How to win in the new “public chain war” of AI Agent?

Original title:Agent Ecosystem = The New L1

Original author: 0xJeff, AI investor

Original compilation: Ismay, BlockBeats

Remember the L2 craze in 2022-2023?

The best strategy at the time was to stock up on leading DEXs, top lending markets, Solidly fork projects, LST, yield optimizers, and more. Everyone is chasing token issuance, participating in airdrops, or injecting TVL into L2 platforms like Blast to earn points.

It was a chaotic time, but it worked (at least for a few months).

Today, the same enthusiasm is brewing again, but this time, the rules have completely changed.

The Agent ecosystem is reshaping our understanding of the market, and its structure is completely different from before.

No VC leadership

In the L2 era, token distribution always follows a fixed formula:

The team accounts for 15-30%, VC and KOL account for 10-30%, and the rest is used for incentives and reward distribution.

But in the Agent ecosystem, the situation is completely different. The tokens are 100% owned by the community, and the team may reserve 5% for incentives, while the rest is left to the market for free circulation.

what does that mean?

Everyone has an equal opportunity to participate in the purchase, and there is no need to worry about the risk of VC unlocking or insider selling. If you want to gain exposure, you need to take the same market risks as everyone else.

What about KOL’s OTC round?

Some projects do offer discounted OTC deals, but generally:

• Strictly limited scale;
• Priority will be given to partners who are highly compatible with the ecosystem, such as DAOs or influencers who actively support ecological development.

This is no longer the model of "VCs carry the sedan chair and retail investors take over", but a fairer and streamlined system that truly puts power in the hands of the community.

There is no "copy and paste" trend

At least not like in the DeFi field, where various projects from Uniswap to Liquidity have been forked repeatedly with almost no innovation.

Here, it's all about new innovations. Developers are not simply copying existing projects, but launching new agents and new application scenarios at a speed that is difficult to keep up with.

Why is this happening?

AI applications iterate faster:

• No need to spend months conducting an audit;
• The online time for most agents is measured in weeks, not months;
• The whole field is full of energy, experimentation and creativity.

There is something new and exciting almost every week, and as AI technology continues to evolve, the narrative of Web3 AI Agent continues to evolve.

A new user acquisition model

In traditional DeFi, users need:

• Find the project's website;
• Take the time to learn about the product;
• Maybe interact with the product.

Agent completely subverts this approach and presents the product directly in front of users.

Take @aixbt_agent as an example, it provides valuable information in real time directly on CT (Crypto Twitter). Users immediately feel value, become interested, and explore further. Eventually, they purchase tokens to fully unlock product features.

This funnel model of “interact first, then transact” is even more effective. With the popularity of on-chain trading agents and DeFi agents, this model is expected to dominate by 2025.

Highly curated ecosystem

No longer thousands of decentralized L2s and dApps, but a tightly connected ecosystem like this:

• @virtuals_io(Base)
• @ai16zdao（Solana）
• @daosdotworld（Base）
• @daosdotfun (Solana)

What's the difference?

Developers are no longer attracted by grants or incentives, they come naturally because of:

• Fair startup token economic model;
• a passionate community;
• The opportunity to experiment and innovate in an exciting field.

This is the result of a fair start combined with continuous innovation. Developers, investors, and the community work together to drive the growth and development of the ecosystem.

How to position yourself in this Agent cycle

It feels like the early days of L1 - but much faster paced. Looking back at 2020-2021, many L1s have reached peak valuations of more than 100 billion US dollars. The same potential exists here.

If you want to position yourself, you can pay attention to the following Agent-related L1:

• $VIRTUAL
• $AI16
• $ZEREBRO
• $GRIFFAIN
• $BULLY
• $ARC

But don’t just go after what’s hot right now. Looking for:

• undervalued opportunities outside the scope of the current narrative;
• Teams that move quickly, are good storytellers, and can build market awareness.

If you want to know more, you can refer to this guide:

Related reading: " How to seize the 100-fold opportunity for new narratives in this AI agent loop?" 》

welcome to the new era

The Agent ecosystem is not just the new L1, it's a completely different market structure - faster, leaner, and more community-driven than ever before.

We are entering a cycle that may reshape the way Web3 innovation works, and the journey toward a valuation of more than $100 billion has just begun.

Welcome aboard, friends, this will be a wonderful journey!