If between 2009-2013 you were ambitious and believed in a future where we would all have a pocket computer with Internet access, a camera and GPS, then the obvious thing was to develop a mobile application or at least invest in one of these companies.

Years founded: March 2009 - Uber November 2009 - WhatsApp July 2011 - Snapchat October 2010 - Instagram August 2014 - Telegram

These ideas today seem very obvious and make one think that their founders were opportunists or lucky, but at that time very few saw the potential of the cell phone for what it really was, a software platform. Most people saw it as a device to make calls or send professional emails.

https://twitter.com/JonErlichman/status/1535664434496131075?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1535664434496131075%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmirror.xyz%2F0x7E0b0363404751346930AF92C80D1fef932Cc48a%2F__GRbO_oL55_w7HEC30_UmNiuhh7CCAt6OkOqxDzBIs

A software platform creates an economic flywheel where the more apps that are created, more utility is created, adoption grows, which gets more developers interested, more investors to invest, and so on, until you create products that impact millions of people's lives.

The next frontier and the next software platform are blockchain protocols and decentralized applications. The industry is attracting talented entrepreneurs in waves with big visions for creating decentralized digital networks, products and services.

Unlike cell phones where the core values were accessibility, immediacy, and convenience, those of the blockchain are composability, transparency, security, ownership, and portability.

You have to imagine a world running on this new platform and think what ideas seem obvious in hindsight. These new set of principles are not going to create the new decentralized WhatsApp or Instagram, but rather they are going to create new systems better distributed and different from the existing ones. New networks and business models that we cannot yet imagine will also be created.

Predicting the future is difficult as it is the result of multiple innovations converging. For example, Instagram needed the smartphones to have high-definition cameras, App Store’s to publish the application, and enough network bandwidth to upload and download images in real time.

DAOs are going to redefine the way people work and come together to build a project or solve a problem. DeFi is going to allow us all to be our own bank. NFTs are going to allow us to participate in open economies where we have property rights. Creators will be able to monetize content directly with their fans. We are going to own the digital assets we purchase in games and profit from digital economies.

Most of the startups that we see emerge are going to fail, but possibly some are going to be successful and upon those we are going to continue building. Without a doubt, it will be exciting to see technology evolve before our eyes.

If between 2009-2013 you were ambitious and believed in a future where we would all have a pocket computer with Internet access, a camera and GPS, then the obvious thing was to develop a mobile application or at least invest in one of these companies.

Years founded: March 2009 - Uber November 2009 - WhatsApp July 2011 - Snapchat October 2010 - Instagram August 2014 - Telegram

These ideas today seem very obvious and make one think that their founders were opportunists or lucky, but at that time very few saw the potential of the cell phone for what it really was, a software platform. Most people saw it as a device to make calls or send professional emails.

https://twitter.com/JonErlichman/status/1535664434496131075?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1535664434496131075%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmirror.xyz%2F0x7E0b0363404751346930AF92C80D1fef932Cc48a%2F__GRbO_oL55_w7HEC30_UmNiuhh7CCAt6OkOqxDzBIs

A software platform creates an economic flywheel where the more apps that are created, more utility is created, adoption grows, which gets more developers interested, more investors to invest, and so on, until you create products that impact millions of people's lives.

The next frontier and the next software platform are blockchain protocols and decentralized applications. The industry is attracting talented entrepreneurs in waves with big visions for creating decentralized digital networks, products and services.

Unlike cell phones where the core values were accessibility, immediacy, and convenience, those of the blockchain are composability, transparency, security, ownership, and portability.

You have to imagine a world running on this new platform and think what ideas seem obvious in hindsight. These new set of principles are not going to create the new decentralized WhatsApp or Instagram, but rather they are going to create new systems better distributed and different from the existing ones. New networks and business models that we cannot yet imagine will also be created.

Predicting the future is difficult as it is the result of multiple innovations converging. For example, Instagram needed the smartphones to have high-definition cameras, App Store’s to publish the application, and enough network bandwidth to upload and download images in real time.

DAOs are going to redefine the way people work and come together to build a project or solve a problem. DeFi is going to allow us all to be our own bank. NFTs are going to allow us to participate in open economies where we have property rights. Creators will be able to monetize content directly with their fans. We are going to own the digital assets we purchase in games and profit from digital economies.

Most of the startups that we see emerge are going to fail, but possibly some are going to be successful and upon those we are going to continue building. Without a doubt, it will be exciting to see technology evolve before our eyes.