Sahara is about to TGE, with a pre-market valuation exceeding $1 billion, and the AI × data asset track is rapidly gaining popularity.
At the same time, multiple AI projects are also queuing up to issue coins, and the entire sector is entering a new round of preheating.
A more underlying, but rarely discussed, data annotation platform Codatta @codatta_io is also expected to TGE soon.
Currently, it has not issued any coins, and has only received a $2.5 million seed round of financing from OKX. Previously, I only tested the project's tasks like Sahara.
Some people previously regarded it as Sahara's "benchmark project" when doing tasks. In my opinion, it actually cuts into a completely different dimension:
If Sahara is a "data trading platform", then Codatta is more like a "data asset manufacturing factory". One solves the problem of circulation, and the other focuses on asset production. The two have both division of labor and may form complementarity.
At present, AI model evaluation is more and more like a "brushing list show". Recently, many friends have been addicted to brushing the Chatbot Arena leaderboard. Claude, GPT-4o, and Gemini PK back and forth, and some people even pull groups to bet on who will win. But have you really thought about it: Can this list still be trusted?
The answer is: more and more不行.
Because the organizers have revealed that the model can be adjusted according to user preferences, and even the anonymous evaluation mechanism itself may be polluted by voting navy. You thought you were participating in model evaluation, but you actually just watched a rehearsed plot.
Amid this chaos, Codatta launched Arena. You might think it's just "another list" by the name, but what they're doing is rebuilding the foundation of trust in evaluation. Each question is initiated by users, models answer blindly, and the community votes for excellence anonymously. Voting data, answer content, and scoring logic are all written into the Avalanche subnet Kite, stored on the chain, and no one can tamper with it. That is to say, whether you are OpenAI or "the next door Shanzhai big model", you will be naked here, without a backstage.
Codatta Arena entrance: https://t.co/T0UmZiyVaF
This Arena is a key point of Codatta, but it is only a part of the project. Codatta's greater ambition lies in establishing a new logic about "data".
In the past, the training data used for the development of large models was free, whether it was open source corpus or the "I agree" button you and I clicked, they never asked you whether you agree or not, or whether you want to share the money. The mechanism proposed by Codatta is: you ask the questions, you vote, you review, these are no longer free labor, but a data asset that can be confirmed, traceable, and can participate in profit sharing.
Every time you make a valid label, every time you participate in an evaluation, you can get points. When the token goes live (TGE), these points will be converted into airdrops. This is the incentive logic that Web3 should have: data is not free, behind it is human labor, human judgment.
So in this sense, Arena is not just an "evaluation function", it is a demonstration of this data rights logic: turning every interaction we have with the model into a process of producing data and accumulating assets. Just like Arweave turns storage into assets, Render turns computing power into assets, and Codatta turns data behavior into assets.
In addition to technology, Codatta has recently added two ecological partners in foreign cooperation: @SaharaLabsAI and @irys_xyz, one is the most radical practitioner in the privacy computing track, and the other is a leading protocol focusing on on-chain storage incentives. The former guarantees that user data will not be leaked during evaluation participation, and the latter ensures the permanence and distributed archiving of on-chain data. With the blessing of these two, Codatta's main body's "on-chain data confirmation + labeling incentive" ability can be connected to deeper AI native scenarios in the future, such as enterprise private domain evaluation and sensitive industry evaluation systems.
So what's going on now?
From the data point of view, it has accumulated more than 300,000 users and 2 million verification data. Although it has not yet issued coins, the entire logic has been completed: the points system is online, the pledge mechanism is available, and user behavior can be mapped to token shares. It is not a PPT project, nor is it a cyber visionary, but a protocol product that can be seen step by step.
We often say that Web3's mission is to "assetize" user behavior, but most projects eventually turn this "asset" into a "wool opportunity". Codatta is not. Its path is destined to be less lively. If you ask whether it is a future giant? do not know. But if you ask whether it is one of the most original and verifiable evaluation protocols of AI+Web3 at this time? The answer is yes.
When AI systems are becoming more and more like black boxes and evaluation results are becoming more and more manipulated, there must be a place to tell us:
Is this model okay? It's up to you.
Many people have not heard of this project. With the popularity of AI data, Codatta's business line is very comprehensive. Although the voice is not enough and not many people pay attention, let's make a bold prediction that OK or Binance should have a place in it. What do you think? Give your insights in the comment section.
PublicAI @PublicAI_ has just announced the completion of $8 million in funding and has partnered with OKX Wallet to launch a Giveaway event, simultaneously launching a brand new DataHub task platform.
From the rhythm, it can be confirmed that this is basically the last round of interaction before the TGE.
At first glance, one might think PublicAI is just a platform for 'earning points and rewards', but in reality, what it aims to do is create a decentralized AI training system. This system allows AI training to be accessible not just to engineers and large companies, but through a task system, enables every ordinary person to participate in training AI, earn rewards, and become part of a data collaboration network.
PublicAI has just completed $8 million in Series A funding, with total funding reaching $10 million, and investors include: Saudi Telecom Group (STC), NEAR Foundation, Blockchain Builders Fund, among many other established Web3 investment institutions. The narrative behind it is very clear: AI × DePIN × data collaboration, and PublicAI is working to truly make it a functioning mechanism closed loop.
Here, a total of 500,000 tokens are offered as rewards, limited to 3,600 selected users, each receiving 138.8 PUBLIC tokens after the TGE; currently, there are 744 participants.
1️⃣ Register an account: Email registration, or #OKX wallet, select Chinese in the upper right corner.
2️⃣ Complete profile: Change your nickname, upload a profile picture, bind your Twitter and Discord, and earn points.
3️⃣ Complete basic tasks: Follow X, retweet, etc., some can directly earn USDT
4️⃣ Core interaction tasks: DataHub module
• Small test task: After completion, you can pay a small amount of SOL to mint a dedicated badge
• Voice upload: Upload data that meets the current activity requirements to earn points (currently mainly audio tasks)
• Voting challenge: 'Vote' to verify the uploaded data, determining if the data quality meets standards. If consistent with the majority of users' judgments, points can be earned.
• Community Hero (mouthful): Tweet on X and upload the link to Data Hub, earning points based on follower count. Limited to once a day, helping accelerate completion of the OKX Wallet Giveaway task.
These three tasks are sequential; users need to: gain participation eligibility in the 'small test', perform data filtering tasks in 'voting', and contribute real data in 'upload'.
The AI sector has recently been very hot, for example, Sahara will soon officially launch trading, with an estimated valuation of $600 million in the new project phase. Given the current market enthusiasm, it is highly probable that it will reach a $1.5 billion FDV after launch. This project is quite familiar to those looking to capitalize, having raised nearly $50 million, led by YZI, aimed at building a trustless, permissionless AI data network centered on privacy.
Meanwhile, Paradigm has also just taken action, heavily investing in Nous Research, which has just completed $50 million in Series A funding with a valuation of $1 billion, aiming to build a Web3 native decentralized AI training system.
Adding to this are Yupp, airstack supported by a16z, and the recently active projects Bittensor, Ritual, Gensyn, etc. A trend is clearly emerging: Web3 is moving from narrative to the foundational infrastructure of AI data × training × verification, with capital beginning to systematically bet on it.
PublicAI is building a mechanism for AI collaboration, through a task platform, transforming actions like voice uploads, answering questions, and on-chain voting into organic parts of AI training. It is considered a niche but feasible project.
After careful reflection, the only two places where truly 'epic' airdrops with significant impact occurred are: Ethereum ETH and Solana. The rest either faced complete failure or left the people in hardship.
I personally scan the investment situation of major capitals regularly to find potential targets.
Last night I saw that a16 has invested in Yupp @yupp_ai's seed round $33 million. Another investment came from Coinbase. There are also a bunch of well-known individual investors, such as the founder of Eigen.
Step 1: Look at a16, open https://t.co/c2oRH1hAbM
I looked at it and it seems to be a platform that combines blockchain technology with artificial intelligence, focusing on "fair and transparent AI model evaluation" and "user incentive feedback mechanism."
After users input some keywords, it will call upon many AI models, such as Claude, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Llama, and the domestic DeepSeek. Each time it will provide different answers from various AIs. Registered users will then select different optimal solutions and submit them. This serves both for the model's post-training and evaluation. Additionally, this data package is verified through blockchain, providing AI developers with verifiable and tamper-proof data sources, ensuring the process is transparent and credible. After I registered and used it, I personally judged that this logic is valid, and the incentive model can help improve product development.
Interaction and Incentives: Every time data feedback is given, users will receive a "scratch card" reward, officially called Yupp Credits. Every 1,000 points ≈ $1, with a daily withdrawal limit of $10 and a monthly limit of $50.
The official statement says that withdrawals can be made instantly, but I noticed there is currently a bug.
Participation and Daily Use Path: Website: https://t.co/cF36Tme2iA
1. You can first register an account, I recommend using a Google account and binding Discord.
2. After daily use, choose feedback and then scratch cards to accumulate points.
3. After that, complete the personal information on the left and send product feedback.
On one hand, you can use various AIs for free, and on the other hand, you can earn points to exchange for tokens.
So easy.
At this point, I remember that rainy night when I didn't crazily grind that single address for 1000+ points project. Regret for a lifetime.
a16 reinvests $Eigen 70 million. Following the $100 million financing in February last year, a16z continues to double down, betting on a grander vision:
✨EigenLayer officially evolves into EigenCloud
@eigenlayer a 'verifiable cloud platform' protected by $EIGEN, supporting AI and verifiable services,
Major change: re-staking becomes the underlying trust mechanism, AI APIs become verifiable assets, and the narrative of $EIGEN upgrades from a re-staking token to a native trust asset for AI Infra.
After closely reviewing the official article, it mainly aims to establish a trust layer for AI and services on Ethereum, making it as simple for developers to deploy trustworthy applications as it is to deploy smart contracts.
In comparison, once EigenCloud builds a verifiable AI service platform, I am more concerned about the upcoming ecological 'airdrop opportunities'
Who will be the first project to deploy trustworthy AI applications? Who will be the first major airdrop for those who are already $EIGEN participants and stakers?
Is there anyone with in-depth research who can discuss this?
🚰 Requirements for the whitelist Here, @monad_xyz requires the testing address wallet → Balance on the Ethereum mainnet >= 0.03 ETH → >= 3 transactions on the Ethereum mainnet → < 5 MON on the Monad testnet Additionally, X+DC.
🐝 To more accurately identify "high-quality early users" for user profiling, to reduce "invalid participation," and control interaction quality and subsequent filtering mechanisms from the source.
🎙️After getting the big results, what experiences do you think are worth sharing about getting rewards?
Rich:
I actually don’t like to throw around the term “valuable insights.” Because getting rewards is never just about copying a tutorial once to make big money. It is fundamentally a multidimensional combination of cognitive differences + information gaps + execution ability + mindset games.
If I really had to summarize any experience, I would say it in one sentence:
Do you believe because you see, or do you see because you believe?
Many people give up while trying, not because they don’t work hard, but because they can’t withstand the journey of “not seeing results.”
Airdrops are delayed, Gas continues to be invested, interactions are tedious and boring, tasks become increasingly formalized, points are becoming more rampant, and when the returns are delayed, doubt gradually erodes execution power, and complaints follow.
But the real big results are often hidden just behind the moments when you almost want to give up or almost think it’s ineffective to persist.
You must believe: results never happen first; they are believed first, and then they will materialize.
As Master Fish (@bitfish1) said: Wealth ultimately flows to those with a calm inner self!
Wealth ultimately flows to those with a calm inner self! Wealth ultimately flows to those with a calm inner self! Wealth ultimately flows to those with a calm inner self!
The following points are my personal true experiences:
1. Choosing the right project is more important than anything else.
Airdrops that can truly change your fate must come from projects with products, innovation, capital, and vision.
It can’t be compensated by participating in 100 low-quality activities. It’s better to invest heavily in 3 well-chosen ones than to scatter your efforts across 30 uncertain projects.
2. “Interaction ability” is the foundation, not the number of actions.
Many people only follow tutorials and copy routes; in the current competitive landscape, it’s not about how many trades you made, but whether you act like a real user.
If you want to truly reap the benefits, you must learn to understand the project party. You need to understand what kind of people the project party hopes to filter out, grasp the protocol logic, understand the protocol characteristics, and have a very clear overall view. The more you resemble a “real user” and adopt the “developer perspective,” the easier it will be for you to be included in high-quality weight distribution rules and reward models in the future.
3. Learn to give up, dare to focus, dare to invest heavily.
A mature rewards seeker isn’t about how much they get but about their judgment and decision-making ability, their ability to control risks and improve odds.
Not every project is worth following to the end; you need to cut losses decisively, invest heavily confidently, and let go cleanly.
4. Don’t get emotional with projects; talk about plans.
The biggest loss I’ve experienced this round was getting emotional.
Too many projects transition from testnet interactions to mainnet, and after issuing tokens, they hesitate to sell, only to be educated by the market.
The most rational operation is to formulate an execution plan, like a selling plan, and strictly follow it. At the same time, try to recover costs through diversified methods like DeFi as much as possible during Gas consumption, either by increasing the weight or earning back gas, prioritizing survival strategies.
5. Solidify a barbell strategy and maintain an arbitrage perspective.
Getting rewards has never been an isolated act; it is actually a typical structural arbitrage method throughout the entire crypto cycle.
You can think of getting rewards as stable income from the “left hand”: low cost, high odds, trading time for opportunities. At the same time, use the “right hand” to allocate positions in the secondary market, holding fundamental assets like BTC/ETH, or boldly betting on some long-term high-elasticity speculative projects like memes. The left side earns certainty while the right side gambles on uncertainty.
Having suffered many losses, currently, this is the combination approach I see as more stable and capable of traversing cycles.
Ultimately, getting rewards relies not just on actions but also on a long-term belief. You have to believe that this mechanism can indeed be monetized and continuously invest time and attention in it. When you develop on-chain capabilities through getting rewards, you may find you actually have alpha capabilities.
Someone asked how you view Binance Alpha + mouth rewards,
🎙️What are you focusing on now, and what projects are worth investing in?
Feng Mi:
Organize accounts + investment research
1️⃣Organize funds and reduce accounts: I have invested in too many projects and too many chains before, and the funds on the chain are too scattered. Recently, I have focused on sorting out assets and merging positions, and by the way, "reduce some fat" and continue to use the most core and exquisite accounts.
2️⃣ Investment research, still investment research.
For example, I recently looked at all the projects invested by paradigm @paradigm. Take a closer look at each unissued protocol 1. Open https://t.co/rwRzvAr02B 2. Select unissued coins and operating. 3. Scan one by one, register notes, and look for clues. 4. I have to say that many of the projects invested by Brother P are awesome. 5. Cat lovers should know every project below like the back of their hands, and understand you better than your girlfriend.
The Sui ecosystem project was hacked for 150 million, and with such a big problem, the coin price is very stable!
Why hasn't Aptos said anything? Out of moral obligation, at least say something like, "Bro, hang in there, I'm still here!" The APT coin price hasn't shown any fluctuations either.
Additionally, the liquidity protocol of the Sui ecosystem, Haedal, has been listed on Binance spot trading these days, while Aptos' ecosystem, which claims to be number one, Amnis, has scammed everyone, and not even an alpha can be listed! The Aptos team really needs to wake up and stop sleeping! Stop sleeping! Stop sleeping!
I casually scanned some stablecoin protocols I participated in a few months ago. Let's talk about this one👇
Noble @noble_xyz has quite a high value. It is a decentralized stablecoin infrastructure born for native universal assets and RWA issuance.
Both Paradigm and Polychain have invested, and USDC issuer Circle is also involved.
The key point is that when you open Coinbase, you will find support for depositing USDC on the Noble chain. When a major exchange supports a certain chain, you won't be too far off, if you know what I mean.
Noble issued the stablecoin USDN based on M0 @m0foundation, which raised over 60 million, and M0 is quite impressive. Not yet released
Not yet released + stablecoin + RWA + high financing + top-notch institutional backing + interconnected.
All women please cherish those men who still hold ETH.
They have seen the highs and remain unmoved, and when it drops to the bottom, they do not let go. Not out of greed, but out of faith. Such people, once they have determined their direction, are hard to shake. They treat ETH this way, and their relationships in the same manner!
Many people have full heads of white hair, or hidden among greasy hairstyles are a lot of white hairs. If you see someone like this, be sure to cherish every word they say. This is their badge of struggle in the crypto world, witnessing their perseverance and dedication.
My wife tells me every day that I look like an old man with a head full of white hair, not having made any money, getting fat, busier than a dog, and more miserable than a dog.
If you see me with a head full of white hair, Don't ask me what I've been through, You just need to know, it’s not the marks of time, It’s the countless times project teams have tried to rug or pua me, breaking my heart.
That is the truest mark I left on the road to chasing my dreams.
If any future project I heavily invest in turns out not to be legitimate, I will use my head full of white hair to awaken their conscience.
I think the greatest ability of people in the cryptocurrency world is to know that the road ahead is difficult, yet they can grit their teeth and move forward.
And the greatest ability of middle-aged people in the cryptocurrency world is to know that the road ahead is uncertain, yet they still choose not to work, with elderly parents above and young children below, still opting to go all in.