The platform for launching meme tokens, Pump.fun, has established a $3 million fund to finance early-stage crypto startups.

Introducing the $3,000,000 Build in Public Hackathon

Brought to you by Pump Fund — pump fun’s New Investment Arm

It’s time to completely reimagine how early-stage projects are built and funded.

Learn more 👇 pic.twitter.com/l1TJcxv1J0

— Pump.fun (@Pumpfun) January 19, 2026

The new investment division, Pump Fund, will allocate capital through its own hackathon called Build in Public.

In the first competition, 12 projects will receive $250,000 each, along with mentorship from the founders of Pump.fun.

Unlike traditional accelerators where founders pitch their projects to a jury, participants in Build in Public will launch tokens, with success determined by market demand.

“Your users are the ones providing funding by betting on you at an early stage. Those who can win people’s hearts will gain unprecedented opportunities,” stated Pump.fun.

Any project can participate in the hackathon, even those not directly related to cryptocurrencies. However, several mandatory criteria must be met:

  • the existence of a token;
  • a ready platform foundation;
  • developers must own at least 10% of the token supply;
  • public visibility (social media posts, a community of users, etc.).

“We want to see teams validating their ideas through rapid execution and open sharing of plans. Organic growth is better than connections and noise,” noted representatives of the platform.

Applications for the hackathon will be accepted until February 18. The first winners will be announced within 30 days after registration closes.

Recall that in January, the "meme token factory" announced a review of its commission model for content creators.