The Placeholder Playbook w/ Chris Burniske and Joel Monegro
Oct 1, 2024
auto_awesome
Chris Burniske and Joel Monegro, co-founders of a cryptocurrency venture capital firm, discuss their unique investment approach, blending venture capital with public market strategies. They share their journey in building Placeholder and the evolution of their conviction in Solana, highlighting its potential alongside Ethereum. The duo dives into the importance of managing valuations and adapting to market cycles while offering entrepreneurs insightful strategies for fundraising in this volatile landscape. They emphasize the role of personal networking in the crypto space.
Placeholder combines venture capital and public market strategies to create a unique investment approach tailored for long-term holds.
Understanding market cycles is crucial in crypto investing, enabling adaptability when buying and selling assets during fluctuations.
Entrepreneurs should focus on tailored fundraising strategies and maintain realistic valuations to foster positive investor relationships and outcomes.
Deep dives
Collaboration and Structure of Placeholder
Chris and Joel detail how they formed Placeholder, highlighting their unique backgrounds in venture capital and public markets. Their collaboration started at an NYU blockchain conference in 2016, where they realized they shared a mutual curiosity about blockchain technology. They decided to structure their firm as a hybrid between venture capital and public market investments, balancing the long-term investment approach of venture capital with the opportunities in public markets. This innovative structure allows them to utilize their distinct expertise while collaborating on both private and public investment strategies.
Cyclical Investment Strategies
The discussion emphasizes the importance of understanding market cycles in crypto investing, particularly between venture capital and liquid asset investments. Chris explains how they accumulate positions based on long-term predictions, often buying in distress during bear markets. For instance, during the recent market downturn, they focused on Solana, underwriting various deals that informed their purchases in the public markets. The adaptive strategy reflects their ability to provide liquidity when the market requires it most, adjusting their buying and selling tactics based on market conditions.
Conviction in Solana's Future
Chris and Joel describe the process they undertook to develop conviction in Solana as a high-potential investment during its early growth phase. Their interest in Solana began as far back as 2017 with its white paper, and they closely monitored the ecosystem's evolution over the years. The combination of high-quality entrepreneurial talent, coupled with aggressive market valuations that were significantly lower than Ethereum's, reinforced their decision to invest. Ultimately, the robustness and unique user experiences presented by Solana's projects strengthened their long-term belief in its potential.
Investment Approach for Founders
The founders share valuable advice for entrepreneurs looking to raise capital in the current market climate. They recommend starting fundraising efforts with smaller, personal pitches to build confidence and experience before approaching larger, more consequential investors. It's critical for entrepreneurs not to buckle under pressure from investors offering quick term sheets as they may lead to unfavorable terms. Additionally, they stress the importance of setting realistic valuations based on thorough market understanding rather than merely mimicking high valuations set by peers in a hot market.
Navigating Investor Relationships
The conversation also covers how founders should approach relationships with potential investors to ensure alignment and effective collaboration. Chris and Joel emphasize the significance of conducting reference checks on investors to gauge their support history and long-term value. They highlight the necessity for founders to maintain control over their fundraising narrative, particularly in negotiating terms with potential investors. By structuring their expectations and interactions effectively, entrepreneurs can forge stronger partnerships that benefit both parties in the long run.
In this episode, Austin chats with Chris Burniske and Joel Monegro from Placeholder, a cryptocurrency venture capital firm. They delve into the firm's unique approach to investments, combining venture capital structures with public market practices. The conversation covers the formation of Placeholder, their investment strategies focusing on long-term holds, and how they developed conviction in Solana. Chris and Joel discuss the importance of managing valuations, the role of market cycles, and the importance of decentralized exchanges (DEXs) in crypto market structures. They also offer advice for entrepreneurs on fundraising and selecting the right investors.
DISCLAIMER
The content herein is provided for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only, and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, options, futures, or other derivatives related to securities in any jurisdiction, nor should not be relied upon as advice to buy, sell or hold any of the foregoing. This content is intended to be general in nature and is not specific to you, the user or anyone else. You should not make any decision, financial, investment, trading or otherwise, based on any of the information presented without undertaking independent due diligence and consultation with a professional advisor. Solana Foundation Foundation and its agents, advisors, council members, officers and employees (the “Foundation Parties”) make no representation or warranties, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy of the information herein and expressly disclaims any and all liability that may be based on such information or any errors or omissions therein. The Foundation Parties shall have no liability whatsoever, under contract, tort, trust or otherwise, to any person arising from or related to the content or any use of the information contained herein by you or any of your representatives. All opinions expressed herein are the speakers’ own personal opinions and do not reflect the opinions of any entities.
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode