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Dan Tapiero: “Blockchain Is the Money of AI” as 50T Holdings Bets on the Next Tech Frontier
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Crypto investor Dan Tapiero, founder of 50T Holdings, believes the next major technological breakthrough will come from the fusion of artificial intelligence and blockchain — and he’s putting serious capital behind that conviction.
“Blockchain is the money of AI,” Tapiero said in an interview with CoinDesk. “Imagine thousands of autonomous AI agents operating independently — they’re not going to be wiring funds through JPMorgan. Their transactions will run on smart contracts built into blockchains.”
Tapiero plans to allocate about 20% of 50T’s upcoming fund, which is raising capital through early 2026, to startups at this emerging intersection. While many of these companies “don’t yet exist” at scale, he believes they’ll define a new category within five years.
Bitcoin’s Next Move: Consolidation Before Expansion
Tapiero, a long-time macro investor, continues to hold a $180,000 Bitcoin (BTC) price target — unchanged since early 2023. He expects the asset to consolidate near $100,000 before its next major advance, calling that level a “psychological anchor” for both retail and institutional holders.
“Markets are drawn to round numbers — it’s irrational but real,” he said. “Once Bitcoin holds $100K for a while, the next leg could take it to $180K, possibly by next summer.”
Bitcoin has traded between $101,000 and $124,000 for six months, hovering near $103,000 this week. While traders have grown restless with the tight range, Tapiero cautioned against chasing short-term swings. “This is the hardest market I’ve ever traded in,” he said. “Short-term predictions here are almost impossible.”
Growth Equity Advantage: Value in a Quiet Market
With $2 billion in assets under management and 24 active portfolio companies, 50T Holdings remains one of the few growth-stage funds exclusively focused on crypto. Tapiero said risk aversion from traditional investors has created “once-in-a-decade” opportunities in firms generating $50–100 million in annual revenue.
“We’re the only growth equity fund globally focused solely on crypto — no seed, no venture,” he said. “Right now, we’re the ones setting pricing.”
50T has logged six exits in 2025, including IPOs from Circle (CRCL), Gemini (GEMI), and eToro (ETOR), as well as Coinbase’s (COIN) acquisition of Deribit. While public market valuations have rebounded — with some firms trading at 10–20x revenue — private market pricing remains deeply discounted.
Tokenization vs. DeFi: Reality vs. Hype
Tapiero remains cautious on the tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs), saying that despite strong narratives, adoption has lagged expectations.
“There’s a lot of buzz, but not much real activity yet,” he said, referencing Securitize and Figure as early movers in the space. “It’s still early days.”
By contrast, Tapiero said decentralized finance (DeFi) is already showing renewed strength, surpassing 2021 activity levels and reaffirming its long-term potential. Meanwhile, metaverse and gaming tokens continue to trade near cycle lows.
Looking Ahead: The AI–Blockchain Economy
Tapiero’s focus now is on building exposure to what he sees as the next infrastructure layer of the digital economy — one where AI agents transact autonomously on-chain.
“I don’t even know who those companies are yet,” he admitted. “But that’s exactly where this is going. Blockchain will become the financial rail for AI.”
