- Daylight Energy has secured $75 million to expand its distributed physical energy network.
- Framework Ventures led the funding. A16z Crypto and Coinbase Ventures participate.
- The new DayFi protocol connects energy infrastructure yields to DeFi investors.
Daylight Energy has raised $75 million in new funding to accelerate the growth of its distributed energy network. This marked a major milestone for the startup, which aims to bring blockchain-based innovation to the physical energy infrastructure sector.
This round combines both equity and project finance capital, highlighting the growing investor interest in decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN).
Funding structure and investor participation
The $75 million round includes $15 million in equity and $60 million in non-recourse project finance capital, which is secured directly against infrastructure assets, CEO Jason Badeau said.
This type of financing structure allows for repayments from the project’s own cash flow, rather than relying on the company’s balance sheet.
Framework Ventures led the $15 million equity raise, with participation from notable venture backers including A16z Crypto, Lerer Hippeau, M13, Room40 Ventures, EV3, Crucible Capital, Coinbase Ventures, and Not Boring Capital.
The project financing portion was led by Turtle Hill Capital, according to a company statement.
Daylight plans to use the new funding to improve its position in the DePIN ecosystem, with a particular focus on decentralized energy supply.
The company previously raised $9 million in Series A funding in 2023, also led by A16z Crypto, which remains one of its core supporters.
Expanding DePIN’s vision in the energy sector
Founded in 2022, Daylight Energy develops decentralized protocols that allow users to connect energy devices such as thermostats, batteries, electric vehicles, and solar inverters to its applications.
In return, participants earn rewards for contributing to the network’s decentralized infrastructure.
The concept is based on the growing DePIN movement, which seeks to decentralize ownership and control of physical assets such as communications, storage, and energy infrastructure through blockchain technology.
“To build the world’s largest distributed energy network, we need to encourage behavioral change to embrace distributed energy and the massive capital behind it,” Badeau said. “Cryptocurrency is uniquely good at doing these two things, creating an opportunity to align incentives, reduce costs, and rebuild this industry on a foundation of transparency, ownership, and shared economic upside.”
Daylight’s mission aligns with broader industry efforts toward democratized access to clean energy generation and participation in its value chain.
The company aims to reduce barriers to decentralized adoption by fusing blockchain incentives with real-world energy systems.
Introducing DayFi: The Bridge Between Energy and DeFi
Alongside the new funding, Daylight announced DayFi, a yield protocol designed to open up the energy infrastructure market to decentralized finance (DeFi) investors.
The protocol will enable users to earn benefits tied directly to the electricity revenue generated from Daylight’s growing portfolio of solar and energy storage assets.
This move effectively bridges renewable energy and DeFi, providing investors with exposure to real-world energy production within a blockchain-native framework.
Daylight was co-founded by traditional energy veterans Jason Badeaux, Udit Patel, and Evan Caron.
The team’s experience, combined with support from prominent venture firms, positions Daylight as one of the leading companies exploring how blockchain can reshape the physical infrastructure market.
With new funding secured, Daylight Energy is poised to expand its decentralized network footprint and further integrate energy production, distribution, and financing into a transparent, tokenized ecosystem.
