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How to tell if a crypto project is dead: 3 checks, 62 flagged

By NAUT Research · · 7 min read

62 Dead crypto projects projects NAUT flags as defunct, and the 3 checks that catch one before you pitch. Logos: Nyan Heroes, Kadena, Bloktopia.

How to tell if a crypto project is dead before you contact it: check whether NAUT flags it as defunct, read the date of its last round on NAUT's record, then open its X account and find its newest post. NAUT tracks 62 project rows carrying a defunct flag as of 13 November 2026, and on the 3 worked here, Bloktopia, Kadena and Nyan Heroes, the flag, the shutdown news and the newest X post all point to a closure while their X follower counts, 297,071 to 578,873, still look alive.

Data note. Every count was read from NAUT's own database on 13 November 2026, read-only. NAUT holds 10,593 live company rows; 71 carry the lifecycle defunct flag, and 62 of those 71 are filed as projects (the other 9 are other company types). 38 of the 71 flagged rows have no funding round on NAUT's record. Research put 6 claims about the 3 worked projects to outside sources: 5 were confirmed and cited below, and 1 (a Bloktopia closure report) could not be read and is left out. 3 follow-up lookups found no public source for the newest round date NAUT holds for Nyan Heroes, so that date is given as NAUT's record only. The other 59 flagged project rows were not checked outside NAUT for this piece. Follower counts are NAUT's stored figures, last refreshed on 30 May 2026 for the 3 worked projects; the refresh dates for the 3 live projects were not read. NAUT Research wrote it.

How to tell if a crypto project is dead, in 3 checks

Run the checks in this order, because each one is faster than the next and the first one can end the search.

  • Check 1, the NAUT flag. Look the project up on NAUT. If NAUT's data carries the defunct flag, stop there and pick another target.
  • Check 2, the last round and the last news. Read the date of the newest round on the project's NAUT page. An old round is a prompt to search for a shutdown report, and the report is what settles it.
  • Check 3, X activity. Open the account on X and find the newest post, then read it. On all 3 worked projects the newest post is the shutdown notice itself.
  • Ignore the follower count. It survives the project. Nyan Heroes held 578,873 followers on NAUT's record when last refreshed on 30 May 2026, over a year after its studio said it was closing.
The 3-check screen before you pitch
  1. Check the NAUT flagNAUT flags 62 project rows as defunct, among them Kadena and Nyan Heroes.
  2. Read the last round dateKadena's newest round on NAUT's record is an ICO dated 4 November 2019.
  3. Search for a shutdown reportKadena announced an end to all business operations on 21 October 2025.
  4. Read the newest X postBloktopia's newest post is dated 5 January 2026.
  5. Skip the follower countNyan Heroes still holds 578,873 followers on NAUT's record.

Which dead crypto projects did the 3 checks catch?

Each of the 3 worked projects carries NAUT's defunct flag, each has an outside shutdown report or closing post, and each newest X post marks the end. The round date is the weakest of the 3 signals: Nyan Heroes had a 2024 round on NAUT's record.

Project Last round (NAUT) Newest X post
ICO, $10M, 4 Nov 2019 21 Oct 2025: operations ended
IDO, $100K, 6 Oct 2021 5 Jan 2026: final chapter post
IEO, $70K, 19 May 2024 16 May 2025: studio shutting down

Kadena: a crypto project shut down while its chain runs

Kadena is a layer-1 proof of work blockchain with 5 round rows on NAUT's record, the newest 2 of them ICO entries dated 4 November 2019 at $10M each. A report dated 22 October 2025 says "Kadena announced an immediate end to all business operations on October 21, 2025, citing market pressures." The same report says the network itself keeps running without the company, which is the trap for a BD lead: a live chain with nobody left to sign a deal. Its newest X post is the 21 October 2025 shutdown notice, with nothing newer as of 13 November 2026. It still held 321,424 X followers on NAUT's record when last refreshed on 30 May 2026.

Bloktopia: an old round and a final post

Bloktopia, a VR world for the crypto community, has 10 round rows on NAUT's record, 6 of them dated. The newest dated one is an IDO of $100K on 6 October 2021. Its newest X post, dated 5 January 2026, announces a final chapter for the project, and nothing has followed it. Research could not open the linked closure post itself, so this piece gives no closure date beyond that X post.

Nyan Heroes: a 2024 round, then a 2025 shutdown

Nyan Heroes, a third person shooter on Solana, has 4 round rows on NAUT's record: a $2.5M seed round on 3 November 2021, a $7.5M strategic round on 10 May 2022, a $3M strategic round on 14 March 2024 and an IEO of $70K dated 19 May 2024. Outside lookups found no public source for that 19 May 2024 date, so treat it as NAUT's record only. On 16 May 2025, Decrypt reported that "Nyan Heroes is shutting down due to the development studio's inability to secure more funding." With a funded round in 2024 on NAUT's record, the round date alone would not have warned you; the shutdown report and the X post did. Its newest X post is that 16 May 2025 notice.

How to tell if a crypto project is dead when its X following is large?

Read the post date instead: on NAUT's stored figures the 3 dead projects each hold more X followers than 3 live projects with a November 2026 round on NAUT's record. Avon, Unruggable and Uranium Digital carry no defunct flag and each has a round dated 5 or 6 November 2026 on NAUT's record.

X followers on NAUT's record, 3 dead projects and 3 with a November 2026 round
  1. Nyan Heroes578873
  2. Kadena321424
  3. Bloktopia297071
  4. Uranium Digital40875
  5. Unruggable7278
  6. Avon5376

The smallest dead account, Bloktopia's 297,071, is more than 7 times the largest live one, Uranium Digital's 40,875, so read the date on the newest post and never the follower total.

Project Newest round Followers
6 Nov 2026 5,376
5 Nov 2026 7,278
5 Nov 2026 40,875

The X activity of these 3 live projects was not checked for this piece.

What should a BD team do with a defunct crypto project?

  • Drop it from the outreach list. A flagged row on NAUT is a team you would pitch into silence.
  • Watch for the chain that outlives its company. Kadena's network keeps running after its company ended business operations, so a listing, an integration or a grant needs a different counterparty.
  • Lean on the X check when there is no round. 38 of the 71 flagged rows have no round on NAUT's record, so a target with no rounds gives check 2 nothing to read and check 3 carries the weight.
  • Move to a live team the same day. Avon, Unruggable and Uranium Digital each have a round dated November 2026 on NAUT's record.
From a dead target to a live one
  1. Flag checkLook the target up on NAUT and skip any of the 62 project rows flagged defunct.
  2. Date checkA last round as old as Kadena's 2019 ICO means search for a shutdown report.
  3. Post checkRead the newest X post, as with Nyan Heroes' 16 May 2025 notice.
  4. Swap the targetOpen a team with a fresh round, such as Avon on 6 Nov 2026.

Related reading on NAUT: How to qualify a sales lead: 5 checks, 46 of 167 teams pass and How to find decision makers in a company: 5 steps for crypto.

Can you pull this data through the NAUT API?

Yes: GET https://api.naut.so/v1/projects/kadena with the header Authorization: Bearer $NAUT_KEY returns the company record NAUT holds for Kadena with its team, and GET https://api.naut.so/v1/search?q=nyan%20heroes finds a project by name, each at 5 credits a call (API docs, pricing). The Essential plan is $49 a month for 3,000 credits, which is 600 data calls. Verified Telegram, email and LinkedIn for the people on any live project unlock on any paid NAUT plan, so start a 7-day trial.

How to tell if a crypto project is dead FAQ

How can I tell if a crypto project is still alive before I contact it?

Run 3 checks: whether NAUT flags it as defunct, the date of its last round and any shutdown report, and the date and content of its newest X post. On Kadena, Bloktopia and Nyan Heroes, read on 13 November 2026, the flag, the shutdown news and the newest X post all pointed to a closure, while their X follower counts did not.

How many projects does NAUT flag as defunct?

NAUT flags 62 project rows as defunct among 71 flagged company rows, out of 10,593 live company rows, as of 13 November 2026. 38 of the 71 flagged rows have no funding round on NAUT's record.

Is a big X following a sign a crypto project is alive?

No. Nyan Heroes held 578,873 X followers on NAUT's record on 30 May 2026, after announcing its shutdown on 16 May 2025, more than 14 times the 40,875 of Uranium Digital, which logged a round on 5 November 2026.

Where can I find live crypto projects and the people to contact there?

NAUT lists 10,593 live company rows, and each project page names its team, which the API call GET https://api.naut.so/v1/projects/<slug> also returns at 5 credits. Verified Telegram, email and LinkedIn unlock on any paid NAUT plan, so start a 7-day trial.

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