News Heat Trend
Project Overview
SwapBlast is building a comprehensive decentralized trading platform in theBlast ecosystem. SwapBlast offers automated liquidity that help users swap different tokens.
Kalshi Crypto Business Lead: The "Top-Tier VC" Narrative Around SBF Is Inaccurate; The Real Mastermind Is "AI Stock God" Leopold
John Wang, Head of Crypto Business at prediction market platform Kalshi, stated on X that it is widely believed Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) was a "top-tier venture capitalist" who successfully invested in star projects like Anthropic and Cursor. However, Wang argued this narrative is inaccurate. The real "core figure" driving these investment strategies and early resource allocation was actually "AI stock guru" Leopold Aschenbrenner, not SBF himself.Analysis suggests that this remark has sparked discussion within the crypto and venture capital circles, once again bringing the attribution of SBF's influence on early-stage investments in Silicon Valley and the crypto industry into the spotlight. It is reported that the AI fund Situational Awareness, founded by former OpenAI researcher Leopold Aschenbrenner, has grown to over $20 billion in scale, with quantitative giant Jane Street making a rare capital injection. Situational Awareness has achieved a year-to-date return rate of 270% and cumulative returns exceeding 1,000% since its inception. Equity bets on Anthropic have contributed the most successful returns, accounting for one-fifth of its assets. Beyond public markets, Situational Awareness also co-led an investment round in AI chip company MatX with Jane Street and participated in the latest funding round of AI cloud computing provider Fluidstack.
Forbes: SBF’s venture capital prowess is being reassessed—if he hadn’t been imprisoned, he might have commanded a $100 billion fortune
According to Forbes, SBF’s early investment portfolio is undergoing renewed market scrutiny; had he not been imprisoned due to the FTX collapse, his venture capital returns could theoretically have generated wealth growth reaching approximately $100 billion. Prior to FTX’s collapse, SBF had built an investment portfolio spanning several high-profile companies—including Anthropic, SpaceX, Robinhood, and Cursor—with Cursor valued at $60 billion and Anthropic nearing a $90 billion valuation. Rory O’Driscoll, Partner at Scale Venture Partners, noted that SBF had backed multiple pivotal AI companies even before the ChatGPT era, demonstrating an exceptionally rare investment acumen.
SBF invested $200,000 early in Cursor; if he had not sold his equity, it would now be worth approximately $3 billion.
SpaceX announced today that it has reached a cooperation agreement with AI-powered programming startup Cursor, which has granted SpaceX the right to acquire Cursor later this year for $6 billion—or pay $1 billion to advance their collaboration. According to reports, Cursor’s developer, Anysphere, closed a $400,000 pre-seed funding round in April 2022, co-led by Alameda Research and Heroic Ventures. Alameda invested $200,000 in Anysphere, acquiring approximately 5% equity; this stake was sold at its original price during FTX’s bankruptcy liquidation. Had it not been sold, the stake would now be worth roughly $3 billion.
Related news
U.S. Bipartisan Lawmakers Jointly Propose Resolution: Prohibit Any Presidential Pardon or Sentence Reduction for SBF
: U.S. Senators Rubén Gallego (Democrat, Arizona) and Cynthia Lummis (Republican, Wyoming) have jointly introduced a bipartisan resolution urging Congress to formally oppose FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried receiving a presidential pardon, commutation, or any other form of federal clemency under any circumstances. The two lawmakers stated that SBF has completed his trial proceedings in court and should not seek further leniency. Gallego described him as showing "no remorse," while Lummis said he should bear the established consequences rather than "chasing a pardon he hasn't received."SBF was convicted by a jury in 2023 on seven counts of fraud and conspiracy related to the FTX collapse. In 2024, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison and ordered to forfeit approximately $11 billion in assets. Customer losses exceeded $8 billion, making the case one of the largest financial frauds in U.S. history.The resolution also responds to SBF's recent filing of a clemency application with the U.S. Department of Justice. Although former President Trump has previously stated he has no intention of granting a pardon, some lawmakers remain concerned about political uncertainty surrounding the process. Currently, prediction markets estimate the probability of SBF receiving a pardon remains in the low single digits. (Decrypt)
SBF’s Prison Life Exposed: Insists on Innocence, Vows to Launch New Token After Release
According to New York Magazine, FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) is currently incarcerated at the federal prison in Lompoc, California, serving a 25-year sentence for fraud and conspiracy. It is reported that SBF speaks with journalists one to two times per week, cooperates fully, consistently maintains his innocence, and continues to advocate for himself in his case. While in prison, he continues taking medication for depression and ADHD, adheres to a vegetarian diet, refuses to eat meals served in the prison cafeteria, and instead prepares his own food using ingredients purchased from the prison commissary. The article notes that SBF describes himself as suffering from “anhedonia”—a condition characterized by an inability to experience pleasure—yet still maintains his characteristic upbeat demeanor when communicating with the outside world. Notably, when fellow inmate David Bunevacz asked about his plans after release, SBF stated that earning substantial money would require an initial capital of $50 million to $100 million to build a real business—and publicly declared he intends to launch his own new cryptocurrency upon release (“start my own coin”).
Galaxy Research Head: CZ Interview to Be Released This Week, Will Discuss Views on Hyperliquid
: Galaxy's research head posted on X platform, stating that CZ founded the largest crypto exchange Binance and once refused to provide bailout to SBF. Bloomberg reported that with a fortune of $85 billion, he ranks 26th among the world's billionaires and is the wealthiest person who has either entered or not entered U.S. federal prison; he was later pardoned. The CZ interview will be released this week, including his views on Hyperliquid.
U.S. Federal Appeals Court Upholds SBF's Fraud Conviction
a U.S. federal appeals court on Friday upheld the fraud conviction against former cryptocurrency mogul SBF, handed down in 2023. This ruling came just days after Sam Bankman-Fried filed a request for a presidential pardon.A panel of judges from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan rejected the defense's argument that the platform was over-collateralized and that all customers had been fully compensated. Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison for conspiracy and fraud charges. Although he hoped to receive a presidential pardon after serving his sentence, the U.S. President stated in January that there were no plans to pardon the FTX founder. (justthenews)
SBF’s appeal to overturn fraud conviction and 25-year sentence rejected
According to Reuters, Sam Bankman-Fried, former CEO of FTX, has had his appeal to overturn his conviction for fraud and 25-year prison sentence rejected. This outcome means his prior fraud conviction and sentence remain unchanged.
Kalshi Crypto Business Lead: The "Top-Tier VC" Narrative Around SBF Is Inaccurate; The Real Mastermind Is "AI Stock God" Leopold
John Wang, Head of Crypto Business at prediction market platform Kalshi, stated on X that it is widely believed Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) was a "top-tier venture capitalist" who successfully invested in star projects like Anthropic and Cursor. However, Wang argued this narrative is inaccurate. The real "core figure" driving these investment strategies and early resource allocation was actually "AI stock guru" Leopold Aschenbrenner, not SBF himself.Analysis suggests that this remark has sparked discussion within the crypto and venture capital circles, once again bringing the attribution of SBF's influence on early-stage investments in Silicon Valley and the crypto industry into the spotlight. It is reported that the AI fund Situational Awareness, founded by former OpenAI researcher Leopold Aschenbrenner, has grown to over $20 billion in scale, with quantitative giant Jane Street making a rare capital injection. Situational Awareness has achieved a year-to-date return rate of 270% and cumulative returns exceeding 1,000% since its inception. Equity bets on Anthropic have contributed the most successful returns, accounting for one-fifth of its assets. Beyond public markets, Situational Awareness also co-led an investment round in AI chip company MatX with Jane Street and participated in the latest funding round of AI cloud computing provider Fluidstack.