GM, web3! Introducing a new mini series, featuring profiles of people who have left Web2 for Web3 and exploring why they made the leap. If you have ideas for people to feature (including self-nominations!) reach out to us @Sarah or @Vedika.

Kicking it off, we’re excited to profile Brandon Kumar, the co-founder of Layer3, a talent marketplace for DAOs.

I spent the first 6 years of my career at Accolade Partners, a $4 billion alternative asset manager. We invested across asset classes (venture, growth equity, buyout) and sectors (enterprise software, crypto, life sciences, healthcare services, etc).

Earlier last year, I left Accolade to co-found Layer3, a talent marketplace for DAOs.

I was first introduced to crypto in 2017 when Accolade invested in a16z’s first crypto fund. From there, I independently followed the space on nights and weekends until 2019 when we decided to launch a dedicated crypto fund of funds. Our thesis was simple - institutional investors (E&Fs, Pension Funds, Family Offices, etc) want crypto exposure but don’t want to make single fund investments given how nascent the asset class is. That product was impeccably timed as we made our first few commitments right before DeFi summer. As that fund grew, I began spending more time on our crypto effort and less time on other strategies/sectors.

I was in a privileged seat at Accolade because I got to interact with the sharpest minds in the space. Naturally, if you spend your day talking to the best investors and entrepreneurs, then you get curious. Although I had already been full time web3 at Accolade, I wanted to help build and contribute in a more meaningful way.

I was introduced to my co-founder, Dariya Khojasteh, by Jai Bhavnani (Rari Capital) mid last year. At the time, he was building a growth marketing platform for DAOs. After a few months of getting to know each other, and iterating on the concept, we agreed to change course to a talent marketplace and pursue this together.

The problem itself was very clear. Everyone loves saying “go contribute to a DAO,” but no one has a clear response for how you actually do that. I had tried a few times myself, only to be shocked at how these orgs are managed. I genuinely believe that DAOs have the potential to re-frame how talent and labor intersect but am also realistic that a lot needs to change for that to be true.

I’ve been amazed at how proactive the community is. Not only are users incredibly excited to use the product, but many of them also want to help build it. Almost every morning I wake up to a DM from someone in the community who completed work for us of their own volition.

More broadly, building in web3 is very different than in any other industry. From the way you approach talent (via twitter) to how you make strategic decisions (in public).

As a general life principle, intellectual curiosity tends to yield tremendous opportunity. This is even more true in web3.

Thank you Brandon for sharing your experiences with us, and stay tuned for the next edition of GM, web3! Let us know @Sarah or @Vedika what/who you’d like to see next.

GM, web3! Introducing a new mini series, featuring profiles of people who have left Web2 for Web3 and exploring why they made the leap. If you have ideas for people to feature (including self-nominations!) reach out to us @Sarah or @Vedika.

Kicking it off, we’re excited to profile Brandon Kumar, the co-founder of Layer3, a talent marketplace for DAOs.

I spent the first 6 years of my career at Accolade Partners, a $4 billion alternative asset manager. We invested across asset classes (venture, growth equity, buyout) and sectors (enterprise software, crypto, life sciences, healthcare services, etc).

Earlier last year, I left Accolade to co-found Layer3, a talent marketplace for DAOs.

I was first introduced to crypto in 2017 when Accolade invested in a16z’s first crypto fund. From there, I independently followed the space on nights and weekends until 2019 when we decided to launch a dedicated crypto fund of funds. Our thesis was simple - institutional investors (E&Fs, Pension Funds, Family Offices, etc) want crypto exposure but don’t want to make single fund investments given how nascent the asset class is. That product was impeccably timed as we made our first few commitments right before DeFi summer. As that fund grew, I began spending more time on our crypto effort and less time on other strategies/sectors.

I was in a privileged seat at Accolade because I got to interact with the sharpest minds in the space. Naturally, if you spend your day talking to the best investors and entrepreneurs, then you get curious. Although I had already been full time web3 at Accolade, I wanted to help build and contribute in a more meaningful way.

I was introduced to my co-founder, Dariya Khojasteh, by Jai Bhavnani (Rari Capital) mid last year. At the time, he was building a growth marketing platform for DAOs. After a few months of getting to know each other, and iterating on the concept, we agreed to change course to a talent marketplace and pursue this together.

The problem itself was very clear. Everyone loves saying “go contribute to a DAO,” but no one has a clear response for how you actually do that. I had tried a few times myself, only to be shocked at how these orgs are managed. I genuinely believe that DAOs have the potential to re-frame how talent and labor intersect but am also realistic that a lot needs to change for that to be true.

I’ve been amazed at how proactive the community is. Not only are users incredibly excited to use the product, but many of them also want to help build it. Almost every morning I wake up to a DM from someone in the community who completed work for us of their own volition.

More broadly, building in web3 is very different than in any other industry. From the way you approach talent (via twitter) to how you make strategic decisions (in public).

As a general life principle, intellectual curiosity tends to yield tremendous opportunity. This is even more true in web3.

Thank you Brandon for sharing your experiences with us, and stay tuned for the next edition of GM, web3! Let us know @Sarah or @Vedika what/who you’d like to see next.