POV: You were me for the last 5 days

This is what you will learn after reading:

• Everyone has been talking about the Solana ad- it’s cringe. And even though the tweet with the ad was deleted, the internet never forgets.

• From prediction markets to tokenizing social capital - as a venture capital fund, we come across many exciting projects. Ethos Network is one of them.

• AI agents that trade for you are my new Roman Empire.

• Our fund manager, Julius, is becoming our favorite KOL, and we’re celebrating Iron’s exit to MoonPay.

• POV: You were me for the last five days - Tweets and LinkedIn posts that should make you smile.

• Two events I would definitely attend (if I didn’t live in Berlin).

GM GM!

I am back from my little getaway, feeling refreshed and inspired by the melting Austrian Alps. Being in a ski lodge with 15 “normies” meant complete isolation from the crypto market (sometimes a necessity, tbh).

Barely had time to shake the snow off my boots before diving into a mountain of work and a ton of awesome updates from the w3 ecosystem. I'm crazy proud of all the shoutouts and learnings this week.

I noted everything down and cc'd you, of course.

Just because I'm off conquering snowy peaks doesn't mean the crypto world stops spinning. As always, I tapped my trusty colleague/marketing manager Quinn, aka w3.hub intern, to fill me in on all the need-to-know info:

• Solana, we need to talk. I saw the ad (before they deleted it), and my face was literally this the entire time:

  

  Even though the official post is gone (RIP), and co-founder Anatoly already sahred a statement on X, the internet never forgets. Check out the clip here so you can understand why your crypto Twitter timeline was in full-on rage mode.

• The SEC is dropping more legal cases than Trump announced strategic reserves lately.

• $TON rises 20% after France grants Telegram founder Pavel Durov permission to return to Dubai following his arrest.

• Prediction Markets are coming to Robinhood. I am not even surprised.

• An investigation into the alleged identity of the mysterious Hyperliquid whale tied to illicit activity that profited ~$20M via highly leveraged positions over the past couple weeks.

• More ETF announcemeents. Is the Pudgy Penguin ETF coming?

In the recent issue of the Web3 Investor Briefing, Henrik dropped some insights about tokenizing social capital.

Basically, he thinks the next wave of consumer crypto is about to flip the script. We're moving beyond just tokenizing financial stuff and into the world of turning attention, time, and trust into tradable assets.

Let's be real, today's internet is a mess. Platform algorithms prioritize engagement over everything else, leaving us drowning in a sea of clickbait and noise.

Creators get pennies while platforms get rich. Trust? Forget about it.

One project caught my eye: Ethos Network (the website is giving me serious Windows 98 vibes, and their team page might be the longest one I've ever seen. But hey, I'm into it).

They're building a system where your reputation becomes a real-time market signal. Imagine seeing someone's trust score before you interact with them online. Their browser extension even shows you this on platforms like X. Someone, please send me an invite code!

Henrik (again, your time to shine) sent me a month-old DeFi x AI article - practically ancient in crypto time. Still, it pulled me into a full-on rabbit hole. Here’s my thought process and key takeaways- maybe they help you, or maybe they just melt your brain.

I read the article yesterday morning, and next thing I knew, the whole morning was gone. Every paragraph sparked a new tab, every tab led to another search, and suddenly, I was questioning everything I knew about DeFi.

The article hit home. Even after years in crypto, DeFi is still way too complicated. If we ever want true “consumer crypto,” DeFi products need to be sleek, intuitive, and rewarding - without requiring a PhD in blockchain mechanics.

• Renaissance Technologies: First paragraph, and I’m deep-diving these quant wizards. They’ve dominated markets since the '80s with pure algorithmic magic. Their website screams ✨bold✨.

• Andre Cronje & Sonic: The DeFi OG. Sonic’s launch? Big hype, but is it actually game-changing?

• I asked our investment manager Nils on his take on Sonic:

  • Insanely fast transactions, even compared to Base.

  • EVM-compatible, making it DeFi-native.

  • Token is mostly circulating - less dump risk.

  • Gas fee monetization attracts top-tier builders, fueling a mini “DeFi Summer Renaissance.”

  • But for newbies? Still a maze.

• Why do we even debate between DeFi vs centralized exchanges? Well…

  

• HeyAnon & Abstract Chains: Played with HeyAnon, threw in some pocket change (for science), then spiraled into chain abstraction. TL;DR: It’s DeFi Inception.

• AI Trading Agents: Think ChatGPT, but for trading. Exciting? Yes. Terrifying? Also yes.

• Richard Feynman on AI & DeFi (really good video in the article): AI shouldn’t replace us; it should make us DeFi superhumans by enhancing decisions, not just automating trades.

• The Big Question: If everyone uses AI DeFi agents, is there still alpha to capture? Or is it like playing poker when the whole table is Rain Man?

AI is going to reshape DeFi, and I’m all in on figuring out how we can use it for w3.fund.

State of the crypto market by Julius from w3.wave

w3.ventures celebrates a major milestone of our portfolio company

Want to attend, host, or stay updated on events? This quick form has you covered.

• Accelerate Frankfurt: Solana SuperteamDE x BFG. Solana Superteam Germany collaborates with the Blockchain Founders Group for an action-packed afternoon (25.03. in Frankfurt).

• Move-ing towards Overflow with Sui & Staking Facilities. ​In preparation for the Overflow Hackathon, our friends from Staking Facilities are teaming up with the Sui Foundation and the TUM Blockchain Club to get move-ing together (27.03 in Munich).

That’s it.

See you next week 💅🏽

And while we're at it:

I'm on LinkedIn.

I'm on X.

Just started with YouTube and thinking about how to continue it.

Always here at w3.hub.

Active in the w3.group. Follow on LinkedIn to keep up with our projects.