AI-led token launches are the new fundraising hack: Leave out VCs & dump on retail??
Kaito AI, a crypto intelligence platform, just turned into a unicorn overnight: They launched a $1B+ token instead of raising a down round at a massive discount — and only “sold” it to those who earned it.
No VCs setting terms. No valuation markdowns. No dilution.
Remarkable: AI decided who got in.
Kaito’s presale wasn’t open to everyone.
Instead, their AI scanned social history, governance participation, onchain behavior, and “value alignment” to determine who deserved allocation.
And they’re not alone.
Memoria, an AI project on Avalanche, did the exact same thing.
Their presale processed 5,000+ applications entirely via AI, rewarding only the most engaged and active participants.
This is a new model:
? AI pre-vets investors, ensuring capital goes to real supporters, not mercenary speculators
? Everything is on-chain, transparent, and verifiable
Your digital reputation and participation dictate access, not just capital.
The implications are massive. Imagine:
1. ????????????????????-?????????? ??????????????: Your onchain identity determines your access to capital
2. ???????????? ?????????????? ???? ????????????????????: want in? Your track record is onchain, and if you dump, your reputation is shot
That's amazing.
But here's the twist:
Projects that raised at 100x revenue in 2021 need more money.
But they can’t go back to VCs without taking a brutal valuation cut.
Solution? Get the money from retail.
The old model:
1. Raise at an insane valuation in 2021
2. Burn through cash
3. Try to raise again, realize you’re worth 1/10th of your last round
The new model:
1. Launch a token, cut out the VCs
2. Keep control, keep the valuation, and keep the upside
3. Use retail as an exit liquidity, if necessary
Next evolution of fundraising or free money extraction at the cost of retail?
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