During the X space ‘AI Agents: Narrative Trading Or A Real Use Case?’ hosted by Cointelegraph Accelerator, thought leaders in the blockchain and crypto venture capital space discussed the intersection between AI agents and decentralised technologies. Fiona Ma, Investment and Research Lead at DWF Ventures, offered key insights from the crypto venture capital perspective — highlighting where potential opportunity lies and where the market still falls short.
The Need for Smarter AI Agents
Fiona emphasised a growing need for more advanced AI agents that can handle complex decision-making and interact across multiple platforms. ‘Right now, the market is mostly filled with basic and intermediate agents,’ she noted. There is a gap for Web3 builders and founders to create smarter, more autonomous systems that serve real business needs.
Ma also cautioned against the overuse of AI as a buzzword. ‘When you see a lot of similar pitches about AI without a clear use case, it feels like it’s just branding,’ she said. She shared that for DWF Ventures, the main differentiator is whether a project can clearly articulate why AI is essential to its functionality — and how it creates tangible user value.
DeFAI: Where AI and DeFi Converge
Ma pointed to DeFAI (Decentralised Finance + AI) as one of the most promising areas for integration. She highlighted HeyAnon, our portfolio company, as a conversational AI tool that combines real-time data aggregation with DeFi operations like bridging, swapping, staking, and borrowing. What makes HeyAnon compelling is its ability to analyse data across networks like Twitter, Telegram, and GitHub, providing users with actionable insights.
She also shared about a16z's AI model, a project redefining fund management through an AI agent that acts like a virtual hedge fund manager. Unlike traditional models, this agent dynamically adapts to shifting market sentiment and on-chain data. ‘It doesn’t just follow preset rules but analyses market sentiment, on-chain data and trending conditions to make decisions,’ Ma explained.
Building for Long-Term Value
On the topic of tokenomics, Ma shared that a strong token model should support governance and ecosystem sustainability: ‘From a crypto venture perspective, we want to see more AI projects built for long-term value with solid products, real revenue, and recurring cash flow. We need products with staying power — not just something that peaks at its token generation event (TGE) and then disappears. Right now, very few projects are actually achieving sustainable demand.’ For DWF Ventures, the sustainability and real-world use cases of crypto AI technology remains a top priority.
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