The Reforge Manifesto

re · forge / rē-ˈfôrj /
verb
To give new shape, structure, or strength; to recreate or reconstitute in a different form.

Over the last several years, crypto venture has become an intricate labyrinth. $20 billion deployed since 2021, 700+ new funds launched, thousands of protocols funded. Navigating this maze to "success" was a familiar, well-worn path: chase the latest narrative, copy the “growth” playbook, ignore technical fundamentals, rush token launches, manufacture liquidity. Capital chasing capital, mistaking iteration for innovation.

This maze-running hasn't just stunted our industry - it's capped what we can achieve. While others compete to perfect the same plays, fundamental breakthroughs remain unexplored. However, revolutionary breakthroughs don't come from mastering mazes - they come from questioning why the walls exist at all.

Every major technological breakthrough began with someone asking a different question. The iPhone didn't iterate on BlackBerry's keyboard - it asked why phones needed keyboards at all. AWS didn't build better server rooms - it questioned why companies needed their own servers.

When everyone else seeks patterns, we forge anti-patterns. The industry's impossibilities become our opportunities and their consensus becomes our starting point for deeper questions. The next era belongs to those who rewrite the rules entirely.

These are some anti-patterns we are actively pursuing:

• What if the EVM isn't the foundation we should build on, but the prototype we should learn from?"
• What if Layer1 networks aren’t platforms but on-chain companies and everything built on top - the application layer - is just a product offering by the ‘company’?
  
• Why do we spend time focusing on reactive security measures (e.g., audits, AI monitoring and detection, etc.) or validity rules in smart contracts when we should design better virtual machines with vm-level security mitigation mechanisms?
  
• What if the true value of crypto networks isn't in their financial primitives, but in their ability to encode and enforce new social contracts that traditional institutions cannot?
  
• What if the future doesn’t involve human users at all - how do agent-driven networks reshape every assumption we have about core blockchain infrastructure design?

We recognize that true innovation happens at the edges, in the spaces others are afraid to explore. This spirit of challenging fundamental assumptions is in the DNA of our industry and must be resurfaced. Bitcoin emerged when the world needed reformation, not reinforcement. Its genesis block challenged decades of financial orthodoxy.

Amid the global financial crisis, as governments rushed to rescue "too big to fail" institutions, this subtle declaration of the The Times front page headline published that day symbolized more than Bitcoin's birth. It critiqued a system built on centralized control, systemic fragility, and policies prioritizing institutional preservation over public welfare.

Envision a future where over $100 trillion in permissionless value exchange catalyzes technology-driven free market dynamics globally, democratizing capital access and unlocking new ownership paradigms. When individuals truly control their assets—monetary, informational, and digital—they create economic models and opportunities that were infeasible under traditional systems. That empowerment fosters innovation, collaboration, and more equitable value distribution, leading to superior collective outcomes for society.

Achieving this reality demands the clarity that Silicon Valley found after the 2001 dot-com crash. As a response, Reforge is both the wrecking ball and the new foundation. While others fight over slices of today's pie, we're creating tomorrow's feast.

Reforge isn't just a name. It's a declaration of intent - an intent to break the status quo, transcend limitations, and imagine the impossible.

Our doors are open to visionaries who see what others miss, who build what others claim cannot be built, who question what others accept as gospel. A digital reforging awaits and it begins with defiance.

Contact us at endgame@reforge.vc.