RBV Weekly Newsletter🧔📖

Open Deals, Portfolio Updates, Crypto News, RBV Fund I Closing & More

Author

Joshua Howard
September 08, 2023

RBV Weekly Newsletter🧔📖: Team RBV
Open Deals, Portfolio Updates, Crypto News, & More

—-------------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome to the latest edition of the Red Beard Ventures newsletter, where we dive into exciting updates and insights from our dynamic universe. 🚀 
In this week's RBV Weekly Newsletter:

📻Red Beard Radio 📻:
Each Wednesday at 3pm, Join us for a weekly dose of crypto knowledge and inspiration.
Subscribe now!!! → @red-beard-radio 


This week RBV discussed Alt. Sports Betting Investment Economics & Opportunities with
Andrew Ehrenberg | Partner at Eberg Capital & Ted Moskovitz | Co - Founder of The Texas Rancher’s of Major League PickleBall.

Denarii Labs 🧪:
We're excited to remind you of our Tokenomics Accelerator, Denarii Labs launching September 18th!

Should the allure of this exceptional opportunity resonate with you, or if you happen to know someone in that wavelength, don't hesitate to swiftly register at ➜ 🔗www.denariilabs.xyz.

Until next week, stay curious and keep exploring the frontiers of Web3!

—------------------------------------------------------------

📣 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.

----------------------------------------------------------

🚨 TL;DR: This Week in Crypto

This Week:

  • Visa Expands USDC Settlements on Solana via Worldpay Nuvei Partnership

  • Base, Incubated by Coinbase, Faces Block Production Setback

  • Chancer Raises $1.6M in Crypto Presale

  • Stake Crypto Casino Falls Victim to Alleged $40M Exploit

  • Rare Protocol Launches

  • Innerwell Records Impressive Growth with $3M ARR

  • POAP Global Launched

  • Casio to Release Virtual G-Shock NFTs on Polygon Blockchain

  • NFT Minting on Ethereum and Polygon Plummet to New Lows on OpenSea

    Want to learn more about DeFI & NFTs: NFT Lending 101

 —------------------------------------------------------------

🪙 Crypto News:

Visa Expands USDC Settlements on Solana via Worldpay Nuvei Partnership

  • Strategic Move: Visa, in collaboration with Worldpay Nuvei, is expanding the use of USDC (USD Coin) for settlements on the Solana blockchain, marking a significant strategic maneuver.

  • Crypto Integration: This partnership highlights the increasing integration of digital currencies into traditional financial systems, signifying broader adoption and acceptance.

  • Efficiency and Speed: Leveraging Solana's blockchain for USDC settlements brings notable benefits in terms of efficiency and transaction speed, showcasing the advantages of blockchain technology in the payments industry.

  • Crypto's Mainstream March: Visa's involvement further cements the trend of mainstream financial giants embracing cryptocurrencies and blockchain solutions for enhancing their services. This development has the potential to accelerate crypto adoption on a global scale.

  • Coinbase Incubation: Base is a blockchain project that was incubated by Coinbase, one of the leading cryptocurrency exchanges globally. It aimed to enhance blockchain scalability and performance.

  • Block Production Halt: Base's recent setback involves difficulties in block production. The project had been working on optimizing blockchain technology to achieve higher throughput and efficiency.

  • Scalability Focus: The project's mission centered around scalability solutions, which are crucial for blockchain networks to handle a growing number of transactions and users effectively.

  • Technical Hurdles: While details about the specific issues faced by Base are limited, the incident underscores the technical complexities and challenges involved in developing and maintaining blockchain infrastructure.

  • Impressive Presale Success: Chancer, a notable cryptocurrency project, has achieved a remarkable milestone by securing $1.6 million in funds during its cryptocurrency presale.

  • Community Enthusiasm: This accomplishment reflects the strong support and enthusiasm of the crypto community for Chancer's mission and vision, highlighting the growing interest in innovative blockchain projects.

  • Strategic Financing: The funds raised through this presale will provide Chancer with valuable resources to further develop and advance its project, potentially driving innovation within the cryptocurrency space.

  • Promising Future: Chancer's successful presale sets a positive tone for its future endeavors and underscores the potential for meaningful contributions to the crypto ecosystem

  • Security Breach: Stake, a prominent crypto casino, is reported to have suffered a security breach resulting in a significant loss of funds, estimated at around $40 million.

  • Investigation Ongoing: Stake is actively investigating the incident and working to recover the funds. The exploit appears to be related to a smart contract vulnerability.

  • User Funds at Risk: While the investigation is ongoing, users who have deposited funds on the platform are advised to exercise caution and await further updates.

  • Security Reminder: This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of security in the crypto space and the risks associated with using decentralized applications and platforms.

  • Impact on the Industry: Security breaches like this can have implications for user trust and the broader cryptocurrency industry. It underscores the need for rigorous security measures and audits in DeFi and gaming platforms.


—-----------------------------------------------------------

🗃️ Portfolio News

  • Rare Protocol and SuperRare Labs collaborate to enhance NFT experiences, focusing on creators and collectors.

  • Rare Protocol's open-source blockchain infrastructure empowers artists with efficient NFT minting, trading, and pooling capabilities.

  • The partnership aims to advance NFT technology, fostering a more inclusive and user-friendly Web3 creator economy.

  • Founded by industry veteran Lisa Kennedy, with an impressive track record at companies like Samsung, Nanit, Everyday Health, and Diapers.com, Innerwell combines seasoned leadership with innovative approaches to transform behavioral health care.

  • Patient Satisfaction: Innerwell also focuses on patient satisfaction, as evidenced by its Patient Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 75%.

  • Significant Revenue Increase: Innerwell, a pioneering player in the behavioral health care sector leveraging psychedelics and data, has witnessed substantial growth, with its Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) reaching $3 million. This represents a remarkable 26% increase from the previous month's $2.4 million.

  • Healthy Retention: Innerwell's 90-day retention rate, recorded in May, stands at a commendable 21%, with four consecutive cohorts meeting or surpassing the 20% retention target.

  • Strong Margins: The company maintains robust financials, boasting a gross margin of 60.3%, indicating a healthy profitability outlook.

  • Strategic Milestone: Innerwell is on track to launch its insurance services in California by Q4 2023, with five submitted applications, three in credentialing, two in contracting, and none rejected.

  • Geo Caching with POAPs: POAP Global allows anyone to choose a location, become the "host" of a POAP for that location, and place it at a public landmark. People from around the world can then physically visit that landmark to collect the POAP, creating a real-world treasure hunt experience.

  • Location Ownership: Each host "owns" the location they've chosen, and they receive recognition within the POAP and POAP Global community.

  • Expanding POAP's Reach: This project aims to make POAPs more accessible and relevant to a broader audience beyond the crypto and web3 community by adding a tangible, real-world use case.

  • POAP Global is a project that aims to combine the concept of geocaching with POAPs (Proof of Attendance Protocol), which are often used as digital collectibles in the crypto and blockchain space. POAP Global is a POAP Inc. affiliated Agency ran by
    HODL Labs. POAP Global was founded & run by Steve Mcfaden & britten.eth

    Unstoppable Launches .eth Messaging for Seamless Web3 Community Communication

  • Web3 Community Messaging: Unstoppable introduces ".eth messaging," enabling communication across the Web3 domain community, including .eth, .nft, .x domains, and more.

  • Feature-Rich Experience: Users can send text, photos, videos, and files (up to 10MB) within a secure, end-to-end encrypted environment compatible with XMTP-enabled platforms.

  • Interoperability: The service promotes seamless communication between different domain extensions, emphasizing privacy and user control.

  • Ownership and Convenience: Users retain full ownership of messages stored on XMTP, and Unstoppable continues to enhance the .eth experience with diverse payment options and additional utilities.


—------------------------------------------------------------

💸 NFT Alpha 

Casio to Release Virtual G-Shock NFTs on Polygon Blockchain

  • Casio, the renowned watchmaker, is venturing into the world of blockchain and NFTs with plans to release virtual G-Shock NFTs on the Polygon blockchain.

  • Casio's NFT Entry: Casio, known for its iconic G-Shock watches, is embracing the blockchain and NFT space by introducing virtual G-Shock NFTs.

  • Polygon Partnership: These NFTs will be minted and traded on the Polygon blockchain, known for its scalability and low transaction fees.

  • Fusing Tradition with Technology: This move signifies the convergence of traditional craftsmanship, as seen in G-Shock watches, with cutting-edge blockchain technology.

  • Collectible Items: The virtual G-Shock NFTs are poised to become collectible items for enthusiasts and collectors, bridging the physical and digital worlds.

  • Minting Activity Decline: OpenSea, one of the largest NFT platforms, has witnessed a substantial decline in minting activity on both the Ethereum and Polygon blockchains.

  • Ethereum's High Gas Fees: Ethereum's persistent high gas fees have deterred many creators and collectors from minting NFTs on the network, leading to a migration to layer-2 solutions like Polygon.

  • Polygon's Slump: While Polygon offered a solution to Ethereum's scalability issues, it too has seen a decline in minting activity on OpenSea, suggesting broader market dynamics at play.

  • Market Adjustment: This decline may indicate a market correction or a shift in interest, as both seasoned and new NFT participants explore different chains and platforms.




    —------------------------------------------------------------

🔔 Active Investment Opportunities:

The National Thoroughbred League (NTL) : Pioneer of team-based horse racing A groundbreaking investment opportunity that is reshaping the landscape of America's oldest spectator sport – horse racing.

  • Investment from Red Beard Ventures and 100% ownership of the New Jersey Horse Racing team.
    Team Transformation: Shifts horse racing to a dynamic team-based forma

  • Key figures include rappers Nelly and Rick Ross, NFL star Kayvan Thibodeux, the NBA's Danny Green and retired basketball player Baron Davis.

  • Tom Ludt, former chairman of the Breeders' Cup, hired as President of Horse Operations. Greg Economou, former CMO of the NBA, hired to oversee Business Operations.

  • Revenue streams from league-wide, mixed, and local sources.

  • Upcoming launch in Nashville with a $500,000 race and a concert by Anderson Paak.

  • Centralized model to drive down costs and increase efficiency.

  • Standardized races to optimize strategic horse usage and simplify sports betting.

  • Agreements with notable tracks and partnerships with Web3 companies.

  • Web3 Integration: NTL incorporates Web3 concepts for NFTs, digital games, virtual experiences, metaverse activations, and DAO participation.
    Link to invest

Terran Biosciences: Pioneers in Psychedelic Therapeutics:
Focused on mental and neurological health: Depression, anxiety, PTSD, schizophrenia, and Parkinson’s.

  • Opportunity: Neurodegenerative diseases represent a $15B market and are expected to grow dramatically with a continued aging population around the globe. Psychedelic treatments represent a pioneering new approach to address these diseases. Beyond severe diseases, they also represent an opportunity to improve lives and help a much broader population.

  • Backed by notable investors: Valhalla Ventures, Peter Thiel, Christian Angermayer, Presign Ventures.Pharma Powerhouse Partnership: Collaboration with a top-10 big pharma company; 120+ patents filed.

  • Game-Changing Treatment for Alzheimer's: Isazoxan with once-daily dosing - a breakthrough advancement.

  • Growth: Terran has acquired the exclusive license to develop and commercialize late-stage clinical neuro assets. They have filed 120 patents for their psychedelic compounds and developed the largest manufacturing plant in the space.

  • Strong Early Partners: They are partnering with Sanofi, which is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world and represents the first big pharma partnership around psychedelic research.

  • Responsible for AI Neuroimaging Software Platform: Disrupting Parkinson's Diagnosis via a crucial Parkinson's biomarker

  • FDA Application: Seeking 510(k) clearance after testing in hundreds of patients.
    Link to invest



FlickPlay: Digital Toy Infrastructure & Gamified Social Experiences

  • A unified automated ecosystem that integrates collection release, minting and transfer, and ownership - under a Web2 Umbrella. It is the first platform to digitalize the experience of playing with toys in the real world.

  • Frictionless + Walletless user onboarding; multi-chain wallet aggregation system.
    FlickPlay is the only platform in the market to connect the commerce experience of digital toys to real-world locations with the goal of activating cities all over the world.

  • Ownership verification without requiring any private information, index-owned assets across chains (Ethereum & Polygon right now. FLOW coming up.

  • Flickplay has built a robust technical pipeline that enables 2-way interoperability.

The Majority of digital assets marketplaces provide a pretty centralized experience for digital assets— meaning that owners can only interact with the digital assets they purchased in the respective platform.

  • Partnership Pipeline: Disney, Bandai, PinkFung (BabyShark) - 90M+ subscribers, Payaso Plim Plim - 80M+ subscribers. SEGA, The Little Prince IP.

Innerwell (Greycroft):Behavioral health care through data & psychedelics

  • Product launched 9 months ago,went from 0 to $2.4m annualized run rate, path to profitability by October.

  • First company focused on commercially scaling true ketamine-assisted psychotherapy.

  • Patients who are diagnosed by licensed medical professionals have the option to receive therapy during their psychedelic experience.

  • Link to invest

Thrive Fantasy: Sports-betting made simple and more accessible

  • ThriveFantasy has exceeded $50M in entry fees, showing a 250% YoY growth, and anticipates reaching over $90M in 2023.

  • They're finalizing their white-label tech and aiming to launch by Q3, targeting $450K MRR in the first 6 months.

  • A revamped 2.0 UX is launching for the NFL season with the team planning for a whopping $10M/month in bets – the new UX is also expected to support multiple languages, opening the platform to an even larger audience.

  • Link to invest

    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
    Link to invest

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

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


—------------------------------------------------------------

🥳 Upcoming Events:

In-person events are a great way to stay informed in our industry.

We will be sure to keep you updated on the latest & greatest!

—------------------------------------------------------------

🤝 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

—------------------------------------------------------------

Onwards 🚀 
Drew, Elana, Mitchell, Frankie, and Lauren