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- RBV Weekly Newsletter🧔📖Week of 01/31/25
RBV Weekly Newsletter🧔📖Week of 01/31/25
Team RBV Open Deals, Portfolio Updates, Crypto News, & More
Austin Ritter
January 31, 2025
RBV Weekly Newsletter 🧔📖 Week of 01/31/25: Open Deals, Portfolio Updates, Crypto News, & More
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Welcome to the latest edition of the Red Beard Ventures newsletter, where we dive into exciting updates and insights from all over blockchain, frontier tech, and the angel investing landscape.
📣 As a reminder, Red Beard Ventures has a syndicate, fund, and a tokenomics accelerator:
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.
The Red Beard Ventures Fund I invests $100k - $1M in Pre-seed and Seed blockchain-based companies.
Denarii Labs is a tokenomics accelerator where we invest $100k into companies interested in designing and launching a token, over a twelve-week hands-on program. 🚨Applications are now open for Wire Accelerator, apply here! 🚨
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🚀 RBV Spotlight:
Denarii Labs is launching Cohort 3 of its accelerator program in partnership with XION, Avalanche, and Wire Network, each designed to support startups building the future of Web3. Over 12 weeks, participants gain hands-on mentorship, technical support, and expert guidance across tokenomics design, GTM strategy, legal considerations, whitepaper development, and investor readiness, backed by Red Beard Ventures. The XION Spark Accelerator helps teams create consumer ready applications on XION’s walletless Layer 1 blockchain removing barriers like gas fees and private key complexity. The Avalanche Accelerator focuses on financial services, gaming, and sustainability, providing tailored support for teams building custom Layer 1s. The Wire Accelerator empowers AI driven ecosystems, gaming, and cross chain interoperability leveraging Wire Network’s high speed and gas free infrastructure. Each track offers $100K in immediate funding for selected projects. Applications for Cohort 3 are now open!
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💼 Portfolio News:
Matternet received first ever approval from Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) to operate its M2 drone, meeting FAA-recognized airworthiness standards.
The company aims to enhance urban logistics in Saudi Arabia with faster, cost-efficient, and sustainable drone delivery solutions.
Following expansions in Abu Dhabi, Zurich, and Silicon Valley, Matternet plans further growth in the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East by 2025.
DYOR joins forces with Ava Labs to launch on Avalanche, leveraging the Avalanche9000 tech upgrade to reduce gas fees and improve blockchain accessibility.
Ava Labs highlights the need for advanced trader tools on Avalanche, with DYOR set to deliver cutting-edge analytics and research solutions.
The partnership enhances Avalanche’s ecosystem by equipping users with transparent, high-speed tools for smarter on-chain decision-making.
bitsCrunch ($BCUT) is now listed on XSwap, enhancing cross-chain accessibility across multiple EVM networks.
XSwap, built on Chainlink’s CCIP, facilitates seamless liquidity flow with over $170M in volume, enabling efficient cross-chain swaps and staking.
The integration strengthens bitsCrunch’s mission to provide trusted blockchain analytics while expanding BCUT’s utility and reach.
Metaball introduces Story Mode, allowing solo players to compete against rival teams and complete special missions.
Ranked Mode adds a competitive ladder with seasonal rewards, exclusive shops, and intense 1v1 and 2v2 arenas.
New maps, an upgraded training Academy, and a fresh Metapass bring more challenges, customization, and strategic depth.
Devdock AI announces Burnie, an AI agent designed to enhance blockchain development with automation and advanced analytics.
Burnie’s interactive features include code reviews, optimizations, and insights tailored for blockchain developers.
Early contributors can join the Telegram community to stay updated and get involved in Burnie’s launch.
ExoGP Flight Club Stage 2 extended until February 2, giving players more time to earn FLEX through leaderboard placements, Track of the Week races, and Core Hours participation.
New details released on FLEX rewards, with Genesis Exos and Partner NFTs providing multipliers and end-of-season bonuses.
Atmos strengthens partnerships with The Ashina Guild and PARAVOX, expanding community engagement and cross-game collaborations.
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🔔 Active Investment Opportunities:
XProtocol: Entertainment Focused DePIN + Phone | SAFE + Token Warrant | Phone Launch Imminent | Backed by Sequoia, Dragonfly Capital, and Coinfund
XProtocol’s XForge, is the world’s first node-operated blockchain smartphone, allowing users to contribute resources like bandwidth and computational power in exchange for rewards.
Aims to reduce transaction costs to millionths of a cent and support over 1,000 transactions per second, addressing the demand for economically efficient and scalable blockchain solutions.
1.5 million monthly active users, 10,000 active nodes, and over 3,500 XForge devices sold.
Anticipates significant revenue growth, projecting $10 million by the end of 2025, with a target of selling over 30,000 devices.
Led by Co-founder & CEO Peter Huang, a YCombinator Alum who previously co-founded Gotrade, a TradFi startup known as the Robinhood for Asia. Co-founder & CTO Dmitriy Paunin was the Former CTO at Coins Philippines’ crypto exchange with over 16 million users and the Former VP of Technology at Lazada, a unicorn in Asia.
Travelswap: Exclusive Expedia Crypto Partner Disrupting Travel
TravelSwap, an Expedia exclusive, combines travel booking with 100+ crypto payments, tokenized reservations, and rewards.
Impressive traction since July 2023 launch: 1,000+ bookings, 50+ B2B partners, 10k+ users (50% MoM growth), 12%+ repeat bookings.
2024 plans: $TRAVL token, last-minute DEX, V2 B2B platform, expanded offerings.
PWR Labs: First Blockchain to Create Direct Interoperability with Web2 | Token Warrant
PWR Labs is revolutionizing blockchain infrastructure by creating direct interoperability with Web2, enabling seamless deployment of programming languages across external VMs, side chains, and smart contracts.
Testnet live since 2023 with various projects already building on the platform. Mainnet launch scheduled for Q4 2024. PWR Chain uniquely eliminates platform limitations, mirroring the decentralized structure of the internet.
$6M Pre-Seed raise via SAFT with a $90M pre-money valuation cap and token price of $0.09.
Backed by notable investors including Tim Draper’s Draper Associates, Magnus Capital (Astra Protocol, Desofy), Alphabit Fund (Sire), GVG Capital, and Crypto Oasis Ventures.
Co-founder & CEO Melanie Mohr, serial entrepreneur with 20+ years in media and mobile technology, and Co-founder & CTO Edy Haddad, blockchain veteran with on-chain records for gas-efficient smart contracts, are leading this transformative project.
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🥳 Upcoming Events:
We will be attending ETH Denver Feb23 - March 2nd!
Join us for a dynamic day of discussions, workshops, and showcases at the forefront of blockchain and AI innovation. We’re bringing together thought leaders, builders, and visionaries to explore the intersection of Web3, tokenomics, and decentralized systems. From groundbreaking demos to engaging conversations about the creator economy and the evolution of DAOs, we’ll dive into how emerging technologies drive real-world applications and shape the future of innovation.
If you’re going to be at the festival and would like to meet up with Drew, please reach out to [email protected].
Stay tuned for updates on future events, and until then, keep spreading joy and positivity in our community!
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🤝 We are also 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, Joshua, Lauren, and Austin