TLDR
- On March 12, 2026, Eightco Holdings (ORBS) locked in $125 million worth of institutional funding commitments.
- Bitmine (BMNR) leads the round with $75 million, while ARK Invest and Kraken’s parent company Payward each contributed $25 million.
- Leadership changes include Dan Ives stepping down from chairman role; Tom Lee from Bitmine joining the board.
- The company deployed $52.5 million into OpenAI equity and $25 million toward MrBeast’s Beast Industries earlier in March.
- Shares of ORBS climbed as high as 22% during Thursday’s session, reaching approximately 99 cents.
On March 12, 2026, Eightco Holdings (ORBS) revealed it had obtained $125 million in fresh institutional capital, triggering a stock surge exceeding 20% during early market hours.
The financing round features a dominant $75 million pledge from Bitmine (BMNR), the digital asset firm led by cryptocurrency advocate Tom Lee. Contributing $25 million each are ARK Investment Management, headed by Cathie Wood, and Payward — Kraken’s parent entity.
During Thursday’s morning session, ORBS shares touched 99 cents, marking an approximately 22% daily increase. This represents a significant recovery for a stock that had plummeted over 90% in preceding months.
The newly raised funds will support ORBS’ strategic expansion into artificial intelligence, blockchain technology infrastructure, and digital consumer-facing platforms.
Accompanying the funding announcement is a leadership restructuring. Dan Ives, the prominent Wedbush technology analyst who assumed the chairman position just last September, is departing from that role. Tom Lee will assume a director position on ORBS’ board.
Brett Winton, serving as Chief Futurist at ARK Invest, has been appointed as a board advisor.
In his statement, Ives characterized the incoming team as “the perfect” group to advance the company’s strategic vision.
Barron’s ran a January cover feature investigating Ives’s dual roles and examining possible conflicts of interest stemming from his simultaneous positions as ORBS chairman and Wedbush analyst. Wedbush offered no commentary regarding Thursday’s developments.
Capital Deployment in OpenAI and Beast Industries
Prior to Thursday’s funding reveal, ORBS had actively deployed capital into strategic opportunities. The company invested approximately $52.5 million on March 6 to obtain economic stakes in OpenAI equity.
Following that, on March 10, ORBS pledged roughly $25 million toward Beast Industries — the corporate entity behind internet personality MrBeast — including a $7 million capital infusion scheduled within 60 days.
Additionally, ORBS maintains investment positions in Worldcoin, co-created by OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman, alongside holdings in Ethereum.
These OpenAI and Beast Industries transactions were characterized as the company’s “initial strategic investments,” indicating potential for additional deals ahead.
Analyst Sentiment
The latest analyst assessment for ORBS stands at Hold, accompanied by a $1.50 price target.
ORBS presently maintains a market capitalization hovering around $160 million, with daily trading volume averaging roughly 4.6 million shares.
Through its recent funding activities and investment deployments, the company has established simultaneous positions across OpenAI, Beast Industries, Worldcoin, and Ethereum.
