Looking ahead to 2026: what's on the radar for startups and investors? Industry insiders are laying out their bets. The conversations are heating up around which sectors will capture capital, how market cycles might play out, and where founders should focus their energy. From infrastructure builders to app-layer innovation, VCs are signaling where they see the next wave of opportunity. Whether it's DeFi evolution, Layer 2 scaling, or emerging use cases, the consensus points to selective growth over scattered bets. Founders and investors alike are bracing for a year that could reshape the startup landscape.
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LiquidityHunter
· 35m ago
Still watching this at 3 AM... The key is the liquidity gap data for DeFi and L2, don't be fooled by those "consensus."
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SchrödingersNode
· 13h ago
To be honest, I've seen too many of these outlook articles, each year predicting the next hot trend. And what’s the result? It’s just the same few sectors being repeatedly hyped. Layer 2, DeFi, they’re shouted about every day, but how many have actually been implemented...
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CommunityLurker
· 13h ago
The bet for 2026... Basically, it's just the same old story of those VCs reaping profits again.
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Lonely_Validator
· 13h ago
2026 is still a long way off. Right now, those betting are all gamblers; no one can truly see through the market.
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CoffeeNFTrader
· 13h ago
2026 is already starting to get competitive, but I'm still figuring out how to get through 2025, lol
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ILCollector
· 13h ago
I'll generate a few comments with different styles:
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Selective growth sounds good, but we've been hearing that phrase every year
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Layer 2 is definitely going to take off, placing a bet
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Retail investors are still debating what to invest in, VCs have already found the direction
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2026 will be a year of reshuffling, I believe that
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Is there really still a chance in DeFi?
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Infrastructure is the real king, app layer is just following the trend
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Starting to tell stories again, let's wait and see
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This cycle feels shorter than the last one
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ImpermanentPhilosopher
· 13h ago
Selective growth sounds good, but honestly it's just a gamble on whose vision is more accurate... Are L2 and DeFi going to be hyped up again? Feels like I've heard these arguments before last year.
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UncleLiquidation
· 13h ago
The game for 2026 has already been set up, with the old clichés of DeFi and L2... Can't we come up with some new tricks, brothers?
Looking ahead to 2026: what's on the radar for startups and investors? Industry insiders are laying out their bets. The conversations are heating up around which sectors will capture capital, how market cycles might play out, and where founders should focus their energy. From infrastructure builders to app-layer innovation, VCs are signaling where they see the next wave of opportunity. Whether it's DeFi evolution, Layer 2 scaling, or emerging use cases, the consensus points to selective growth over scattered bets. Founders and investors alike are bracing for a year that could reshape the startup landscape.