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- RBV Weekly Newsletter🧔📖
RBV Weekly Newsletter🧔📖
Open Deals, Portfolio Updates, Crypto News, RBV Fund I Closing & More
Joshua Howard
August 11, 2023
Big week for Portfolio News! Knights of Degen | KOD $DGEN Token is now live! Jump down to our 🗃️ Portfolio News to learn how to purchase your $DGEN! If you are a Knights NFT holder, the token claim is now open. Information below. 🔗Claim link for KOD Holders 🔗
Also, we wanted to drop a friendly reminder that our Tokenomics Accelerator, Denarii Labs, is currently in the process of seeking out exceptional companies. This groundbreaking endeavor, fueled by the combined forces of Red Beard Ventures and Horizen Labs Ventures (renowned for their role in creating Yuga Lab’s ApeCoin and numerous other successful products), is dedicated to empowering Web3 innovators in crafting, cultivating, and executing their tokenomics and token launch strategies.
We'll be providing these visionaries with unparalleled guidance from esteemed advisors, invaluable partnerships with strategic allies, and access to discerning investors.
Through the accelerator program, we will select five projects, arming them with the skills and know-how to achieve an extraordinary token launch within a swift three-month timeframe.
If this opportunity calls to you or someone you know, don't hesitate to register at www.denariilabs.xyz and seize the chance to be part of something truly remarkable.
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🚨 TL;DR: This Week in Crypto
BlackBerry Cybersecurity Thwarts Over 1.5 Million Attacks, Unveils Malware Threats to Crypto
Cash App Bitcoin Sales Jumped 34% in Q2 to $2.4 Billion
Amazon, Google Cloud Host 49% of Bitcoin Lightning Nodes
Coinbase Q2 Revenues Beat Estimates, but USDC Interest Income Falls to $151M
Knights of Degen (KOD) | The official community-claim launch of ERC-20 token $DGEN is LIVE!
Syndr plans to increase decentralized exchange users to 100M by the end of 2023.
Vodafone, the multinational telecommunications company, confirms its plans to enter the world of NFTs (non-fungible tokens) on the Cardano blockchain.
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📣 As a reminder, Red Beard Ventures has both a syndicate and fund:
The Red Beard Ventures Syndicate is stage agnostic and invests in Frontier Technology with a focus on Web3, Space, FinTech, Robotics, Biotech, and Climate. We invest anywhere between $100k - $1.5M.
The Red Beard Ventures Fund I invests $100k - $1M in Pre-seed and Seed blockchain-based companies.
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🪙 Crypto News:
BlackBerry Cybersecurity Thwarts Over 1.5 Million Attacks, Unveils Malware Threats to Crypto
BlackBerry, a renowned cybersecurity firm, has successfully thwarted more than 1.5 million cyber attacks, showcasing the robustness of its security measures.
In a recent disclosure, BlackBerry unveiled the existence of malware threats targeting the cryptocurrency space, posing risks to users and investors.
This highlights the growing importance of cybersecurity in the crypto industry and the need for proactive measures to protect digital assets and sensitive information.
With the relentless rise in cyber threats, cybersecurity firms like BlackBerry play a crucial role in safeguarding individuals and organizations from potential attacks and ensuring the integrity of the crypto ecosystem.
Cash App, a popular mobile payment service, experienced a significant surge in Bitcoin sales during Q2, reaching $2.4 billion in total.
The 34% increase in Bitcoin sales reflects the growing interest in cryptocurrencies among Cash App users.
This substantial growth in Bitcoin transactions underscores the expanding adoption of digital assets as an investment and payment method.
As more individuals and businesses embrace cryptocurrencies, platforms like Cash App are playing a pivotal role in facilitating the mainstream acceptance of Bitcoin and other digital currencies.
The Bitcoin Lightning Network, a second-layer solution for faster and cheaper Bitcoin transactions, is now accessible on Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud platforms.
This development expands the accessibility and ease of running Lightning Network nodes for developers and businesses interested in leveraging the network's benefits.
The integration of Lightning Network nodes on these cloud platforms opens up new possibilities for scaling Bitcoin transactions and fostering widespread adoption.
As more nodes join the Lightning Network, the Bitcoin ecosystem is poised to benefit from increased transaction throughput and reduced fees, making it a significant step towards improving Bitcoin's usability and scalability.
Coinbase reported Q2 revenues that surpassed estimates, indicating strong performance in the cryptocurrency market.
The interest income from USDC, a stablecoin, experienced a decline, reaching $151 million during the same period.
Despite the drop in USDC interest income, Coinbase's overall revenue performance showcases the growing interest and participation in the crypto industry.
As the crypto market continues to evolve, Coinbase's financial results demonstrate the dynamic nature of the industry and its potential for significant growth and impact on the global financial landscape.
Archival nodes are essential for blockchain data storage, enabling developers and users to access historical data and perform in-depth analysis.
This move signifies Coinbase's commitment to facilitating the growth and development of the Solana ecosystem by providing critical infrastructure solutions.
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🗃️ Portfolio News
Knights of Degen (KOD) | The official community-claim launch of ERC-20 token $DGEN is LIVE!
$DGEN serves as a utility and governance token within The KOD Ecosystem.
DGEN empowers community engagement, governance & facilitates decentralized community governance for the Degen DAO, enabling participants to collectively vote and shape the evolution of $DGEN and its initiatives.The token will power various components of the Knights of Degen ecosystem of games, leagues, and tournaments, promoting growth and accessibility to the broader public. The unlocking schedule spans four periods, rewarding eligible holders with unlocked tokens.
To claim $DGEN ➡️ 🔗Claim link for KOD Holders 🔗
Steps for Holders:
Steps to claim: 1. Visit claim link, 2. Connect wallet & check eligibility, claim unlocked tokens directly into your wallet, and vote on Day 1 Degen DAO proposals.
Eligible users can directly claim using the portal; proxy claims are not allowed.
DGEN token claim divided into 4 unlock periods based on Knights of Degen NFTs held at specific timed snapshots.
General Interest:
1. Go to Uniswap: ➡️Visit http://app.uniswap.org and connect your wallet. Copy and paste the DGEN token address (0x45f93404AE1E4f0411a7F42BC6a5Dc395792738D) into Uniswap.
2. Verify and Select DGEN: Make sure you're selecting the correct DGEN token from the options. Confirm the transaction with your wallet signature.
3. Swap ETH for DGEN: Enter the amount of ETH you want to swap for DGEN.
Click "Swap" and sign the transaction on your wallet. Approve the transaction and wait for it to be confirmed on the blockchain network. Your DGEN coins will then appear in your wallet!
Syndr Chain, an App-specific Layer3 rollup built on Arbitrum with security rooted on Ethereum, run in partnership with Caldera, offering interoperability, 1-click on/off-boarding, zero gas fees, and high performance.
Syndr will launch as the world's first institutional-grade hybrid Layer3 exchange for crypto, providing all-in-one trading options, low-latency order books, LP pools for Perps+Options, portfolio margining, RFQ integration, 0 gas fees, and a CeX-like UX with fiat on/off ramps.
Liquidity providers can earn on Syndr by providing permissionless liquidity through LP pools, making markets on the orderbook, and running permissionless MM strategy vaults.
Syndr Testnet is currently invite-only, looking for beta testers and early referral & affiliate partners to join the rally. Interested participants can sign up for an invite at form.zootools.co or follow Syndr on Twitter @SyndrHQ and join the Telegram Group at https://t.me/syndr_official.
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💸 NFT Alpha
Volkswagen Group’s Ducati Partners with Ripple | XRP Ledger, Announces Its First Launch!
Ducati, the renowned motorcycle manufacturer, announces its foray into the world of Web 3.0 through a partnership with NFT Pro.
The collaboration aims to explore the potential of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and Web 3.0 technologies in enhancing the Ducati brand and user experience.
This move marks Ducati's venture into the decentralized and blockchain-powered space, potentially offering innovative products and services to its global community of motorcycle enthusiasts.
The announcement comes after earlier rumors about Vodafone's interest in the NFT space, signaling the company's commitment to exploring the potential of blockchain technology for its services.
Vodafone Germany's decision to use Cardano for its NFT venture reflects the growing interest in blockchain technology, specifically Cardano's boasted capabilities, among major corporations.
By leveraging Cardano's ecosystem, Vodafone hopes to tap into the growing NFT market and potentially offer unique digital assets to its customer base, adding a new dimension to its offerings in the blockchain space.
Coinbase announces the "Onchain Summer" celebration, aiming to engage and excite its community with various activities and events during the summer season.
As a part of the celebration, Coinbase has partnered with crypto PFP OG’s Degen Ape Academy
There will be a special open edition mint of an exclusive Degen Ape Academy animationOther events will likely involve special promotions, giveaways, and exclusive offerings for Coinbase users to enjoy and participate in.
As one of the leading cryptocurrency exchanges, Coinbase's "Onchain Summer" initiative seeks to further foster a sense of community and celebration within the crypto space.
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🔔 Active Investment Opportunities:
Syntreno: Security for Malicious AI Generated Content
They have developed an AI model for detecting AI generated images, which can detect minute telltale signs of having been generated by an AI
Even the most human-fooling images can be given a high degree of certainty
This is their initial fundraise, used to bring their prototype to an MVP-ready model
Baibys Fertility: AI-Controlled Cell Selection for IVF
The male infertility crisis and increasing average age of motherhood has caused IVF procedures to skyrocket
Selecting the sperm cells is currently human-driven; slow, expensive, and error prone
Baibys device selects cells with a more stringent criteria, and arranges them by quality
California Cultured: Real Chocolate that’s Good to the Earth
Traditional chocolate production carries with it pollution, exploitation, and high costs
CC has developed a way to create chocolate via cell-based agriculture
They are ready to scale and have brought in industry giants like ADM, Meiji, and Agronomics
OASIS: The Leader in AI “Thought-to-Text”
Oasis takes your rambling thoughts and turns them into clear memos, articles, emails, and more
Revenue growth at 70% month-over-month
Co-led by Flybridge Capital and Oceans Ventures
Setscale: a Key Financing Tool for SMBs
Solves the cashflow gap that small/medium size businesses suffer: Post payment, pre sale
While large businesses have credit partners, SMBs generally have to float every shipment
Setscale solves this by covering the shipment payment in return for a small premium after the sale
Venus Aerospace: LA to Tokyo in ONE HOUR at Hypersonic Speed
A promise of the space age finally fulfilled, the craft designed by Venus Aerospace will be the fastest reusable hypersonic system in the world.
Their patented rotating detonation rocket engine (RDTE) will propel passengers at speeds up to Mach 9
The craft is designed to fly just outside of our atmosphere, where air friction poses no risk to the craft
Tafi: The Global Leader in 3D Assets and Text-to-3D genAI
Largest commercial library of 3D assets in the world; customers include Coca-Cola, HBO, Warner/DC, Coinbase, and others
Their product DAZ 3D (link to demo here) creates ultra-HD fully compatible and customizable characters
Exclusive partnership with NVIDIA to train even greater AI capabilities
Canza Finance: a New Financial System for Africa’s FX Markets
African FX TAM is $5T, yet is still highly inefficient and expensive
Canza is building the Jara Network to facilitate OTC
The round is being led by Polychain Capital at a $15M PMV
Edison AI Systems: Zapier for AI, Link Multiple Models into One Workflow
Edison AI is building a web platform to build complex, interoperable AI systems
Developers can cut their time and costs by 60–90%, deploying in days, not months
The platform can operate as no-code or low-code, meaning even novices can link together StableDiffusion, GPT-4, a voice mimicking AI, and more!
Siegelman Stable: Streetwear with a Conscience - Gary Vaynerchuk Lead
Rapidly gaining mass appeal and A-list celebrity endorsements
Nearly one million dollars in gross revenue in 2022
Founded by the son of a top horse racing family, Max Siegelman, past collaborator with Kanye West, NBA teams, Puma, Hypebeast, Lexus, and more
One Earth Rising: Ownable Interoperability for Modern Gaming
Their standard has self-sovereignty and a format game engines can understand
This format seeks to become industry standard
All facets of the asset - items, moments, stats - are able to be minted
GET protocol: The Premium NFT Ticketing Solution
GET has been building NFT ticketing since 2016
They have a full range of ticketing products for event holders, from self-service to full concierge, and also whitelabel solutions
Issued nearly 3.4 Million tickets (1.7M in 2022 alone), over 17k events
Investment includes a token grant AND discounted token purchase rights
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🥳 Upcoming Events:
In-person events are a great way to stay informed in our industry: Join us for an exciting and dynamic evening as we proudly host the Mixer for the Denarii Labs Accelerator at Solana Labs! This event promises to bring together brilliant minds, innovative entrepreneurs, and industry leaders. We are inviting prospective applicants to the Denarii labs accelerator to network in-person. If you or a founder you know is looking to launch a token project or add a token to their existing business, please share the invite!
You won't want to miss this opportunity to network, collaborate, and exchange ideas with some of the brightest minds tackling problems faced in tokenomics.
Invite for the Mixer
Location: Lower East Side - Manhattan, NY
To ensure an intimate and immersive experience, attendance to this exclusive event is limited.
Don't miss your chance to be a part of this captivating Mixer!
Note: You must RSVP & receive confirmation to attend!
RSVP close Tuesday July 25th!
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🤝 We are hiring!
We are looking for part-time syndicate vertical leads in the following categories - if you are interested please reach out and we can discuss the opportunity in greater detail:
Biotech
Space
Robotics & Automation
Climate
Fintech & SaaS
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Onwards 🚀
Drew, Elana, Mitchell, Frankie, and Lauren