
Scenius Studio
With this podcast, we aim to give listeners inside access to the best and brightest investors in the crypto asset management space. In each episode, host, Ben Jacobs will chat with a leading crypto and blockchain venture fund or hedge fund manager as we explore the complexities of operating an investment fund at the bleeding edge of innovation.
Latest episodes

Jan 25, 2023 • 47min
Walden Bridge Capital - Peter Marshall (Episode #4)
In this episode of Scenius Studio, host, Ben Jacobs, sits down with Peter Marshall, founder and CEO of Walden Bridge Capital. Walden Bridge is a research driven crypto hedge fund with an impressive track record dating back to 2017. Peter shares the challenges he faced while operating a crypto hedge fund before foundational asset management services were widely available for digital assets and how these experiences shaped his navigation of the crypto markets today. Peter also details his firm's research-driven investment process and his principles for building an institutional asset management firm.
Timestamps
1:50 What is the story behind the name "Walden Bridge"?
3:01 How did you first get into crypto?
6:32 What was the hedge fund landscape like in 2017?
8:42 What were the investment strategies in the early days of Walden Bridge?
11:00 How important is narrative and reflexivity?
13:25 Experiences in building a high-frequency trading strategy?
20:01 How does Walden Bridge construct its portfolio?
22:50 What is the firm's investment process?
29:04 What are some investment sectors that people should keep an eye on?
32:35 How does Walden Bridge analyze the landscape of investment opportunities?
36:43 What are your thoughts on the state of regulation?
41:01 What are your team-building philosophies?
44:58 What is your spiciest take inside and outside of crypto?
46:45 Where can people find out more about Walden Bridge?
Resources Mentioned
Walden Bridge Capital https://waldenbridge.capital/
Hedge Week Digital Assets Awards https://www.hedgeweek.com/2022/02/25/312353/hedgeweek-announces-winners-inaugural-us-digital-assets-awards
Maker DAO https://makerdao.com/en/
Network Effects https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/what-are-network-effects
Token Economics https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/what-is-tokenomics-and-why-does-it-matter
On-chain Derivatives https://defiprime.com/derivatives
Layer 0 https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/what-is-layer-0-in-blockchain
Gene Editing https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/01/19/1067074/next-for-crispr/
Connect with the guest
Walden Bridge Capital https://waldenbridge.capital/
Disclaimer
This information is being provided to you for educational and informational purposes only. Any advice and information on this podcast is general only, and has been prepared without taking into account your particular circumstances and needs. Before acting on any advice on this podcast you should assess or seek advice on whether it is appropriate for your needs, financial situation and investment objectives.

Jan 18, 2023 • 50min
Collab+Currency - Steve McKeon (Episode #3)
In the third episode of Scenius Studio, host, Ben Jacobs, sits down with Steve McKeon of Collab+Currency, an early-stage, crypto-focused venture fund investing into leading projects building the next generation of culture and consumer technology. Steve and the Collab+Currency team have been early to DAOs, NFTs, digital fashion, and several other emerging trends. In this comprehensive conversation, Steve shines a light on his crypto journey and the breadcrumbs of innovation and experimentation that he is most excited about going forward.
Timestamps
1:50 What is your background?
5:01 What about crypto appealed to you?
7:32 What made you focus on ETH in the early days?
11:23 How were you able to filter through opportunities during the 2017 ICO craze?
13:10 What led to the creation of Collab+Currency?
17:05 What were the light bulb moments for NFTs?
23:01 Art Blocks explanation
27:50 How did squiggles become a DAO?
31:44 What is on the roadmap for Collab+Currency?
38:35 What are your thoughts on Crypto entering the fashion industry?
46:03 What is the most contrarian take you have inside the crypto world?
48:01 What is your spiciest take outside of crypto?
48:58 Where can people find out more about you?
Resources Mentioned
Rainbow http://ww25.rainbowtoken.finance/
Crypto Kitties https://www.cryptokitties.co/
Art Blocks https://www.artblocks.io/
Squiggle DAO https://www.squiggledao.com/
The LAO https://www.thelao.io/
You are sleeping on crypto art https://medium.com/collab-currency/youre-sleeping-on-crypto-art-7df920ec038e
IYK apparel https://www.iyk.app/
Connect with the guest
Steve McKeon https://twitter.com/sbmckeon
Collab+Currency https://twitter.com/collab_currency
Collab+Currency on the web https://www.collabcurrency.com/
Disclaimer
This information is being provided to you for educational and informational purposes only. Any advice and information on this podcast is general only, and has been prepared without taking into account your particular circumstances and needs. Before acting on any advice on this podcast you should assess or seek advice on whether it is appropriate for your needs, financial situation and investment objectives.

Jan 11, 2023 • 52min
Nova River - Cosmo Jiang (Episode #2)
In our second episode, Ben sits down with Cosmo Jiang (Twitter & LinkedIn), Founder and General Partner of Nova River.
Nova River is a web3 crypto investment fund that conducts deep research and takes a fundamental, long-term thesis-driven approach to underwriting investment opportunities with the goal of compounding capital on a multi-year time horizon.
In this show we discuss:
- Cosmo’s path to founding Nova River
- The application of traditional investing frameworks in crypto
- Different token types and what they represent
- Themes and projects that Cosmo is most excited about
- & much more
Enjoy this episode with Cosmo of Nova River!
Timestamps
2:15 What is the origin of Nova River?
3:11 What is your background?
6:00 Did you evaluate blockchains at Hitchwood?
8:50 Transitioning to the Crypto world
13:10 How have you accelerated your learning to understand the technical merits of projects?
16:00 What was it like to launch a digital asset fund?
20:01 How did you develop your strategy for Nova River?
26:50 Where do you see tokens going in the future?
34:04 What novel type of analysis are you doing for Tokens?
38:45 What sectors of crypto are you most excited about?
43:03 Where do you see NFTs going in the future?
45:23 What can we do with NFT-based loyalty points?
46:58 What is something you do outside crypto that is of value to you?
49:01 What positive things about crypto are you saying to your investors?
Resources Mentioned
Nova River
Hitchwood Capital Management
Polygon Blockchain
Starbucks Odyssey NFT
Helium ($HNT)
Connect with the guest
Cosmo Jiang https://mobile.twitter.com/cosmo_jiang
Nova River https://mobile.twitter.com/novariverxyz
Disclaimer
This information is being provided to you for educational and informational purposes only. Any advice and information on this podcast is general only, and has been prepared without taking into account your particular circumstances and needs. Before acting on any advice on this podcast you should assess or seek advice on whether it is appropriate for your needs, financial situation and investment objectives.

Jan 4, 2023 • 48min
Seed Club Ventures - NiMA & Anthony Avedissian (Episode #1)
In the inaugural episode of Scenius Studio, I am joined by NiMA and Anthony Avedissian of Seed Club Ventures. In this conversation, we discuss the novel structure of Seed Club Ventures as well as the Venture DAO's investment focus at the intersection of Community and Web3. We dive into some early indicators of investment success and why they believe the Seed Club Ventures model is optimally suited for investing in web3.
I hope you enjoy this episode with NiMA and Anthony of Seed Club Ventures!
Timestamps
2:15 What are your backgrounds?
7:05 What is the origin story of Seed Club Ventures?
14:07 What is your position within Seed Club Ventures?
19:50 What are the complexities of the investment club model that SCV adopted?
24:40 What is the investment thesis of Seed Club Ventures?
29:10 What makes a project appealing to you?
35:15 How did Seed Club Ventures find Stability AI?
41:20 What projects in your portfolio are you excited about?
45:24 What is the thing you do outside of crypto that is most valuable to your work?
47:10 Where can people find out more about you?
Resources Mentioned
Scenius Capital https://www.scenius.capital/
Seed Club Ventures https://www.seedclub.xyz/
Stable Diffusion https://stability.ai/blog/stable-diffusion-public-release
Try image creation with AI https://www.mage.space/
Guild https://guild.xyz/
How the Internet Happened: From Netscape to the iPhone
The Power Law: Venture Capital
Connect with the guest
Nima https://twitter.com/insidenima
Anthony https://twitter.com/antavedissian
Seed Club Ventures https://twitter.com/seedclubvc
Disclaimer
This information is being provided to you for educational and informational purposes only. Any advice and information on this podcast is general only, and has been prepared without taking into account your particular circumstances and needs. Before acting on any advice on this podcast you should assess or seek advice on whether it is appropriate for your needs, financial situation and investment objectives.