and related fields. Organizations collaborate to solve shared problems and accelerate R&D across technological frontiers.

UtoppiaUtoppia is a neobank app that uses stablecoins to let users send USD internationally with zero fees, pay for local services at competitive exchange rates, and grow their balance through an in-app investment account. It positions itself as a global neobank combining US banking stability with local access.

ListiaListia is a marketplace where users buy and sell used items across multiple categories using a points-based currency system without transaction fees. The platform serves consumers looking to declutter or acquire secondhand goods through peer-to-peer trading.

Companies working in the same space as LootRush.

Timeline · 1

launches, deals, and filings

May 2022

LootRush raises $12 million seed round led by Paradigm

LootRush announced a $12 million seed round led by Paradigm with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, Y Combinator, Brex founders, and angel investors including the founders of Axie Infinity, Plaid, Wildlife Studios, Dapper Labs, as well as The Chainsmokers and Vivi Nevo. Funds were tied to making blockchain games easier to access.

$12M source ↗

Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.

Legal entities · 1

corporate structure

Smelt Technologies Inc.

In the news

LootRush Funding | $1-5M Revenue | Complete Analysis | Extruct AIextruct.ai

▸Research sources · 7

primary sources listed

LootRush raises $12 million to make blockchain games easier to play | The Blocktheblock.co · web

7 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.

Frequently asked questions

What does LootRush do?: LootRush is a San Francisco company that began as an NFT rental platform for blockchain games and now offers a global operating account.
Who founded LootRush?: LootRush was founded by Anderson Ferminiano in 2022.
Who are LootRush's investors?: LootRush's investors include Andreessen Horowitz, Paradigm, Y Combinator, Juniper Capital, South Park Commons, The Chainsmokers, Venture Investment Associates, Vivi Nevo.
How much funding has LootRush raised?: LootRush has disclosed $12M raised across 1 of its 3 known rounds.
Where is LootRush headquartered?: LootRush is headquartered in San Francisco, US.