Prediction markets are having their moment. Kalshi just closed a massive $1 billion funding round, pushing its valuation to $11 billion. That's wild growth for a company that barely anyone talked about two years ago. The platform's been riding an insane wave lately—trading volumes exploded, user base multiplied, and now it's officially one of America's fastest-scaling startups. What's driving this? People want skin-in-the-game forecasting, not just hot takes. When real money's on the line, predictions get serious fast. This fundraise proves institutional players are betting big on decentralized prediction infrastructure becoming mainstream.