Author：Foresightnews
On February 4th, amidst a crypto bear market, VCs continued to invest in the prediction market sector. Bluff completed a $21 million strategic funding round, led by 1kx, with participation from Makers Fund, Maximum Frequency Ventures, Delphi Ventures Founders, and NBA star Tristan Thompson. The company stated that the funds will be directly used to accelerate the platform's technological iteration, product optimization, and large-scale launch, propelling Bluff from beta testing to global user access.
Bluff, meaning "bluffing" in English, is often associated with poker and esports in popular culture, carrying a relaxed and exciting tone that aligns with Generation Z's preference for unconventional and intellectually challenging content.
Blush's funding stems from the continued boom in prediction markets and betting entertainment within the crypto industry. Since 2025, prediction markets like Polymarket have repeatedly broken trading records, but traditional platforms still face issues such as slow settlement, cumbersome user verification, and regulatory uncertainty. Bluff targets these pain points, positioning itself as a "next-generation online betting platform," emphasizing social features, real-time updates, and a blockchain-native design.
An Entertaining Social Prediction Market
Blush is not simply a prediction market, but a comprehensive platform integrating betting, prediction, and social interaction.
Core features include a real-time prediction market where users can bet on sports events, political events, or entertainment hotspots, such as the 2026 World Cup champion or the Oscar for Best Picture; binary result betting simplifies the process, requiring only a "yes/no" selection, making it suitable for beginners. Creator community events allow KOLs to create custom marketplaces, such as "A celebrity's new song has surpassed 100 million views," where users participate to earn points.
Visiting the Bluff website reveals its distinctive style.
Bluff blurs the lines between gaming, prediction, speculation, and entertainment. It features binary outcomes, customized marketplaces, original Bluff content designed from the ground up, and personalized experiences tailored to player behavior.
Bluff is building an ecosystem where attention, risk, culture, and capital converge.
Bluff uses L2 for instant transactions, eliminating the need for block confirmation. Users don't need cumbersome KYC; a wallet connection is all that's required, making it less accessible than traditional platforms. The platform supports multiple blockchain assets, such as USDC and ETH.
Beta testing data shows an average transaction speed of <1 second; its social features integrate with X and Discord, allowing users to share predictions, form betting groups, and increase user engagement. Compared to other products, Bluff transcends Polymarket's single-event prediction, incorporating stake-like sports betting and Azuro's social layer. Future plans include AI-assisted prediction, NFT rewards, and cross-platform live streaming integration.
Bluff has also launched a VIP matching program, allowing users to seamlessly transition from traditional platforms like Stake, Shuffle, and Rollbit to Bluff, with 24/7 VIP customer service providing convenient text-based support.
Currently, its beta version has exceeded $10 billion in transaction volume and has over 650,000 users.
A seasoned team is starting a new venture, with NBA star Klay Thompson participating in the investment
Bluff's core team consists of several veterans from the betting and gaming industries, with an average of over 15 years of experience. However, many of its executives are currently anonymous.
The founder and CEO is a former Stake executive who led Stake to grow from an initial annual transaction volume exceeding $10 billion. The CTO comes from Bet365, where he was responsible for the architecture design of the world's largest sports betting system, ensuring that Bluff's engine can handle thousands of transactions per second. The Operations Director joined from Bodog, possessing expertise in localization strategies for the Asian and Latin American markets.
The team comprises approximately 30 people, 80% of whom have crypto backgrounds, including a former Polygon engineer responsible for blockchain integration. Bluff emphasizes a "practice-oriented" approach, with many team members having participated in regulatory negotiations, such as EU GDPR compliance and US KYC optimization.
Regarding the investor lineup:
* Makers Fund is known for its investments in gaming and entertainment, managing over $2 billion in assets and having participated in funding rounds for Epic Games and Riot Games;
* Maximum Frequency Ventures (MFV) focuses on high-frequency trading and Web3 innovation; Delphi Ventures Founders bring venture capital experience, having led early-stage investments in multiple crypto projects.
* The addition of NBA star Tristan Thompson injects a sports DNA into the team; he will be involved in brand promotion, aiming to attract more sports fans to crypto betting.
Polymarket has garnered attention due to political events, while Kalshi has rapidly grown through compliance and sports. For Bluff to carve out a niche among these giants, it needs to find its own differentiation. Whether its social + entertainment fusion model can withstand the test remains to be seen.
Currently, its points program's first phase is online; participants can earn points, which can later be exchanged for the BLUFF token.
