For the last three months, everyone at Variant had the pleasure of working closely with a special group of early-stage crypto founders as part of our first ever Variant Founder Fellowship (VFF). We wrapped the program in September with two incredible Demo Days, and we’re putting the spotlight on our ‘graduates’ in this issue. Read on to learn more about the fellowship, meet the fellows and their exciting projects, hear some of the wisdom they received from our stacked speaker lineup, and see ...

For the last three months, everyone at Variant had the pleasure of working closely with a special group of early-stage crypto founders as part of our first ever Variant Founder Fellowship (VFF). We wrapped the program in September with two incredible Demo Days, and we’re putting the spotlight on our ‘graduates’ in this issue. Read on to learn more about the fellowship, meet the fellows and their exciting projects, hear some of the wisdom they received from our stacked speaker lineup, and see ...

Don’t call it a comeback. Although many have been quick to write off NFTs, the numbers tell a different story. Variant’s resident data scientist Jack Gorman (aka J.Hackworth) has uncovered data showing that NFT interest has actually grown this year, and is primed for broader adoption. The rise of Ethereum layer 2s like Optimism, Base, and Zorachain is a big reason why. Read on, and enjoy the arrival of the holiday szn. While you’re thinking about presents, let us suggest you gift this piece t...

Don’t call it a comeback. Although many have been quick to write off NFTs, the numbers tell a different story. Variant’s resident data scientist Jack Gorman (aka J.Hackworth) has uncovered data showing that NFT interest has actually grown this year, and is primed for broader adoption. The rise of Ethereum layer 2s like Optimism, Base, and Zorachain is a big reason why. Read on, and enjoy the arrival of the holiday szn. While you’re thinking about presents, let us suggest you gift this piece t...

gm to all the crypto builders and creators. In January 2020, Jesse published the influential Progressive Decentralization Playbook for building crypto apps. In the years since, through the ICO and airdrop eras, we’ve seen a proliferation of crypto apps—but have yet to see a winning model for how those crypto apps can distribute tokens to their users in a way that achieves sustained growth and retention. Now Jesse and Li think they’ve landed on one: progressive ownership. Read on for the full ...

gm to all the crypto builders and creators. In January 2020, Jesse published the influential Progressive Decentralization Playbook for building crypto apps. In the years since, through the ICO and airdrop eras, we’ve seen a proliferation of crypto apps—but have yet to see a winning model for how those crypto apps can distribute tokens to their users in a way that achieves sustained growth and retention. Now Jesse and Li think they’ve landed on one: progressive ownership. Read on for the full ...

gm! Welcome back to the Variant newsletter. While we love art for the sake of art as much as anyone in the space (and have written a lot recently about the value we see in generative art NFTs), we also think very carefully about practical use cases of crypto tooling—both developer-facing and consumer-facing. In that spirit, we’ve got two smart features this issue aimed at builders: Alana Levin maps out a decision tree for how different apps can operate within the evolving rollup infrastructur...

gm! Welcome back to the Variant newsletter. While we love art for the sake of art as much as anyone in the space (and have written a lot recently about the value we see in generative art NFTs), we also think very carefully about practical use cases of crypto tooling—both developer-facing and consumer-facing. In that spirit, we’ve got two smart features this issue aimed at builders: Alana Levin maps out a decision tree for how different apps can operate within the evolving rollup infrastructur...

gm! Welcome to the inaugural issue of the Variant newsletter. Every day inside Variant, we talk through the latest trends shaping crypto and tease out new mental models. Now we’ll be sending those ideas straight to your inbox. Each issue will focus on a theme we’re thinking about right now, anchored by one smart take on the topic. For Issue 1, we’re taking a critical look at web3 social media at a time when everyone is talking about the new challengers to Twitter. Writing has always been in V...

gm! Welcome to the inaugural issue of the Variant newsletter. Every day inside Variant, we talk through the latest trends shaping crypto and tease out new mental models. Now we’ll be sending those ideas straight to your inbox. Each issue will focus on a theme we’re thinking about right now, anchored by one smart take on the topic. For Issue 1, we’re taking a critical look at web3 social media at a time when everyone is talking about the new challengers to Twitter. Writing has always been in V...

gm! It’s hard to succinctly summarize 2023. A year that began with such negative media attention on crypto is ending with renewed enthusiasm for web3. The year is also ending with buzz and debate over the use of points in crypto apps, and Li has some instructive thoughts on the topic below. Crypto startups spent the year building, independent of external noise. And we spent it working to support them. After Li’s piece, you’ll find our most-read posts of the year and some of our favorite reads...

gm! It’s hard to succinctly summarize 2023. A year that began with such negative media attention on crypto is ending with renewed enthusiasm for web3. The year is also ending with buzz and debate over the use of points in crypto apps, and Li has some instructive thoughts on the topic below. Crypto startups spent the year building, independent of external noise. And we spent it working to support them. After Li’s piece, you’ll find our most-read posts of the year and some of our favorite reads...

gm! This month, Variant will roll out our newsletter. We are extremely excited to deliver our team’s latest writing and ideas directly to your inbox, and to mark the occasion, we’ve commissioned a special art piece from Giorgio Balbi that you can mint for free if you subscribe right here on Mirror. (More on the artwork in a moment.) We know a lot of people are suffering from newsletter fatigue, and we recognize adding another to your plate is a big ask. That’s why our goal with all of our wri...

gm! This month, Variant will roll out our newsletter. We are extremely excited to deliver our team’s latest writing and ideas directly to your inbox, and to mark the occasion, we’ve commissioned a special art piece from Giorgio Balbi that you can mint for free if you subscribe right here on Mirror. (More on the artwork in a moment.) We know a lot of people are suffering from newsletter fatigue, and we recognize adding another to your plate is a big ask. That’s why our goal with all of our wri...

gm! Welcome back to the Variant newsletter. Call it hot DEX summer? Okay, maybe not quite, but even amid a bear market, DEXs have continued to demonstrate their resilience, climbing in active usage. For our new issue, our in-house data scientist Jack Gorman (you may know him on Crypto Twitter as J.Hackworth) is diving into why that’s been the case. Meanwhile, five other Variant investment partners just returned from EthCC in Paris, and they’re bringing the buzz back to you. Stay cool during a...

gm! Welcome back to the Variant newsletter. Call it hot DEX summer? Okay, maybe not quite, but even amid a bear market, DEXs have continued to demonstrate their resilience, climbing in active usage. For our new issue, our in-house data scientist Jack Gorman (you may know him on Crypto Twitter as J.Hackworth) is diving into why that’s been the case. Meanwhile, five other Variant investment partners just returned from EthCC in Paris, and they’re bringing the buzz back to you. Stay cool during a...