DePin answers the #1 question on every crypto skeptic’s mind: What do we need blockchain for?

I’ve said from the beginning I wouldn’t touch 99% of tokens. Crypto, like every early-stage industry, is fraught with frauds and scams. But cut through all the hype, and you can see the world-changing potential.

This is where DePin comes in.

DePin stands for Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks—aka physical cryptos.

DePin is all about solving real-world problems using blockchain. And unlike most of crypto, I can explain how DePin projects work to my mom.

You can track the 2,000 or so DePin projects on depin.ninja. Here are some of the top ones you should know about:

Hivemapper—the next Google Maps

I love Google Maps Street View feature. But wouldn’t it be even better if it updated every day, not once per year?

This is the problem Hivemapper (HONEY) is trying to solve. It’s creating a live view of the world’s roads.

Hivemapper makes a 4K, high-definition dashcam anyone can buy and attach to their rearview mirror. The camera automatically “maps” the roads as you drive around, while you collect HONEY tokens in return. Hivemapper then feeds these images into its global map.

Hivemapper is one of my top choices for the most impressive crypto business of 2024. Over 150,000 contributors across the globe have mapped 330 million km worth of roads.

Hivemapper users mapped over a quarter of the world’s roads in less than two years! It’s growing 4X faster than Google Maps did in its early days.

And Hivemapper now counts three of the world’s top 10 mapping companies as clients. It has a real shot at breaking Google Maps’ monopoly.

Helium—the first and only truly global IoT network

Helium (HNT) successfully built the world’s only global IoT network. It achieved this without laying a single cable or constructing a cell tower.

Instead, Helium decided to sell hotspots (mini cell towers) to folks like you and me and pay them HNT tokens for providing internet coverage for IoT devices.

Today, Helium has 1 million hotspots deployed in over 200 countries.

Helium is now moving beyond IoT devices. It recently rolled out its $20/month unlimited data, talk, and text cell plan nationwide… powered by Helium’s 5G hotspots.

The number of Helium Mobile subscribers has surged 4X since January and just topped 115,000.

Two of the three largest cell providers in America are also now tapping into Helium’s 5G network.

5G is blisteringly fast. The downside is its signals only reach short distances. Building a dozen giant cell towers to cover a city won’t work for 5G. Instead, it needs a mini cell tower in every coffee shop and home. This makes 5G the perfect fit for Helium’s “grassroots” approach.

T-Mobile (TMUS) and Verizon (VZ) know this. That’s why they’re “offloading” traffic to Helium’s 5G network. These cell giants are “routing” over 60,000 people through Helium’s network on any given day. And that number continues to rise, as this chart shows:

Source: Helium

This translates into more revenue for Helium. Its network is raking in over $150,000 in fees/month, with 98% of fees coming from 5G customers.

GEODNET—successor to GPS

Ever look at Google Maps and notice it shows your little blue dot in the wrong location?

That’s because it relies on GPS, which can be “off.”

GEODNET (GEOD) is disrupting GPS by building a network of satellite miners on household rooftops. Anyone can set up a GEODNET miner and start sending real-time precise positioning data to the network. You get paid in GEOD tokens in return.

GPS is off by an average of two meters. GEODNET provides accuracy down to the centimeter. And its service costs 90% less than traditional GPS providers.

GEODNET’s network is growing rapidly with monthly revenues topping $100,000:

GEODNET recently partnered with the US Department of Agriculture. When it comes to farming, accuracy = money. You can’t have self-driving tractors harvesting the wrong patch or pest-spraying drones duplicating their work.

Bottom line: DePin will be the shining star of the upcoming crypto bull market.

As you can see, physical cryptos (DePin) are harnessing blockchain tech to build real-world networks without middlemen… which was previously impossible.

Blockchain is the greatest coordination tool ever invented. It allows individuals from across the world to achieve things only monolithic corporations could previously do. And they’re able to do it cheaper and faster than ever before.

DePin is the sector taking crypto mainstream, and I’m convinced it will be the shining star of the upcoming crypto bull market.

For more insights on the crypto market and other disruptive megatrends, consider subscribing to my free investing letter The Jolt—where innovation meets investing. I publish new research and insights every M/W/F. Go here to join.

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Stephen McBride is Chief Analyst, RiskHedge. To get more ideas like this sent straight to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, make sure to sign up for The Jolt, a free investment letter focused on profiting from disruption.

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