The term AI has become extremely popular, and even the crypto market has not been spared. Just as everyone was eagerly awaiting a new emerging AI project to create waves in the crypto world, what unfolded was a 'token rush drama' where two tokens named Eliza surged ahead, capturing market attention and leaving traders feeling dizzy.
Plans can't keep up with changes?
It all started with ai16z, a name that sounds a bit familiar, right? Yes, it’s that big project that mocks Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). Suddenly, ai16z appeared out of nowhere, bringing a new Eliza token, ready to conquer the AI field. However, unexpectedly, the market first witnessed a 'premature release' spectacle. Just as ai16z was brewing its plans, another wave of fans suddenly launched a token named Eliza.

In the field of cryptocurrency and blockchain, when A16z is mentioned, many people give a thumbs up. As a top venture capital firm in Silicon Valley, A16z has not only been deeply involved in traditional tech investments for many years but has also turned its attention to the rapidly rising Web3 sector in recent years, establishing a dedicated crypto investment division: A16z Crypto. Since its founding in 2013, this fund has quickly become an innovative driving force in blockchain technology with its forward-thinking investment vision and bold strategic decisions.
1. Starting with the investment in Coinbase, how A16z Crypto reached the peak of crypto investment
A16z's journey into crypto investments began in 2013. At that time, A16z decided to invest in the then-nascent crypto exchange Coinbase, and they put in $25 million for their initial investment. Who would have thought that this investment not only brought A16z over $7 billion in returns but also established its reputation in the crypto investment field! Through this investment, A16z Crypto not only gained wealth appreciation but also became one of the prophets of the blockchain era.

When talking about AI, people's first reaction is often 'robots' or 'intelligent assistants,' but recently, the emergence of Virtual Protocol has made me rethink the boundaries of AI. These are no longer rigid 'assistants'; they can not only converse with you but also pick up weapons in games, release songs on TikTok, and even complete transactions using their own wallets - yes, you heard it right, they can operate on the blockchain themselves. In simple terms, VIRTUAL is making these AI agents behave like independent virtual entities, breaking traditional frameworks and entering every aspect of our lives.

In today's age of information explosion, the speed of knowledge dissemination should be rapid, but in reality, the results of academic research are often blocked by layers of 'paywalls'. Research should serve the progress of all humanity, but this 'closed' academic model prevents many important studies from reaching a wide audience, especially as early-career researchers' innovations often get drowned in complex papers and data. ResearchCoin (RSC) and ResearchHub aim to break these limitations, leveraging blockchain technology to make science more transparent, collaborative, and efficient.

Curve, a decentralized exchange (DEX), brings a new paradigm of liquidity management to the DeFi world. Unlike most DeFi projects that chase highly volatile tokens, Curve's design focuses on stablecoins and low-slippage trading, becoming one of the infrastructures for efficient on-chain fund flow.

Starting Point: Creating a Trading Paradise for Stablecoins
Curve's founder, Michael Egorov, is a computer scientist and cryptography expert who launched this protocol in 2020 with the goal of traditional financial efficiency in mind. He saw the enormous potential in the stablecoin trading market, especially as user demand for stablecoin trading grows in the context of ensuring low slippage. A key breakthrough for Curve is its 'Constant Function Market Maker' (CFMM) model, which optimizes the liquidity utilization of its pools.

In the field of cryptocurrency, each token has its unique story, and behind $XLM is a grand dream of financial inclusivity. This token was born from the Stellar network, a project dedicated to breaking down traditional financial barriers and achieving global payment connectivity.

Starting point: The turn from Ripple to Stellar
$XLM is backed by Jed McCaleb, the creator of the Stellar network, a legendary figure in the crypto space. Jed was a co-founder of Ripple, but in 2014, due to disagreements over the direction of development, he chose to leave Ripple and create Stellar.

In the blockchain field, many projects have attracted attention with their unique technological innovations, and Hedera Hashgraph and its token $HBAR have become leaders with their refreshing positioning. It not only challenges the efficiency issues of traditional blockchains but also attempts to redefine distributed networks. Let's explore the story behind HBAR and Hedera together.

The starting point: The birth of Hashgraph technology
Hedera's core technology—Hashgraph—is not an ordinary blockchain, but a brand new distributed ledger technology. It was invented by Dr. Leemon Baird, a computer scientist and mathematician. When Baird proposed Hashgraph in 2016, his goal was to solve the performance bottlenecks of traditional blockchain, particularly in speed, energy consumption, and security. The block-by-block transaction packaging of traditional blockchain is time-consuming and resource-intensive, while Hashgraph uses a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) structure, rapidly synchronizing network states through a 'Gossip about Gossip' method.

1. Teenage Idealism: An Adventure in the Classroom
You were born in an ordinary family in China. You grew up listening to the saying "knowledge changes your destiny", but you always felt that this saying was not exciting enough. So, in high school, you often pondered some "big questions", such as: "Will the Internet be freer in the future? Will it be fairer?"

When you went to Peking University to study history, you became even more restless. During a class discussion, you boldly proposed: "The future Internet will be decentralized." Your classmates looked at you sideways, and the teacher raised his eyebrows: "Decentralized? You really dare to think of it." And you laughed to yourself: These ideas will one day be discussed by the whole world.

I don't know how many friends have received the recent dividends of $XPR, and how many people have FOMOed, but it's okay, let's take a moment to review the story behind $XPR today.

When it comes to XPR (Proton), many people's first impression might be that it is a 'low-key' blockchain project. However, the story behind it is a disruptive attempt at financial technology and the team's persistent pursuit of a decentralized payment ecosystem.

Everything started with a bold vision.
Proton's founding can be traced back to 2019, created jointly by the blockchain companies Metal and Lynx. Its original intention was to solve the pain points of current blockchain technology in payment scenarios: cumbersome operations, complex address systems, and high transfer fees. Founder Marshall Hayner is a firm believer in blockchain, and he emphasized from the very beginning: 'We are not just building a chain, but redefining 'payment as experience.'

Uniswap, a DEX born in 2018, has become one of the representative works in the DeFi field. It not only redefined trading methods but also, through its token UNI, endowed the true meaning of community governance. Behind Uniswap lies not just a combination of code and technology, but an exciting story of idealism and reality coming together.

Starting point: A developer's crazy inspiration
Hayden Adams, the founder of Uniswap, a former mechanical engineer, accidentally came across Ethereum during the cryptocurrency market boom in 2017. At that time, he had just been laid off from his job but found inspiration in a blog post by Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin: an automated market-making mechanism (AMM) based on a constant product formula.

1. New to Canada: The Ambitious Teen in McDonald's Kitchen
Close your eyes and imagine yourself at 16. You just immigrated to Canada, starting from scratch. The language here is unfamiliar, the culture vastly different, and life is full of challenges. To help with household expenses, you fry fries at McDonald's and work night shifts at a gas station. In the quiet of the night, exhausted, you look up at the sky and silently ask, 'Is this my life?'

Every morning when you wake up, you silently remind yourself: 'No, I want much more than this.' That desire to change your fate is like a flame buried deep in your heart, although weak, it has never been extinguished.