Joseph Michael

Real World Assets (RWAs) seem to be the big narrative of this crypto cycle. Will the industry actually be able to launch tangible products, or will this be just another of crypto's hollow promises. Yesterday's panel provided a deep dive into this question. Thanks to Finoa for organizing and to Henrik Gebbing for moderating this insightful discussion about The Future of RWAs, featuring Martin Quensel Dr. Johannes S. and Philipp Pieper 🙏 During the panel, we explored the potential of RWAs to revolutionize the crypto industry. I had the opportunity to talk about music cashflows as a form of real-world asset. However, I emphasized that there is still a way to go to unleash the full potential of blockchain due to the lack of proven infrastructure, interoperability, and robust wallet solutions. The conversation was thought-provoking and highlighted both the opportunities and challenges in bringing RWAs to fruition. The industry must overcome significant hurdles to ensure that RWAs don't just remain another buzzword. #blockchainweek Philipp Köhn twelve x twelve 360X Music 360X ART tectrex AG Nadine Gisdon

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TON Foundation X Curve Finance In an exciting collaboration, the TON Foundation and Curve Finance are joining forces to launch a stable swap project on the TON blockchain. With stablecoin adoption on the rise—USDT on TON hitting $700M in circulation within just four months—this partnership aims to make stablecoin trading more efficient and user-friendly on the TON network. Notable features of this partnership: - Curve Finance's stable swap formula will be integrated into TON, creating a robust trading infrastructure. - veCRV holders and other qualified users will receive airdrop rewards from the project’s native tokens. While TON is expanding, it faces challenges in DeFi, including a limited lending ecosystem. However, with this new collaboration, TON is positioning itself to become a key player in the global DeFi space. 💡 My take: With this partnership, TON is making bold moves to boost its DeFi capabilities, and the involvement of Curve Finance could be the game-changer TON needs to stay competitive. #defi #blockchain #web3 #decentralization

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Klarna is launching a credit card! Will it work? Credit card launches have a mixed success. Look at, for example: - Apple Card And there have been several new ones launched recently. Ex: - Robinhood Gold Card And there are others with similar approaches to Klarna's Card - Affirm has debit card that allows users to pay any purchase over time (Klarna's Card has similar functionality, but is on credit rails) - Upgrade, Inc. has the OneCard which is a credit card and BNPL all in one + a checking account and more. The 2 big advantages they have launching a card are (1) distribution (can sell to existing users) (2) product (rewards) DISTRIBUTION On distribution, Klarna Stacks has a great user base to cross-sell into: - 25 million active users in the US (150M globally) versus - 15 million for Affirm - 5 million customers for Upgrade Take these numbers w/ grain of salt, they are company reported figures and not 100% apples to apples. 25 million, however exactly they measure it, is a lot. Bank of America for example has 55 million digitally active users. PRODUCT Rewards. Because Klarna has 500,000 merchants on network, they can do something from day one that few others can...offer merchant funded rewards. Their key feature is "10% cash back at select merchants". Consumers are addicted to points and it's hard to get them to switch from their favorite cards. Touting something big like "10% cash back at select merchants" might work for some users if targeted appropriately and they don't feel like this is a bait and switch. WHY IT MATTERS In fintech more broadly, we are entering a "rebundling error". Point solutions like Robinhood, Affirm, Klarna have reached scale and are become multi-product companies with deep customer relationships. Some of these companies are going to figure it out and that is exciting. Even if a few of these product launches fail, big banks should be worried. Their product bundles haven't changed much in the last 10 years and for the first time they have real competition. Consumers are the real winners. For the first time in a while, they have new options on how to spend, save and invest. Best of luck to the Klarna team and other folks building here!

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510 tokens per second! Fastest Llama3 - full precision, only need 8 sockets. Try Samba-1, fine tune on your private data and then run it really fast at >10x less chips and less power. Try it out at https://fast.snova.ai

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🚀 #BytePlus and #MystenLabs Join Forces! 🌐 The tech unit of #TikTok's ByteDance, BytePlus, partners with Mysten Labs to infuse #AI into the Sui Blockchain, enhancing data analysis and performance. This strategic move marks their significant step into the expanding Web3 arena. #Blockchain #AIIntegration #Web3

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Our portco NodeKit is working with Particle Network to bring composability to chain abstraction and unlock the full potential of blockchain. The vision of #Web3 is to mirror the seamless experience of the internet, where users interact with services effortlessly. This is achieved through chain abstraction, which eliminates chain-specific balance management and composability which enables the facilitation of cross-chain balance transfers atomically. Chain Abstraction simplifies user interaction with multiple blockchains. Imagine buying an NFT with assets from one chain, used on another, without manual bridging. Composability allows applications to function together seamlessly across chains. The fusion of chain abstraction and composability is essential for unlocking the full potential of Web3. Together, they address both the user-facing and technical challenges of blockchain technology, paving the way for a decentralized web that is accessible, efficient, and powerful. Particle Network leads in chain abstraction with Universal Accounts, providing a single point of interaction across all chains. This simplifies user and developer experiences significantly. NodeKit provides composability with superbuilders, enabling atomic cross-chain transactions. This means transactions either complete across all chains or fail, ensuring no partial executions. More here: https://lnkd.in/dc4s-FA5

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Sony has filed a patent for a new ‘Super-Fungible Token’ (SFT) that could alter how gamers own and trade in-game assets. Two basic questions: ⁉️ What’s an SFT? Basically, it would allow gamers to own a bundle of NFTs (in-game assets). ⁉️ Why SFTs? Good question—since it’s such early days, it isn’t entirely clear how it could be used, but it seems to simplify owning, purchasing and selling of NFTs as you can bundle multiple into one SFT. To me, it seems to be a bet by Sony that NFTs will be a big part of future gaming and they’re preparing the way for them to be more functional.

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An INTJ Fund conversation with Sofie Marien (Co-Founder + CTO of NoMi). NoMi aims to be the Duolingo for self-help. NoMi was in A16Z GAMES SPEEDRUN's recent cohort and backed by Jorge Mazel (previously Chief Product Officer at Duolingo). Sofie is an award-winning mobile developer and marketer with over eleven years experience in games at PlayStation and Hasbro.  She's worked on multiple top-charting games including Horizon Zero Dawn and Monopoly. She's now taking her experience to turn relatable Gen-Z experiences into playable games. I think a lot of people simply need more repetitions in order to learn how to deal with social situations. In the future, I can see people simulating everything from tough conversations to dates in game like experiences. What's a social situation you wished you could have simulated in a game as practice? Want to make friends with people like Sofie? Apply to join the INTJ Fund community - https://lnkd.in/g9tcUZVg #selfhelp #mentalhealth #gaming #INTJFund #INTJ #A16Z #INTJwomen #womeninstem

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Here is my take on why #femtech is an underseen niche. It is not charity; rather, a pure business approach to release more liquidity into the market. Could you please help me poke holes in my thesis from the article? I've been struggling to find any weaknesses that could cause it to fall apart.

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The trip to Singapore has come to an end. It was incredibly eventful: 1. Two events from our fund, Contribution Capital. One where I spoke as a speaker at the Global Blockchain Congress, where we discussed the future of the Bitcoin network and Ordinals. The second — as a side event within Token2049 together with our portfolio companies dlcBTC, GOAT Network (ZKM), Pell, and partner company Master Protocol. We had only 100 seats, but over 300 people showed up 😱 2. The main event, TOKEN2049, which was attended by 20,000+ people. 3. In addition to the main event, there were 800+ side events: from sports activities, foresight discussions, exhibitions, to parties. An incredible networking experience. 4. Vitalik Buterin’s performance — his song from the stage has already been turned into memes. :) 5. The premiere of a film about Buterin. 6. A personal meeting with Vitalik. 7. Formula 1 Grand Prix.

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Visa and Coinbase Partnership - Real-Time Account Funding for Crypto Enthusiasts 🚨 Visa is taking another bold step in the financial landscape, teaming up with Coinbase to introduce real-time account funding through Visa Direct! This partnership empowers Coinbase users across the US and EU with instant, secure, and reliable money transfers into their crypto accounts using eligible Visa debit cards. 🌐💳 What does this mean for the future of crypto and fiat exchanges, wallets, and lifestyle banking? Here’s a glimpse: 🔹 Seamless Crypto Access: Instant funding enables Coinbase users to capitalize on trading opportunities 24/7, opening doors to a more responsive and fluid trading experience. No more waiting for funds to clear—just deposit and trade when you need it. 🔹 Bridging Fiat and Digital Currencies: By reducing friction between traditional banking and crypto, Visa and Coinbase are helping to accelerate mainstream adoption. This integration brings fiat and digital currencies closer, fostering an ecosystem where both can coexist seamlessly. 🔹 Evolving Wallets and Banking: As lifestyle banking adapts to the demands of the digital age, wallets could become hubs for managing diverse assets—from traditional savings to cryptocurrencies and beyond. Real-time functionality may become the baseline expectation, pushing other financial institutions and wallets to innovate similarly. 🔹 The Path to Financial Empowerment: By simplifying and speeding up access to crypto, this partnership aligns with a more inclusive vision of finance, enabling users to take control of their assets, investments, and opportunities anytime, anywhere. With Visa Direct at the helm of money movement and Coinbase as a trusted crypto platform, the future of crypto is looking more accessible than ever. 🚀 This is just the beginning of a future where digital and fiat currencies become parts of a cohesive financial ecosystem, where speed and convenience are paramount. https://lnkd.in/gi78BCiG #VisaDirect #Coinbase #CryptoNews #DigitalBanking #CryptoAdoption #FutureOfFinance

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5⃣ Years of XDC Network! Celebrating 5 Years of XDC Network: A Journey of Growth, Innovation, and Stability As we celebrate 5 years of the XDC Network, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our community members, ecosystem partners, supporters, and masternode holders. Your unwavering support and dedication have been the backbone of our journey, propelling us to new heights. 2019 - 2024: A Timeline of Achievements: Over the past five years, the XDC Network has made significant strides in building a robust, innovative, and stable blockchain ecosystem. Here’s a snapshot of our progress: >Network Progress:  - 426 Nodes ensuring a decentralized and secure network.  - 1.67M+ Accounts showcasing widespread adoption.  - 75.3M+ Blocks processed, highlighting our network’s resilience.  - 16K+ Smart Contracts deployed, enabling a plethora of applications.  - 563.9M+ Transactions completed, reflecting our active user base.  - 2000+ TPS (Transactions Per Second), ensuring fast and efficient processing. >Market Metrics:  - $512.8M Market Cap indicating strong market confidence.  - $1.30B Diluted Market Cap, reflecting potential future growth.  - $13.91B Circulating Supply showing significant token distribution.  - $37.9B Total Supply, underpinning the network’s scalability. >> Why Now is the Best Time to Build on XDC As we move forward, there has never been a better time to build on the XDC Network. Here’s why: 1. Extensive Exchange Listings:   - Our token is available on numerous leading exchanges like KuCoin, Gate.io, Uphold, and Bitfinex, among others, ensuring liquidity and accessibility. 2. Wide Range of Wallet Support:   - Integration with various hardware and software wallets, including Ledger, Trezor, MetaMask, and SafePal, guarantees secure and flexible storage options for your XDC tokens. 3. Comprehensive Custodian Services:   - Partnerships with renowned custodians like Copper, Bitpanda Custody, and Fireblocks provide enhanced security for institutional investors and large-scale holders. 4. Rich Ecosystem of dApps:   - From financial services like Razor, Impel, and TradeFinex to innovative platforms like Origin, ChainIDE, and XDCNFT, our ecosystem is bustling with applications that cater to diverse needs. >>>Join Us in Building the Future With our strong foundation and continuous innovation, XDC Network is primed for further growth. We invite developers, businesses, and innovators to join us in this exciting journey. Together, we can leverage the power of blockchain to create solutions that drive real-world impact. Thank you once again for your incredible support. Here’s to many more years of success and innovation with the XDC Network! XinFin Powering XDC Network XDC Foundation Tenity 🚀 #XDCNetwork #Blockchain #Innovation #5YearsOfXDC #BuildOnXDC

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#OpenAI is blocking access to its services in China, shaking up the #AI scene. Big players like Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent are jumping in, offering free tokens and training to developers. This move could widen the gap between US and Chinese AI, helping the big Chinese models but making it tougher for smaller startups. Chinese tech companies might also start looking more at international markets. 🌐🤖 #AI #Tech #Innovation #China #OpenAI #Baidu #Alibaba #Tencent #ArtificialIntelligence #TechNews https://lnkd.in/g9_gpCvz

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Thrilled to lead the seed round of UpRock, a mobile-first #DePIN that's revolutionizing #AI data acquisition, alongside Draper Dragon Animoca Brands Gydran Studio and over 25+ strategic crypto VCs, Angels and DAOs. UpRocks edge layer, built on of real devices, tackles the critical need for vast real-world data. It's not just about tapping into unused bandwidth; it's about building the tracks for an open #AI future, free from the constraints of closed platforms. The heart of UpRock is the Knowledge Acquisition Layer (KAL). This masterful orchestration of advanced web crawling, intelligent routing, and cutting-edge LLM data extraction techniques delivers raw, uncensored knowledge of the world directly on your fingertips. It's the beating heart of an open #AI tech stack. UpRock is also committed to a fair luanch. The TGE price will be the same as the private VC round, ensuring a level playing field. Meteora vault technology will further ensure the community previals over sniper bots. Finally, post-TGE, UpRock will establish a Meteora Liquidity Pool, allowing $UPT holders to earn additional rewards.

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