Pump Fun Launches Pump Ventures Fund with $3M Hackathon: Solana Season Returns?
Pump.fun, the Solana launchpad for memecoins, recently landed the Pump Ventures Fund, its first equity investment, and a $3 million hackathon. Launched in mid-January 2026, the program is designed to bring back early-stage teams that can develop interesting projects.
The 30-day “Build Public” hackathon will select 12 winners, each receiving $250,000 for a $10 million prize. To qualify, teams must launch a token on Pump.fun, retain at least 10% of the offering, and showcase their work live through regular updates and broadcasts.
Some people in the Solana community see this as a real picture of waking up the ecosystem after months of quiet noise. Some just ask: where is the airdrop?
where is the airdrop? @Pumfun pic.twitter.com/j9E6Armwt2
— Kovni 💊 (@KovniCrypto) January 21, 2026
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Pump Ventures Fund: A Transition From Memes To Utility Coins?
The Pump Ventures Fund is designed to fund projects that go beyond viral memecoins. Instead of judging based on big-name founders, look at live tracking: how much the community supports the project in real time.
Teams are expected to freely build, post a token on the platform, and prove they can act quickly and transparently. Applications began on January 19, 2026, and the first batch of funded teams should be revealed around February 18.
All setups are intended to reward real progress and user engagement while growing Solana’s developer scene.
Eligibility requirements
– Introduce the token
– Create a project
– Own at least 10% of the token supply
– Build Public: Posting to X, building a Community & Broadcasting on Pump fun is HIGHLY encouraged
-Apply in the form:– Pump.fun (@Pumpun) January 19, 2026
Why now? The timing is not automatic: Pump.fun’s trading volume has decreased significantly, from $11.75 billion in January 2025 to $2.43 billion in December 2025.
That decline prompted the team to evolve beyond the memecoin launch and begin supporting projects with more staying power. By offering funding, training for founders, and a built-in token launch requirement, Pump.fun tries to create strong incentives for creators and return consistent activity to the network.
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Not Everyone Is Happy: Are Airdrop Hopes Still Alive?
Public reaction is often heightened. Many see the Pump Ventures Fund as a sign that the field is on the upswing and trying to build something long-term. At the same time, a lot of owners are still focused on the PUMP laser airdrop that was teased months ago but still has no confirmed date or summary information. That delay always comes up in every conversation, as the new fund gets attention.
Users are curious about the delay in Pump Fun announcing an airdrop that was teased over a year ago.
Over the past year, Pump.fun has made a total of $575.4 million, equivalent to 3.42 million SOL, underscoring how profitable the meme coin launchpad has been during peak trading periods.
Daily trading volume tells a similar story. At the beginning of the year, Pump.fun used to see hundreds of millions of dollars in daily volume. Since then, volumes have trended downward, although occasional rebounds suggest continued interest rather than an overall decline. Work seems more cyclical now, driven by short bursts of hype rather than sustained momentum.
(Source: Dune)
On the user side, Pump.fun has reached 28.7 million addresses, highlighting how widely used it is in the Solana ecosystem. In total, more than 15.3 million tokens have been launched using the platform. Even now, daily activity is still significant, with around 1,600 addresses creating tokens per day and around 600 new tokens being launched daily.
On the price side, PUMP caught a quick 10–11% spike shortly after the announcement, but couldn’t hold it. As of January 21, 2026, it is trading between $0.00247 and $0.0027, down 2–9% in the last 24 hours.
It’s still showing health, however: it’s up about 6% over the past week and about 26% over the past 30 days.
Sentiment is neutral: a drop below current levels could test $0.0018, while a clean breakout could target $0.0035.
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