Scenius Studio

In this episode, Ben sits down with Adam Benayoun Founder and General Partner of Collider Ventures. Collider is Israel’s preeminent blockchain-dedicated venture capital fund. Over the last five years, Adam has been investing in the asset class and steering blockchain and digital asset policy in Israel alongside Israeli-born blockchain unicorns such as Fireblocks and Starkware. Collider seeks to back Israeli teams where blockchain intersects with traditional areas of Israeli technological strength such as cybersecurity and cryptography. Amid the recent geopolitical turmoil in Israel and Palestine we thought this was an important episode to share. Let's get into it. Resources Mentioned Starkware Fireblocks Fhenix Connect with the guest Collider https://www.collider.vc/ Follow Collider on Twitter/X https://twitter.com/ColliderVC Disclaimer  Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

In this episode, Ben sit downs with Alex Lange Founding Partner of Inflection based out of Berlin. Prior to launching Inflection Alex held roles at Google and Index Ventures where he leveraged his technical acumen and deep understanding of hardware to begin exploring cutting edge and non-consensus blockchain investing. Now at Inflection, Alex invests into both the infrastructure and application layer as the firm continues to build its brand as a premier European based early-stage venture fund. Let's get into it. Connect with the guest Inflection https://inflection.xyz/ Follow Alex on Twitter/X https://twitter.com/AlexLangeVC Disclaimer  Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

Rennick Palley, Founding Partner of Stratos, talks about his research and understanding of blockchain infrastructure, the importance of investing in seed rounds, comparing valuations of monetary assets, token dynamics, and exciting projects like Celestia. He also shares his contrarian takes within and outside of crypto.

Evgeny Gokhberg, founder and CIO of re7 Capital, discusses the future of on-chain finance and the challenges of working with service providers in the DeFi space. They also talk about R7's strategies and new vehicles, the possibility of turning on the fee switch for Uniswap, blending decentralized finance (DeFi) with centralized finance (CFI), DeFi themes and real-world assets, and the importance of active asset management in crypto investing.

In this episode, Ben sits down with David Kalk, founder and CIO of Reflexive Capital. Dave recently spun Reflexive out of Commonwealth Asset Management where he was head of global macro and digital assets. Prior to Commonwealth, Dave was CIO of Peter Thiel’s Macro Fund and a trader at Goldman Sachs. At Reflexive, Dave brings an institutional mindset and cross asset market experience to liquid tokens and the early stage venture space. Let's get into it. Resources Mentioned Commonwealth https://www.cwamgroup.com/ Connect with the guest Reflexive Capital https://www.reflexive.xyz/ Disclaimer  Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

Anand Iyer, Founder of Canonical Crypo and angel investor, talks about the intersection of AI and blockchain, the importance of decentralization in AI growth, and the significance of fully homomorphic encryption. He also discusses the underwriting process for pre-seed investments, the role of AI agents, and the popularity of projects like FrenTech in the crypto space.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Jon Moore and Gaby Goldberg of The Chernin Group Crypto. At TCG, Gaby and Jon invest in web3 consumer applications and related infrastructure. Deploying out of a $120mm Fund I, TCG has and continues to invest in payments, collectives, gaming, entertainment, and consumer related utility products. The fund has a unified thesis around digital ownership unlocking net-new and business accretive opportunities. Tune in for unique insights into the application layer, mobile, wallets, and more. Let's get into it. Timestamps 2:00 What consumer use-case has the opportunity to onboard durable new users to crypto? 4:25 What is your background? 10:27 How has the team developed TCG's thesis and how has it evolved? 16:21 Are there examples of "passion" not driven by speculation/financialization in crypto? 19:08 Can you elaborate on how Arkive represents a new consumer experience? 24:21 Web2 brands integrating web3 tooling vs. web3 native brands? 31:03 How do you think about the integration of consumer with crypto infrastructure when investing? 36:18 How can crypto transition into mobile? 42:47 What is GMI vs. NGMI in crypto gaming? 43:41 What is GMI vs. NGMI in crypto music? 44:50 What is GMI vs. NGMI in crypto payments? 45:51 What is GMI vs. NGMI in DAOs? 46:50 What are some projects that you’re excited about? 55:29 What is your spiciest take within crypto? 58:22 What is your spiciest take outside of crypto? 1:01:16 Where can people learn more about you? Resources Mentioned Bright Moments Hume Arkive Flamingo Medallion Pudgy Penguins Y00ts to Ethereum Rainbow Wallet Sphere Curio Jia Finance Fairer by TCG Ledger Recover Once Upon - Block explorer Connect with the guest TCG Crypto Gaby Goldberg Jon Moore Disclaimer  Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Evan Fisher, Founder and General Partner of Portal Ventures. Evan started his career at Goldman Sachs and Insight Partners before launching Portal. At Portal, Evan invests across the industry, globe, and fundraising stage as he applies his traditionally trained venture skillset to protocol investing. Evan is a pragmatist with a business model oriented investment framework that has thus far resonated with founders and builders across the blockchain industry. Lets get into it. Timestamps 1:45 How was ETHcc and your trip to Paris? 2:58 How should crypto-natives share with others what the state of the industry is? 3:44 What is your background? 6:44 How does your classical venture investment experience translate into protocol investing at Portal? 8:17 What is different about traditional investing and protocol investing? 12:41 What needs to change in crypto in order to attract institutional investors? 16:15 How can non-layer one tokens hold value without being deemed as securities? 18:05 Where do you feel like you have an edge? 20:45 What are the business models in crypto that are emblematic of where the space can go?  22:56 What are some emerging categories that you’re most excited about? 26:06 What is Urbit? 29:10 How do you invest in Urbit? 31:03 What is built on Urbit that can attract the interest of crypto native people? 35:19 What is next for DeFi? 38:41 How was the Ion deal sourced? 42:56 What are some of the retail ready projects that you are excited about? 47:48 Is there anything in AI that you’re excited about? 52:01 What is your most contrarian take within crypto? 52:22 What is your most contrarian take outside of crypto? 56:50 Where can people learn more about you? Resources Mentioned Medici Network Fully Homomorphic Encryption Urbit Holium Tlon Landscape Ion Protocol Connect with the guest Follow Evan on Twitter https://twitter.com/evanbfish Follow Portal on Twitter https://twitter.com/PortalVentures Portal Ventures https://portal.vc/ Disclaimer  Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Hootie Rashidifard, Founder and General Partner of Hash3. Hootie recently announced Hash3’s first fund dedicated to investing in disruptive crypto middleware and infrastructure. With a roster of LPs with experience leading unicorn tech start ups, Hash3 works closely with its investor base and venture partner network to help crypto founders operate and scale their protocols and businesses. Let’s get into it. Timestamps 2:41 Background and experience? 6:11 What were you investing in at Canaan? 11:03 What made you leave Canaan and start Hash3? 16:26 Which categories are you investing in? 22:28 Are you investing in L1 or L2 blockchain architecture projects?  26:03 Why do we need more infrastructure? 27:29 What is your investment process at Hash3? 31:27 Is your 6 investment criteria just a mental checklist or a complete diligence process? 35:19 How do exit opportunities fit in your evaluation? 38:18 What projects have you invested in? 45:06 What appealed to you most about Ajna ? 51:07 What is your most contrarian take inside crypto? 53:30 What is your most contrarian take outside of crypto? 56:17 Where can people learn more about you? Resources Mentioned Surojit Chatterjee Gokul Rajaram Canaan Hash3 Investment Criteria Chainalysis Crossmint Ajna Lending Opal Connect with the guest Follow Hootie on Twitter https://twitter.com/hootie_r Follow Hash3 on Twitter https://twitter.com/hash3xyz Hash3 https://www.hash3.xyz/ Disclaimer  Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

Kyle Samani, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Multicoin Capital, shares his unique insights on blockchain and crypto investments. He discusses lessons from his startup Pristine and evaluates Apple's Vision Pro's implications. Samani delves into the intersection of AI and crypto, the potential of zero-knowledge technology for privacy, and the importance of reevaluating market structures. He also offers his contrarian views on emerging categories and the evolution of VC in the crypto space, providing a captivating glimpse into the future of technology and investment.