👀 What All Successful DeFi Projects Have in Common

PLUS: The more value locked in DeFi, the more $ETH’s market cap grows

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In today's newsletter:

• 💡 What All Successful DeFi Projects Have in Common

• 📣 Phantom acquired Solana memecoin trading platform Solsniper

• 📈 The more value locked in DeFi + stablecoins, the more $ETH’s market cap grows

Let’s dive in!

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💡 Insight

What All Successful DeFi Projects Have in Common

Most DeFi investors are flying blind — aping into hype, memes, and influencers without a real framework.

But the truth is: almost every successful DeFi project shares 5 common traits.

Let’s break them down.

The DeFi Quality Checklist:

1. Real Utility > Vibes

   • Winners solve a pain point.
     E.g. Lido makes staking simple.

   • Ask: Would anyone use this product if the token didn’t exist?

2. Early Believers Get Rewarded

   • Look for protocols that made their OGs rich.
     That’s not luck — it’s smart token distribution + timing.

   • Projects like AAVE, SNX, and GMX airdropped or launched fairly, creating loyal holders.

3. Team Active on Crypto Twitter

   • You want founders who ship in public.
     Are they tweeting updates? Engaging with the community?
     Anonymous is fine — absent is not.

4. No Predatory Tokenomics

   • Stay away from:

     • Insane FDVs at launch

     • VC unlock cliffs that nuke price

     • 90% of supply in team/treasury

   • Instead, look for:

     • Low float → gradual emissions → real demand

5. Revenue is the Goal (Not Just TVL)

   • TVL is vanity. Revenue is reality.

   • Protocols that actually earn (like GMX, Pendle, and Ethena) have real staying power.

   • Track fees, buybacks, and token burns. Not just hype.

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📣 Update

Phantom acquired Solana memecoin trading platform Solsniper

Phantom said Monday it had acquired AI Solana memecoin trading platform Solsniper.

"We've acquired Solsniper, one of the fastest, most advanced trading platforms on Solana," Phantom posted to X. "Built for precision and speed, Solsniper helps traders monitor tokens, track wallets, and react instantly."

Read more →

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📈 Signal

The more value locked in DeFi + stablecoins, the more $ETH’s market cap grows

Source

Bitcoin lacks a native DeFi ecosystem.

Ethereum does (and it's thriving).

And historically, the more value locked in DeFi + stablecoins... The more $ETH’s market cap grows.

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