In this episode of Empire, Jason is joined by Qiao Wang and Imran Khan, core contributors at Alliance DAO (the Y Combinator of Web3). Alliance DAO is a Web3 startup accelerator whose portfolio includes 0x, dYdX, Paraswap, Synthetix and top Web3 protocols.

Qiao and Imran are former founders who now assist Web3's top entrepreneurs in building, launching and growing their products. As a result, the duo has a front-row seat to the latest trends and innovations in crypto. This episode is for you if you want to know what it takes to build a top Web3 product.

We discuss: 

- how to think about tokenomics 

- why product should come before community

- what tech stack developers are building on

- why Qiao recommends launching your product on Avalanche

- how to scale a team in Web3

- the top 3 things founders should think about

- why you shouldn't start a DAO, and much more!

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Follow Qiao: https://twitter.com/QwQiao

Follow Imran: https://twitter.com/Imrankhan

Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz

Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod

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Referenced in the show:

Empire's previous episode with Qiao & Imran

https://tinyurl.com/bznjm8ub

Alliance DAO

https://alliance.xyz/

Qiao's "Common Pitfalls for Web3 Founders" post

https://twitter.com/QwQiao/status/1503365524272689156

Imran's tweet thread on "leveraged CAC"

https://twitter.com/lmrankhan/status/1501247894325768194

Imran's tweet on a Robinhood acquisition

https://twitter.com/lmrankhan/status/1527353717741490178

Imran's tweet on DAO treasuries growing to $11B

https://twitter.com/lmrankhan/status/1517551697148747777

The Obol staking protocol

https://obol.tech/

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ParaSwap:

If you want to make a swap at the best price across the DeFi market, check out paraswap.io. ParaSwap’s state-of-the-art algorithm beats the market price across all major DEXs and brings you the most optimized swaps with the best prices and lowest slippage.

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(00:00) Introduction

(01:37) State of The Market

(06:37) Is This Crypto's Last Cycle?

(11:24) The Best Time To Launch A Product

(12:49) Leveraged Customer Acquisition Cost

(16:09) Don't Start Your Company As A DAO

(18:02) Paraswap Ad

(19:09) Why Do We Even Need DAOs?

(21:26) Building Community Around A Project

(24:47) Scaling a Team In Web3

(26:55) The Use Case for Creator DAOs

(30:22) How Do Builders Choose Which Platform to Build On?

(35:42) Will Talent Flock to Ethereum L2s?

(38:49) Web3 Unit Economics

(42:38) Top 3 Things Founders Should Focus On

(45:04) How to Think About Community

(48:43) Is Coinbase undervalued?

(49:59) Will Robinhood Be Acquired in 2022?

(51:25) Coinbase vs FTX

(51:56) Where is the NFT Market Headed?

(55:08) Lido's Future Dominance

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Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.