Crypto/Web3 deal coverage and analysis
for builders and investors
who are cautiously optimistic about
the future of the Internet
A no-code solution that allows creators to build custom-branded sites for their NFT projects
A crypto-native adaptation of Flappy Birds with play-and-earn economics
Although the play-and-earn model is subject to intense critique, it serves as a natural progression to the free-to-play model. In order to achieve a breakthrough, @flappymoonbird needs to articulate what makes its playbook for building web3 games special.
A decentralized dApp store
An app store can overcome the cold start problem by:
Dapps may want to further refine its product strategy given its current offering does not fit the description above.
A curated marketplace for crypto quant trading strategies
@MLTech can expose institutional investors to a wider selection of trading strategies and democratize access to institutional capital for non-traditional talent if it exercises proper due diligence in vetting quant strategies that are accessible via its marketplace.
A protocol that automates liquidity management for: (1) LPs on Uniswap V3 and (2) protocols that are bootstrapping liquidity on Uniswap V3
DeFi is branded as a “for the people” movement yet it imposes a high friction UX. This has inspired a new wave of startups like @ArrakisFinance to abstract away the technical and financial complexities of using DeFi protocols and strengthen user adoption.
A NFT lending protocol
@PineProtocol is hoping to differentiate by offering segregated lending pools. Although this lender-friendly architecture may be great at attracting capital to the protocol, it is difficult to leverage as a technical moat because it is easy to clone.
A cold wallet for Bitcoin
@FOUNDATIONdvcs is competing against a formidable incumbent that has already sold 5M+ cold wallets and secures more than 20% of the world's crypto assets. With that being said, the TAM will be big enough for multiple winners if cold custody achieves mass adoption.
A collectibles platform that manufactures value for social content using mechanics, which reinforce herd mentality among users
A decentralized sports betting market
The intersection of sports and web3 holds great potential because it brings together two communities with a healthy appetite for speculation. However, sports betting dApps have yet to articulate the inflection point(s) that will drive consumers way from licensed platforms.
Refocusing its efforts on its institutional offerings, which are comprised of: prime brokerage services, OTC trading, and crypto SaaS
The fallout from BlockFi, FTX, etc. poses an existential threat to centralized crypto institutions. Moving forward, it is in the best interest of orgs like @ambergroup_io to champion a new standard for transparency, regardless of how much exposure they had to BlockFi, FTX, etc.
A zero-knowledge rollup that is secured by the PLONK proving mechanism
Infrastructure for privacy-preserving transactions is needed for a wide array of use cases. @aztecnetwork is notable for:
An API to integrate crypto on-ramps
Provides cryptoasset insurance to institutions
@EvertasRisk is operating with 1st mover advantages and strong momentum (e.g. coverholder for Lloyd's) in a highly under-penetrated market. To take more market share, it may want to provide proof-of-quality for its underwriting process by releasing a standalone security product.
A stablecoin that is fully collateralized by Euros
@EUROemoney is operating in a market that:
@EUROemoney may want to articulate the inflection points and macro tailwinds that will drive its growth.
A decentralized streaming platform featuring fan-owned productions
Crypto is popularly applied to democratize access to alternative investments, such as media. With that being said, it is imperative for projects to further educate consumers on the risk/return profile associated with these opportunities in order to maintain high retention rates.
Building: (1) a directory of web3 games/guilds, (2) a news site for web3 gaming, (3) a universal gamer profile comprised of on-chain credentials, (4) a web3 gaming studio, (5) an OS for guilds, and (6) a gaming NFT marketplace
@EarnAlliance's expansive footprint can either:
A platform that allows users to earn rewards in return for acting as support representatives for DAOs
@HelixInc_hq may want to articulate why its business cannot be cannibalized by general purpose bounty platforms. Additionally, it is worth noting that @HelixInc_hq may be subject to heavy misuse if it allows users to act as support reps in a truly permissionless manner.
A Bitcoin miner
@360MiningInc is one of the few Bitcoin miners to achieve vertical integration. In doing so, it can monetize natural gas across uncorrelated commodity markets and reduce counter-party dependencies.
A code of ethics compliance platform for crypto professionals
Authorities have already charged professionals at Coinbase/OpenSea with insider trading, which is why there is a clear need for a compliance platform. @ArgusCompliance has yet to disclose how it can identify non-compliant employees who do not disclose (all) their wallet addresses.
An AMM for tokenized yield derivatives
@APWineFinance allows users to speculate on the evolution of the yield generated by protocols. Although there are functionally equivalent protocols in the market, it is worth noting that they (collectively) have <$100M in TVL so the barriers to entry are relatively low.
Provides enterprise-grade delegated staking services
Although it is operating in a heavily saturated market comprised of exchanges, prime brokerages, etc., @Kiln_finance has managed to achieve strong execution momentum with:
An AMM for perpetual futures contracts for NFTs
A Substrate-based L1 blockchain that provides event-driven transaction automation
@oak_network provides a no-code platform to automate a wide variety of on-chain workflows such as:
While Chainlink provides equivalent functionality for EVM-compatible networks, @oak_network is focused on Polkadot.
A decentralized cross-rollup bridge
@Orbiter_Finance uses slashing to provide security guarantees to users. It will be interesting to see how this security model scales for cases in which transaction relayers are incentivized to misbehave (e.g. when the value of their slashable stake drops dramatically).
An operating system for DAOs
As DAOs mature, their needs become increasingly apparent and new market entrants like @getCatapult have the opportunity to capitalize with products that support a comprehensive set of must-have features. With that being said, the market incumbents ship with high velocity.
@thismirage raised $1.4M from Cozomo de' Medici, Palm Tree Crew, among others for a platform that allows creators to create and distribute geotagged AR NFTs
We are used to prescribing value to 3D assets, which is why AR NFTs hold tremendous promise. With that being said, it is worth noting that existing VC-backed AR NFT/blockchain gaming studios have yet to achieve a breakthrough.
A no-code platform that allows NFT creators to manage post-mint experiences
Many NFT creators strive to provide a wide array of exclusive perks to collectors post-mint such as AMAs, merch, event tickets, etc. @tropee_nft:
A gamer ID that allows gamers to port their on-chain credentials from one game to another in a privacy-preserving manner
Although portable identity standards are crucial to materialize the Metaverse, it is worth noting that these standards will struggle to gain traction until the blockchain games that are compatible with these standards grow in popularity.
Funding, acquiring, and publishing blockchain games
@playfenixgames is operating at an interesting intersection b/c:
A trusted bridge that relies on a decentralized network of relayers and an optimistic oracle
An optimistic oracle strengthens bridge security because it only requires 1 honest relayer. @AcrossProtocol further optimizes the UX by bridging assets instantly and in a capital efficient manner. Regardless, trustless bridges may supersede trusted counterparts altogether.
A music label management sim with a play-and-earn model
@blockstarsgame is applying crypto-economics to a gaming genre:- with a tremendous amount of whitespace - that can offer players experiences, which are more reflective of reality, by making use of cryptocurrencies
An AI-powered NFT fraud detection tool
A L2 zk-rollup
To scale Ethereum, ZK-EVMs have to make tradeoffs between Ethereum/EVM equivalence and performance/prover time. While there isn't any consensus on what the sweet spot is, it is worth noting that @the_matter_labs has onboarded some of the most popular projects to its ecosystem.
Provides miner hosting services
Arkon Energy creates a win-win for both crypto and the environment by building data centers for crypto mining in locations that have an abundance of renewable energy, which is physically constrained from being exported.
A decentralized network of batteries that help balance the power grid
Residential battery ownership rates are increasing as grid reliability declines, battery costs decline, and solar energy becomes increasingly popular. @React_Energy is tapping into this growing market of battery owners by using cryptoeconomic incentives.
A protocol that allows companies to hire for open roles using referral bounties
@JobProtocol vets bounty submissions on behalf of companies to provide the white glove service that they are used to. Compared to web2 alternatives like Pallet, @JobProtocol hopes to differentiate with a crypto-centric ethos and a more inclusive ecosystem of headhunters.
A L1 blockchain that allows enterprises to exchange data and manage documentation by issuing, verifying, and share SSI credentials
@dhiwaynetworks may want to better articulate its vision given it faces stiff competition from (1) verticalized solutions that provide 'whole products' and (2) cross-enterprise collaboration solutions that use highly advanced data access management tech (e.g. TEEs)
A SDK that provides crypto on/off-ramps
For @RampNetwork, transaction volumes in 2022 (YTD) have increased by ~240% compared to the same period in 2021. In any case, the company needs to be wary of an increasingly saturated market comprised of node infrastructure providers, banks, exchanges, brokerages, and more.
A crypto forensics platform that provides transaction monitoring and entity attribution services
Unfortunately, the crypto industry is filled with highly talented fraudsters and illicit actors. By filling its cap table with target customers, @trmlabs is effectively creating high switching costs.
Institutional wallets that are secured by multi-party computation (MPC)
Incumbent wallets already offer fine-grained, configurable policy engines to institutions that wish to securely access DeFi. In the hopes of overcoming late mover disadvantages, @FordefiWallet has built out an industry-leading feature set that extends beyond policy management.
A search engine for web3
A web3 search engine can offer an unparalleled experience to consumers because it can access granular information pertaining to apps, users, etc. (which is inaccessible in web2) from blockchains. @sepana_io has achieved strong execution momentum by onboarding top-tier projects.
An API to query on-chain data
Although it is operating in a crowded market comprised of node infrastructure providers and standalone data querying tools, @InsightsFlow is hoping to differentiate by providing more data than is available from full archival nodes.
An AR game with a drive-to-earn rewards model
Offering token rewards for daily habits can serve as a powerful user acquisition strategy. With that being, @trace_top and other startups that use this strategy may want to expand the utility of their tokens beyond gamified finance in order to retain users.
A protocol that has designed a lottery to grow adoption for its native tokens
Although @fluiditymoney is making clever use of tokenomics to bootstrap network effects, it has yet to offer a compelling mission statement that outlines the protocol's significance beyond fun and (risky) games.
A token analytics platform with an in-built wallet tracker, trading terminal, and NFT marketplace aggregator
@EversifyLabs hopes to disrupt the markets for business intelligence and exchange/NFT aggregation in tandem by consolidating an industry-leading feature set in a single platform and giving prosumers more bang for their buck.
A cross-border settlement network that is built on a private blockchain
@PartiorOfficial is structured as a joint venture between JP Morgan, DBS, and Temasek. CeFi/CeDeFi startups with institutional-grade offerings are at tremendous risk of being left out of the value chain as traditional financial services providers become increasingly tech savvy.
A NFT lending protocol that provides auction-based auto-refinancing to borrowers at the best possible terms
NFT lending protocols that rely on pseudoscientific NFT valuation models to set the terms for borrowing/lending are unsustainable. By transferring control over terms to lenders, @NiftyApes allows loans collateralized by speculative assets to be underwritten by further speculation.
APIs that allow game developers to integrate NFTs in their games
Since it is competing with market players that have functionally comparable offerings, more venture capital, and first mover advantages, @mozart_xyz may want to better articulate its differentiation.
Building a marketplace for tokenized collectibles
@Courtyard_NFT has high potential because:
Optimizing lenders' APYs by deploying algorithmic lending strategies across various NFT lending pools
Although @spice_finance hopes to offer a useful automation, the technical feasibility of this project is questionable given the ideal algorithm must be capable of timing the NFT market and discovering the 'fair market price' for each NFT.
A 'no-loss' prize draw
@klinkfinance pools users' deposits to generate yield and fund its lottery system. Unfortunately, @klinkfinance cannot guarantee that users won't lose their initial deposits due to systematic risks in the market and its operating model (e.g. price volatility, vulnerable to hacks)
A protocol that enables under-collateralized borrowing by creating a market for default risk premiums
Regardless of how robust crypto-native credit scoring protocols become, default risks will persist (e.g. due to crypto price volatility). @carapacefinance offers an innovative solution that can turn this "bug" into an opportunity for risk-savvy investors.
Integrating its cryptocurrency and NFT marketplace into 3rd party gaming platforms
Although @themetajuice is making progress in building network effects by integrating with IMVU and WithMe, it is worth noting that game developers can alternatively leverage no/low-code solutions to build NFT marketplaces and mint tokens (with better economics).
An optimistic rollup that powers a privacy-preserving, SSI-compliant identity protocol, which can aggregate on/off-chain credentials
While most identity protocols have a one dimensional focus on data access management, @NotebookLabs additionally integrates proof of humanity to ensure users only have 1 identity. It is worth noting that privacy-preserving identities may conflict with law enforcement regulations
An operating system for DAOs
While most DAO operating systems are exclusively software products, @jointheorigami provides more comprehensive support to DAOs in the form of compliance frameworks, governance playbooks, and partnership opportunities.
A non-custodial wallet built on Aptos
Now that the Aptos mainnet has launched, developers will race to build critical support infrastructure like wallets in the hopes of capitalizing as first movers. It remains to be seen whether Aptos will fund @martian_wallet's direct competitors or not.
A centralized exchange powered by the Lightning Network and a browser-based Lightning wallet
Investment/dev activity in the Lightning ecosystem is projected to increase now that efforts to abstract access to the infrastructure are underway. There may be a race to build the most popular CEX in the ecosystem (as opposed to a DEX) given the strong retail appetite for BTC.
A white-label platform that allows creators to build token-gated newsletters
Token-gated newsletters can notably grant upside potential and tiered privileges (e.g. read only, read/comment, etc.) to subscribers. @paragraph_xyz is the first to comprehensively capture these benefits with an industry-leading feature set.
Provides (1) a crypto game development SDK ,(2) IPFS and Filecoin gateways, and (3) technical, security, and crypto-economics consulting
The market for crypto-economics consulting has substantial whitespace, especially since a playbook for designing an economy has not yet been developed. @ChainSafeth can leverage its consulting arm as a wedge to grow adoption for its remaining products (which are commoditized).
A gaming guild that allows retail token holders to take a cut of proceeds generates by its scholars
@arcade2earn is further democratizing access to crypto gaming for retail investors by: (1) making it possible for them to participate in the upside from crypto gaming without owning an in-game asset and (2) streamlining the investment execution process for them (e.g. diligence)
A modular consensus and data availability layer
@CelestiaOrg pioneered modular blockchain architectures and offers 3 key value drivers to developers/apps: 1) flexibility to self-define virtual execution environments, 2) apps can be updated w/o main chain hard forks, and 3) apps get sovereign execution space while inheriting security
Provides Solana endpoints and enhanced APIs for data querying
At the moment, it is unclear how @heliuslabs plans to differentiate in this mature market with well-funded incumbents. Compared to blockchain-agnostic alternatives, @heliuslabs may be able to provide more comprehensive/responsive data coverage for the Solana ecosystem.
A decentralized attribution protocol
The majority of crypto-native adtech startups are focused on revolutionary biz models that empower consumers. In contrast, @SpindlXyz has an evolutionary biz model that helps facilitate direct relationships between publishers & advertisers and erodes the power of OS providers.
One of the world's most popular decentralized exchanges
A platform that facilitates partnerships between brands and NFT IP holders
Platforms like @YoloYolo_xyz have difficulty achieving venture scale because stakeholders benefit from signing up on as many functionally equivalent platforms as possible. In any case, @YoloYolo_xyz has the 1st mover advantage and is providing much needed functionality.
A protocol that fractionalizes NFTs and subsequently enables their price discovery by forcing fractional NFT owners to list a sale price
The NFT market is largely speculative as it is. @waterfall_mkt is simultaneously: (1) making the market more speculative by assigning value to fungible fractions of NFTs and (2) making the market less speculative by narrowing the range of sale prices set by sellers using game theory
A protocol to distribute non-transferable NFTs that can serve as markers for DAO governance and engagement
Although there are similar protocols in the market, @otterspace_xyz is: (1) positioned to support a market-leading feature set and (2) notable for getting buy-in from high profile DAOs, including Bankless and Radicle
An AMM, decentralized borrowing/lending protocol, and Bitcoin-collateralized stablecoin built on RSK
There is a strong case to build Bitcoin-centric alternatives for popular dApps given Bitcoin still commands the majority share of the total value locked in crypto. Architecturally, @SovrynBTC and its users have to bear with the systemic risks of relying on bridges.
APIs that allow developers to access indexed blockchain data
@_n_x_y_z_ is hoping to differentiate with industry-leading latency metrics in a crowded market. In order to compete with indexing services provided by RPC infrastructure providers, pure play blockchain indexers will need to provide significant upside in performance.
A crypto savings account that generates returns by investing in protocols, which are curated by a dedicated research team
As a firm that develops in-house research technology, we can confirm that there are massively underrated tokens, esp. pick/shovel plays, capable of generating outsized returns. This intelligence is difficult for retail investors to obtain without a dedicated research team or tech
A decentralized network for dropshipping
@rye has a compelling execution strategy that delivers immediate value with APIs designed to abstract away complexities in the dropshipping model. It is worth noting that the ideal solution would be no-code given consumer-facing 'product pushers' online are generally creators.
A NFT marketplace that allows fans to invest in athletes in exchange for a cut of their future earnings
@FANtiumOfficial will have to cope with the following paradox: athletes with a lot of fans probably don't need crowdfunding & athletes that need crowdfunding probably don't have many fans. In any case, the sports community has a propensity for betting with no regrets.
A dashboard to monitor and update nodes
@Scale3Labs will help further decentralization by reducing the technical complexity of managing nodes for web3 prosumers. In doing so, @Scale3Labs will create an entirely new market for node management software.
A low-code blockchain-as-a-service and smart contract development platform for enterprise use cases
Enterprise applications that require consortiums and cross-enterprise collaboration can benefit from spinning up permissioned blockchain networks. @SettleMintCom clearly has a compelling tech stack given it has secured the business of high profile customers like P&G and Carrefour
An API that allows wallet providers to scan transactions & messages and integrate a firewall to prevent the theft of users' funds
While wallet-level security infrastructure is a net-positive for the ecosystem and effective for common attack vectors (e.g. phishing), its performance has yet to be benchmarked against traditional security audits.
Assigning risk scores to crypto protocols/assets and providing a custodial platform to invest in liquidity pools
@ExponentialDeFi is operating in substantial whitespace as one of the few market players to provide risk intelligence to retail crypto investors and focus on investment opportunities in individual liquidity pools as opposed to yield aggregation.
Providing: (1) analytics on fungible and non-fungible tokens, (2) a tracker for DAO governance proposals and votes, and (3) a search engine for token holder benefits
In return for providing capital to projects, token holders are expected to keep up with the flood of information on Discord. @LassoLabs can dramatically improve the lives of token holders if its product functions as advertised.
A decentralized knowledge graph that is powered by crypto-economics
Golden is rebuilding Wikipedia from scratch in a manner that financially empowers information contributors and growing an economy for crowdsourced research. As a tradeoff for being decentralized, @Golden will notably face challenges in providing quality assurances.
A marketplace for video NFTs
Despite the fact that video is king in today's market, there aren't many NFT marketplaces dedicated to video. Unlike web2 platforms for paywalled video content, @glassprotocol allows fans to partly reimburse and even profit from their video purchases by selling their NFTs.
A wallet that serves as a portal to a curated selection of dApps
A protocol that democratizes exposure to reinsurance
The global reinsurance market is worth hundreds of billions of dollars yet retail investors are unable to access it. In order to grow demand, @REprotocol will have to educate retail investors on how this opaque market works and the what the risk-return profile of the market is.
A decentralized borrowing/lending protocol that connects retail lenders with institutional borrowers
@dammfinance is differentiating from other money markets for institutional borrowers by supporting the tail end of crypto assets. This differentiating factor may be questionable if institutional borrowers do not care for the tail end of crypto assets in the first place.
A consumer-grade security solution that continuously monitors users' pending transactions and leverages frontrunning to prevent the theft of users' funds
Enterprise-grade crypto accounting software
@choose_tactic is in competition with a startup that has won the business of the U.S. government and the Big 4 accounting firms. @choose_tactic's key differentiator is its compatibility with traditional accounting software like Quickbooks.
A Cosmos-SDK based blockchain dedicated to: (1) an on-chain perpetuals exchange, (2) an AMM, and (3) a partially collateralized, algorithmic stablecoin
While most crypto perpetual exchanges have off-chain components (usually orderbooks), @NibiruChain offers a completely on-chain solution. Investment activity in 'vertical chains' like @NibiruChain has been picking up since August '22.
An OS for guild management
While most guild management platforms are designed with guild managers and scholars in mind, @KapitalDAO notably accommodates game developers as well.
Building Flashbots for the Cosmos ecosystem
@SkipProtocol creates a win-win for both:
Developed an AI-powered trading terminal and yield aggregation vaults
Although the respective markets for terminals and vaults are crowded, it is worth noting that @3commas_io has strong development momentum given it is one of the few startups to provide product coverage in both market spaces.
A money market that offers sustainable Bitcoin miners Bitcoin-denominated loans collateralized by hashpower
In theory, @blockdotgreen hopes to offer Bitcoin miners a more stable alternative to USD-denominated, Bitcoin/ASIC-collateralized loans since the relationship between hashpower and Bitcoin earnings can be (1) expressed mathematically and (2) more deterministic.
A NFT community that manages a music label comprised of virtual artists
Virtual music artists have been hoping to achieve mainstream popularity for nearly a decade. Although web3 can't thrust these artists into the limelight in and of itself, it can provide better economics (often at the expense of investors) and in-built distribution to them.
An API to integrate IP co-ownership at checkout
A game of chess featuring NFT-based chess pieces and a crypto-economy to support quests, tournaments, and coaching
@TheImmortalGame does not have to rely purely on tokenomics to attract community and build support for its utility token given it has already won buy-in from 50+ chess influencers.
A unified API that allows financial service providers to settle on any DLT
While its true that @OwneraIO could abstract away the complexity of transacting on DLTs (not without increasing systemic risks), it is worth noting that prime brokerages & permissioned settlement networks have already been gaining mind share among institutions on this front.
Music NFTs with: (1) rarity measured by the popularity of the music and (2) integrated synchronization rights
Currently, music artists have trouble enforcing synchronization rights on gaming platforms and adapting monolithic NFT standards to their needs. @RELICSxyz is hoping to kill 2 birds with 1 stone through its primitive for music NFTs.
A token distribution platform that supports: (1) custom vesting schedules, (2) branded claim portals, (3) employee and investor dashboards, (4) tax withholding/compliance workflows, and (5) multi-sig custody
This market space is crowded and startups are primarily using one of two strategies to differentiate:
A customer intelligence platform that aggregates and distills on/off-chain data
Only a handful of market players are offering web3-inclusive customer intelligence platforms currently. It will be interesting to see how these platforms fare against infrastructural developments and personal preferences for privacy preservation.
A GTA-esque AAA game with cryptoeconomics
@HELIX_Metaverse will need to curb AAA gamers' reservations about crypto by showcasing how a crypto-economy makes open world games more immersive since it functions just like a real world economy. It is worth noting that AAA games cost tens of millions of dollars to develop.
A money market that maintains undercollateralized debt positions
In order to minimize counterparty risk, borrowers never maintain custody of loaned assets and must seek approval from a controller to deploy loaned assets. @sentimentxyz's architecture offers a fresh take on how to make DeFi more capital efficient without credit scores.
An open-source music studio featuring a decentralized library of sound NFTs
@arpeggi_labs faces high barriers to adoption given the respective markets for digital audio workstations (DAWs) and beat marketplaces are mature and @arpeggi_labs's differentiation is unclear beyond its packaging of a DAW and a marketplace for beats in a single platform.
An API/widget to integrate crypto on/off-ramps
Deal Commentary
This market is crowded because it has low barriers to entry from a technical standpoint. @bonfire_tweets is notable for securing Odesza & Bankless as customers and can leverage these wins to more deeply understand creator needs.