KOL round crypto data: NAUT tracks 125 KOL rounds at 106 live crypto projects, and the 121 that carry an amount add up to $56.6M on NAUT's record, read 14 November 2026. The dated rounds run from 8 May 2023 to 20 October 2025, the median KOL round is $250,000, and NAUT lists no backer on any of them.
Data note. Read from NAUT's database on 14 November 2026. Scope: every live project row whose round type names KOL, under 4 labels (KOL 109, KOL Round 13, KOLs Round 2, KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) Funding Round 1). 109 rows came from CryptoRank pages and 16 from CoinLaunch pages. 47 rounds carry a date and 78 do not, so the quarter view covers 47 rounds. 8 projects carry the same undated amount twice, once from each source, which puts $6,648,750 into the $56.6M twice; counted once, the total is $49,957,478. 8 checks against outside pages, on 6 of the 10 largest projects, found no page NAUT could read that confirms a KOL figure, so every amount below is NAUT's record, and the other 117 rounds were not put to an outside check.
What is a KOL round in crypto?
KOL stands for key opinion leader. In this article a KOL round is a round NAUT's sources label KOL (key opinion leader); 1 row on NAUT names it in full as a "KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) Funding Round". On NAUT's record the typical ticket is small: the median of the 121 priced rounds is $250,000, the average is $467,820, and they range from $7,000 to $7,590,000.
| Round size on NAUT's record | KOL rounds | Share of 121 |
|---|---|---|
| Under $100,000 | 28 | 23% |
| $100,000 to $499,999 | 62 | 51% |
| $500,000 to $999,999 | 17 | 14% |
| $1,000,000 or more | 14 | 12% |
4 rounds have no amount on NAUT: Mar3 AI, PLEXUS, Flying Tulip and EVAA Protocol.
Which KOL round crypto raises were the biggest?
The 10 projects below hold the largest KOL rounds on NAUT's record, ranked by amount, each project counted once.
| Project | KOL amount | Date on NAUT |
|---|---|---|
 Memecoin |
$7,590,000 | 27 Oct 2023 |
 Cross The Ages |
$6,250,000 | No date |
 Koi |
$1,820,000 | No date |
 Play Network |
$1,600,000 | No date |
 eesee |
$1,390,000 | No date |
 Lit Protocol |
$1,152,634 | 20 Oct 2025 |
 Gull Network |
$1,125,000 | No date |
 Cap |
$1,100,000 | 7 Apr 2025 |
 SophiaVerse |
$1,037,500 | 18 Jul 2023 |
 RWA DePIN Protocol |
$1,010,000 | No date |
Lit Protocol's own funding page lists its $1,152,634 as a Community allocation, not KOL, and its community sale article is dated 18 April 2025, earlier than the 20 Oct 2025 on NAUT's row; the KOL label is NAUT's record.
The top 2 hold $13.84M, about a quarter of the $56.6M. Koi and Play Network each sit on NAUT twice at the same amount (a CryptoRank and a CoinLaunch row), and the table shows each once.
When did KOL round crypto raises happen, by quarter?
47 of the 125 rounds carry a date on NAUT, and they cluster in 2024: 32 rounds and $4,507,196. The 78 undated rounds hold $39,700,963 of the total, so this view covers $16,905,265.
| Quarter | Dated KOL rounds | Amount on NAUT's record |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 Q2 | 4 | $299,975 |
| 2023 Q3 | 4 | $1,763,460 |
| 2023 Q4 | 3 | $7,987,000 |
| 2024 Q1 | 13 | $1,320,196 |
| 2024 Q2 | 8 | $1,644,500 |
| 2024 Q3 | 4 | $400,000 |
| 2024 Q4 | 7 | $1,142,500 |
| 2025 Q1 | 1 | $20,000 |
| 2025 Q2 | 1 | $1,100,000 |
| 2025 Q3 | 1 | $75,000 |
| 2025 Q4 | 1 | $1,152,634 |
2023 Q4 is the largest quarter because of 1 row, Memecoin's $7,590,000 (its public page shows that date as a private round of $8.3M; the KOL figure is NAUT's KOL-typed row). 2024 Q1 has the most rounds, 13, and from 2025 NAUT holds 1 dated KOL round a quarter.
Which sectors raised in KOL rounds?
Gaming leads on both counts: 39 rounds and $19,673,395. A round tagged with 2 or more sectors counts in each, so the rows below overlap.
| Sector on NAUT | KOL rounds | Amount on NAUT's record |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | 39 | $19,673,395 |
| AI | 27 | $13,692,110 |
| DeFi | 18 | $7,380,475 |
| SocialFi | 13 | $11,695,960 |
| RWA | 10 | $10,910,000 |
| Infrastructure | 9 | $3,312,609 |
| Launchpad | 7 | $5,288,600 |
| Prediction Market | 6 | $2,265,000 |
| L1/2/3 | 5 | $2,296,634 |
| No sector tag | 12 | $2,838,000 |
SocialFi's figure includes Memecoin's $7,590,000, and RWA's includes Cross The Ages at $6,250,000.
Who backed these KOL rounds?
NAUT's record lists no backer on any of the 125 KOL rounds. That is what NAUT holds, and it does not mean nobody took part: NAUT's rows for these rounds carry the round and its size without a buyer list.
What this tells a BD team
- A KOL round can signal a project is working on promotion or a token launch, so it is a possible lead for listing, market making, launchpad and campaign services.
- Gaming (39 rounds) and AI (27) are the 2 deepest sector lists to work.
- The amounts are small, a $250,000 median, so pitch a team that has just raised, sized to that budget.
- Pick a sectorGaming holds 39 KOL rounds and AI 27 on NAUT's record.
- Start with the biggestCross The Ages at $6,250,000 and Koi at $1,820,000 head the list after Memecoin.
- Open the project pageWhere NAUT has a team on file, the project page lists it.
- Confirm the namePlay Network's NAUT name notes it was READYgg, so check the current name before you write.
What this tells a founder planning a KOL round
- Most KOL rounds are small: 90 of the 121 priced rounds are under $500,000.
- 14 rounds reached $1,000,000 or more, led by Memecoin at $7,590,000 and Cross The Ages at $6,250,000.
- Dated KOL rounds on NAUT thinned out after 2024: 32 dated rounds in 2024 against 4 in 2025.
- Set a rangeThe median KOL round on NAUT is $250,000 and the average $467,820.
- Find comparablesOpen the projects in your sector, for example Gull Network in DeFi at $1,125,000.
- Plan the rest of the raiseA KOL round sits beside the venture and token-sale rounds on the same project page.
How to reach the decision makers
Each project in this article has a NAUT page, and where NAUT has a team on file the page lists it with the channels NAUT holds: start at Memecoin, Cross The Ages or Lit Protocol, then open each person's page for their X, Telegram, email or LinkedIn.
Related reading on NAUT: Strategic round: 49 of 364 crypto deals in 2026, 20 undisclosed and What is a SAFT: 15 NAUT token rounds, $278.2M, 0 typed SAFT.
Can you pull this data through the NAUT API?
Yes, project by project: GET https://api.naut.so/v1/projects/cross-the-ages with the header Authorization: Bearer $NAUT_KEY returns the Cross The Ages record, and GET https://api.naut.so/v1/projects?q=koi§or=AI searches projects by name and sector. Each data call costs 5 credits, so the 106 projects here cost 530 credits, inside the 3,000 on the Essential plan (docs, pricing). Verified Telegram, email and LinkedIn unlock on any paid NAUT plan, so start a 7-day trial.
KOL round crypto FAQ
What is a KOL round in crypto?
A KOL round is a round NAUT's sources label KOL, short for key opinion leader. NAUT tracks 125 of them at 106 projects, with a median of $250,000, as of 14 November 2026.
How much did crypto projects raise in KOL rounds?
The 121 KOL rounds with an amount on NAUT add up to $56.6M, read 14 November 2026, or $49,957,478 when 8 amounts held twice are counted once. The dated rounds run from 8 May 2023 to 20 October 2025.
Which project raised the biggest KOL round?
Memecoin holds the largest KOL round on NAUT's record at $7,590,000, dated 27 October 2023, ahead of Cross The Ages at $6,250,000. NAUT's public Memecoin page shows the same date as a private round of $8.3M; the $7,590,000 is the KOL-typed row on NAUT's record. No outside page NAUT could read confirmed either figure.
Who invested in crypto KOL rounds?
NAUT's record, read 14 November 2026, lists no backer on any of the 125 KOL rounds. NAUT's rows carry the round size without a buyer list.
Where can I find the teams behind these KOL rounds and their contact channels?
NAUT lists all 106 projects with a KOL round on their own pages, with the team wherever NAUT has one on file, and GET https://api.naut.so/v1/projects/<slug> returns any of them for 5 credits. Verified Telegram, email and LinkedIn unlock on any paid NAUT plan, so start a 7-day trial.
Sources
- NAUT database, project rows with a KOL-type round, read 14 November 2026.
- NAUT API documentation: https://naut.so/docs/api and https://naut.so/pricing.