RBV + Denarii Labs Weekly Newsletter 🧔📖 Week of 12/11/25

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 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.

Denarii Labs Cohort 4 - Applications Now Open for Cohort 4

Denarii Labs is now accepting applications for Cohort 4. We are actively reviewing applications and investing $100K into projects looking to design, launch, and scale their token ecosystems over a 12 week program. Apply now to join a network of high-conviction builders shaping the next generation of on-chain economies.

Previous cohorts have partnered with leading ecosystems such as Avalanche, XION, Celo, and more. Hedera and Flow tracks are currently live, with more ecosystem partnerships to be announced soon.

Reach out to [email protected] for more information. Link to apply

🚀 RBV Spotlight:

PWR Chain introduces VIDAs and a new verification-first Layer 0

PWR Chain announced the launch of VIDAs (Verifiable Immutable Data Applications) alongside a new verification-first Layer 0 designed to serve as a shared trust layer across the multi-chain ecosystem. Instead of competing with L1s or rollups, PWR focuses on verification, supporting EVM, SVM, MoveVM, and WASM execution environments.

VIDAs let developers run full off-chain programs, including AI workloads, data indexing, and complex computation, while anchoring results to PWR for onchain-verifiable proofs. This approach significantly reduces cost and increases throughput compared to fully onchain execution.

By decoupling execution from verification, PWR positions itself as a neutral infrastructure layer that chains and applications can plug into for scalable, low-cost trust. The launch strengthens PWR’s role as foundational infrastructure for advanced rollups, cross-VM apps, and AI-native crypto use cases.

Congratulations to the PWR Chain team! 🚀

💼 Portfolio News:

Paradromics earns FDA go-ahead to trial speech-restoring BCI

• FDA clears Paradromics to begin clinical testing of its brain–computer interface for restoring speech in people with paralysis.
• Positions the company alongside the leading neurotech players in the race to commercialize BCIs.
• Reinforces the long-term upside of high-bandwidth neural interfaces in healthcare and human–machine interaction.

POAP gears up “Airport POAP Rally 2026” across 70+ hubs

• Plans a global airport activation with POAP collectibles at 70 confirmed airports and room to expand.
• Demonstrates POAP’s ability to bridge digital identity with real-world presence at scale.
• Opens up sponsorship and brand-integration opportunities at major travel touchpoints.

QUEX unveils Qsemble, a verifiable block assembly layer

• Launches Qsemble to give L1s instant confirmations and colocated execution without sacrificing trust.
• Aims to plug directly into existing chains as a modular block-assembly primitive.
• Positions QUEX as key infra for higher throughput and better UX across rollups and L1s.

QuickNode stabilizes Metis Jupiter Swap and doubles down on Solana builders

• Ships Metis Jupiter Swap v7.0.0 with fixed swaps, restored official Metis API support, and stable infra.
• Launches dedicated @quicknodesolana hub plus a “zero-to-first-transaction” Solana speedrun for devs.
• Continues to present QuickNode as core infra for Consumer DeFi and high-throughput chains.

Saga cements Velocity DeFi stack with $D, MUST, and ecosystem partners

• Highlights core stablecoins ($D, MUST, USDC, YUSD) as the backbone of Velocity DeFi on Saga.
• Integrates Colt, Mustang, Summerstone, and Liquity to build a resilient stablecoin + credit stack.
• Frames Saga as a native BTC / agentic DeFi chain where AI agents can spend via HTTP 402 and Saga Dollar.

Shardeum opens SHM airdrop verification portal for 60M SHM Testnet Quests

• Launches an onchain airdrop verification portal for 1,300 shortlisted addresses eligible for 60M SHM.
• Pushes users through anti-sybil checks, reinforcing focus on quality, not pure airdrop farming.
• Co-founder commentary underlines Shardeum’s vision for low-cost, high-throughput L1 adoption into 2026.

Stacking DAO crosses ~102M STX deposited and promotes dual-yield design

• Surpasses ~102M STX deposited, signaling growing trust in its liquid stacking model.
• Promotes “Dual Stacking” boost on sBTC yields to deepen DeFi integrations around Stacks.
• Reinforces the thesis of BTC-anchored DeFi with composable yield instruments.

SuperRare scales curated onchain art with sold-out shows and new collections

• “Intimate Systems” curated show closes with 9.6+ ETH in sales and multiple high-profile collectors.
• Announces PIECES by @infiniteyay — 777 unique works at 0.0777 ETH with blind mint mechanics.
• Continues to establish SuperRare as a leading venue for serious onchain art, curation, and auctions.

The Sandbox expands SAND to Base and launches Spotify + seasonal campaigns

• Brings $SAND to Base, extending its creator and gaming economy to a major L2.
• Launches an official Spotify presence with in-game soundtracks and themes available off-platform.
• Rolls out “Season’s Greetings 2025” Advent NFT with 24 daily onchain surprises and mini-games.

Travelswap builds secondary market for non-refundable travel bookings

• Identifies $8.6B/year lost to non-refundable bookings and positions Travelswap as a P2P liquidity layer.
• Lets travelers who can’t go sell directly to those who can, rather than eating 100% of the cost.
• Grows brand with consistent, high-signal social voice around “travel pro” memberships and rewards.

WeatherXM launches BuildersXM and incentivizes 9.6K+ station network growth

• Introduces BuildersXM to let enterprises and builders test climate/IoT ideas on a live global network.
• Operates 9.6K+ weather stations delivering hyperlocal, API-ready data for risk modeling and forecasting.
• Uses stacked Black Friday discounts (up to 40% off) and $WXM rewards to accelerate hardware deployment.

Wire Network launches founder-focused incubator on the Universal Transaction Layer

• Announces the Wire Incubator to help projects go from idea → prototype → demo → funding on Wire infra.
• Positions the Universal Transaction Layer as the interoperability backbone for future apps.
• Amplifies narrative via Spaces like “After the AI Bubble: Who Really Owns Intelligence?” tying AI and infra together.

🚀 Onwards!

Drew, Elana, Joshua, Lauren, and Jeff