web3-target-team-research/references/workflow.md

Crypto Contact Research Workflow

Goal

Find individual Telegram contacts for crypto "target teams" — up-and-coming companies in crypto space

Target Team Criteria

• $10M+ in funding OR $1M+ ARR
• NOT already top 200 on DeFiLlama (those are known/established)
• Looking for emerging teams, not the obvious ones like Uniswap, Opensea

Process (TESTED & WORKING)

Step 1: Search X for company's username

• Go to x.com/search?q={company_x_handle}&f=user
• Use the company's actual X handle (from their X Link in CSV)
• Example: Veera's X is @RapidInsightInc → search x.com/search?q=RapidInsightInc&f=user
• Example: Superstate's X is @SuperstateInc → search x.com/search?q=SuperstateInc&f=user
• This finds people who have the company handle in their bio

Step 2: Find team members

• Look at People results
• SCROLL DOWN to see ALL results, not just first few
• Find users with the company's @handle in their bio
• Target roles: CEO, CTO, Founder, Engineer, BD, Dev, Marketing
• CURRENT employees only — skip anyone with "ex-" or "prev:" or "former"

Step 3: Get their X username

• Copy the @handle of each team member found

Step 4: Verify on Telegram (MUST USE BROWSER SCREENSHOT)

• Navigate to t.me/{username} where username = their X handle
• Take a SCREENSHOT (web_fetch CANNOT see profile pictures!)
• RETRY if page fails to load — don't skip due to browser issues
• Check screenshot:
  • ✅ VALID: Has profile picture (pfp) OR bio text → ADD to list
  • ❌ INVALID: No pfp AND no bio (just generic placeholder "If you have Telegram, you can contact X right away") → TRY VARIATIONS

Step 4b: Try Username Variations

If X handle doesn't work on TG, try combinations based on their real name:

• For "Derrick Yen" with @derrickyen, try:
  • t.me/derrickyen, t.me/derrick_yen, t.me/derrickyen_
  • t.me/derrick.yen, t.me/d.yen, t.me/derricky, t.me/dyen
• Try 4-5 variations max, then move on if nothing works
• Common patterns: firstname_lastname, firstnamelastname, f.lastname, firstnamel

Step 5: Add ALL valid contacts

• Add ALL contacts that pass verification — the more the better
• Don't stop at just one per company
• Format: Name (Role) @telegram_handle; Name2 (Role2) @handle2
• Save to CSV frequently

Important Rules

• CHECK BEFORE RESEARCHING — ALWAYS run this command first:

  cat /Users/derrick/bot/crypto-master.csv /Users/derrick/bot/crypto-no-contacts.csv | cut -d',' -f1 | sort -u
  

  This gives you ALL team names already processed. SKIP any team on this list.
• Before adding a team, grep for it: grep -i "TeamName" /Users/derrick/bot/crypto-master.csv
• ONLY individual people — NO community channels, NO support channels, NO groups
• X handle may NOT equal Telegram handle — MUST verify each one visually
• Retry on errors — browser timeouts happen, just retry. If anything times out, RESTART immediately and keep going. Never stop.
• Scroll through ALL X search results — team members may be lower in results
• Save progress to CSV frequently
• ⚠️ CLOSE TABS AFTER EACH VERIFICATION — Don't leave t.me tabs open! Close immediately after screenshot.

If Can't Find Contacts for a Company

• ALWAYS add to /Users/derrick/bot/crypto-no-contacts.csv with notes on what you tried
• Format: Name,Category,Website,X Link,Notes
• Include in notes: funding amount, which handles you tried, why they failed
• Then move on to find NEW target teams that meet criteria ($10M+ funding or $1M+ ARR)
• DO NOT re-search teams already in no-contacts.csv — they've been thoroughly checked
• Only retry no-contacts teams if there's new info (e.g., team member joined, new funding round announced)

Validation Examples

VALID (add to list):

• @jessepollak — has profile picture ✅
• @zkBruv — has bio "Eng @ Superstate. 110 patents granted." ✅
• @davidtsocy — has pfp + bio ✅
• @JonWalch — has pfp + bio "head of engineering @ superstate" ✅

INVALID (do not add):

• @rleshner — no pfp, no bio, just placeholder text ❌
• @tmnsky — shows different person (Russian guy "Дмитрий") ❌

Finding NEW Target Teams

After verifying existing companies, continuously find and add NEW teams:

Criteria:

• $10M+ funding OR $1M+ ARR
• NOT top 200 on DeFiLlama (skip Uniswap, Opensea, etc.)
• Up and coming crypto teams

Sources (find more as you go!):

1. Twitter/X - Primary, search "raised" "funding" announcements
2. https://crypto-fundraising.info - Fundraising tracker (has TG channel)
3. https://alphagrowth.io/projects - Project database
4. Crunchbase - Funding info
5. Messari - Research & funding data
6. The Block Research - Funding rounds
7. RootData (rootdata.com) - Crypto project database
8. DefiLlama (outside top 200) - TVL rankings
9. ICO Drops (icodrops.com) - New token launches
10. Dove Metrics - Funding tracker
11. CryptoRank (cryptorank.io) - Fundraising data
12. Telegram alpha channels - New raises shared

Keep discovering new sources as you go!

If existing sources aren't yielding results, find MORE:

• Search "crypto fundraising tracker", "web3 funding database"
• VC portfolio pages (a16z crypto, Paradigm, Polychain, Dragonfly, etc.)
• Crypto news funding sections (The Block, CoinDesk, Decrypt)
• Be resourceful!

For each new team:

1. Add to CSV: Name, Category, Website, X Link
2. Search X for team members
3. Verify Telegram via screenshots
4. Add verified contacts

RUN 24/7 UNTIL DERRICK SAYS STOP.

When a subagent completes or times out, immediately spawn a new one to continue. This process never stops until explicitly told to stop.

CSV Location & Format

/Users/derrick/bot/crypto-master.csv

CSV Columns: Name,Chain,Category,Website,X Link,Funding,Contacts

Chain values: ETH, SOL, BASE, ARB, OP, MATIC, AVAX, BTC, MULTI (multi-chain), N/A (infra/not chain-specific)

Example row: Uniswap,ETH,DEX,https://uniswap.org,https://x.com/Uniswap,$165M (a16z/Paradigm),"Hayden Adams (Founder) @haaboris"

Verified Contacts So Far

• Base: jessepollak, davidtsocy, WilsonCusack
• Superstate: zkBruv, francisgowen, maxcwolff, JonWalch, EmilyEColeman
• LI.FI: PhilippZentner
• ZAR: sebscholl

Recent Research Session (Jan 25, 2026)

Companies researched but no valid TG found:

• Konnex ($15M) - @JOllwerther had no TG pfp/bio
• Canton Network ($50M) - @Emmett_ had no TG pfp/bio
• BlackOpal ($200M) - @jd_blkopl had no TG pfp/bio
• Neynar (Farcaster infra) - @rish_neynar had no TG pfp/bio
• XMTP - @ericbmbi had no TG pfp/bio

Companies identified for future research:

• Perle Labs ($17.5M) - Data Layer for AI, Framework/CoinFund
• DeepNode AI ($5M) - AI infrastructure
• Cork Protocol ($5.5M) - Risk management
• Pimlico - Account abstraction, a16z backed ($4.2M)
• Espresso Systems - Sequencer, $28M (Sequoia/Greylock)

Sources checked Jan 25:

• RootData Fundraising (filtered by $10M+)
• a16z crypto portfolio page
• X search for funding announcements

Challenge: Many team members don't have matching TG usernames or have empty TG profiles. The X → TG conversion rate is ~20-30%.

New Sources Discovered (Jan 25, 2026)

• crypto-fundraising.info - Excellent! 9600+ deals, VC deal flow, filters
• Paradigm portfolio - paradigm.xyz/portfolio
• a16z crypto portfolio - a16zcrypto.com/portfolio
• RootData - rootdata.com/Fundraising - good filters

NEW SOURCES ADDED (Jan 25, 2026 - Batch 2)

VC Portfolio Pages (Confirmed Working)

• Dragonfly - dragonfly.xyz/#portfolio - Major tier-1 VC, 90+ companies (Ethena, Flashbots, Celestia, dYdX, etc)
• Framework Ventures - framework.ventures/portfolio - 65+ companies (Aave, Berachain, Celestia, Chainlink, Optimism, Yearn)
• 1confirmation - 1confirmation.com/portfolio - Excellent! 50+ companies with investment dates (Polymarket, Farcaster, Bridge, Pimlico, Degen)
• Blockchain Capital - blockchaincapital.com/portfolio - Major VC backing EigenLayer, Matter Labs, RISC Zero, TRM, Worldcoin
• DCG (Digital Currency Group) - dcg.co/portfolio - MASSIVE list 200+ companies! (Coinbase, Circle, Chainalysis, Fireblocks, Dune, Figure, etc)
• Multicoin Capital - multicoin.capital/portfolio - Major multi-chain VC
• Pantera Capital - panteracapital.com/portfolio - OG crypto VC, 100+ blockchain companies, 110+ token deals
• Foresight Ventures - foresightventures.com/portfolio - Asia-focused VC
• Outlier Ventures - portfolio.outlierventures.io - Accelerator portfolio
• YZi Labs - yzilabs.com (formerly Binance Labs) - Major ecosystem investor

Asian/Regional VCs (High Value for Emerging Teams)

• Hashed - hashed.com/portfolio - EXCELLENT! Korean VC, massive portfolio with detailed descriptions (Aptos, Berachain, Ethena, Story Protocol, Worldcoin, many gaming/Asian teams)
• IOSG Ventures - iosg.vc/portfolio-map - Chinese VC with strong DeFi focus

News/Data Aggregators

• CB Insights Blockchain - cbinsights.com/research/bitcoin-blockchain/ - Institutional research, funding reports, market maps
• Blockworks News - blockworks.co/news - Daily funding coverage, research newsletters
• Coindar - coindar.org - Crypto event calendar (useful for finding new projects via announcements)
• CoinCarp Fundraising - coincarp.com/funding/fundraising-rounds - Funding tracker with investor portfolios

Why These Sources Are Valuable

1. DCG - Largest single portfolio, many acquired companies = team contacts still findable
2. Hashed - Asia coverage not available elsewhere, gaming/metaverse focus
3. 1confirmation - Lists investment dates = helps identify recent rounds
4. Framework - Strong DeFi focus, many emerging protocols
5. CB Insights - Institutional-grade research, funding reports

TELEGRAM FUNDING BOTS/CHANNELS (Jan 25, 2026)

VERIFIED - PRIMARY SOURCES

1. @crypto_fundraising (crypto-fundraising.info)

• Channel URL: https://t.me/crypto_fundraising
• Public Preview: https://t.me/s/crypto_fundraising
• Subscribers: 30,200+
• Contact: @VAL_J
• Quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ EXCELLENT
• Content: All private fundraising events, real-time updates
• Frequency: Multiple posts/day
• Recent $10M+ Raises Found:
  • LMAX Group - $150M (Ripple)
  • BitGo - $212.80M IPO
  • Rain - $250M Series C
  • Superstate - $82.50M Series B
  • Alpaca - $150M Series D
  • ZBD - $40M Series C

2. @CryptoFundrising_bot (Scout Bot)

• Bot URL: https://t.me/CryptoFundrising_bot
• Type: Notification bot with filters
• Features: Filter by fund, category; early access before public channel
• Paid: Yes (subscription model)
• Quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Best for personalized alerts

NEWS CHANNELS (General Crypto News)

3. @coindesk

• Channel URL: https://t.me/coindesk
• Subscribers: 15,400+
• Quality: ⭐⭐⭐ Good for general news
• Funding Coverage: Mixed with other news

COMMUNITY CHATS (Not Announcement Channels)

4. @CryptoRankEn

• Type: Community chat (not channel)
• Members: 9,800+
• Use: Discussion, not announcements
• Support: @cryptorank_io_sup

DATA SOURCES (Websites, not TG)

• RootData: rootdata.com/Fundraising - Good filters, 9300+ rounds
• CryptoRank: cryptorank.io - Has TG chat but main data on website
• crypto-fundraising.info: Primary source for TG channel

CHANNELS TO INVESTIGATE

• @theblock_news - Private channel
• @Web3Daily - Private channel
• @rootdata - Needs investigation
• @cryptorankfunding - Private channel
• @venturecoinist - Private channel
• Look for: Messari TG, The Block Research TG, VC announcement channels

JAN 25, 2026 - HUNTING SESSION RESULTS

Teams Added/Updated from @crypto_fundraising Channel:

1. LMAX Group - $150M (Ripple) - FX/Digital Assets - ADDED ✅
2. BitGo - $212.80M IPO - Custody/Security - ADDED ✅
3. Alpaca - $150M Series D - Trading API - ADDED ✅
4. Rain - Updated from $17M → $250M (Series C)
5. ZBD - Updated from $40M → $75M (new $40M Series C)

BitGo Contact Research (FAILED):

Team members found on X but TG verification failed:

• @mikebelshe (CEO) - No TG pfp/bio ❌
• @itisjakeonx (MD, BitGo Ventures) - No TG pfp/bio ❌
• @mtballensweig (Head of Trading) - No TG pfp/bio ❌
• @chenfang (CRO) - Name only, no pfp/bio ❌
• @chrispark_bitgo (Director) - No TG pfp/bio ❌

Key Finding:

@crypto_fundraising is the PRIMARY source for funding announcements.

• 30K+ subscribers
• Multiple daily posts
• Direct links to project details
• Real-time funding round notifications

Their @CryptoFundrising_bot provides filtered alerts (paid) before public channel.

Session Jan 26, 2026 (v7)

Perle Labs added ($17.5M) - 2 verified TG contacts:

• Ahmed (Founder) @AhmedZRashad ✅
• Arthur @rthurding ✅

Researched but no valid TG found:

• Canton Network ($50M) - @ShaulKfir, @thejonnymagic had no TG pfp/bio (only names, no bio/pfp)
• Konnex ($15M) - only @JOllwerther visible (already checked, no TG)

Below $10M threshold (skipped):

• HyperLend ($1.7M)
• Cork Protocol ($5.5M)

Sources checked:

• CryptoRank funding rounds
• RootData fundraising
• X search for funding announcements

Session Jan 26, 2026 (v8)

New companies added:

• Yellow ($10M) - @rohaan411 (Marketing) ✅ verified
• Codex ($15M) - added but NO verified TG (team members @haonan, @momoeureka, @citruscanine all have no pfp/bio)

Researched but NO valid TG found:

• Yupp AI ($33M) - @pankaj (CEO), @axeldelafosse - all have no pfp/bio
• Codex ($15M) - all founders have empty TG profiles

Updated funding amounts in CSV:

• Superstate: $14M → $82.5M (Series B Jan 2026)
• ZBD: $35M → $40M (Series C Jan 2026)

Session Jan 25, 2026 (v29)

New company added:

• SynFutures ($22M+ from Polychain/Framework) - Rachel Lin (Co-Founder/CEO) @RachelLin_SF ✅

Researched but not added:

• Swell Network (@swellnetworkio) - Found @leckylao (Co-founder) with valid TG, but confirmed funding is only $3.75M (below threshold)
• Karak Network - Rebranded to OpenGDP (already in CSV)
• Irys - Data storage protocol from Framework, funding unclear

Sources checked:

• @crypto_fundraising TG channel (Jan 16-24 posts - mostly already in CSV)
• RootData Fundraising (most recent rounds already tracked)
• Framework Ventures portfolio
• X search for funding announcements

Session Jan 27, 2026 (v44)

New companies added:

• Plume Network ($20M from Haun/Galaxy) - RWA L2

  • Teddy (Co-Founder) @teddyP_xyz ✅

• Turnkey ($15M from Sequoia/Coinbase Ventures) - Wallet Infrastructure

  • Bryce (Co-Founder) @sadbryce ✅
  • Jack Kearney (Co-Founder/CTO) @whojackjones ✅

Researched but NO valid TG found:

• OpenEden (YZi Labs backed RWA platform) - @jeremyng777 (CEO), @dukedu2022 (CTO), @nathanpaitchel (Growth) - all TG profiles have no pfp/bio

Sources checked:

• Sino Global Capital / Ryze Labs portfolio (404 error - site broken)
• OKX Ventures X search
• Coinbase Ventures backed companies (Turnkey)
• @crypto_fundraising TG channel (Jan 16-24 announcements mostly already tracked)

Current Master CSV Status:

• 75 companies with verified Telegram contacts
• Latest additions: Plume Network (1 contact), Turnkey (2 contacts)

Current Master CSV Status

75 companies with verified Telegram contacts:

1. Base - 3 contacts
2. Superstate - 5 contacts
3. Rain - 1 contact
4. Ostium Labs - 2 contacts
5. ZBD - 1 contact
6. LI.FI - 2 contacts
7. ETHGAS - 1 contact
8. DAWN - 1 contact
9. Space - 2 contacts
10. Babylon - 1 contact
11. Gonka - 1 contact
12. Lighter - 2 contacts
13. Donut - 1 contact
14. ZAR - 1 contact
15. Zama - 1 contact
16. Citrea - 3 contacts
17. MegaETH - 1 contact
18. Warden - 1 contact
19. SoSoValue - 1 contact
20. Fogo - 1 contact
21. River - 1 contact
22. Veera - 1 contact
23. Project Eleven - 1 contact
24. Noise - 3 contacts
25. PrismaX - 2 contacts
26. Fhenix - 2 contacts

Total verified TG contacts: ~38

Session Jan 27, 2026 (v32)

New company added:

• Miden ($25M from a16z/1kx) - Privacy L2/ZK rollup launching Q1 2026
  • Azeem (Cofounder) @azeemk ✅
  • Akshit Sharma (Head of Ops) @midenmonk ✅
  • Bobbin Threadbare (Engineer) @bobbinth ✅

Researched but no valid TG:

• Dominik Schmid (Miden Co-founder Product) @schmiddominik1 / @dominikschmid - no pfp/bio

Sources checked:

• @crypto_fundraising TG channel (Jan 16-24 posts - all $10M+ already in CSV)
• RootData Fundraising (most recent rounds already tracked)
• X search for "(seed OR series) round raised crypto"

Challenge: Most recent funding rounds from Jan 16-24 are already tracked in CSV. Need to monitor for newer announcements or find alternative discovery sources.

Current Master CSV Status:

• 58 companies with verified Telegram contacts
• New addition: Miden (3 contacts)

Session Jan 26, 2026 (v113)

New company added:

• Polymarket ($70M+ from 1confirmation/Dragonfly) - Prediction Markets
  • LeGate (Growth Lead) @williamlegate ✅

Verified existing:

• Kaito AI - Yu Hu (Founder) @Punk9277 was already in CSV, verified TG has pfp + bio 'Yu Hu | Kaito AI'

Researched but NOT added:

• Spindl - Was acquired by Coinbase, not independent
• Drakula - Pivoted to BreakoutApp
• Rumpel - Could not find X handle

Sources checked:

• RootData Fundraising (recent rounds mostly already in CSV)
• Dragonfly portfolio (dragonfly.xyz)
• Alliance DAO (no public portfolio page)
• Seed Club (site not loading)
• Outlier Ventures portfolio

Current Master CSV Status:

• 165 companies with verified Telegram contacts