RBV Weekly Newsletter 🧔📖 Week of 03/13/25

Open Deals, Portfolio Updates, Crypto News, & More

Author

Austin Ritter
March 13, 2025

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:

Unstoppable Domains has been recognized as one of Forbes America’s Best Startup Employers for the fourth consecutive year reinforcing its leadership in onchain domains and digital identity. The award highlights the company’s rapid growth, innovative technology, and commitment to workplace excellence. With over 4.2 million registered domains, Unstoppable continues to bridge Web2 and Web3, making domain names fully owned digital assets. Strategic collaborations with Phantom, MetaMask, and Litecoin further accelerate adoption, positioning Unstoppable Domains at the forefront of decentralized identity and Web3 accessibility. Congrats to the team!

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💼 Portfolio News:

  • Flowty, the leading NFT secondary marketplace, has officially crossed one million transactions since launching in early 2022.

  • The platform, built on the Flow blockchain, has grown rapidly, providing NFT loans, rentals, and a seamless marketplace experience.

  • To celebrate, Flowty’s community is hosting giveaways, rewarding users who have participated in NFT loans and marketplace activity.

  • Fin, now in early beta, provides real-time insights on private market trends, founder movements, and portfolio news.

  • Users can query data, such as recent startup founders from SpaceX or median pre-seed valuations over the past month.

  • AngelList is prioritizing access for GPs, with a public waitlist available for broader adoption.

  • OORT joins forces with DePIN Union to accelerate the growth of Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN).

  • The collaboration enhances decentralized AI by integrating verifiable data, storage, and compute solutions.

  • By bridging AI and DePIN, the partnership aims to create a secure, scalable, and impactful infrastructure for real-world applications.

  • AI powered defense firm Anduril is reportedly raising a new round led by Founders Fund, potentially reaching a $28 billion valuation.

  • The funding, estimated at up to $2.5 billion, comes just months after Anduril’s $1.5 billion raise at a $14 billion valuation in August 2024.

  • Anduril continues expanding its defense tech capabilities, recently announcing plans for a large scale weapons manufacturing facility in Ohio.

  • Amelie Lasker, founder of Alexandria Labs, participated in an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on Farcaster's /books channel, engaging directly with the community.

  • Alexandria Labs specializes in creating infrastructure that enables authors and publishers to release ownable, censorship-resistant e-books using web3 technology.

  • Community members were encouraged to submit their questions by tagging Amelie - fostering an interactive discussion on the future of decentralized publishing and digital ownership.

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🔔 Active Investment Opportunities:

Biofire: The World’s First Biometric Smart Gun

  • Biofire has developed the first commercially available biometric handgun that ensures only authorized users can fire it using facial recognition and fingerprint authentication. Unlike traditional firearms, Biofire’s smart gun is software enabled and data first, with 10 granted patents, 60+ pending applications, and 4 trademarks.

  • Raising a $13M round at a $90M pre-money valuation, with Founders Fund (Palantir, SpaceX), Stone Garden Group, AWM, Liquid 2, Break Trail Ventures, and CAZ Investments participating. Previous investors include Founders Fund, 10X Capital, Structure Capital, Draper Associates, Jeff Fagnan, Naval Ravikant, and Kevin Hartz.

  • With an $8 billion total addressable market, Biofire is addressing the #1 concern of handgun buyers—unauthorized use. The company ended FY23 with $5.9M in bookings and is forecasting $24M+ for FY24. Unlike incumbents that spend less than 3% on R&D, Biofire has a first-mover advantage in bringing smart gun technology to market.

  • Link to invest

Mobot: AI Powered Robotics for Mobile App Testing

  • Mobot combines physical robots with AI automation to execute real-world mobile app testing, eliminating inefficiencies software-only solutions like Appium and Espresso cannot handle.

  • Serving 70+ enterprise clients, including Chime, LinkedIn, and Best Buy Health, Mobot has reached $4M ARR in 2024 with 70% gross margins and is on track for $6M ARR in 2025, driven by a 3.3x spend increase from existing customers.

  • Raising a $3M Series A extension with all Series A investors reinvesting; round is fully subscribed, but Mobot is making space for our syndicate.

  • Link to invest

Texas Ranchers: Building the Future of Professional Pickleball

  • Ranchers Global is a premier paddle and racquet sport conglomerate, owning the Texas Ranchers Major League Pickleball (MLP) team and strategic equity stakes in key pickleball assets, including MLP, Pickleball TV, and DUPR.

  • Since acquiring the Texas Ranchers for $5.25M in 2023, Ranchers Global has transformed the team into the most-followed, highest-valued, and highest-grossing franchise in MLP, securing league-leading sponsorships and media deals.

  • With $1M in revenue to date and projected $3.1M in 2025 revenue, Ranchers Global is capitalizing on the rapid 40% CAGR growth of pickleball, the sport's push toward Olympic recognition, and rising valuations across MLP franchises.

  • Raising a $3M Series A at a $23M pre-money valuation, with notable investors including Lil Wayne, Scottie Scheffler, Tim Tebow, Taylor Fritz, and the DeVos family. The round is in high demand, but Ranchers Global is making space for our syndicate.

  • Link to invest

PWR Labs: First Blockchain to Create Direct Interoperability with Web2

  • 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.

  • Link to invest

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🥳 Upcoming Events:

Some of the upcoming events you’ll find our team at include:

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Onwards 🚀

Drew, Elana, Joshua, Lauren, and Austin