DeFiance CEO: Crypto Venture Capital Model is Dead, Future Will Only Invest in Cash-Flow Businesses

On February 13, per data from GMGN, Base ecosystem meme coin AntiHunter’s market cap briefly topped $12.6 million, hitting a new all-time high. Its 24-hour trading volume reached $4.6 million, with a 60% gain over the past 6 hours. BlockBeats notes that meme coin trading is extremely volatile, heavily reliant on market sentiment and meme hype, and lacks actual value or practical use cases. Investors are advised to be mindful of these risks.

On February 13, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) said in a post that in response to recent reports about a French employee, the individual and their family are currently safe and actively cooperating with French law enforcement in the investigation. He disclosed that three people involved in the case have been arrested by police, and the case remains under further investigation. He also thanked the Brigade de Répression du Banditisme (BRB) for their quick, professional handling of the incident and reminded the community to stay vigilant, verify information through reliable sources, and be wary of suspicious communications. Earlier, French media outlet RTL reported that Binance’s France CEO was the victim of an attempted robbery on February 12. Around 7 a.m. that day, three masked individuals armed with weapons broke into an apartment building in France’s Val-de-Marne department, attempting to locate the residence of the company’s French leader. The suspects first forced their way

On February 13, Telegram founder Pavel Durov noted that the platform offers a "free and powerful" Bot API for chatbot and Mini App developers. New features—including colored buttons and custom emojis—are being added regularly, and updates can be tracked on the official Bot API page.

On February 13, market sources report that the Trump administration is preparing to nominate a Federal Reserve Chair in Washington. (FXStreet)

February 13th As the crypto bear market trend solidifies, market sentiment remains subdued. Pessimism has spread from the secondary market to the more seasoned primary market investment community—and even into the VC space. Last week, Multicoin co-founder Kyle Samani announced he is stepping down from Multicoin Capital. Today, DeFiance CEO Arthur voiced pessimism, stating the crypto venture capital model is dead. He added the firm will only invest in purely cash-flow-positive businesses going forward. Meanwhile, Moonrock Capital founder Simon Dedic noted he’s spoken with at least five top VCs and industry insiders this week. These contacts either doubt the market will fully recover, or have already exited crypto and shifted their focus to AI and Web2 stocks.

Bloomberg reported on February 13, 2024, that AI industry leaders including Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, and Greg Brockman have donated $50 million to a super PAC named "Leading the Future." The group is backing candidates in November’s congressional elections who push for lighter regulation of artificial intelligence.

The report notes the move draws cues from the crypto industry’s political playbook during the 2024 election cycle.