If you're keeping tabs on the wild world of meme coins and DeFi, you won't want to miss this gem from SmartCon 2025. Robbie from The Rollup (@robbie_rollup) sat down with Andy Boyan from HypurrFi (@andyhyfi) to pick his brain on the hottest projects building on Hyperliquid. And guess what? One of them started as a straight-up meme coin joke but is now shaking things up in market making.

For those new to the scene, Hyperliquid is a high-performance Layer 1 blockchain tailored for decentralized finance. It boasts fully on-chain order books for trading perpetual futures (perps) and spot assets, making it super fast and efficient compared to traditional exchanges. Think of it as a turbocharged platform where liquidity flows smoothly without the usual bottlenecks.

HypurrFi, where Andy leads growth, is a lending protocol built on Hyperliquid's HyperEVM layer. They're all about making on-chain credit more dynamic and accessible, essentially speeding up how debt moves in the crypto space. It's like upgrading from a bicycle to a sports car for borrowing and lending.

In the clip shared on X, Andy shouts out a few favorites, starting with RubiFi (@RubiFi_HL). "Rub launched as a meme coin as a joke," Andy explains. What makes it quirky? It plays on "reverse unit bias" with just one single $RUB token in existence, making it one of the scarcest assets out there. But don't let the meme origins fool you—RubiFi has leveled up to become the world's first democratized market-making platform.

Here's how it works in simple terms: Users deposit funds into vaults, which RubiFi then funnels to professional market makers. These pros handle high-frequency trading and arbitrage on Hyperliquid, earning fees that get shared back with depositors. It's a way for everyday folks to tap into sophisticated strategies without needing to be trading wizards themselves. This ties EVM-compatible assets directly to Hyperliquid's core, opening up new use cases in DeFi.

Next up, Andy gives a nod to Strata (@strata_money). They're innovating with "junior and senior tranching" of assets like those from EtherFi, a popular restaking protocol. Tranching? That's finance speak for slicing up investments into different risk layers. Senior tranches are safer with lower returns, while junior ones take on more risk for potentially higher rewards. Strata's applying this to things like EtherFi's USDe (a stablecoin backed by Ethereum staking), creating structured products that could make yield farming more tailored and efficient on Hyperliquid.

And of course, Andy teases some big things brewing at HypurrFi itself. "We've been cooking some things that will catch your attention, I guarantee you," he says with a grin. While details are under wraps, it's clear they're pushing boundaries in on-chain lending, possibly integrating real-world assets or new credit models.

This chat highlights a cool trend in the meme coin space: what starts as a laugh can evolve into serious utility. RubiFi's journey from joke to juggernaut shows how Hyperliquid's ecosystem is fostering real innovation, blending fun with finance. If you're a blockchain practitioner eyeing the next big thing, keep an eye on these projects—they could redefine how we think about liquidity and lending.

For more on Hyperliquid's ecosystem, check out their official site hyperfoundation.org. And if you haven't seen the full clip, head over to the original post on X here. What's your take on meme coins turning pro? Drop your thoughts in the comments!