Unconfirmed: What Is the Role of Investors in a Decentralized World? - Ep.281

Four investors talk about the decentralized web, explain how the crypto industry is improving upon Web 2, and discuss what can be done to increase diversity and financial inclusion within Web 3. Featuring Rik Willard, founder of Agentic Group, Thomas France, co-founder of Cygni Capital, Dylan Hixon, president of Arden Road Investments, and Nick Grossman,general partner at Union Square Ventures . Show highlights:

• how funding rounds for decentralized protocols differ from investing in traditional companies
• what VC investors can do to 1) participate in the protocols they invest in, and 2) not take advantage of whale holdings in governance voting
• how Web 3 has the potential to displace the “plantation economy”
• the difference between crypto idealism (i.e., banking the unbanked) versus what has actually played out (i.e., Salvadorans being mandated to accept BTC)
• what area of blockchain is delivering on the promise of financial inclusion
• how to bring diversity to the blockchain + crypto industry
• what can be done to solve the gender imbalance in crypto
• how investors are navigating the murky waters of US regulations regarding crypto projects
• how institutions fit into the Web 3 landscape
• what I think about the state of sexism within the crypto industry

Thank you to our sponsors!

Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021

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Episode Links

Original Link: https://vimeo.com/showcase/8884996/video/614236078

Rik Willard

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/rik_willard?lang=en
• Agentic Group: https://www.agenticgroup.com/

Nick Grossman

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickgrossman?lang=en
• Website: https://www.nickgrossman.xyz/
• Union Square Ventures: https://twitter.com/usv

Dylan Hixon

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-hixon-1887803
• Arden Road Investments: https://www.ardenrd.com/

Thomas France

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/totofrance?lang=en
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasfrance/

Topics mentioned

• Fereshteh Forough on Unchained
• https://unchainedpodcast.com/crypto-actually-fixes-this-how-code-to-inspire-uses-crypto-in-afghanistan/
• Discussing crypto’s gender disparity on Unchained
• https://unchainedpodcast.com/cryptos-gender-disparity-what-can-be-done-about-it-4-women-weigh-in/
• she256
• https://she256.org/
• El Salvador and BTC
• https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2021/09/24/why-el-salvador-is-botching-its-bitcoin-experiment/

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