Crypto VC Reality Check: Hack VC Portfolio Takes a Massive Hit – Why Real Utility Wins in 2026

TL;DR:

The Reality: Performance data shows Hack VC-backed tokens down 80-98% from their all-time highs.
**The Trend:**Speculative narratives (AI, Modular, DeFi) are being purged in favor of projects with real-world utility.
The Shift: 2026 is moving away from VC-driven hype and toward self-sovereign infrastructure.
The Solution: Zelf (ZNS) offers a utility-first model with biometric security and universal naming, making it a robust alternative to speculative plays.

The crypto market delivered a brutal reality check today, and @VannaCharmer (Mosi) just summed it up perfectly in a viral thread that's blowing up on X.

Quoting Hack VC's co-founder Alexander Pack (@alpackaP) who called 2025 "Hack’s year" with dozens of token launches and optimism for 2026, Mosi fired back with a savage performance recap of many Hack VC-backed tokens from their all-time highs (ATH):

Move: down 97.6%
Bera: down 96.06%
EIGEN: down 92.92%
Soon: down 92.72%
Initia: down 93.7%
Grass: down 91.13%
Babylon: down 88.94%
Hyperlane: down 81.99%
Solayer: down 95.1%
0G: down 87.86%
AltLayer: down 98.13%
Eclipse: down 83.92%
Stable: down 67.24%

The list is non-exhaustive, and as Mosi pointed out: these are likely some of their "best" since they actually reached token generation event (TGE). The post has racked up 471+ likes, 51 replies, 104 bookmarks, and over 70k views in just hours.

Replies range from "ouch" to defenses like "VCs buy way below ATH" and calls to compare drawdowns from TGE/entry price instead. But the sentiment is clear: 2025 was rough for many VC-backed launches, with massive drawdowns across modular, AI, DeFi, and infra narratives.

Here are some visuals capturing the current crypto market pain:

This kind of wipeout isn't new – we've seen similar purges in past cycles – but it highlights a painful truth: hype-driven, speculative token launches with weak fundamentals get crushed.

Meanwhile, projects solving real problems like true ownership, privacy, accessibility, and resistance to central control are building stronger, longer-term narratives.

That's Where Zelf Stands Out – And Why $ZNS Is a Smart Bet Right Now

In a market full of bleeding VC portfolios and overhyped launches, Zelf (zelf.world) is delivering genuine utility through sovereign digital identity.

Zelf Name Service (ZNS) gives you:

.zelf universal names – chain-agnostic, easy-to-remember, and truly yours forever
Biometric-secured wallets powered by ZK Face Proofs – zero-knowledge verification of your identity without storing or exposing biometrics
Seed-phrase-free recovery – your face is the secure, convenient key (no more lost phrases or phishing nightmares)
Full self-custody with privacy-first design from the start

As regulators and central banks continue to question decentralized assets (see recent ECB comments), the demand for real self-sovereign tools is only growing.

Zelf isn't riding hype – it's building essential Web3 infrastructure for the masses.

$ZNS is the token powering this ecosystem, and with the market shaking out weak hands, now is the moment to position yourself in a project with strong fundamentals and mass-adoption potential.

Tired of watching 90%+ drawdowns on speculative plays?
Ready for something with actual utility and staying power?

Invest in $ZNS today.

Head to https://zelf.world right now:

Search and claim your perfect .zelf name
Set up your biometric wallet
And add $ZNS to your portfolio before the narrative shifts hard toward sovereign identity

The old VC playbook is cracking.
Real builders with real solutions are just getting started. 🚀

What’s your take on the VC-backed token bloodbath?
Bullish on self-sovereign identity plays like Zelf? Let’s discuss below!