In somewhat different programming today: @theshikhai and @not_qz yap about crypto to anthropologists (and me)

Early idealism. Then Hyper-speculation. And now? 👇
open.spotify.com/episode/1v8BuL…

Long overdue post about wrapping up my time at @virtuals_vc

Almost exactly a year ago, @theshikhai texted me, "we're confirmed, let's get you onboarded ser" to start working with him and @0xbury at @virtuals_vc

Along with @IntoPurpleMoon @ExcelMaxi @dolylupec, we...
- Evaluated 1,500+ teams.
- Talked to tons of cracked builders.
- Signed checks every 2 weeks.
- Organized events from @EthereumDenver and SF to my homeground in Bangkok.
- Hosted builders on weekly X spaces.

Since last September, locked myself to a library desk to finish writing up my PhD dissertation at @Yale, and... 6 years of research later, will be back to campus to defend it.

Super pumped for what's next at @Virtuals_io with @ethermage and @everythingempty leading the stacked-as-ever team.

Defense next, then off to touch grass.

🧵In this week's exciting highlights, we look at updates from 8 VV projects:

🚀 @KryptosConnect joined as VV's new portfolio company and launches FYNI on Sept 2 via Virtuals Genesis
⚡ @BasisOS unveils first cross-chain basis vault with @virtuals_io
🏈 @BillyBets_ai integrates ets ahead of footballtw season
🧬 @GenpulseAI racks up wins in Medtech & partnerships
🌱 @Solacelaunch ships major technical product upgrades
🧠 @Qurios_ai rolls out “Create Minds” feature
📈 @get_truenorth debuts Spotlight for agentic trading strategies
🤖 @AcolytAI scales with clients & airdrops

Here’s the rundown of each update 👇

The next data frontier isn’t open crawl.
It’s niche models, multimodal data, and robotics.

Tune into this jam full of insights from @castorhat, @dgmonsoon, @nikoCunningham, and @trevorkoverko 🔊📺🤖

also fav line from @castorhat:
"I want a robot that swings through trees like a monkey, thinks like a human, is cheap enough to afford, and never makes a mistake. But don't we all wish for everything?"

Back from a super productive trip to NYC 🗽

Hit @ethereum_NYC + @yzilabs demo day, met solid builders, researchers, and investors

Highlights:
• @VitalikButerin's research roadmap and a roundtable with academics during the Ethereum Research Funding Forum
• The swanky new @base office and hearing their vision for @baseapp & AI
• Great convos w/ builders and projects to explore synergies with the @virtuals_io ecosystem - lots cooking 🔥

I keep thinking about chatbot agents running on GPT-5. you ask, it responds. cute.

but what if that 'talk' needs to lead to a real payment? how do autonomous AI agents actually settle up?

For me, this is where @virtuals_io's ACP concept becomes truly compelling.

It is a grammar' for machines to conduct business. The foundational rules of machine commerce. The interface here is pure language. AI agents speak to each other, not through buttons or menus.

Your personal 'Butler' agent handles the messy parts: discovery, negotiation, coordination.

At its heart, ACP uses two primitives: Jobs and Memos.

A Job is the canonical record of the task: who pays, who works, the budget.
A Memo is the ledger of decisions and evidence, each signed by the agent. This creates a verifiable trail, crucial for accountability.

Every transaction unfolds across four phases: Request, Negotiation, Transaction, Evaluation.

It starts when a Requestor picks a Provider and Evaluator, then escrows funds. This single action sets a coordination engine in motion, much like a real contract lifecycle.

Agents operate through ERC-4337 smart contract wallets. This provides gasless transactions and specific limits.

Crucially, ERC-6551 provides persistent on-chain identity.
An agent's reputation ties directly to its address. This builds a verifiable history for machine participants.

For me, this is what elevates ACP beyond simple agent communication standards.

It weaves payment, identity, and verifiable state directly into the protocol itself.

This system is not just about payments. It establishes the very foundation of trust for an autonomous economy.

h/t @ChappieOnChain

Text was just the beginning for AI models

This week, we’re jamming with guests on the next data frontier - video, audio, and embodied data 📹🎧🦾

feat.
@TrevorKoverko, Co-Founder, @JoinSapien
@Castorhat, Co-Founder, @PrismaXai
@NikoCunningham, Co-Founder, @RumiLabs_io , @Getoro_xyz
and your VV co-hosts @theshikhai and @0xalevator

⏰Thu 9am SGT
👇 Link below

Virtuals Protocol is deepening its commitment to support ecosystem builders and Virgens creating products at the infra layer that power protocol growth.

Whether it’s APIs, point systems, staking contracts, or amplification mechanisms, if you’re advancing the infra layer, support your work.

Start building now.

it’s kinda hot in nyc or maybe it’s just @ethereum_NYC

feat @not_qz in a suit

taco tuesday

Cooking irl in Berkeley 🧑‍🍳

@virtuals_io x @LongHashVC

🧵In this week's exciting highlights, we look at updates from 7 VV projects (with 2 new projects!) :

🏈@AskBillyBets migrates $BILLY from Solana to Base and secures $1M round led by Virtuals Ventures & Coinbase Ventures
🍕@Byte__AI fully live on @baseapp and launching 0.1 BTC givest Robo Con at SBC on Aug 5 with Ethereum Foundation & Stanford Blockchain Builders 🤖
🧬@GenpulseAI kicks off Stanford clinical trial & featured in Authority Magazine
🧠@Qurios_ai launches public beta for memory-sharing app
🛡️@RingfenceAI announces Aug 7 launch to secure Virtuals ACP agents
🌎@AcolytAI ramps up as core tech provider for Virtuals LATAM Agent and Signal is rebranding
🤝And welcome @basisos and @siya_ai_ to the Virtuals Ventures family

Here’s the rundown of each update 👇

see you soon @UCBerkeley, it's been a second 🐻

believe in somETHing
✋🤚

Anyone going to be in SF next week? 🙌

🔊 Calling all Social Scientists and Humanities Researchers on @Ethereum and Crypto

💡 I'm hosting a workshop at @Ethereum_NYC to:
→ Share and workshop in-progress research
→ Curate must-read non-technical works
→ Explore fresh ways to teach crypto

🗽 Come through, tag your open

Lots of familiar faces at @MalaysiaBCW - still building 🇲🇾

Made my pilgrimage to @virtuals_io HQ and ofc #WongMeiKee crispy pork belly (shoutout to @notAppleFarm and @arcthecommunity)

Crypto x AI has been one of this year’s strongest narratives, and it’s not slowing down
ls, AI companions like @grok’s Ani, and real commercial use cases (looking at you @Butler_Agent), the tech just keeps leveling up

Still early 🤖

Can I be a Virtuals Angel too

Came to Malaysia, and @Renz_SOVRUN makes me eat McDonald’s

I guess we still waiting for the real bull

🧵In this week's exciting highlights, we look at updates from 4 VV projects:

📜 @PrismaXai drops its whitepaper with “Proof of Quiz” to earn extra PrismaX points
🌱 @solacelaunch shares momentum from their quiet building phase with major hardware partnerships
✨ @AcolytAI is n
🌎 @fuzzai_agent is powering Núcleo by @odisealabs, bringing agentic learning to crypto-native builders in LatAm

Here’s the rundown of each update 👇