RBV + Denarii Labs Weekly Newsletter 🧔📖 Week of 08/28/25

RBV + Denarii Labs Weekly Newsletter 🧔📖 Week of 08/28/25

Announcements, Portfolio Updates, Crypto News, Open Deals, Events & More

Welcome to the latest edition of the Red Beard Ventures newsletter, where we dive into exciting updates and insights from all over our portfolio and network!

📣 As a reminder, Red Beard Ventures has a syndicate, fund, tokenomics accelerator, and Web3 consultancy:

• The Red Beard Ventures Syndicate is stage agnostic and invests in Frontier Technology with a focus on Web3, Space, FinTech, Sports, Robotics, Biotech, and Climate. We invest anywhere between $100k - $1.5M. 

• Red Beard Ventures Fund I invests $100k - $1M in Pre-seed and Seed blockchain based companies.

• Denarii Labs is a tokenomics accelerator which invests $100k into companies interested in designing and launching a token over a twelve week hands-on program. Denarii also features a consulting business for later stage clients with higher touchpoint needs in tokenomics, communications, growth, and marketing.

🎤 RBV / Denarii Labs Announcements:

Red Beard Ventures Now Live on Echo

Red Beard Ventures has launched a dedicated group on Echo, the Web3 native platform for investing in early stage crypto and token projects alongside top angels. This new channel will host our blockchain and DePIN deals, while AI, defense, and deep tech investments will continue through AngelList. Echo provides a powerful crypto native ecosystem with enhanced deal support and investor alignment - making it the ideal home for our token facing pipeline.

If you’re a qualified investor, join us at https://echo.xyz/.

Red Beard Ventures Fund II - Now Raising

Red Beard Ventures is launching Fund II, building on the success of our first fund and extensive network in Web3, blockchain, and DePIN. With a track record of early investments in high growth companies and a strong investor base, Fund II is positioned to capitalize on emerging opportunities in the space.

Reach out to [email protected] for more information.

We’re Hiring: Join the Denarii Labs Team

We’re growing the team at Denarii Labs, the tokenomics accelerator shaping the next wave of Web3 economies, powered by Red Beard Ventures. We’re currently hiring for three key roles:

• BD/Sales + Client Services – Build relationships, close deals, and support our founders.
• GTM Strategist (Tokenomics, Web3, Marketing) – Craft launch strategies for high-impact projects.
• Social Media + KOL Manager – Drive content, community, and creator partnerships.

If one of these roles sounds like you, and you’re passionate about scaling tokenized projects and working directly with founders across DeFi, gaming, DePIN, and beyond, we’d love to hear from you.

Link to apply.

🚀 RBV Spotlight:

Bitlayer $BTR Token Launches Across Major Exchanges

Bitlayer has officially launched its native token, $BTR, in one of the most ambitious multi-exchange debuts of the year, listing across Binance, Kraken, KuCoin, Gate, MEXC, Bitget, CoinList, and more. Following an oversubscribed token sale and community airdrop, $BTR enters the market with strong momentum and a rapidly growing base of holders. The token serves as the backbone of the first-ever BitVM implementation, powering staking, node voting, governance, and fee-switch mechanisms that unlock Bitcoin’s settlement security for scalable smart contracts.

Bitlayer stands at the forefront of Bitcoin DeFi (“BTCFi”), leading the race to extend Bitcoin’s utility beyond a store of value. By building a BitVM-based Layer 2 rollup, every state transition anchors directly to Bitcoin’s consensus, delivering Ethereum-style composability while preserving Bitcoin’s security. The multi-exchange support enhances early liquidity and validates institutional demand for BTCFi primitives.

With its infrastructure now live and cross-chain integrations active, Bitlayer has demonstrated its ability to define the next chapter of Bitcoin’s role in decentralized finance.

Congratulations to the Bitlayer Team! 🚀

💼 Portfolio News:

Alethea AI Launches EMOTE-1 for Emotionally Expressive AI Agents

• Breakthrough feature brings real-time emotional expressions to AI agents.
• Early Access campaign offering $50K in in-dApp rewards to drive adoption.
• Reinforces Alethea’s position as leader in decentralized AI interaction.

Anduril Expands Advanced Manufacturing in Rhode Island

• New 150,000 sq. ft. facility at Quonset to boost U.S. defense manufacturing.
• Anchors Anduril’s scaling of autonomous systems and defense AI.
• Aligns with U.S. policy to strengthen domestic defense innovation hubs.

Colossal Biosciences Appoints Dr. Andrew Pask as Chief Biology Officer

• Pioneering scientist behind thylacine de-extinction joins full-time.
• Leading Colossal Australia in partnership with the University of Melbourne.
• Expands global leadership in de-extinction and advanced conservation initiatives.

Firehawk Aerospace Completes First Tactical-Ready Hybrid Rocket Flight Test

• Successful inaugural flight of GMLRS-class 3D-printed hybrid rocket engine.
• Achieved under U.S. Army Applications Lab Phase III SBIR contract.
• Demonstrates scalable, cost-efficient defense propulsion tech.

Minima Prepares Token Swap With $WMINIMA Snapshot

• Snapshot executed for all $WMINIMA holders to enable a 1:1 swap to native $MINIMA.
• Marks key step in migration from wrapped to native token.
• Positions Minima for stronger alignment with its decentralized chain architecture.

OORT Secures Bitget Wallet Integration & Investor Unlocking

• OORT integrates with Bitget Wallet, broadening user access and liquidity.
• Completion of a final major investor unlock, signaling maturity in its token model.
• Growing presence at DePIN Expo with new product debuts (Deimos II) and global partnerships.

Saga Expands Ecosystem With Yield Hub & Gamescom Activation

• Saga Yield Hub goes live, offering 150%+ APR pools via Steer Protocol.
• AI Agent Pop-Up at Gamescom showcases on-chain gaming AI to global audiences.
• Nominated for Best Use of Blockchain at the Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards.

Stacking DAO Nears 100M STX Milestone

• Closing in on 100M STX stacked — soon 1 in 6 STX stacked through the protocol.
• Expanding adoption of liquid staking derivatives (LSTs) on Stacks.
• Unlocking DeFi integrations while delivering stacking yield in STX or BTC.

SuperWorld Launches $SPWR Token with Republic

• New token ($SPWR) powers SuperWorld’s digital + real-world experiences.
• Exclusive whitelist access ahead of the public launch.
• Backed by Capital Factory and GroundBreak Ventures, adding strong investor validation.

The Sandbox Expands $SAND Utility to OpenSea Marketplace

• $SAND now usable to purchase LAND, Avatars, and NFTs directly on OpenSea.
• Expands token utility across Web3’s largest NFT marketplace.
• Reinforces $SAND as the core transactional asset of The Sandbox ecosystem.

Unstoppable Domains Partners With Sonic & Expands .LUNAR TLD

• Strategic collaboration with Sonic for new Web3 identity use cases.
• .LUNAR domain set to become the first TLD in space via CopernicSpace partnership.
• Broadens Unstoppable’s leadership in decentralized domain infrastructure.

Venus Aerospace Accelerates Propulsion Development for Defense & Space

• Achieved flight readiness from idea stage in just 4 years.
• Scalable rocket engines positioned for both defense and commercial space markets.
• Aims to be the premier next-gen propulsion company globally.

🥳 Upcoming Events:

We will be attending TOKEN2049 Sept 29 - October 3rd! This year, we will be hosting an event similar to the super secret speakeasy event we hosted last year at TOKEN, and are open to sponsorships! If you’re looking to have a presence at TOKEN, please reach out to [email protected] or [email protected]. 

Events are a great way to stay informed in our industry, and we had a very full 2024 and early 2025. We would love to hear about any other conferences you will be attending the rest of the year, so please let us know as we are finalizing our event calendar!

Stay tuned for updates on future events, and until then, keep spreading joy and positivity in our community!

🚀 Onwards!

Drew, Elana, Joshua, Lauren, and Jeff