Simon Dedic is a German venture capitalist known as the founder and Managing Partner of Moonrock Capital, a proprietary fund focused on the Web3 and cryptocurrency sectors. He is also a prominent public commentator on industry trends, market analysis, and the practices of major cryptocurrency exchanges. ^{[1] [2]}

Career

Simon Dedic's professional involvement in the cryptocurrency industry began around 2017. ^[2] In 2019, he founded Moonrock Capital, a crypto-native venture capital firm based in Munich, Germany. As the firm's CEO and Managing Partner, he has overseen its investments in and incubation of over 100 early-stage Web3, blockchain, and cryptocurrency startups. The firm operates as a proprietary fund, backing and accelerating projects in the space. ^{[1] [3]}

On April 17, 2025, Dedic announced that Moonrock Capital would join the on-chain investment platform Echo as a group lead. The initiative was designed to democratize access to the firm's private deal flow, allowing community members to participate in early-stage investment opportunities. Dedic stated that the move was intended to restore the community-centric ethos of the crypto industry. In explaining the decision, he commented, "As a Web3-native prop fund, it’s a no-brainer for us. Community has always been at the heart of crypto—it’s time to put the people back at the top where they belong." ^[1]

Public Commentary and Views

Dedic frequently shares his analysis and opinions on the cryptocurrency market and its development through social media and interviews. His commentary covers market sentiment, investment philosophy, and critiques of specific industry trends.

Market Analysis

In February 2025, Dedic described the cryptocurrency market as being in an "uncertain phase" that he believed would be looked back on as a defining moment. He noted an unprecedented level of division and fear among venture capitalists, founders, and other industry insiders, stating that opinions on the market's future direction had never been more split. He observed that many participants were exiting the space or facing challenges due to strategic errors, while others remained confident in an upcoming altcoin season. Dedic characterized this period as one that "will separate the winners from the losers," based on insights gathered from conversations with leading VCs, market makers, and exchanges. ^[3]

Infrastructure and Consumer Applications

Dedic has argued against the prevailing industry approach of building out infrastructure completely before focusing on user-facing products. He advocates for the parallel evolution of consumer applications and infrastructure, drawing an analogy to the development of the internet, where applications like email were created alongside the internet's foundational technology. He has been critical of the venture capital sector's tendency to fund infrastructure projects, which he described as "VC circlejerk infra rounds." Dedic believes VCs have a "responsibility" to help onboard new users by funding applications that lower the barrier to entry into the crypto ecosystem. ^[4]

SocialFi

Dedic has expressed a bullish outlook on the SocialFi (Social Finance) sector but has been critical of its early models. He identified a major issue in the space as its historical focus on "speculation and financialization of everything," arguing that financial elements should be a feature rather than the core purpose of a social application. He has advocated for the development of projects that create "new social experiences on crypto rails" and prioritize utility for users. In his view, some platforms like Farcaster were "too idealistic" and closely resembled existing Web2 platforms. ^[4]

Specific Assets and Trends

Dedic has offered public commentary on various cryptocurrencies and market trends. He has maintained a consistently bullish stance on Ethereum (ETH), describing it in November 2024 as a significant investment opportunity. In March 2025, he predicted that ETH would outperform other major cryptocurrencies, citing the potential impact of an ETH exchange-traded fund (ETF), institutional staking, and a new wave of DeFi activity. He has also argued that ETH's price was undervalued relative to its technological and ecosystem development since 2017. ^[2]

Conversely, he has expressed a strong negative opinion on memecoins. In October 2024, he called them "the worst thing to happen to this space, ever," suggesting they contribute to the skepticism that outsiders hold toward the crypto industry. He has also publicly questioned the valuations of certain projects, such as in June 2025 when he raised concerns about the risk-reward ratio of the Hyperliquid ($HYPE) token after its market capitalization approached $50 billion, despite expressing admiration for the project itself. ^[2]

Controversies

Dedic has initiated public discussions and made direct allegations regarding the practices of major entities within the cryptocurrency industry.

Binance Listing Fee Allegations

On October 31, 2024, Dedic made a public claim on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) regarding the listing fee practices of the cryptocurrency exchange Binance. He alleged that a "Tier 1 project," which had raised nearly nine figures in funding, received a listing offer from Binance after more than a year of due diligence. According to Dedic, the exchange demanded 15% of the project's total token supply as a fee for the listing. He estimated the value of this fee to be between $50 million and $100 million. Dedic's post ignited a widespread industry debate over the listing practices of centralized exchanges. The claim was amplified by Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, who contrasted the allegation with Coinbase's stated policy of not charging listing fees. The discussion also drew responses from other prominent figures, including Andre Cronje and Justin Sun, who shared their own experiences with exchange listings. ^[5]

Pi Network Criticism

On February 27, 2025, Dedic published a critical analysis of the Pi Network, labeling it a potential "giant Ponzi that faked it till they made it." He alleged that the project's high daily trading volume, reported at $3.5 billion at the time, was not genuine and was likely the result of extensive wash trading concentrated on exchanges such as OKX, Bitget, and Gate.io. Dedic also raised concerns about the project's user base, which he described as consisting mainly of "non-crypto users" who might not fully understand its mechanics. To support his claims, he referenced a 2023 Chinese police report, previously highlighted by Bybit CEO Ben Zhou, which had identified Pi Network as a scam project targeting elderly individuals. ^[6]