Introducing Party Ventures
It’s been a while since my last newsletter post, and I want to start by apologizing for the silence. Over the past few months, I’ve been working on what I’ve affectionately called my Super Secret Project™, and today I’m excited to finally share the details of what I’ve been up to. After writing my touch grass article, I found myself reflecting on how I can use this space to empower founders building the products that will drive mainstream blockchain adoption. Let’s face it—legacy media is dyi...
Introducing Party Ventures
It’s been a while since my last newsletter post, and I want to start by apologizing for the silence. Over the past few months, I’ve been working on what I’ve affectionately called my Super Secret Project™, and today I’m excited to finally share the details of what I’ve been up to. After writing my touch grass article, I found myself reflecting on how I can use this space to empower founders building the products that will drive mainstream blockchain adoption. Let’s face it—legacy media is dyi...
We All Need to Touch Grass
The other week, Ryan Sean Adams, investor and co-founder of Bankless, asked, ‘Why hasn’t web3 social taken off?’ This question set off a wave of conversation in the following days, with reasons ranging from hyperfinancialization and poor UX to web3 products copying their web2 counterparts and not engaging creators and cultural tastemakers. What I found interesting is that many of these problems aren’t unique to crypto but emblematic of the issues within the broader tech ecosystem. https://x.c...
We All Need to Touch Grass
The other week, Ryan Sean Adams, investor and co-founder of Bankless, asked, ‘Why hasn’t web3 social taken off?’ This question set off a wave of conversation in the following days, with reasons ranging from hyperfinancialization and poor UX to web3 products copying their web2 counterparts and not engaging creators and cultural tastemakers. What I found interesting is that many of these problems aren’t unique to crypto but emblematic of the issues within the broader tech ecosystem. https://x.c...
Spotify's Flop Era and What's Next for Music Curation
What is Up with Spotify’s Algorithm?I’ve been MIA for the past few weeks, searching for jobs and working on other projects. Regular newsletter content will resume soon, but in the meantime, here is a “Kickback”, a shorter issue focused on a topic related to culture and the new internet. Hope you like it! Have you played a song on Spotify in the past month? Was the next song “Million Dollar Baby” or “Espresso”? I don't hate Tommy Richman or Sabrina Carpenter; both songs are amazing, and I...
Spotify's Flop Era and What's Next for Music Curation
What is Up with Spotify’s Algorithm?I’ve been MIA for the past few weeks, searching for jobs and working on other projects. Regular newsletter content will resume soon, but in the meantime, here is a “Kickback”, a shorter issue focused on a topic related to culture and the new internet. Hope you like it! Have you played a song on Spotify in the past month? Was the next song “Million Dollar Baby” or “Espresso”? I don't hate Tommy Richman or Sabrina Carpenter; both songs are amazing, and I...
5 Themes from Seed Club Demo Day 🌱
Seed Club's Demo Day last week featured nine incredible startups. As one of the best-known accelerators in the consumer crypto space, Seed Club is a leading indicator of what’s next. In this piece, I discuss the common trends and highlight my main takeaways from this batch.Blurring the Lines Between IRL and URLThis Demo Day cohort had several products bridging the online and offline worlds. Sidequest takes IRL to URL in its most literal sense by utilizing AR/VR technology to gamify real-...
5 Themes from Seed Club Demo Day 🌱
Seed Club's Demo Day last week featured nine incredible startups. As one of the best-known accelerators in the consumer crypto space, Seed Club is a leading indicator of what’s next. In this piece, I discuss the common trends and highlight my main takeaways from this batch.Blurring the Lines Between IRL and URLThis Demo Day cohort had several products bridging the online and offline worlds. Sidequest takes IRL to URL in its most literal sense by utilizing AR/VR technology to gamify real-...
Audience as Co-Creator: The New Age of Interactive Creation
On April 30th, TikTok creator Megan Broni, AKA Girl on Couch, uploaded a video asking DJs to remix a song she wrote: “I’m looking for a man in finance, with a trust fund, 6’5, blue eyes.” The song went viral, and the rest is history, with dozens of remixes and interpolations of the catchy tune over the past month. Even brands got in on the fun. About a month later, famed hip hop producer Metro Boomin tweeted a SoundCloud link to “BBL Drizzy”, a beat he created sampling a parody song by King W...
Audience as Co-Creator: The New Age of Interactive Creation
On April 30th, TikTok creator Megan Broni, AKA Girl on Couch, uploaded a video asking DJs to remix a song she wrote: “I’m looking for a man in finance, with a trust fund, 6’5, blue eyes.” The song went viral, and the rest is history, with dozens of remixes and interpolations of the catchy tune over the past month. Even brands got in on the fun. About a month later, famed hip hop producer Metro Boomin tweeted a SoundCloud link to “BBL Drizzy”, a beat he created sampling a parody song by King W...
