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Web3 Investors from 16 nations converged to witness these 6 Graviton-backed Indian startups make their pitch.

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Graviton Web3 Accelerator’s digitally simulcast Demo Day event saw participation from VCs and angels around the world, focused on a cumulative raise of $10Mn for their first cohort. 

Graviton, a web3-focused accelerator for emerging markets backed by global VCs such as Hashkey Capital, Moonrock Capital, NGC Ventures, 369 Capital, Ascensive Assets, Stacker Ventures, MH Ventures, G1 Ventures, Infinity Ventures Crypto (IVC), and GravityX Capital, recently organized its first-ever digitally simulcast Demo Day.

The event saw participation from over 70 global investors from 16 countries, with all eyes converging on what the six teams at Graviton are busy building and scaling. These teams have emerged as outliers from a pool of 300+ startups that had applied to get accelerated through the Graviton ecosystem.

Graviton’s uniquely designed accelerator program arms a limited cohort of promising early-stage web3 founders with a healthy infusion of institutional capital (marked by a seed investment into each team), technical grants and integrations from a vast partner ecosystem, mentorship from proven industry experts to help the teams with business strategy, tech fundamentals, growth marketing, and fundraising, as well as expanded networking opportunities to help them raise serious capital in the long run. 

“While the ongoing ‘bear market’ sentiment fosters a conservative investment mindset around the world for crypto platforms, we at Graviton believe that world-class technology products led by visionary founders are always ahead of the curve, and always lucrative to serious investors”, remarked Arpit Nik (Founder & CEO at Graviton and a General Partner at GravityX Capital). Arpit and team have been hard at work since December last year, to identify India’s strongest founders with a penchant to build for the decentralized web. 

The six teams that emerged frontrunners amidst a plethora of applicants, include:

Spydra – An enterprise grade blockchain solution that is helping large organizations migrate their existing tech stack from web2 to web3, making the transition as frictionless as possible. Led by the seasoned and suave Manish Tewari (with massive previous exits at Koovs.com and Pokkt), Spydra is powering the largest status-quo migration in enterprise tech, since the advent of AWS and cloud-computing. They’re already clocking an annual run rate of $100K in revenue, servicing clients such as Raymond, Myntra, and the National Payments Corporation of India. 

Wall – This team is solving one of the most significant challenges of web3, i.e. community building. Wall helps businesses acquire and take community members through beautifully mapped custom user journeys, helping them claim rewards (such as Airdrop tokens), while completing platform-mandated tasks across multiple touch points (such as Twitter, Telegram, Discord, etc). It offsets the community moderation costs for emerging web3 platforms, and after helping 40+ projects design custom reward pathways, Wall is fast emerging as the go-to community building solution for L1 and L2 ecosystems.  Wall is helmed by Anuj Kumar Kodam (ex IIT Kharagpur, IIM Calcutta, and formerly part of the founder’s office at Ola Cabs). 

Strive – Global opinion on the utility of NFTs is divided, and Strive is here to change that. With a proprietary layer that facilitates the sharing and trading of NFT utilities, the team is expanding the possibilities of what one can do with NFTs today. Using Strive, any business, brand, or artist-led community can monetize their audience and influence with ease. Kartik Mehrotra (ex UC Berkeley) leads the show at Strive Network. 

Zoth – Crypto users of today are struggling to find secure and passive income generating opportunities, despite the total value of crypto finance having breached $1Trillion as of 2022. Pritam Dutta (ex Ab-InBev, Mahindra & Mahindra) and team Zoth are on a mission to democratize global access to affordable capital, through the tokenization of real world assets. They’ve already deployed $500K in capital, and have a little under $10M in their managed assets pipeline. 

Fetcch – The motto and creed at Fetcch is to make web3 payments as simple as Venmo or Paypal. Mandar Ray, CEO at Fetcch, explains that they’re building an abstracted middleware layer that removes the complexities associated with wallet addresses, which in turn is a giant leap towards the mainstream adoption of web3. Recently, the team has opened up beta access to Fetcch Pay, their flagship payments product. 

GG Nation – eSports is booming, and team GG Nation has done a stellar job of capturing the mindshare of student gamers across 250+ Indian colleges in 18 cities. Today, GGNation has more than 200,000 gamers on its roster, with an aim to onboard India’s first million gamers. Abhinandan, the founder and CEO, has a remarkable track record with two of India’s biggest sports IPs, Indian Racing League and Premier Futsal, achieving impressive media value, viewership, and live attendance.

Over the last 16 weeks, these teams have been immersed in interactive workshops with a team of 50+ remarkable mentors – all of whom are established thought leaders in their respective domains. And in exchange for their time and imparted wisdom, Graviton has created a circular rewards model, with each mentor acquiring nominal equity in these teams, proportionate to the time they spend nurturing each product. Arjun Kalsy (ex-Growth lead at Polygon), for instance, has a vested interest in the success of each of these six teams, as one of their growth mentors. The same is true for Parth Chaturvedi of Coinswitch Ventures, Vijay Pravin of bitsCrunch, and many others who have become an integral part of the growth journeys of all 6 teams.

The success of Graviton’s Demo Day is owed largely to the efforts of Program Director Jeffrey Broer, who is a seasoned web3 investor at Mulana Capital, and a highly sought-after blockchain mentor and speaker. 

“Supporting visionary entrepreneurs on their transformative journeys in the web3 realm brings me immense joy. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the nurturing Graviton ecosystem for promoting an inclusive culture of progress. May the six teams embark on a remarkable path of growth and achievement!”

– Vijay Pravin (CEO, bitsCrunch & Growth Mentor at Graviton)

“All hands aboard is the philosophy that drives us to help startups and founders. We’re glad that this team of web3 disruptors came together at Graviton, and forever indebted to our invaluable mentors, who have helped craft this journey together. With everyone’s hearts set on building sustainably for the decentralized internet, we’re just really excited about what the future holds for the Indian web3 space”

– Vishal Sanap (Head of Portfolio Growth & Development at Graviton)

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Crypto Currency

Atlas of USA Positions Itself as a Narrative-Driven Digital Asset Tied to American Identity

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Atlas of USA (ATLAS) is emerging as a narrative-focused crypto project that blends digital asset experimentation with themes centered on American identity, decentralization, and community coordination. As attention around politically themed and culture-driven tokens continues to fluctuate across the crypto market, Atlas of USA is attempting to differentiate itself through branding, symbolism, and grassroots engagement rather than short-term speculation.

Unlike infrastructure-heavy blockchain projects, Atlas of USA presents itself primarily as a narrative and community-oriented digital asset. The project emphasizes symbolic alignment with U.S. economic ideals, decentralization, and collective participation, positioning ATLAS as a token shaped more by social coordination than technical complexity.

Token Structure and Supply Characteristics

ATLAS operates as a fungible crypto asset with a fixed supply model designed to avoid inflationary pressure. The project does not promote emissions schedules or yield-driven incentives, instead focusing on ownership distribution and long-term holding behavior. This structure reflects a broader trend among narrative tokens that prioritize scarcity and cultural signaling over utility-based tokenomics.

Market data shows that ATLAS trading activity has remained episodic, with volume spikes often aligning with broader shifts in sentiment around politically themed or U.S.-centric crypto narratives. This behavior is consistent with other community-driven tokens whose momentum is closely tied to social engagement rather than protocol upgrades.

Community-First Positioning

A core component of the Atlas of USA approach is its emphasis on community participation. The project frames token holders as contributors to a shared narrative rather than passive investors. Messaging across community channels highlights coordination, visibility, and grassroots amplification as central drivers of growth.

This positioning aligns with a wider crypto trend where narrative cohesion and online identity increasingly influence token awareness. Rather than promising technological breakthroughs, Atlas of USA leans into symbolism and collective recognition, allowing the market to assign meaning organically.

Market Context and Competitive Landscape

Atlas of USA exists within a crowded category of narrative-based digital assets that draw inspiration from national identity, political discourse, or cultural movements. While competition in this segment is high, ATLAS attempts to stand out by maintaining a clear thematic focus and avoiding overextension into unrelated utility claims.

From a market perspective, ATLAS remains sensitive to sentiment cycles. Periods of increased visibility tend to coincide with broader discussions around U.S. economic policy, decentralization, or digital sovereignty within crypto communities.

Outlook

Atlas of USA represents an example of how crypto assets can function as social and narrative instruments rather than purely technical products. Its future trajectory will likely depend on sustained community engagement, consistent messaging, and its ability to remain relevant within shifting cultural conversations.

As the crypto market continues to fragment into utility-driven protocols and narrative-driven tokens, projects like Atlas of USA highlight how identity and coordination remain powerful forces in digital asset ecosystems.

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Crypto

Binance Founder CZ Calls for Industry-Wide Action After $50 Million Address Poisoning Scam

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Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao has urged the crypto industry to adopt unified defenses against address poisoning scams following a $50 million theft involving a single mistaken transaction. The incident, which occurred on December 20, highlights how even experienced traders remain vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated wallet manipulation tactics.

Address poisoning is a form of phishing that exploits how crypto wallets display shortened addresses. By mimicking the first and last characters of a legitimate address, attackers trick users into sending funds to fraudulent destinations that appear familiar at a glance.

How the $50 Million Scam Unfolded

According to on-chain data, the victim began with a standard precaution: a small test transfer. On December 20, the trader sent 50 USDT to what they believed was the correct address. Twenty-six minutes later, confident the destination was verified, they transferred 49,999,950 USDT.

Unbeknownst to the sender, the second transaction went to a scammer-controlled address. The fraudulent address matched the first five and last four characters of the intended destination, differing only in the middle portion—exactly the segment most wallets hide behind ellipses.

This visual similarity allowed the attacker to exploit common user behavior, where traders confirm only the beginning and end of an address rather than the full string.

After receiving the funds, the attacker quickly converted the stolen USDT into DAI, then swapped it for approximately 16,690 ETH. The ETH was later deposited into Tornado Cash, a privacy protocol frequently used to obscure transaction trails. The victim subsequently offered a $1 million on-chain bounty in an attempt to recover the funds.

CZ’s Proposal to Stop Address Poisoning

In response to the incident, Changpeng Zhao proposed three industry-wide countermeasures designed to reduce address poisoning risk across wallets and platforms.

First, Zhao called for automatic detection of suspected poison addresses within wallets. These systems would flag addresses that closely resemble previously used destinations and warn users before transactions are signed.

Second, he suggested real-time sharing of blacklisted scam addresses across the industry. A coordinated database could allow wallets and exchanges to instantly recognize known malicious addresses and alert users.

Third, Zhao recommended filtering spam transactions from wallet histories. Since attackers often seed wallet activity with fake transactions to create misleading address records, hiding or isolating these entries could significantly reduce the effectiveness of poisoning attempts.

Binance Wallet already implements warnings for suspected poison addresses, but Zhao emphasized that isolated solutions are not enough. Address poisoning, he argued, requires a collective response across the crypto ecosystem.

Why Address Poisoning Is a Growing Threat

The incident underscores a broader trend in crypto-related crime. Phishing attacks were the most costly category of crypto theft in 2024, according to blockchain security firm CertiK. Attackers stole more than $1 billion across 296 phishing incidents that year alone.

In 2025, address poisoning accounted for over 10% of wallet drain incidents, reflecting both its effectiveness and ease of execution. The technique does not rely on smart contract vulnerabilities or malware, making it harder to detect with traditional security tools.

One notable case in May 2024 involved a victim who lost $68 million worth of wrapped Bitcoin through address poisoning. In that instance, the attacker eventually returned the funds after pressure from investigators, but such outcomes remain rare.

The Bigger Picture for Crypto Security

Total cryptocurrency theft reached an estimated $3.4 billion in 2025, reinforcing the urgency of improving user-level protections. As self-custody adoption grows, so does the responsibility placed on individuals to verify transactions accurately.

Address poisoning highlights a fundamental usability issue in crypto wallets: human-readable shortcuts can create dangerous blind spots. Without better safeguards, even cautious users can make irreversible mistakes in seconds.

Changpeng Zhao’s call for industry-wide standards reflects a growing consensus that security must evolve alongside adoption. Preventing address poisoning will likely depend not only on better tools, but on collaboration across wallets, exchanges, and blockchain infrastructure providers.

As crypto continues to move toward mainstream usage, reducing preventable losses may prove just as important as advancing new technologies.

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Crypto

Trust Wallet Hack Today: Who Is at Risk After $6 Million Breach

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A security incident involving the Trust Wallet browser extension has resulted in the loss of nearly $6 million worth of cryptocurrency, triggering concern across the crypto community during the holiday period. The breach highlights ongoing risks tied to browser-based wallets and the importance of rapid updates when vulnerabilities emerge.

According to Trust Wallet, the issue is limited to version 2.68 of its browser extension. Users of the Trust Wallet mobile application and those running other extension versions are not affected.

What happened with the Trust Wallet hack?

The vulnerability was first identified on December 24, when abnormal wallet activity began appearing on-chain. By December 25, blockchain analysts observed funds being drained from multiple wallets operating on Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana networks.

Independent investigator ZachXBT reported receiving messages from hundreds of users whose balances dropped suddenly without any outgoing transactions initiated by them. Community researchers later identified suspicious code within version 2.68 of the extension. The code allegedly redirected sensitive wallet data to a fake external website, giving attackers unauthorized access to user funds.

On-chain analysis suggests the stolen funds were routed through numerous addresses, making the total scope difficult to track precisely. Current estimates place losses at a minimum of $6 million.

Trust Wallet confirms extension vulnerability

Trust Wallet has acknowledged the incident and confirmed that only the 2.68 browser extension was compromised. The company instructed users to immediately stop using that version and upgrade to version 2.69, which it says resolves the issue.

The wallet provider stated that its security and support teams are actively investigating the breach and reaching out to affected users. While Trust Wallet has not yet confirmed whether compensation will be offered, it says impacted users are being guided through recovery and reporting steps.

What users should do immediately

Anyone who used the Trust Wallet browser extension is advised to take action without delay:

First, do not open the Trust Wallet extension on desktop devices if it is still enabled. This reduces the risk of further exposure.

Second, disable the extension immediately via the browser’s extensions settings.

Third, update only to version 2.69 and ensure the update is downloaded exclusively from the official Chrome Web Store. Users should double-check the version number after installation.

Finally, contact Trust Wallet support if any funds are missing. Providing transaction history and wallet details may help ongoing investigations.

Why this incident matters for crypto users

The Trust Wallet hack underscores the unique risks associated with browser extensions. Unlike hardware wallets or isolated mobile environments, browser-based wallets operate in a space frequently targeted by malicious code injections, phishing scripts, and supply-chain attacks.

Even well-established wallet providers can be exposed if a compromised update slips through. This incident reinforces the need for users to monitor wallet updates closely, limit hot wallet balances, and consider additional security measures for long-term holdings.

As investigations continue, Trust Wallet has stated it will release further updates. For now, the breach serves as a reminder that security hygiene — including timely updates and cautious extension use — remains critical in the crypto ecosystem.

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