Here are our predictions and outlook for 2025 at Foundership! If you are building a Web3 project, we would look to fund and accelerate it in 2025!
2025 by Pranav
1. USA will announce Bitcoin as a strategic reserve asset
2. AI Agents will be the flavour of Q1 2025 & both AI infra agents plus AI agent launched meme tokens will have massive mindshare
3. Altseason is going to be gradual & tough. I don’t expect a 2021 like mad pump on TGE. Projects will have to deliver value
4. AI agent launches or meme launches will be the norm for all projects. Every large web3 project will launch an AI agent token or a meme token to engage & incentivize their community
5. Defi on BTC & L2 on BTC will not take off till much later in the cycle. Partly due to the tech still being untested & partly because they haven’t garnered enough attention outside of their ecosystem
6. Sol is going to gun for ETH market cap and Sui will be the new SOL.
7. Hyperliquid will become the DEX of choice for everyone in the world. This is one of the biggest value unlocks this cycle that could go to a $100 bn FDMC
8. Crypto regulations will weigh down on a lot of old Dapps, especially in DeFI. Regulators in EU, USA, UK, UAE, Singapore, Hong Kong, India and other G20 nations will bring a lot more clarity which will mean projects will revisit how they conduct business in each of these geographies
9. Corporates will continue to buy Bitcoin. This is perhaps the biggest change in bitcoin’s journey all thanks to the likes of Saylor & others following their path
10. NFTs as usual will see an upsurge towards the peak of the cycle with a lag in its peak (very similar to 2021-2022), I highly recommend everyone staying away from them.
Follow Pranav to hear his insights and engage in conversations on X and LinkedIn.
2025 by Bimlesh
- The Rise of Real-World Assets (RWAs) – Tokenization of real-world assets like real estate, commodities, and compute infrastructure will gain mainstream adoption, with institutional players entering the space.
- Regulatory Clarity Will Drive Institutional Adoption – More jurisdictions will introduce clearer regulations for crypto, leading to an influx of institutional capital into compliant projects, especially in stablecoins, RWAs, and DeFi.
- Web3 Gaming’s Breakout Year – Blockchain gaming will see a new wave of successful games seamlessly integrating on-chain mechanics while prioritizing gameplay, attracting millions of new users.
- AI x Crypto Convergence – AI-driven crypto projects, from decentralized AI networks to on-chain AI agents, will emerge as a key trend, revolutionizing trading, security, and decentralized governance.
- Decentralized Physical Infrastructure (DePIN) Growth – DePIN projects focused on computing, storage, and telecom (like Helium & Render) will increase adoption as decentralized models challenge traditional infrastructure providers.
- Stablecoins and Cross-Border Payments Surge – The use of stablecoins in global remittances and cross-border settlements will expand, with traditional finance integrating stablecoins into payment rails.
- Crypto Social Networks Take Off – Decentralized social media (DeSo) and creator economy platforms will gain traction, shifting power away from centralized platforms and giving users more control over content and monetization.
These trends will define the crypto industry's direction in 2025, creating new opportunities for builders, investors, and adopters. 🚀
Follow Bimlesh to hear his insights and engage in conversations on X, LinkedIn and YouTube.
2025 by Santosh
SocialFi: Breakout projects - Account abstraction and seamless onboarding will unlock mainstream adoption. The AI vs. real-user narrative will push onchain reputation systems, and with stablecoin proliferation, there will be 3 to 5 breakout SocialFi startups capturing significant market share.
Web2 → Web3: Online & Onchain - Mass adoption hinges on invisible blockchain integration. Traditional tech companies will leverage Web3 rails for stored value and payments, with SaaS platforms leading the charge as payment is still a hurdle for millions of users worldwide to use a SaaS tool. Stablecoins will become the bridge between Web2 and Web3 economies.
DePIN: Infrastructure at Scale - Several breakout startups have already emerged in the DePIN space, but DePIN has the potential to go mainstream as founders find local resources & infrastructure in their country /region to leverage near-shore networks before going global DePINs.
AI-first Web3 - AI-first is going to be the norm across all tech-first businesses in the coming few years. Considering Web3 is complex enough for users, AI-first Web3 products will become the way forward from 2025 onwards. Offer personalized Web3 experiences at scale with AI.
Vertical-Specific Stablecoins - We will witness Industry-tailored stablecoins solving real pain points in cross-border transactions and settlements. Stablecoins (with Trustless systems built-in) will drive operational efficiency across supply chains, real estate, and enterprise. Regulatory clarity will accelerate adoption.
Brand Token & Loyalty - Brand tokens become ubiquitous as D2C & Consumer product companies embrace web3. Network effects and interoperability create new loyalty paradigms. Token economics will reshape customer engagement and retention strategies.
Gaming - Gaming will continue to make big comebacks but not the play-to-earn ones! Real good gaming projects that leverage Web3 and create valuable experiences for players and the ecosystem.
Bitcoin DeFi Emergence - BTC moves beyond store-of-value. L2 solutions and stablecoin integration unlock DeFi functionality. The largest crypto asset by market cap enters its next evolution phase.
Web3 Policy Momentum - The post-US-election regulatory landscape will drive coordinated industry action. Strategic lobbying efforts will shape multi-stakeholder coalitions and advance mainstream crypto adoption.
Digital Asset Markets Mature - Most countries will open their country-specific regulations /sandboxes to experiment Digital Asset Tokenization.
Follow Santosh to hear his insights and engage in conversations on X and LinkedIn.
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At Foundership, we had a good year 2024!
2024 - a year that went by
- The year started off with the great potential for crypto markets to recover from their ATL of 15k on November 22 and reach a new all-time high of ~$73K by March 2024
- Tough times for our startups during 2023 and with early signs of recovery, several managed to secure grants and small fundraising cheques
- It was a year of rebuilding based on market conditions and launching new programs that created a more solid impact on the ecosystem
- We created the 1st "Get Token Launch Ready" program in partnership with the XDC network to target startups who had the potential to launch their token as the markets recovered
- Our experience from our LaunchCamp programs during the bear markets enabled us to build partnerships with the ecosystem and a playbook that would enable web3 startups to get token launch-ready
- This success positioned us uniquely in the market that now supports growth-stage startups as well
- Our ability to pause, reflect, and adapt was critical during this period
- We had trimmed our team size and moved to a new office space at the beginning of the year and
- US Presidential elections brought new energy and vigor to 2025 for all of us looking at Web3 and Crypto
- New partner ICP signing up for the Get Token launch-ready cohort was able to replicate success with 1 chain to the other
- Bear markets are temporary, but resilient founders continue to build and deliver value
- We saw a boom in Meme token launches spurring the Solana Ecosystem
- Our portfolio of Top 10 startups’ valuation moved up to $332 mn
If you are building a Web3 project, we would look to fund and accelerate it in 2025!
Find more on www.foundershiphq.com
