Jurassic Finance wants to open one of the most exclusive collectible markets to everyday buyers. The Solana-based project tokenized Deaton, a 66-million-year-old Triceratops skull. In the process, it raised 660,000 USDC from onchain participants. Speaking with Ryan Solomon, CEO Sora explained how the fossil trade works and why the team built on MetaDAO and Solana. The conversation also covered lessons from the first launch and a dinosaur gacha now in development. Together, those pieces outline a working model for tokenized dinosaur fossils with clear economic rights.
Jurassic Finance is tokenizing dinosaurs on Solana. Its first fossil, Deaton, a 66 million year old Triceratops skull, just raised 660,000 $USDC. Next: a dinosaur gacha with @Collector_Crypt (Triceratops horns, T-Rex teeth, Velociraptor claws), funded via OTC on @MetaDAOProject. Then an onchain auction house built to undercut Sotheby’s and Christie’s fees, up to 28% from the buyer and 10% from the seller. Welcome to Solana Park 🦖 Full interview with @JurassicFi @Sora_i_guess:
— Generation Infinity (@Genfinity) November 5, 2026
Why Dinosaurs Beat Other Collectibles
Jurassic Finance did not start with dinosaurs. Instead, the team surveyed alternative assets such as Pokémon cards, whiskey, and fine art. According to Sora, none of those categories matched the recent performance of fossils. The auction record backs that view. In July 2024, Ken Griffin paid $44.6 million for Apex, a Stegosaurus. Notably, Sotheby’s had estimated that specimen at just $4 million to $6 million. Then, in July 2026, a Tyrannosaurus rex named Gus sold for roughly $50.1 million. That price more than doubled its $20 million to $30 million estimate.
Because the market holds so few specimens, Sora argues that each headline sale lifts prices across the whole category. Collectors holding comparable pieces, for example, saw their valuations climb after Apex sold. Sora also ties fossil demand to a broader cultural shift. As AI makes digital output cheap and predictable, buyers increasingly prize physical objects with real history behind them. Even major brands now show the human work behind their ads to prove authenticity. In that environment, a 66-million-year-old skull carries a kind of value that software cannot replicate.
FIRST EVER PUBLIC ONCHAIN DINOSAUR SALE 66 million years and 2 months in the making. Today, Deaton the Triceratops was officially acquired for $600,000, funded by $TRCH1 holders. The future of owning history is happening on @Solana. https://t.co/lFCM2Orlnm
— Jurassic Finance (@JurassicFi) October 23, 2026
How a Fossil Moves From the Ground to the Market
The fossil trade operates mostly in private, and Sora described it as hard to access without insider relationships. Public auctions offer an entry point; however, buyers typically get worse deals there. The process starts when hunters locate a promising site on private land. That detail matters, since removing fossils from public land in the US breaks the law. Next, hunters secure a fossil hunting lease and document every step of the dig. After excavation, specialists produce a bone map showing which portions contain original bone and which use plaster or other fill.
Finally, preparators clean and mount the specimen for display. Importantly, the quality of that work shapes the final value, so the choice of preparator carries real weight. For these decisions, Jurassic Finance leans on a paleontology advisor with more than 20 years in the field. Sora said the team trusts that advisor’s judgment on every specimen. As a result, the project can evaluate fossils with expertise that most retail buyers could never access on their own.
What Deaton Holders Actually Own
Deaton is a Triceratops prorsus skull from the late Cretaceous period. Jurassic Finance raised 660,000 USDC to acquire it. Of that total, 600,000 USDC went to the seller, while 60,000 USDC went to the protocol treasury. The ownership structure uses two layers. First, Jurassic Finance operates as a MetaDAO entity, where RAWR token holders control governance. Second, a separate company holds the skull, and Jurassic Finance owns that company.
Deaton token holders, meanwhile, receive contractual rights to the fossil’s economic value. Sora explained the math simply. If a holder owns 50% of the rights and the skull sells for $100, that holder receives $50 in USDC. In other words, each token tracks a pro rata share of any eventual sale. Additionally, a museum partner handles authentication, storage, and insurance in exchange for display rights. That arrangement keeps the physical skull in institutional care while ownership trades onchain.
Why MetaDAO and Solana
Sora and co-founder Vukan are first-time founders, and that reality shaped their fundraising path. Traditional venture firms, Sora noted, would likely dismiss a fossil company as outside their wheelhouse. MetaDAO offered a different route. Its launchpad lets projects raise capital permissionlessly from supporters anywhere in the world. Jurassic Finance ran its RAWR sale through that system in May 2026. Consequently, backers who believed in the idea received a direct stake without waiting for institutional approval.
The choice of Solana, by contrast, came down to community. Sora called it “the people’s chain” and credited both the Solana Foundation and Superteam for connections and amplification. The chain also hosts the younger, collector-minded audience Jurassic Finance wants to reach, including users of Collector Crypt. Looking further out, the team hopes to onboard Web2 buyers too. Sora compared the idea to novelty gifts like owning a square foot of Scottish land. Unlike those gimmicks, however, Jurassic Finance offers buyers actual ownership rights.
Superteam Balkan as a Launch Engine
Sora also belongs to Superteam Balkan, a regional chapter of Solana’s global builder network. Membership does not depend on geography, and the chapter even includes US-based builders. Instead, it offers development help, social media guidance, grants, and events with founders facing similar jurisdictional questions. As a result, members receive advice tailored to their actual circumstances. Sora called the broader Superteam network a “cheat code” on Solana. Indeed, the chapter’s amplification bootstrapped Jurassic Finance’s entire go-to-market push.
Today at 6PM CET: Funding Options for Founders. If you’re preparing for a fundraise, the choice between equity and a token will shape what you own, when you can sell, and what your investors can ask of you. @Treggs6, Solana Incubator alumni and founder of Seedplex, will walk founders through the options and what investors will push for. https://t.co/kepOmu7S0o
— Superteam Balkan (@SuperteamBLKN) November 5, 2026
Lessons From the First Launch
Liquidity stands out as the biggest lesson from Deaton, according to Sora. Accordingly, the team plans to strengthen liquidity for its next specimen launch. Early skepticism also shaped the journey, since many observers assumed the project was a joke. However, momentum built quickly once the team started delivering. Jurassic Finance went from idea to company raise in about one month. From there, the team reached the Deaton offering in roughly six months. Over that stretch, more people came to understand how fossil assets work and where their value comes from.
What Comes Next: A Dinosaur Gacha
Currently, Jurassic Finance is running an OTC raise under MetaDAO’s framework. Under that model, the DAO mints additional tokens into a multisig. Sora and Vukan control half of the signers, while the MetaDAO team controls the other half. The team then sells those tokens to interested VCs and angel investors. Proceeds will fund the next product, a dinosaur gacha built with Collector Crypt. The top prizes, or grails, will include Triceratops horns, sizable T. rex teeth, and Velociraptor claws.
Because the team builds the full front end itself, the design remains open. For instance, the opening experience might look like a hatching dinosaur egg rather than a card pack. Longer term, Sora floated a full dinosaur-asset gacha timed with the upcoming Jurassic Park trading card game. For now, though, the team plans to focus on grail-tier pieces. If it works, the gacha could give collectors a playful entry point into a market that once required millions of dollars.
*Disclaimer: News content provided by Genfinity is intended solely for informational purposes. While we strive to deliver accurate and up-to-date information, we do not offer financial or legal advice of any kind. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with qualified professionals before making any financial or legal decisions. Genfinity disclaims any responsibility for actions taken based on the information presented in our articles. Our commitment is to share knowledge, foster discussion, and contribute to a better understanding of the topics covered in our articles. We advise our readers to exercise caution and diligence when seeking information or making decisions based on the content we provide.
