When Even the HODLers Start to Dislike VC-Backed Projects: How to Break the Deadlock

By: blockbeats|2025/04/15 13:15:01
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Original Author: haotian, Crypto Researcher

In the past few days, some new coins in the secondary market collectively experienced a pullback, seemingly reflecting the market's reaction to the current cycle of "Narrative first, Fundraising second, TGE later," a path of VC industrialized coin minting. It is worth pondering why retail investors are more willing to participate in high-risk P2P conspiracy coins on-chain but are reluctant to engage with VC-endorsed new coins. Here are my thoughts:

1) First and foremost, we must admit that the previous VC-led industry innovation-driven model has evolved into a "Funding, Coin Launch, Release" industrialized assembly line. For some time, the gorgeous whitepaper narrative + a top-tier luxurious investment lineup + seemingly glamorous large fundraising numbers + celebrity-level hype have become lethal liquidity harvesting tools that have severely eroded market trust.

While it is unfair to generalize, when a pile of projects that rarely fulfill their promises and have no wealth effect are pushed into the market, the market now irrationally equates VC projects with scams;

2) The main fatal flaw of VC coins lies in their pricing mechanism. After the project completes multiple rounds of fundraising, the valuation at TGE has already been inflated layer by layer, leading to two inevitable outcomes: first, retail buyers enter at a high cost; second, early investors have a strong selling incentive. This undoubtedly sets up a "death trap" for new coins. Following this logic, some projects are more likely to experience a downward trend post-TGE, which will in turn drag the market sentiment into a bearish direction, forming a vicious cycle.

In comparison, although community coins starting from zero on-chain with low market cap entail significant unknown risks, many retail investors are still reluctant to touch VC coins with high downward expectations and certainties;

3) A market environment facing liquidity depletion will inflict a more fatal blow to VC coins. Imagine this: when all participants know that front-running sell-offs post-TGE is the optimal strategy and shorting is the rational choice, all VC coins upon listing will face significant market sell-off challenges. In a scenario of overall market liquidity depletion, VC coins will likely become sacrificial objects.

This is akin to a "Prisoner's Dilemma" where generous airdrops from the project team will face selling pressure, and hoarding without releasing will face public criticism, ultimately leading to one conclusion: a lack of sufficient buying support;

4) It is clear to everyone that the trust crisis of VC coins needs to be addressed. How can this be resolved? The core issue lies in how to reconstruct the equilibrium of interests among project teams, VCs, and the community, for example:

1. Starting with a Low Valuation to Leave Room for Upside: The project team and VCs should accept a lower initial valuation, allowing the Token Generation Event (TGE) to be the true starting point of the project's value rather than the peak, providing the market with sufficient growth expectations. (Recently, many fundraisings were still substantial, indicating that the issue is far from being resolved.)

2. Decentralizing Some Aspects to Reduce VC Dominance: Introducing community participation in certain specific aspects through DAO governance, IDOs, fair distribution, and other means to decrease VC dominance in token allocation and increase community influence;

3. Differentiated Incentive Mechanisms: Additional incentives for long-term holders should be designed to truly reward participants and builders of the project ecosystem with value, rather than short-term speculators. This requires further enhancement and transformation of airdrop mechanisms;

4. Transparent Operations: Project teams should pick up the initial transparent accountability mechanism for regularly disclosing development progress and fund utilization, rather than solely engaging in one-sided market promotion before and after the TGE;

Above.

In fact, in the process of the maturation of the Crypto industry, VCs have made remarkable contributions. Discussing the changing colors of VC coins does not necessarily mean complete de-VC-ization. The industry cannot withstand another disaster if conspiracy groups run rampant behind an industry without VCs.

Currently, the fundraising ecosystem in the Crypto market still needs restructuring. VCs should transition from being passive "arbitrage intermediaries" to active "value enablers." Fundamentally, the dilemma of current VC coins can only reflect the market's excessive insularity. It is also a sign of the increasing maturity of the Crypto market, placing greater demands on ordinary investors on how to identify high-quality projects and make rational investments.

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Ika addresses key bottlenecks of existing MPC networks and delivers unparalleled performance through innovative 2PC-MPC encryption scheme and Sui's Mysticeti consensus protocol:


1. Record Throughput: Ika's transaction processing capability is up to 10,000 times higher than current MPC networks, supporting unprecedented transaction volumes.


2. Ultra-Low Latency: While traditional network signatures may experience delays of 30 seconds or more, Ika can generate signatures in sub-seconds, supporting cross-chain real-time applications.


3. Tremendous Scalability: Ika breaks the conventional limit of 4-8 nodes, and the 2PC-MPC can scale to hundreds or even thousands of signers, enhancing decentralization without sacrificing performance.


4. Zero-Trust Security: Ika's architecture ensures that even in the most extreme scenarios, user assets remain secure, setting a new standard for decentralized security.


Ika Use Cases: Catalyst for Web3 Transformation


Ika's ultra-fast MPC network supports various applications on the Sui blockchain, and several Sui developers have utilized Ika to build tech, including:


· DeFi Interoperability: Ika's sub-second speed and scalability enable instant secure operations within the Web3 ecosystem, bringing liquidity from chains like Bitcoin and Ethereum into Sui. Sui developers Full Sail and Rhei have announced upcoming tech launches based on Ika.


· Decentralized Custody: Ika provides a secure, decentralized custody solution for digital assets on Sui, delivering unparalleled security for both institutional and individual users. Sui developers Aeon and Human Tech have announced the integration of Ika into their technology.


· Chain Abstraction: Ika helps Sui developers abstract away multi-chain complexity for users, combining with Sui's zkLogin feature to deliver a seamless user experience. Sui developers Covault and Lucky Kat have announced the integration of Ika into their technology.


· Programmable Bitcoin: Ika unlocks new possibilities for native BTC on Sui, enabling programmable and secure DeFi and custody. Sui developers Native and Nativerse have announced the upcoming launch of Ika-based technology.


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Industry Leader Support, Community Enthusiasm


The strategic investment in Ika by the Sui Foundation underscores Sui's commitment to driving cutting-edge technology for high performance and decentralization. This amplifies the technical synergy within the Sui ecosystem, propelling Sui and Ika to the forefront of the Web3 revolution, jointly advancing the future of secure, scalable, decentralized infrastructure.


Ika has raised over $21 million in funding, with a peak private valuation of $6 billion FDV, backed by support from Sui Foundation, DCG, Big Brain Holdings, Blockchange, Node Capital, Amplify Partners, Liquid2 Ventures, FalconX, Tykhe Block Ventures, Lightshift, Token Bay Capital, Collider, Zero Knowledge Ventures, NoLimit Holdings, Rubik Ventures, Dispersion Capital, Insignius Capital, Impatient Ventures, Cerulean Ventures, Earl Grey Capital, HDI Ventures, Flowdesk, TPC Ventures, Purechain Capital, Solr DAO, Heroic Ventures, Naval Ravikant, NotVCs, G-20 Group, Artifact Capital, DSRV, Encapsulate, and many other key players in the Web3 space.


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About Ika


Ika is the world's fastest parallel MPC network, offering sub-second latency, unprecedented scale and decentralization, and zero-trust security. As the preferred choice for interoperability, decentralized custody, and chain abstraction, Ika will fundamentally transform digital asset security and multi-chain DeFi.


About Sui


Sui is the first Layer 1 blockchain and smart contract platform designed from the ground up to provide fast, private, secure, and inclusive digital assets. Built on the Move programming language, its object-centric model supports parallel execution, sub-second finality, and rich on-chain assets. Through horizontally scalable processing and storage capacity, Sui supports widespread applications at low cost with unparalleled speed. Sui represents a significant advancement in blockchain technology, offering creators and developers a platform to build exceptional user experiences.


Contact:

Ika PR

pr@ika.xyz (mailto:pr@ika.xyz)


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