Does Venture Capital Investment Violate the Ethos of Crypto? Sequoia Says No - Ep. 367
Unchained
The Metaverse Evolution
This chapter delves into the significance of the metaverse as the next internet frontier, highlighting its potential to create community spaces for remote users. It also discusses the growth trajectory of blockchain technology and predicts future advancements that could lead to major innovations and companies in the crypto landscape.
Shaun Maguire and Michelle Bailhe, partners at Sequoia, discuss their long term view and thesis about crypto, what do they look for to invest in a crypto project, the takeaways from the blowup of Terra, the insolvency of crypto companies, and much more. Show highlights:
- what is Sequoia’s long term view and thesis about the crypto industry
- how different our lives will look in 20 years from now due to blockchain technology
- how Sequoia had to adapt to invest in this new asset class and what are the similarities and differences with investing in traditional startups
- when a product or service on the internet should be offered in a decentralized or centralized way
- how Sequoia decides whether to invest in the entity behind a project or in the tokens
- whether having venture capitalists involved at all goes against the ethos of decentralization
- why Shaun believes that Ethereum proved that decentralization can be achieved even when you start being centralized
- whether people underestimate the value that VCs can add to a project
- why Shaun believes that Solana is moving towards decentralization
- Sequoia’s thesis about privacy in crypto and the potential of zero-knowledge proofs
- how Michelle sees the macroeconomic environment impacting crypto and whether this cycle is different from the previous ones
- the importance of product market fit in crypto projects
- what crypto projects should be focusing on and the business model they should be pursuing
- the main takeaways of the Terra collapse and how it was a major setback for algo stablecoins
- how crypto founders should always do the right thing even though there is no clear regulation
- whether SBF is the Berkshire Hathaway of crypto today
- the lessons to be learned from the potential insolvency of some crypto lenders and investment firms
- how demand for blockspace will keep increasing and whether a single blockchain could supply all that space
- the future of the metaverse and how it can be defined
- Michelle’s mental model for crypto and the phases for achieving worldwide adoption
Thank you to our sponsors!
Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021
Beefy Finance: https://beefy.finance/
Ava Labs: https://www.avax.network/
EPISODE LINKS
Shaun Maguire:
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/shaunmmaguire
- Sequoia Profile: https://www.sequoiacap.com/people/shaun-maguire/
Michelle:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/michellebailhe
- Sequoia Profile: https://www.sequoiacap.com/people/michelle-bailhe/
- Michelle’s investment thesis: https://www.sequoiacap.com/article/ask-not-wen-moon-ask-why-moon/
Bear Market:
- Michelle’s Twitter thread: https://twitter.com/michellebailhe/status/1526373378516365312?s=20&t=c7vdmdg2mnQ34rsAGIm0lg
- Insolvency of crypto lenders:
- Voyager: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/06/22/voyager-digital-requests-loan-repayment-from-3ac-considers-issuing-default-notice/
- BlockFi: https://decrypt.co/103422/blockfi-secures-250-million-line-of-credit-from-ftx
- Celsius: https://www.theblock.co/linked/151522/crypto-lending-firm-celsius-pauses-withdrawals-and-transfers-citing-market-conditions
- Celsius possible bankruptcy: https://www.theblock.co/linked/154100/crypto-lender-celsius-hires-more-advisors-ahead-of-possible-bankruptcy-wsj
- Previous Unchained Coverage:
- Why Possible Insolvencies by Celsius and 3AC Could Spell Disaster for Crypto: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-possible-insolvencies-by-celsius-and-3ac-could-spell-disaster-for-crypto/
- Cobie and Chris Burniske on How to Navigate a Crypto Bear Market: https://unchainedpodcast.com/cobie-and-chris-burniske-on-how-to-navigate-a-crypto-bear-market-ep-354/
** For more episode links and details visit the Unchained website **
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