<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Roughly six months after Pudgy Penguins CEO denied the NFT collection was seeking to raise </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">up to $10 million, it has announced securing </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">$9 million in the completion of its seed round.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The round was led by 1kx, “an early-stage investment firm that specializes in ecosystem growth,” the collection said in a statement. Big Brain Holdings, Kronos Research, the founders of LayerZero Labs, Old Fashion Research, and CRIT Ventures also participated, according to the statement.</span></p> <p><a href="https://www.theblock.co/post/182494/pudgy-penguins-seeks-10-million-seed-round"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Last November</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pudgy Penguins CEO Luca Netz said The Block’s story that his collection sought to raise up to $10 million was “all wrong information,” and warned he would publicly brand any story on the subject “fake news.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The collection launched in 2021 and Netz acquired it the next year. Last week, it <a href="https://twitter.com/pudgypenguins/status/1654569304145240065">said Hollywood talent agency WME</a> will represent the collection as it pursues "relationships in film, TV, and gaming."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In its funding statement, Pudgy Penguins said it would use the fresh capital to help monetize its brand's intellectual property through, in part, merchandising.</span></p><br /><span class="copyright"><p>© 2023 The Block Crypto, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.</p> </span>