Solana Rivals Ethereum as Economic Metrics Surge in 2024

Hivello, a decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN) aggregator, has announced the listing of its token $HVLO on DePINscan, a prominent analytics platform for DePINs on IoTeX. This strategic move is set to enhance Hivello's visibility within the DePIN and IoTeX ecosystems, allowing users to access information about Hivello and participate in staking directly on IoTeX's Layer 1 blockchain. With the DePIN market projected to grow significantly, this listing positions Hivello at the forefront of a rapidly evolving sector, catering to both crypto enthusiasts and newcomers interested in decentralized infrastructure. The partnership with IoTeX is a pivotal development for Hivello, as it not only increases the accessibility of $HVLO but also provides users with essential tools and incentives to engage with decentralized networks. Domenic Carosa, Chairman of Hivello, emphasized the importance of this collaboration, stating that it aligns with their mission to onboard Web2 users into the Web3 space. The integration with DePINscan is expected to facilitate a smoother transition for users looking to explore and participate in the DePIN ecosystem, which boasts over 13 million active devices contributing daily. As DePIN adoption accelerates globally, the collaboration between Hivello and IoTeX signifies a major step toward expanding participation in decentralized infrastructure. Qevan Guo, CTO and Co-Founder of IoTeX, highlighted that this launch represents a convergence of technical innovation and strategic partnerships, ultimately making DePIN more accessible to a broader audience. With the market anticipated to soar from $50 billion in 2024 to $3.5 trillion by 2028, Hivello is well-positioned to capitalize on this growth, fostering a new wave of participation in decentralized technologies.

Amsterdam-based Theta Capital Management has successfully raised over $175 million for its latest fund-of-funds, Theta Blockchain Ventures IV, which is designed to support early-stage blockchain startups through specialized venture capital (VC) firms. Ruud Smets, managing partner and chief investment officer at Theta, emphasized that the new fund will invest in crypto-native VC firms known for their ability to back blockchain innovation. Smets highlighted the importance of specialization in the VC space, stating that dedicated crypto VCs have developed a competitive edge over generalist investors, particularly in the initial funding rounds. Since shifting its focus to digital assets in 2018, Theta has managed approximately $1.2 billion and has invested in prominent firms like Polychain Capital and CoinFund. The launch of Theta Blockchain Ventures IV coincides with a resurgence in crypto venture capital, as reported by Galaxy Digital, which noted a 54% increase in VC investment in digital assets during the first quarter of 2025, totaling $4.8 billion. This uptick signals a renewed confidence in the crypto sector following a period of downturn. Despite a decline in the number of deals—405 completed in Q1 2025 compared to 670 in the same period last year—total funding more than doubled year-over-year, reaching $6 billion, up from $2.6 billion in Q1 2024. This indicates that while fewer deals are being made, the overall investment in the sector remains robust. Furthermore, PitchBook's analysis revealed that the majority of the funding, approximately $2.55 billion, was directed towards asset management, trading platforms, and crypto financial services. Infrastructure and development firms also attracted significant investment, raising nearly $955 million. Web3-focused companies followed, securing $231.2 million across 23 deals. Additionally, the anticipated IPO of Circle is expected to be a pivotal moment for the crypto equity market, potentially influencing valuation expectations across the payments and infrastructure sectors. With $1.18 billion in VC funding raised so far, PitchBook estimates a 64% likelihood that Circle will go public, which could further invigorate the market.

As the digital asset market begins to recover from recent volatility, investors are shifting their focus from speculation to real-world utility and long-term adoption potential. One standout project gaining attention is Qubetics ($TICS), which positions itself as the world's first Web3 aggregator. By combining asset tokenization with a robust marketplace, Qubetics aims to convert physical and digital assets into tradable digital tokens, thus addressing one of blockchain's most pressing challenges. This innovative approach not only enhances accessibility to various asset classes but also empowers businesses and individuals to engage in seamless trading, making Qubetics a key player in the race to hit $1. In addition to Qubetics, other tokens like Kaspa (KAS) and Theta (THETA) are also gaining traction. Kaspa utilizes a high-throughput blockDAG model to achieve rapid transaction speeds, making it a strong contender for decentralized technology. Meanwhile, Theta focuses on creating a decentralized content delivery network for video streaming, rewarding users who contribute bandwidth. Both projects are backed by passionate developer communities and are carving their own paths towards mass adoption, showcasing unique narratives that set them apart in the competitive crypto landscape. The Qubetics presale is currently in its 35th stage, with over $17 million raised and a growing number of early adopters. The presale operates on a 7-day cycle, creating continuous price momentum ahead of the mainnet launch in Q2 2025. As the demand for Qubetics continues to rise, it is increasingly viewed as a leading candidate for the next crypto to hit $1, driven by its focus on real-world utility and strategic growth. With its innovative marketplace and cross-chain compatibility, Qubetics is not just another crypto project; it is a potential disruptor in the financial landscape, making it an attractive option for investors looking for long-term gains.

Acurast, a decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN) based in Zug, Switzerland, has achieved a significant milestone by onboarding over 70,000 smartphones across more than 130 countries. This remarkable growth translates to over 250 million transactions and 10,750 secure compute deployments, all accomplished without the reliance on centralized data centers. Co-Founder Alessandro De Carli emphasized that this achievement is indicative of a transformative shift in infrastructure development, moving from traditional cloud servers to decentralized computing solutions that utilize everyday smartphones. The surge in user adoption has been fueled by the ongoing Public Token Sale on CoinList and the integration of the Solana community, enhancing the accessibility of Acurast's services. The innovative approach of Acurast allows ordinary smartphones, including those that are old or damaged, to function as secure compute nodes. By leveraging modern Hardware Security Modules (HSMs), even lightweight devices can manage sensitive workloads while ensuring confidentiality and verifiability. This model eliminates the need for specialized hardware or mining rigs, making Acurast one of the most accessible DePIN projects available. In less than a month, the network saw an increase of over 10,000 newly onboarded devices, showcasing the rapid expansion driven by strategic partnerships and real-world applications, such as collaborations with FLock.io and HOPR. Acurast's growth signifies not only a technical achievement but also a paradigm shift in global infrastructure development. Modern smartphones are now capable of rivaling traditional servers in performance while being more energy-efficient and widely distributed. Acurast's vision is to create compute hubs in homes, offices, and communities rather than in centralized data centers. By empowering individuals to contribute to this decentralized network with their existing devices, Acurast is paving the way for a more inclusive and powerful future in computing. As De Carli stated, this is the future they believe in, and they invite everyone to join the DePIN movement and participate in building the infrastructure of tomorrow.

Investors are currently focused on the GRASS and PI crypto tokens, which are making headlines due to their unique value propositions. The ongoing presale of Best Wallet has also garnered attention, raising over $12 million. In the past 24 hours, perpetual crypto exchanges like Binance, Bybit, and OKX have liquidated over $665 million in leveraged positions, affecting more than 153,000 traders. Despite this turmoil, many traders remain optimistic about GRASS and PI, viewing them as potential breakout tokens for Q2 2025. Notably, PI crypto has surged 80% since early April, while GRASS has increased by 140% since its all-time low in late October 2024. GRASS is a decentralized layer-2 platform built on Solana, supported by prominent venture capitalists such as Polychain Capital and Tribe Capital. It allows users to monetize idle internet bandwidth, which is crucial for AI model training. The platform has facilitated the scraping of an impressive 57 million GB of public web data in Q1 2025 alone. Participants earn GRASS points, convertible to GRASS tokens, and the platform has seen a significant increase in node operators, indicating growing interest and adoption. Analysts are ranking GRASS among the top cryptocurrencies to explore, highlighting its potential in the AI and decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN) sectors. On the other hand, Pi Network is making strides toward decentralization, having recently disabled its central node, thus empowering its community of over 60 million users. Despite facing skepticism regarding its legitimacy, Pi Network's mainnet launched in February 2025, and the price of PI crypto has fluctuated significantly since then. As both GRASS and PI continue to evolve, investors are advised to conduct thorough research before making investment decisions. Furthermore, the Best Wallet presale is generating excitement, with its features and security measures positioning it as a strong competitor in the crypto wallet space.

Grass ($GRASS), a decentralized project built on the Solana blockchain, has experienced an 8% decline in value over the past 24 hours, following an impressive 500% surge earlier this month. This downturn raises questions about the sustainability of its recent growth, particularly as it aligns with a broader market correction. Despite this setback, $GRASS has managed to retain a 14-day gain of approximately 13%. The token, which launched in October 2024, has seen significant price fluctuations, reaching an all-time high of $3.90 before settling around $1.88, placing it among the top 123 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization at roughly $460 million. Grass distinguishes itself by merging Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network (DePIN) elements with Artificial Intelligence (AI) functionalities. Users who install the Grass browser app can share their excess internet bandwidth to train AI models, earning rewards in the process. This innovative model has led to substantial growth, with the user base expanding from 200,000 to over 3 million between Q4 2024 and early 2025. The platform's capabilities were further enhanced by the Sion Upgrade, which significantly improved its ability to scrape and process multimodal web content, achieving daily data collection rates that rival those of major tech companies. Despite the recent dip in activity, with daily data scraping falling to around 759,000 TB, Grass remains a formidable player in the DePIN space, second only to Helium on Solana. The project has secured listings on major exchanges, and many traders believe it is currently undervalued, with bullish predictions suggesting a market cap of $1 billion and a potential price target exceeding $4 by year-end. Technical analysis indicates that while the asset has faced resistance, a rebound from current support levels could signal a new upward trend, although a drop below key moving averages might lead to further declines.