@variantfund

Variant invests in technology that expands autonomy.

 New York
variant.fund/
Joined October 2019
  • Tweets1.3K
  • Following205
  • Followers51.9K
57Media
Autonomy != automation. Automation is the frontier of tech and finance. Autonomy is about increasing freedom to build, customize, and act on your own terms. Focus on the latter can be a winning strategy for startups to compete with scaled incumbents.
Jesse Walden
@jessewldnJun 3

VARIANT 4: AUTONOMY

Article · @jessewldn
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Domain-specific models don’t rely on economies of scale like the frontier labs; they build their moat through cornering verifiability. Our investment in Physical Superintelligence (PSI) is premised on the belief that solving hard physics problems is an instance where domain-specific models will win.
Daniel Barabander
@dbarabanderSep 1
Replying to @dbarabander
xitter.cf/dbarabander/status/209…
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Investing in Physical Superintelligence

Article · @dbarabander
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If you want to learn how watermarking AI generated text works, I helped write this in-depth explanation while I was at Cravath. cravath.com/a/web/vvmaTCtntJ…
M1
@M1AstraAug 10
Anthropic says new Claude models will embed invisible watermarks in all generated text, everywhere Claude is offered. The watermark is part of the text, it isn't metadata: "it will travel with the text when it's copied and pasted elsewhere, and may persist through some editing." This starts with models launched on or after August 2, 2026, under an EU AI Act code Anthropic signed. Anthropic is still working on adding it to current models. The rollout is worldwide.
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> Understanding the law of distillation matters to us at Variant because we invest in technology that enables autonomy, and distillation’s legality or illegality will play a large part in who controls frontier intelligence
Daniel Barabander
@dbarabanderAug 10

License to Distill: The Law of Distillation and Where Anthropic Goes from Here

Article · @dbarabander
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A second wave of AI companies automate the full outcome and deliver it directly to customers. We’ve been using a loose framework for identifying which workflows are ripe for disruption via automation vs. those that will be dominated by augmentation. We learned a similar set of rules building autonomous systems on public blockchains. There are a number of lessons that are increasingly relevant other areas where autonomous systems can scale (and where they remain limited.)
Jesse Walden
@jessewldnJul 22

Automate What You Can, Augment What You Can’t

Article · @jessewldn
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Investing in Augustus

Article · @dbarabander
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Proud to share that the @Ventuals team is joining Phantom: @AlvinHsia, @EmHsia, and Aris Samad start with us this week. I’ve been following their work for a long time, and am so excited to work alongside them at Phantom. phantom.com/learn/blog/the-v…

The Ventuals team is joining Phantom

The Ventuals team is joining Phantom. Read more.

phantom.com
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Quantum is going to become an increasingly investable category Four broad surface areas: 1. Quantum proofing (eg @projecteleven) 2. Quantum hardware, eg quantum computers / chips 3. Quantum software that runs on existing hardware 4. Quantum-enabled applications
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Variant retweeted
Jesse Walden
@jessewldnJun 3

VARIANT 4: AUTONOMY

Article · @jessewldn
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The API War

Article · @dbarabander
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Incredible execution by the Levl team
Levl@LevlFiMar 25
$2B annualized payment volume in 6 months No new funding round, just execution $1B to $2B in two months Compliant. Fast. Built for scale from day one The old way of moving money cross-border is too slow, too expensive, and too complex. We're building what replaces it
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Onchain Options, Why Now?

Article · @PossibltyResult
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> Crypto never had a choice: open APIs were the starting condition, ... It had to learn to build around that. Now everyone else will too.
Daniel Barabander
@dbarabanderMar 17

The Flattening

Article · @dbarabander
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The Flattening

Article · @dbarabander
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Huge win for self-custody 🦾
Brandon Millman
@BChillmanMar 17
Today @phantom received first-of-its-kind no-action relief from the @CFTC. We can now connect users to regulated derivatives markets and event contracts without registering as an introducing broker. phantom.com/learn/blog/phant…

Phantom Secures CFTC No-Action Relief for Access to Regulated Derivatives and Event Contracts

Phantom can now partner with registered exchanges without registering as an introducing broker — and sets a template for compliant innovation in crypto.

phantom.com
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Today @phantom received first-of-its-kind no-action relief from the @CFTC. We can now connect users to regulated derivatives markets and event contracts without registering as an introducing broker. phantom.com/learn/blog/phant…

Phantom Secures CFTC No-Action Relief for Access to Regulated Derivatives and Event Contracts

Phantom can now partner with registered exchanges without registering as an introducing broker — and sets a template for compliant innovation in crypto.

phantom.com
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What would you build with 38M+ users on day one? @worldbuildlabs is back for its third edition. We’re backing ambitious founders ready to build Apps with @worldnetwork – the real human network. This is your chance to unlock: ✅ Instant distribution to 38M+ users across 160 countries ✅ Up to $200K in grant funding from World Foundation ✅ Fully funded trips to Seoul and San Francisco ✅ 50+ mentor hours from global founders Hack online ➡️Build in Seoul ➡️Fly to San Francisco for Demo Day. Apply now to join our Hackathon, the first step into World Build 3 ↓ worldbuildlabs.com
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The Fraud Thesis

Article · @dbarabander
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We Are Not Onboarding Institutions (for Now) by @PossibltyResult The crypto derivatives market is $20-28T, and almost all of it is retail-optimized. The institutional opportunity is sitting wide open. Here's why now is the perfect window of opportunity: xitter.cf/PossibltyResult/status…
Elijah
@PossibltyResultFeb 11

We Are Not Onboarding Institutions (for Now)

Article · @PossibltyResult
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Thoughts on the Law of Insider Trading and Prediction Markets by @dbarabander Prediction markets + insider trading law = the next major policy frontier xitter.cf/dbarabander/status/201…
Daniel Barabander
@dbarabanderFeb 6

Thoughts on the Law of Insider Trading and Prediction Markets

Article · @dbarabander
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