Hey there, PoI readers! 💫

It's your favorite web3 wanderer, Mochi, back with another piping-hot serving of crypto and tech news. Today we've got Trump selling lunch with the leader of the free world via memecoin holdings, BlackRock making Ethereum staking as easy as buying an ETF, a startup that wants your palm print to prove you're not a bot, and Bumble's new AI assistant that might know your dating life better than you do. It's a packed edition and honestly, the future is weird and wonderful. So grab your favorite beverage, get comfortable, and let's dive in!

INTEL BRIEF

🟧 Trump's memecoin team announced an exclusive Mar-a-Lago luncheon for top TRUMP token holders, briefly lifting the token from its all-time low.

🟧 BlackRock's new staked Ethereum ETF (ETHB) launched with $15.5 million in day-one trading volume, earning praise from analysts despite trailing similar Solana staking products.

🟧 VeryAI has raised $10 million led by Polychain Capital to build a palm-scan proof-of-human system recording identity attestations on Solana that helps crypto platforms distinguish real users from AI-generated accounts.

🟧 Bumble introduced an AI dating assistant called "Bee" that learns users' personalities and relationship goals through private chats to recommend better matches.

Trump Is Offering Lunch at Mar-a-Lago to Anyone Who Holds Enough of His Memecoin

Donald Trump's team just announced a Mar-a-Lago luncheon for the top 297 holders of the TRUMP token — and yes, the sitting US President is speculated to be the keynote speaker. Nothing says "serious financial asset" quite like a ticket to lunch being pegged to your crypto bag size.

The event is scheduled for April 25 at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, with eligibility based on time-weighted TRUMP holdings between March 12 and April 10. The top 29 holders get an extra treat — a private reception with Trump himself. Because apparently, the more TRUMP you hold, the more Trump you get. Very on-brand.

There's just one tiny wrinkle: a White House official reportedly told Politico that the event isn't confirmed on Trump's official schedule — and it's believed to be scheduled the same day as the White House Correspondents' Dinner. So either someone miscommunicated, or Trump is planning a very full Friday.

The announcement gave the token a modest bump. TRUMP climbed from an all-time low of $2.73 to $3.06 on the news — a small victory for a coin that is still down 96% from its January 2025 all-time high of $73.43. At time of writing, it's sitting around $2.94, up 2.4% in 24 hours. So... not exactly moon season.

This is the second such gala for TRUMP token holders. The first, held at a Trump golf club, drew criticism from senators and former staffers who protested outside. One sign of a healthy investment? Probably not protesters shouting "I hope you choke on your dinner!" at attendees.

Top 297 TRUMP token holders are invited to a Mar-a-Lago luncheon on April 25, with Trump speculated as the keynote speaker

TRUMP token briefly bounced from its all-time low of $2.73 on the news, but remains down 96% from its peak

A White House official reportedly said the event isn't confirmed on Trump's schedule

Trump Is Offering Lunch at Mar-a-Lago to Anyone Who Holds Enough of His Memecoin

BlackRock — the asset management giant that seemingly cannot stop launching crypto products — has added another one to the shelf. The iShares Staked Ethereum Trust (ETHB) debuted on Thursday, racking up $15.5 million in trading volume on its very first day. Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart called it "very, very solid" for a day-one launch, which in analyst-speak is basically a standing ovation.

The fund works by investing in Ether and staking it on the Ethereum network, locking up tokens to earn yield through validators. Those validators are run by Figment, Galaxy Digital, and Bitwise-owned Attestant — institutional-grade operators, not your cousin's mining rig in a basement. The annual staking yield is believed to be around 4%, with rewards distributed monthly.

Now, to be fair, ETHB didn't exactly set the world on fire compared to its Solana cousins. The Bitwise Solana Staking ETF (BSOL) pulled in $55.4 million on its debut, and the REX-Osprey SOL + Staking ETF (SSK) managed $33.7 million on day one. Ethereum, the second-largest blockchain, trailing Solana ETFs on debut day is a sentence nobody expected to type in 2025 — yet here we are.

ETHB launched with $106.7 million in net assets, custodied by Coinbase, and is structured as 80% staked Ether and 20% unstaked Ether. It carries a 0.25% sponsor fee, but comes with a one-year waiver that drops it to 0.12% on the first $2.5 billion AUM — practically a welcome gift.

This joins BlackRock's existing crypto lineup: IBIT (Bitcoin ETF) with over $62.8 billion in inflows and ETHA (Ethereum ETF) with $11.9 billion — both launched in 2024. Safe to say BlackRock is not shy about this space anymore.

BlackRock's ETHB staked Ethereum ETF debuted with $15.5 million in day-one volume, described as "very, very solid" by analysts

The fund stakes ETH with validators from Figment, Galaxy Digital, and Attestant, targeting a ~4% annual yield paid monthly

ETHB launched with $106.7M in net assets and a fee as low as 0.12% during its first year waiver period

This Solana Startup Just Raised $10 Million to Stop Bots by Scanning Your Palm

VeryAI has raised $10 million in seed funding to do something about it — with your palm. The round was led by Polychain Capital, with participation from the Berggruen Institute, Anagram, and notably Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko as an angel investor.

The startup's system uses a smartphone camera to scan your palm, converting the image into an encrypted biometric signature stored as an identity attestation on Solana. Crucially, the original scan isn't stored — it's converted into an irreversible representation, meaning nobody's reconstructing your hand from a database breach. The company says palm biometrics are highly distinctive and less publicly exposed than facial features, making them a stronger candidate for identity checks than your average selfie-based KYC.

The magic underneath? Zero-knowledge proofs, which allow users to verify their humanity across platforms without revealing personal information. You prove you're a real person. The platform believes you. Nobody learns anything else. That's the dream, anyway.

VeryAI's CEO Zach Meltzer noted that crypto platforms are particularly vulnerable, citing sybil attacks, fake accounts farming token incentives, and impersonation scams as growing threats. The company is already believed to be working with MEXC, Colosseum, Clique and Talus, with more exchanges and wallets reportedly preparing to integrate.

It's not alone in this space — World, co-founded by Sam Altman, uses iris scans for similar purposes, though it has drawn criticism f

VeryAI raised $10M led by Polychain Capital to build a palm-scan proof-of-human system recording identity attestations on Solana

Uses zero-knowledge proofs so users can verify humanity across platforms without exposing personal data

Targets crypto-specific threats like sybil attacks, bot farming, and deepfake impersonation — already working with MEXC, Colosseum and others

Bumble Is Replacing the Swipe With an AI That Learns Your Entire Personality Before Finding You a Match

Bumble is going full AI. During its Q4 earnings call, the dating app unveiled "Bee," a generative AI assistant designed to learn everything about you: your values, relationship goals, communication style, lifestyle, and dating intentions. All through private chats. Cozy.

CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd told investors that Bee is currently in internal pilot testing, with a beta launch coming soon. The assistant powers a new experience called "Dates," where Bee first gets to know you through an onboarding conversation, then identifies another user with shared intentions and values — and notifies both parties with an explanation of why they'd make a great match. Think of it as a matchmaker who never sleeps, never judges, and has read every dating advice book ever written.

Beyond matching, Bee is speculated to eventually handle date suggestions and anonymous feedback from past matches — because nothing says "growth" like finding out why your ex ghosted you via an AI intermediary.

Bumble is also reportedly experimenting with removing the swipe mechanic in select markets, replacing it with "chapter-based" profiles where users can connect over different parts of each other's life stories. More depth, more data, more algorithmic magic. The company is also eyeing Gen Z socializing habits, exploring group-based features for a cohort that finds one-on-one cold dates mildly terrifying.

On the financial side, Bumble posted Q4 revenue of $224.2 million, with average revenue per paying user up 7.9% to $22.20 — beating expectations. The stock reportedly jumped around 40% on the news. Bee hasn't even fully launched and it's already working.

Bumble launched "Bee," an AI assistant that learns users' personalities through private chats to recommend more compatible matches

The app is experimenting with removing swipes, replacing them with chapter-based profiles and more dynamic engagement features

Bumble beat Q4 earnings expectations with $224.2M in revenue, sending the stock up roughly 40%

And that's a wrap, my lovely PoI readers! 🎯 Another day, another batch of stories that prove the tech and web3 world never takes a day off — and neither does Mochi. Whether you're holding memecoins for Mar-a-Lago lunch invites, staking ETH through BlackRock, scanning your palm for proof of humanity, or letting an AI bee find you your soulmate, one thing's for sure — we are living in truly unprecedented times. Stay sharp, stay skeptical, and as always, stay informed. Until next time, this is Mochi, signing off with a virtual fist bump!

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