This week's guest is Ryan Jones, Director of Product Management at ConsenSys. Ryan got the web3 bug in November 2021 when he joined ConsenSys the iconic enterprise blockchain company operating Metamask and many other notable web3 brands. In this episode, Ryan talks to Zach about what it takes to scale product teams and how web3 is finally hitting a technological inflection point where mass adoption is inevitable.

Get more from Ryan via his LinkedIn page at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanjjones10/

Chapters

00:00 Ryan's Journey and Growing a Product Team: Ryan talks about his background and the experience of growing a product team from 0 to over 200 in multiple countries.

09:41 Working at ConsenSys: Ryan discusses his current work at ConsenSys, a blockchain technology company and parent of MetaMask.

19:21 Decentralized Identity and Digital Wallets: The importance of decentralized identity and the influence of digital wallets on our everyday lives are discussed.

29:21 The Impact of NFTs: Ryan and Zach delve into the potential impact of NFTs when adopted by the masses, including in the realm of consumer interaction.

39:41 Navigating through Chaos: Ryan describes his experience of providing direction and creating order in the dynamic and rapidly-evolving environment of ConsenSys.

49:11 Looking Towards the Future: In the closing stages of the interview, Ryan talks about his vision for the future of Web 3.0, digital wallets, and the crypto space.

Thanks for listening! Did you know you can also watch the show on YouTube? Just hit the link below and don't forget to subscribe!

Web3 w/ Me - YouTube

My guest today is Jeff Kauffman Jr., founder of Jump News and Parachute, two brands leading the way in marketing for web3. Jeff has a storied history in the marketing agency world, having worked on many massive brands including Chick-fil-a’s famous cow ads. He has used that experience to build Jump as the premium web3 marketing community for brand marketers, agency professionals, and entrepreneurs who are passionate about the space. We talk about the evolution of web3 and the Jump community, and most excitingly we discuss Jump News 2.0 and the future of content creation in web3.

We Discuss...

Web 3.0 and Connections: Jeff Kauffman suggests that the core of Web 3.0 is about creating deeper connections between people and decentralizing the internet.

The Role of Social Tokens: Social tokens provide a novel way for communities to interact and form connections, offering more significant value representation than traditional likes or follows.

Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs) and Social Graphs: NFTs can create unique social graphs, offering valuable insights to brands and product builders, and fostering personalized experiences for users.

Future of Tech Interaction: The future of how people interact with technology isn't necessarily a replication of existing platforms (like a Twitter clone) but might be a completely new approach leveraging the benefits of blockchain and Web 3.0.

Accelerating the Industry with Jump News: Jeff envisions Jump News as a platform that will push the blockchain and crypto industry forward by attracting thought leaders and contributors who can provide high-level insights.

Impact of AI on Web 3.0: AI technology is accelerating the need for Web 3.0, highlighting the importance of decentralization and personal ownership on the web.

Distinction between AI and Web 3.0: Although often grouped together, AI and Web 3.0 are different. AI can exist without decentralization and user ownership, characteristics that are central to Web 3.0.

Creation of Global Brands: The combination of AI and Web 3.0 technologies could lead to the creation of global brands, some of which might surpass current Fortune 500 companies in size and influence.

Fast-paced Evolution of Brands: In the future, the scale and influence of brands could grow at an unprecedented rate, with top brands being created in a short period, thanks to the advancements in Web 3.0 and AI.

Role of Community in Web 3.0: The future of Web 3.0 lies in the power of the community, with user-centric experiences becoming more important than ever.

The Importance of Thought Leadership in Web 3.0: Jeff emphasizes the need for thought leaders in the blockchain space to accelerate innovation and push the industry forward.

Web 3.0 and Real-World Change: The advancement of Web 3.0 is not just a digital phenomenon, but it also has the potential to create real-world changes, impacting products, services, and global brands.

Thanks for listening! Did you know you can also watch the show on YouTube? Just hit the link below and don't forget to subscribe!

Web3 w/ Me - YouTube

My guest today is Adrian Pocobelli (https://twitter.com/pocobelli ), who has an amazing show on YouTube called Artist Journal where he dives deep into digital art and artists (https://www.youtube.com/@pocobelli ). He also hosts his show as spaces for Rug Radio, the iconic Web3-native media brand. His journey as an artist began on an iPhone 6s on apps he still uses today. In this episode, we dive into the differences between art culture in North America and Berlin, and go on many other tangents inside and outside of web3. Adrian is just the type of person we need in Web3 for it to truly thrive.

We Discuss:

The power of digital tools in expanding artistic capabilities, allowing creators to blend traditional art elements with digital features, resulting in a unique artistic expression.

The challenges of digital art, especially its ephemeral nature and vulnerability to replication.

Adrian's creative process demonstrates a fusion of traditional techniques and digital tools, highlighting the importance of adaptability in a rapidly changing artistic landscape.

Adrian discusses the transformative power of blockchain and NFTs in democratizing art distribution, breaking down barriers for artists and providing new platforms for showcasing their work.

Inspiration, according to Adrian, can come from any corner of life, reinforcing the idea that creativity is not a confined concept but a holistic experience that integrates various life aspects.

The emergence of Web3 has resulted in a more accessible and democratic art scene, changing the way we experience and interact with art, says Adrian.

Adrian's optimistic outlook for the future of digital art underscores his belief in the long-term potential of the digital economy, emphasizing its role in enhancing art's visibility and sustainability.

Adrian describes Web 3 as "youthful and optimistic," emphasizing the positive drive and innovative mindset of those engaged in this new digital landscape.

Chapters

0:00 Adrian’s Background

10:49 Berlin vs North American Art Culture

19:48 Adrian’s Web3 Inflection Point - Finance not Art

26:01 Adrian's Experience with Community and Selling Art

33:00 Art without Borders or Barriers to Entry

41:30 Accessibility and UX in Web3 vs TradFi

46:10 Adrian’s Show, Self-Awareness and Psychedelics

59:55 The Future of Digital Art and Adrian's Role in It

Thanks for listening! Did you know you can also watch the show on YouTube? Just hit the link below and don't forget to subscribe!

Web3 w/ Me - YouTube

My guest this week is Adam Sternbach (https://twitter.com/adamsternbach ), General Counsel of Tessera (https://twitter.com/tessera ). Adam has been on the frontlines of the legal side of web3 since 2021, but has been on a lifelong journey to make things better. After a brief career on the public side, he turned his sites to private practice and the startup world to make a bigger impact. He has one of the most comprehensive understandings of the current state of US regulation, and provides countless examples of how we as a community in web3 can educate lawmakers and others to help provide legitimacy to the space. 

We Discuss: 

The difference of making an impact on society through the public and private sector

Tessera’s latest release - Escher - providing a single pane of glass for collectors and artists

The future of State vs Federal regulation of digital assets, and why it is important to educate as to the nuances between different uses of the technology

How web3 provides the individual with so much empowerment to make the world a better place and have upside in outcomes of the technology

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Adam and How to Make Things Happen

09:51 Adam’s Web3 Background 2013-Now

17:01 What is Tessera and Escher?

21:40 Education: How to Make an Impact on Policy Makers

32:22 Consumer Protection Outside Regulation

37:00 Tribalism and the Moral High Ground

48:25 Closing Questions - What is Web3? What is the future?

Thanks for listening! Did you know you can also watch the show on YouTube? Just hit the link below and don't forget to subscribe!

Web3 w/ Me - YouTube

My guest this week is Jacob Robinson (https://twitter.com/JacobRobinsonJD ), host of the Law of Code Podcast (https://www.lawofcode.io/ ) where he talks to the top legal leaders in web3. Additionally, Jacob is an associate attorney at McCarthy Tétrault one of the most prominent law firms in Canada where he helps clients like crypto exchanges navigate the complex regulatory landscape. In these two roles, Jacob hopes to be a leader in stewarding policy forward and helping to legitimize the industry by enabling more effective formations of capital and business structures. If you want an update on how to build a sustainable business in Web3, this is a great episode. DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed by Jacob Robinson in this episode are solely his own and do not constitute legal advice nor the opinion of McCarthy Tetrault. 

Key takeaways:

Decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) have the potential to change the way businesses are governed and organized, leading to more efficient formations of capital.

Blockchain and cryptocurrency regulations can help legitimize the industry and provide a more secure environment for businesses and users.

Web3 can improve trust, transparency, and efficiency in systems of record and public services, such as property transactions and divorce filings.

Governments and regulators must balance fostering innovation and protecting consumers in the rapidly evolving Web3 landscape.

The adoption of Web3 could lead to a more equitable and customer-centric internet, in which users have more control over their data and experience.

How open conversations and collaborations help overcome regulatory challenges and promote the widespread adoption

Chapters

00:00 Jacob’s Take on Legal Landscape for Blockchain and Crypto

12:31 DAOs and the future of business

21:59 Navigating Regulatory Landscape to Foster Innovation

32:26 Importance of Transparency, Trust, and Efficiency

42:41 Regulation’s Impact on Adoption

52:41 Closing Questions

Thanks for listening! Did you know you can also watch the show on YouTube? Just hit the link below and don't forget to subscribe!

Web3 w/ Me - YouTube

My guest today is Simon Yi (https://twitter.com/da0uch ), founder of Myosin.xyz (https://twitter.com/Myosin_xyz ), a global network of marketers building marketing tools that accelerate the direct to community movement. Simon is what we would call an OG. He started as Head of Growth at Consensys Mesh in 2020 where helped grow staple brands like Chainlink and Filecoin. He is the most experienced growth marketer we’ve had on the show. While numbers are a massive part of Simon’s expertise, he doesn’t hesitate to do some deeper philosophical thinking about the unique value offered by blockchain.

We Discuss...

From the very start of the episode, we are talking numbers. Dunbar’s number. What is a healthy percentage of retention and activity in Discord.

Myosin aims to create a reputation system for Web3, offering a new model for creators, brands, and communities to engage with their audiences and stakeholders.

Reputation scores in Myosin are designed to be a combination of on-chain and off-chain factors, rewarding positive behavior and encouraging collaboration within communities.

Tokenized online communities, such as Friend with Benefits (“FWB”) and DAOs, demonstrate the potential of Web3 to change the way people interact, collaborate, and generate value together.

The adoption and growth of Web3 technology will depend on its ability to address real-world problems, such as copyright and attribution for artists and creators.

FWB's partnership with a liquor brand showcases how blockchain and smart contracts can automate revenue sharing, providing a new way for brands to partner to provide unique experiences for communities and automate the terms.

Localized Web3 communities, similar to Facebook groups or neighborhood-based groups, present a significant opportunity for innovation and growth in the space.

Simon, the founder of Myosin, envisions Web3 succeeding through the formation of "network states," which are interest-based communities that transcend geographic borders.

In the next six to twelve months, Myosin aims to mint its first on-chain reputation score, potentially unlocking a new phase of growth for the platform.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction and Background

03:24 The Idea Behind Myosin

08:42 Web3's Impact on Creators

13:51 Relevance of Reputation Scores

19:03 Onboarding Artists and Creators

25:26 Tokenizing Online Communities

31:07 Web3's Adoption and Growth

37:03 Social Tokens and the Future of Communities

49:51 Brands Leveraging Blockchain Technologies

53:20 Opportunities in Localized Web3 Communities

Thanks for listening! Did you know you can also watch the show on YouTube? Just hit the link below and don't forget to subscribe!

Web3 w/ Me - YouTube

My guest today is Alexa Lombardo (https://twitter.com/alexa_lombardo ), a seasoned brand strategist who truly embodies the web3-native idea of a contributor. She has her own agency called Atomic No. 8. She is a primary strategy contributor at Gitcoin, one of the oldest brands in Web3, that creates tools to fund what matters. Alexa started her career in corporate strategy at major health and beauty brands including Estee Lauder and Unilever before moving to the brand strategy side. Curious about the difference? Don’t worry we will cover that in the show. After discovering web3 and the ability to bring people together to effectuate a purpose, Alexa has gone deep into what it takes to build a sustainable future for this space. We get a masterclass on building thriving communities and the history of collectives. 

We Discuss:

Alexa’s forced inflection point into web3 when iOS changed the default to disable tracking across apps

Community owned brands - everyone is empowered to be a marketer, developer and more

Follow your passions

What is strategy? Brand vs Business Strategy

• Either solving problems or building solutions
• Don’t build solutions for problems that don’t exist
• Don’t continuously looks for problems
• Find then balance

Tools trying to bridge the gap NOTE TO SELF TO FIND WEBSITES

• Cocreate
• Unlock 
• Playground

What is community management?

• Everyone in a community is a community manager
• Shilling is WOM marketing but requires deeper meaning than price go up

Collectives have had many names - Unions, Coops, and DAOs - they are all based on basic human psychology

Organic Community Building

• Start with a vision
• Figure out how to cocreate
• Facilitate communication 
• Set specific steps to build end product/service
• Set incentive structures and evolve them over time

Chapters

0:00 Alexa’s Founding Story

6:37 Corporate vs Brand Strategy

21:47 Building thriving communities Pt. 1

31:01 Collective Networks - DAOs, Ecosystem and Humans

45:18 What is Gitcoin? Funding what matters

52:09 Building thriving communities Pt. 2

1:07:16 Closing Questions

Thanks for listening! Did you know you can also watch the show on YouTube? Just hit the link below and don't forget to subscribe!

Web3 w/ Me - YouTube

My guest today is Mark Soares, CMO and Founder of Blokhaus, marketing agency and product lab built for whats next. Prior to blokhaus, Mark spent 8 years at Nikon. His entire professional career has been an exploration of art and technology through the lens of both engineers and consumers. We discuss the commonalities between cameras and blockchain, the unique way Mark built blokhaus to align incentives with brands, and how to avoid an engagement ponzi. Most exciting about this episode is today Mark is launching a brand new gaming studio Gojira Labs. It will use a unique technology called animatronic NFTs or aNFTs to bring a whole new level of community powered entertainment.

We Discuss...

Engineers have a unique view of the world, inherent;y understand technology

Onboarding and Owning digital assets

Term changes Crypto-Blockchain-Web3

Managing legal rights for images on chain

Commonalities between Cameras and Blockchain - both are keepers of truth, capturing a single moment in time

How Blokhaus is Aligning Agency Incentives with Brands Needs

Skip the fluff

Ignore the marketer’s dilemma

Empower people

Avoiding Engagement Ponzis - link to article

Launch of Gojira Labs to bring utility and entertainment to the most popular PFP collections using a proprietary technology called the Animatronic NFT or aNFT. This results is community-powered entertainment

Why art and corporate adoption are BOTH essential to success of a blockchain, through Tezos $XTZ

Chapters

0:00 Mark’s Founding Story

3:37 Engineers vs Consumer Mindset

6:54 Cameras + Blockchain = Truth

18:52 Blokhaus Founding Story and Core Principles

29:59 Guide to Web3 inside Brands

39:11 LAUNCH of Gojira Labs

51:13 Tezos (XTZ) Blockchain’s Unique Position

57:44 Closing Questions

Thanks for listening! Did you know you can also watch the show on YouTube? Just hit the link below and don't forget to subscribe!

Web3 w/ Me - YouTube

My guest this week is Chris Miller (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-miller-b105b848/ ), CRO and CoFounder of Flaunt.xyz (https://www.linkedin.com/company/flaunt-nft/ ). Chris started from humble beginnings in small-town Indiana, and was inspired by Mad Men and a best friend to move to New York. After 7 years in media and partnerships, Chris and that best friend Connor started what would eventually become Flaunt.xyz, an enterprise loyalty management platform that serves as a single entry point into web3 for brands. We get a behind-the-scenes look at the formation of Flaunt, and the ever-evolving pain points Flaunt solves for its customers using web3 technology. Most of all we hone in on the fact that web3 is not a one-and-done, it is a long term play and can create long term value if executed correctly. 

We discuss...

Chris’ big realization that brands were not taking a longterm approach to Web3, not even ROI

The power of collectives to make decisions with real money, and how LinksDAO was Chris’ first introduction to the power of community activation

The biggest problems facing companies trying to enter Web3:

1. Limited knowledge of Web3 terminology and technology
2. Embracing unique characteristics like tradeability
3. How to build and foster a community

How web3 is really the convergence of digital and physical worlds, and that is not limited to blockchain

Why web3’s success may lead to changing the name of the show

Chapters

Chapters

0:00 Chris’ Founding Story

4:17 ROI - Building Block for Flaunt.xyz

9:51 Chris’ Web3 Inflection Point

17:51 JUMP Community’s Impact

20:36 What is Flaunt.xyz and what problems are they solving?

30:06- Infrastructure for Web3 Strategies

40:55 Biggest problems for proliferating Web3

50:41 Closing Questions

Thanks for listening! Did you know you can also watch the show on YouTube? Just hit the link below and don't forget to subscribe!

Web3 w/ Me - YouTube

My guest today is Dan Romero (​​https://twitter.com/dwr ), CEO and Cofounder of Farcaster (https://twitter.com/farcaster_xyz ), a decentralized social media protocol. Dan was an early employee in 2014 at Coinbase where he lead business development that laid the groundwork for Coinbases fiat rails. He started Farcaster after becoming obsessed with the idea that RSS, the protocol upon which this show and all other podcasts are broadcasted, could be used to compete with twitter. We go deep on how better thinking can result from creating a permissionless protocol that is optimizing feed algorithms for quality of conversation. Also we discuss Dan’s contrarian take on why filter bubbles are actually a good thing. One of the core beliefs for myself and this show is that if we facilitate open and honest discourse it will lead to better decisions and therefore better outcomes for the entire world. After speaking with Dan, I can see how the success of Farcaster could contribute directly to this. 

We Discuss:

Read the Bitcoin Whitepaper (https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf ) and you will begin to wonder what could be possible

A journey at Coinbase that started with banks - direct access to payment rails requires the customer of the bank to sell the bank

Taking 1.5 year sabbatical to learn and landing on RSS with now cofounder Varun

What can you do with RSS to make it competitive with Twitter?

Startup vs Scaled Company - selling your product versus selling yourself

The most underrated thing in Silicon Valley - SALES

Taking Paul Graham’s advice on doing things that won’t scale by onboarding the first 400 users himself over zoom then DM to get invite

Stated vs Revealed Preferences as a tactic to build new technology

Twitter’s time algorithm vs Farcaster’s conversation algorithm

Filter Bubbles are OK if done in public

https://www.eugenewei.com/blog/2019/2/19/status-as-a-service 

Empowering editorial freedom of choice - nightly news versus newspapers

Chapters

0:00 Dan Romero’s Founding Story

8:17 Startup vs Scaled Companies

16:24 Farcaster 0 to 10,000 to 100,000 Users

27:03 Encouraging High Quality Conversations

40:04 Moderating Extremes

51:52 Subcultures: Choice as an Identity

59:31 Closing Questions

Thanks for listening! Did you know you can also watch the show on YouTube? Just hit the link below and don't forget to subscribe!

Web3 w/ Me - YouTube