$TAO – The Smart Money Is Already Here

By: Punisher

“$TAO, you’re not ready.”

It’s time to connect the dots. To look at the people and funds that have been circling around Bittensor for years. To understand the difference between simple speculation and smart money.

What Is Smart Money?

In both finance and crypto, “smart money” refers to capital guided by intelligence and foresight.

• Capital from investors known for their intuition, experience, and access to information.
• People or funds that enter very early into projects reshaping the game.
• The opposite of “retail money,” often trapped in short-term horizons and emotional swings.

These investors don’t need quick returns: their vision is long, strategic, and patient.

Vision vs. Short-Term Thinking

I often see discussions around price targets for $TAO. 👉 Wrong question.

Smart money doesn’t ask if TAO will be at $1,000 or $2,000 next year. It asks:

• What role will Bittensor play in 5, 10, 15 years?
• Which subnets will survive and capture massive value?
• How will decentralized AI compete with closed models?

Since February 15th, subnets have been in play. Many will go to zero. But some will become pillars and generate huge fortunes.

And you, reading this now, are extremely early.

Bitcoin’s History as a Mirror

I’ll share in this article some old Bitcoin tweets. Why? Because what you’re holding in your hands is $TAO.

Today resembles the early years of BTC.

• Bitcoin broke the barrier.
• Regulation is tearing down old walls.
• Bittensor is moving faster than Bitcoin did in its early days.

Don’t expect outrageous targets this cycle. The strategy remains: sell before the bear market, accumulate even more TAO afterward, and repeat across cycles.

Financial freedom isn’t built in 3 years. 👉 See time as your best ally, master your emotions, and build a 10-year plan.

Barry Silbert and the Titans’ Network

You can’t talk about smart money without mentioning Barry Silbert, a legendary figure in crypto.

He runs the Digital Currency Group (@DCGco), one of the largest conglomerates in the sector:

• Grayscale (@Grayscale) Investments, the world’s leading crypto asset manager.
• ➡️ Grayscale Bittensor Trust

• Foundry (@FoundryServices) is a key player in mining and blockchain infrastructure.

But that’s not all. Barry Silbert created Yuma Group:

• Account: @YumaGroup
• Description: Accelerating decentralized intelligence on #Bittensor.
• Raoul Pal The Journey Man ⬇️
• Enjoy the video below:

Barry personally knows Chamath Palihapitiya and Jason Calacanis. Which brings us to another key link: The All-In Podcast.

• Account: @theallinpod
• Hosted by @chamath, @Jason, @DavidSacks, @friedberg
• A podcast followed by millions, covering everything: economics, tech, politics, society, and even poker.
• Jason Calacanis ➡️ Stillcore Capital @stillcorecap U.S. Bittensor Fund
• with Mark Jeffrey @markjeffrey & Rob Greer @rob_svrn

👉 Connect the dots. Barry Silbert (DCG, Yuma Group). Chamath, Jason, David Sacks, Friedberg (All-In). A network of titans, with millions of followers and deep roots in finance, tech, and politics.

And all of it is now converging toward Bittensor and $TAO.

Smart Money & Bittensor

Beyond Stillcore Capital (founded by Mark Jeffrey, Jason Calacanis, and Rob Sverdlove), several other players are positioning around TAO and the subnet ecosystem.

DSV Fund

• @dsvfund @SiamKidd @MarkCreaser
• Early-stage fund focused on distributed AI infrastructure. Asymmetric bets, long volatility, unapologetically early.

Contango Digital Assets

• @ContangoDigital @mikecontango
• Investing to accelerate a decentralized future.

Michael D. White – Karis Crypto Ventures

• @here4impact
• Founder & Principal, Karis Crypto Ventures. Fund Manager of the Bittensor Fund.

OSS Capital

• @OSSCapital @JosephJacks_
• A VC fund dedicated to COSS (Commercial Open Source Software) founders. Active since 2018.

xTAO (Public Company)

• @xtaohq @samaroo00 @kenjonmiyachi @shibshib89 @0xVonBismarck @dlawee @JosephJacks_
• Publicly listed Bittensor company (TSXV: XTAO. U | OTC: XTAIF). Bridge between TradFi and TAO.

TAO Synergies Inc. (James Altucher)

• @TAOSynergies @jaltucher
• Formerly Synaptogenix, Inc. The first pure-play public company focused on the convergence of crypto & AI.

The Role of Subnets and Partnerships

Alongside smart money, let’s not forget the subnet owners. Some are already striking strategic partnerships: think Polymarket, Kalshi, and the first bridges with the academic world.

Another critical dimension: political relationships. The United States has a clear ambition: to become the leading world power in AI. 👉 Such an AI cannot remain confined within centralized companies.

Conclusion: The Tip of the Iceberg

This article is the first exercise. I certainly don’t know all the people quietly accumulating. There are undoubtedly more funds and connections yet to be mapped.

👉 Perhaps after Magellan, I’ll create a mindmap of the smart money orbiting Bittensor. 👉 If you run a fund and want visibility, reach out. 👉 Most importantly, contribute: share, add, enrich.

The world must understand that we are not just another crypto project. You are still not optimistic enough to grasp the scale of what you’re holding in your hands.

Enjoyed it? A like and a share are the best ways to support my work. Thank you!

🗺️ All links are listed on Magellan, the unique mind map of the network:

https://xmind.ai/share/aDEFBhk7?xid=VMLmgtuz

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