In this episode of Rigged, Shanya Tsai (founder of HangRr) and Chris James L. (founder of iSocialize) dive into an emerging path for startup funding: token sales. Together, they explore the pros and cons of using tokens to raise capital, the future of digital payments, and why more startups might want to embed token utility into their products and services.

As creative founders who believe in thinking outside of the box, Shanya and Chris created Rigged to share real, unfiltered stories of entrepreneurs who are navigating—and challenging—a system that often feels stacked against them. This episode is a must-listen for anyone curious about how blockchain and decentralized finance might empower the next wave of builders.

🎧 Tune in, and don’t forget to vote in the episode poll:

Do you think digital tokens will become a mainstream funding method in the next 5 years?

💸 Why do investors keep betting on the same types of startups?

In this episode of Rigged, Shanya and Chris unpack how pattern-based investing and trend-following behavior dominate the VC world—leaving mission-driven and underrepresented founders out of the conversation.

We explore:
🔍 Why investors rarely think independently
🎯 How startup success is often determined by who invests, not what you're building
🚪 Gatekeeping and bias in the current fundraising system
🪙 And whether crypto and decentralized finance (DeFi) could offer a more equitable funding path for founders shut out of traditional VC

If you’ve ever wondered how to crack the investor mindset—or rewrite the rules entirely—this one’s for you.

🎧 Listen now and join the conversation.

🎙 Why We Started: Two Founders, Two Startups, One Mission

Is the startup ecosystem truly fair, or is it rigged from the start?

In our first episode of Rigged, hosts Shanya & Chris dive into why they launched their startups and the hidden struggles founders face when building businesses in a system controlled by Big Tech, biased funding structures, and industry gatekeepers.

🔹 What sparked our startups? The frustrations that led us to challenge the status quo.
🔹 How Big Tech shapes small business survival. Who really wins in this ecosystem?
🔹 The myths of startup success. What they don’t tell you about funding, connections, and power.

🔥 Are startups truly about innovation, or is the game already decided? Tune in for an unfiltered conversation about what it really takes to build in today’s tech-driven world.
🔔 Follow "Rigged" for more raw startup truths.

💡 Learn more about our startups:
👉 Shanya’s Startup – HangRr: https://www.hangrr.app/
👉 Chris’ Startup – iSocialize: https://profile-link.net/ldeX69