Chamath Returns: $25...

Chamath Returns: $250M SPAC Targets AI, DeFi, Energy & Defence

By José Oramas August 21, 2025 In AI, Bitcoin, DeFi

Chamath Palihapitiya has returned to the SPAC market with a new $250 million vehicle, American Exceptionalism Acquisition Corp A (AEXA), which will focus on companies in the AI and decentralised finance (DeFi) sectors.
The SEC filing for the new SPAC states that while Palihapitiya has been a long-time proponent of Bitcoin, he believes the next phase of development is the integration of traditional and decentralised finance.
The venture faces significant headwinds, including a strict timeline for mergers and a mixed track record with his previous SPACs.

Chamath Palihapitiya is returning to the SPAC market with a US$250M (AU$388M) vehicle, American Exceptionalism Acquisition Corp A (AEXA), filed Monday with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The deal seeks to sell 25 million shares at $10 each on the New York Stock Exchange. Social Capital managing partner Steven Trieu is listed as CEO, with Palihapitiya as chairman. Unlike his earlier bets on Bitcoin (BTC), it looks like this venture will focus solely on decentralised finance (DeFi) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

From Bitcoin to DeFi

After nearly three years away, Palihapitiya is back with a bold bet on two of the riskiest and fastest-growing technologies today.

The filing argues that DeFi will drive the next wave of financial innovation by fusing with traditional markets. Both Trieu and Palihapitiya cited Circle’s recent public debut as evidence that DeFi can “disintermediate” Wall Street incumbents and deliver lower costs to customers. They acknowledged crypto’s mainstream march has taken longer than expected but now see it as “inevitable.”

“While Mr. Palihapitiya has long been a proponent of Bitcoin as an inflation hedge and alternative to fiat currencies, we believe that the next stage of development is the increased integration between traditional finance and decentralized finance,” the prospectus states.

SPACs remain under pressure from regulators and investors. They must secure mergers within strict timelines, face hurdles justifying lofty valuations, and often deliver mixed outcomes. Palihapitiya’s AEXA will test whether DeFi’s pitch to mainstream finance can carry enough weight to overcome those headwinds.

Palihapitiya’s record with SPACs is uneven. He scored wins with Social Capital Suvretta Holdings I and Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings V, the latter merging into SoFi Technologies. Others, Suvretta Holdings II, III, and IV, were liquidated without deals.