$VERSE: bold experiment or a new meta for utility token launches? 9 months ago, we met @MickaVerse and were impressed with his work here in Dubai, thus started supporting his vision for building @VerseWorld, which he founded in 2022. What is Verse? Verse creates ultra-realistic avatars and immersive digital experiences using cutting-edge 3D scanning and motion capture technology. With a 50+ in-house dev team, they deliver AR/VR/MR solutions to major brands like @BYDCompany, @Lexus, and @Toyota_UAE thereby redefining how users and businesses interact in virtual environments. Why Verse? In all frankness, our experience with “metaverse” startups has been rather challenging so far. We learned the hard way that hype is simply not enough. The Verse team took a different approach: they started by building a sustainable business, onboarding global brands and celebrities, and only now, years later, opening up to the public and releasing a token with real-world traction. Launch strategy: The classic CEX-first/IDO model has lost momentum this cycle. So inspired by the rise of $TRUMP and the @pumpdotfun ecosystem, Verse took a bold step: a DEX-first launch via PumpFun. Risky for a utility token, indeed, but with a solid financial foundation and strong alignment between the team, equity investors, token holders, and the community, it made strategic sense (more details to be announced soon). Also, the team locked their tokens according to their tokeneconomics, and their wallets are public. ⁠ Outcome: In just the first 12 hours, $VERSE hit a $1B FDV ATH, onboarded close to 6k holders, and generated over $150M+ in trading volume. What’s next? Verse is continuing its journey as one of the leading virtual world startups in the Middle East - combining partnerships with global brands and a web3-native token model to unlock new incentives and experiences for the crypto community. $VERSE is likely one of the first projects with fundamentals that we will see as part of the new wave of launches of utility tokens on 💫