Messari
Acquired14 known investors
Crypto data, research and disclosure platform covering 40,000+ assets; acquired by Blockworks in June 2026.
Also known as Messari · Messari, Inc.
Founders & leadership
Investors · 14
Valuation · disclosed
Disclosed eventsSource: SEC prospectus filings, and round valuations the company or its investors disclosed — follow each entry's link for the claim.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Messari is a crypto market intelligence company that aggregates data, research and issuer disclosures for the digital asset industry. Its platform provides coverage of more than 40,000 crypto assets and an API spanning assets, markets, exchanges, news, research, stablecoins, protocols, networks, token unlocks, fundraising, social sentiment, event monitoring and watchlists. Customers pipe this data into their own systems: funds use it for analysis, exchanges for listing and monitoring processes, and developers and AI agents build applications on top of it.
Beyond data and APIs, Messari's core products historically included written research reports, and it ran the annual Mainnet conference in New York, described in coverage as one of the industry's significant summits. In its final period as an independent company, Messari cut staff and repositioned itself as an "AI-first company." Commentary in the sources argues that AI both drove that repositioning and undermined the economics of selling research, as report production costs fell sharply. After eight years of operation, Messari's data platform and API were merged into Blockworks following the June 2026 acquisition.
Founding story
Founder Ryan Selkis was the first to publicly flag Mt. Gox's insolvency; after the attention that brought, he founded Messari to consolidate crypto data, research and disclosures into a single professional platform.
Business model
Sells market intelligence to crypto market participants through a data platform, research products and a commercial API, with enterprise services and API access for funds, exchanges and developers. The company also operated the Mainnet conference in New York.
Sources describe research reports and data processing as Messari's core products, sold alongside enterprise services and API access; specific pricing or revenue figures are not disclosed in the sources.
Traction
Data coverage of more than 40,000 crypto assets; the API is used by investors, exchanges and developers, and its data flows into third-party models, workflows and products. Messari stated that existing users would retain uninterrupted access to enterprise services and APIs after the Blockworks deal.
Latest developments
Blockworks announced the acquisition of Messari on 12 June 2026, weeks after Blockworks raised a Series A extension (announced in April at a $192 million valuation) aimed at consolidating crypto's fragmented data sector. Blockworks plans to combine Messari's data, APIs and AI tools for asset underwriters with its own issuer-facing products, including the Token Transparency Framework and investor-relations platform. Messari said existing users would retain uninterrupted access to enterprise services and APIs.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Characterized in coverage as one of the two largest crypto data platforms alongside acquirer Blockworks, and previously as the crypto industry's closest analogue to Bloomberg. Its $300 million peak valuation in 2022 contrasted with a sale price of just over $10 million in 2026.
Breadth of asset coverage (40,000+ assets) and an API that Blockworks characterizes as the most comprehensive in crypto, combining market data with research and disclosure content used as a data substrate by funds, exchanges and developers.
Technology
A crypto data platform with broad asset coverage and what Blockworks describes as an extensive crypto API, spanning market, protocol, network, token unlock, fundraising, sentiment and event-monitoring data, plus AI tools layered on top of the dataset.
Go-to-market
Direct enterprise sales of data, API and research subscriptions to funds, exchanges and developers, supported by published research and the Mainnet conference in New York as a distribution and industry-relations channel.
Institutional and professional crypto market participants — investment funds, exchanges, developers building applications, and, per Blockworks, the "underwriter" side of onchain markets including investors, regulators and platforms. AI agents are cited as a growing consumer of the API.
Geography
The sources place Messari's Mainnet conference in New York; the acquirer, Blockworks, is based in New York. No further location detail is given.
History
Founded by Ryan Selkis, who first gained prominence for exposing Mt. Gox's insolvency, Messari operated for roughly eight years. It raised a $35 million Series B in September 2022 led by Brevan Howard's crypto division at an approximately $300 million valuation, with Point72 and Coinbase Ventures participating. Selkis resigned as CEO in July 2024 after controversial remarks and was succeeded by co-founder Eric Turner; Turner left in March 2026 and CTO Diran Li took over amid layoffs and a pivot to an AI-first strategy. On 12 June 2026, Blockworks acquired the company for more than $10 million.
Risks & controversies
Founder Ryan Selkis resigned as CEO in July 2024 following a series of controversial public remarks. The company subsequently underwent leadership turnover and large-scale layoffs, and sources describe AI-driven collapse in the cost of producing research as a structural threat to its report-selling business. It ultimately sold for more than $10 million, far below its ~$300 million 2022 valuation, amid a broader contraction in crypto data, media and venture funding.
Compiled by commissioned research from 3 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 4
launches, deals, and filingsBlockworks announced the acquisition of Messari, combining the two firms' crypto data platforms; Messari's market intelligence, data coverage, APIs and AI tools are folded into Blockworks alongside its Token Transparency Framework and investor-relations products. Press coverage citing a Wall Street Journal report put the price at more than $10 million.
$10M source ↗
Turner departed and CTO Diran Li became CEO as the company cut headcount and repositioned as an 'AI-first company'.
Alongside the CEO change, Messari reduced headcount — Diran Li said the company had 'parted ways with many teammates' — as part of a transition to an AI-first company.
Selkis stepped down as CEO following controversial public remarks, with co-founder Eric Turner succeeding him.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 3
primary sources listed
- Is a historical bottom signal emerging? Messari, valued at 300 million, is sold for a mere 10 million. | PANewspanewslab.com · web
3 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Messari do?
- Crypto data, research and disclosure platform covering 40,000+ assets; acquired by Blockworks in June 2026.
- Who founded Messari?
- Messari was founded by Ryan Selkis.
- Who are Messari's investors?
- Messari's investors include Blockchain Capital, Coinbase Ventures, Fenbushi Capital, Floodgate, IDEO CoLab Ventures, Kindred Ventures, Nascent, Point72 Ventures and 6 more.