Futureverse collapse: How a claimed billion-dollar Kiwi-founded crypto company roll-up left $40m in debts

Business Investigations Reporter·NZ Herald·20 Aug, 2026 05:00 PM19 mins to read‌Futureverse co-founders Aaron McDonald and Shara Senderoff, in publicity images released on the raising of US$54m in 2023. Three years after boasting of a billion-dollar valuation, Futureverse was in liquidation. Image / Herald graphicIt began with improbably expensive digital rabbits and talk of unicorns. A few years later, all that’s left is an insolvency and a $40 million financial hole. Matt Nippert asks how much hot air inflated Auckland crypto roll-up Futureverse’s claimed billion-dollar valuation. “It’s more realistic to create a herd