Good morning, it’s Friday, August 8, 2025. I’m back with a full show, and we’ve got a lot to cover today. First, I want to shout out our collaboration with BlockWorks — check it out in the show notes. We did a newsletter exchange with them on our Substack and their platform. If you dig it, hit subscribe on both.
Let’s jump in.
📈 VC Crypto Investments Expected to Hit $25B in 2025
📜 Trump’s Executive Order on Crypto 401(k)s Sparks Industry Reaction
⚡ Bitcoin’s Energy Value Metric Suggests Fair Price of $167K
🔗 Chainlink Whale Activity Spikes as LINK Reserves Rise
💥 Ethereum Transaction Volumes Hit Yearly High Amid SEC Staking Drama
🎩 Dogwifhat’s Knitted Hat Sells for $800K to Meme Coin Launchpad Founder
VC Pours $25 Billion Into Crypto Startups
Venture capital investment into crypto startups is projected to hit $25 billion by the end of 2025 — nearly doubling the $13 billion already committed this year. Why? Because the market’s heating up again.
The surge is fueled by:
Circle’s successful IPO
Stripe acquiring Privy
Bullish market sentiment
Institutional money returning
And most importantly: regulatory clarity, thanks to the GENIUS Act signed in July.
Twelve startups raised $121 million in a single week, pushing year-to-date fundraising 40% higher than all of 2024. Still, macro factors like Trump’s new tariffs and slowing job growth are adding some drag to this momentum.
But here’s the thing: ROI trumps uncertainty. If investors see returns, the capital keeps flowing. Simple as that.
Trump Opens the 401k Floodgates?
President Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. Labor Department to re-evaluate restrictions on crypto and alternative assets in 401(k) and defined-contribution retirement plans.
That’s $43.4 trillion in retirement assets in the U.S., with $8.7 trillion in 401(k)s alone. Even a tiny sliver of that flowing into crypto could be massive.
Bitwise CEO Matt Hougan says this could bring steady, long-term demand, reduce volatility, and boost returns. Naturally, Peter Schiff chimed in to say it’s dangerous and reckless. Shocking.
My take? Let the pros manage it responsibly. You want 0.5% in crypto? Great. You want 50%? Then maybe you shouldn’t be managing retirement plans. This is all about allocation discipline, not banning risk.
Bitcoin’s “Fair” Price: $167,800?
A new energy value metric suggests Bitcoin’s current price is way undervalued. According to it, BTC should be worth $167,800 — about 45% higher than where it’s trading now.
It’s based on network energy inputs, cost of energy, and supply growth. The hashrate is at a record 1.03 zettahashes/sec, supporting this valuation.
It’s not a price target — it’s a floor model based on mining fundamentals. But it tells me we’re in a strong position structurally.
I’ll be putting out a poll on Substack and Spotify. Let me know what you think Bitcoin’s price will be at year-end.
Chainlink: Quietly Heating Up
Chainlink just launched a LINK reserve — and raised $1 million in one day. This reserve removes tokens from circulation and isn’t for selling, potentially creating a supply shock.
Meanwhile, whales holding 100K to 1M LINK jumped 4.2% in August.
Even more interesting? Chainlink just launched real-time equity and ETF data streams for tokenized real-world assets. This could make them the Oracle layer for everything RWA-related.
You heard me say it here first: if they split the company into a blockchain entity and a TradFi-facing company, they could IPO. And if they do, it could be massive. Just watch.
Ethereum Hits 1-Year High in Activity
Ethereum’s on-chain activity is surging. 36M ETH is now staked — nearly 30% of all supply — likely driven by the SEC’s guidance on liquid staking.
People are choosing yield over liquidity, and it’s showing. Big-time bullish signal.
Dogwifhat Sells for $800K? Laundering or LARP?
You’re not going to believe this: the knitted pink hat made famous by Dogwifhat just sold for $800,000 in a Bitcoin Ordinals auction.
The buyer? A guy named Finn, founder of meme coin launchpad Bags. He claims the hat will “go back to the community.” The purchase was funded via a meme token called “Buy the Hat.”
This smells like money laundering or an insider stunt to me. A dumb hat for $800K? Come on. Something fishy is going on behind the scenes.
Sheets Now Takes Crypto (and Gives 50% Off)
If you're in the Midwest, you know Sheets — like Wawa or Bucky’s. They just partnered with Flexa and are giving 50% off in-store purchases from 3-7pm if you pay with crypto.
No gas, alcohol, or gift cards — but still a huge move for adoption. Expect others to follow if this works.
Market Recap – August 8, 2025 @ 9:24am EST
Fear & Greed Index: 59 (Neutral)
Bitcoin: $116,761 (+0.4%)
Ethereum: $3,912 (+2.0%)
XRP: $3.32 (+8.2%) – Big jump!
BNB: $782 (+1.5%)
Solana: $176 (+2.5%)
Dogecoin: $0.223 (+4.0%)
Cardano: $0.789 (+3.0%)
Chainlink: $19.39 (+9.0%) — Up from the ashes?
Total Market Cap: $3.87T (+1.0%)
BTC share: $2.32T
ETH share: $472.1B
My Take
The markets are grinding higher, but I think people underestimate how much money it takes to move these things now. Bitcoin’s market cap is $2.3 trillion. To move the price 10%, you need a quarter trillion dollars to flood in.
Even if Binance is moving $25B/month in BTC, it’s a drop in the bucket. Price action isn’t going to be like the old days. So, when you hear someone predicting $250K Bitcoin this year, ask: where’s the $2.5T going to come from? And is that sustainable?
That’s all for today. Hit the poll, share your price prediction, and let me know what you think about this hat madness. Until next time...
Happy HODLing, everyone.
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