What I did at Consensus:

• Hosted a private “Steakwallet x KryptoSeoul Proof of Steak” lunch. It was invite-only due to limited space and tone/manner of the event, and it went so well. Most who were invited showed up on time, and we had an absolute blast. Also, the space was fully ACed, so people were generally content :) Some people question the small scale of my events but I strongly think the focus and human connection matters, so curation is key.

• Participated in a Women in Web3 panel at WRST NFT Gallery opening event. “It is ok to be slow and imperfect. The process is what matters most.”

• Hosted a casual Korean gathering at Stakefish Daniel Hwang’s Airbnb. It was very last-minute planning, but many good people showed up and we were able to comfortably connect there. Before Consensus, I initially created a “Let’s go to Austin” Telegram groupchat amongst Koreans, and it mounted up to over 150 people. I could NOT put that group to waste :P

• Reunited with old crypto frens. It was obvious that we did not like the noise and bustling with too many people (like ETH Denver). But we enjoyed syncing - Dani, Anett, Shawn, Teck, Shelley, Billy, Jin, Daniel, Adrian, Awa… you know who you are.

• Meeting IRL with online frens for the first time! Molly was one that stood out on this one. It was amazing to see in real life - what a sweet person. Also Jeanine from Aleo! So many people I conversed over calls and emails only - I was able to connect face-to-face and it felt absolutely amazing.

• Meeting new folks! I met people from the Fed, DOJ, RMIT, Sequoia, and the list goes on. It was such an eye-opening experience! Five years in crypto, I feel like my network has grown more than ever, yet I realize that I have much more to go in connecting with solid players in and out of crypto.

What I observed:

1. Terra, Luna, UST… everyone is curious what the Korean sentiment & situation is like in response to the Terra crash. And they do NOT think Terra is a Korean project, more like a global one - which I think is a relief. Humility is the way to go for a leader. Since literally everyone is talking about Terra, the need for DeFi regulation or group action comes up to the surface.

2. Korean participation in global participation is growing day by day. As I mentioned earlier, nearly 200 Koreans flew to Austin for Consensus, and I am sure it is more than ETH Denver, which was quite a lot. Especially this time, people from conglomerates, securities companies, media companies, gaming companies attended - mainly to survey the main trends and people in the scene.

3. Private events are the alpha. Of course, massive, flashy parties are fun and all, but the actual fruitful conversations and connections are made through private, more intimate events. For one, I had the chance to connect one-by-one with Polygon C-levels, and the entire Interchain Foundation team including Ethan Buchman himself. Also, I attended a Federal Reserve Roundtable discussion which was extremely focused. It reminded me of the Standard policy days - it actually felt great. By spending five years grinding myself in operations/execution, I did not really have the capacity to think deeply about the implications of certain trends. These focused, insightful conversation definitely opened my eyes and helped me turn on my policy brain again.

4. Dilemma between commerciality (shill factor) vs sincerity (substance). This isn’t a binary division - there needs to be a balance between the two to build your brand. I’m always keen on personal branding, and on how to deliver that in a successful yet substantial/solid way. Are events meant to be random in terms of curation and quality, as long as it draws a large crowd? Are numbers the only measure in describing success and potential? It would be great to get more insights from others on this and discuss together :)

5. I have never experienced such intense heat. I nearly passed out one time, and I am glad to hear that next year’s Consensus will NOT be in June.

1. A healthy mix of OGs and newbies - Honestly, I thought ETH Denver will be mostly full of OGs, but I didn’t know that it would be this big. It was wonderful to see many new (and young!) faces in the scene, trying actively to catch up and throw great ideas. The largest interest from institutions and “outsiders” (not in the crypto crowd yet but observing or interested in the space) so far.

2. I could not recognize most faces - and I know a LOT of people in crypto space. Whenever I recognized a OG friend on the street, I jumped with delight and my face brightened up with joy. It just means a lot to reunite with those who’ve went through the ups and downs and have done consistent work in the space, without just coming for the NFT hype. Also, it was hard to focus on the people that I trust, due to the huge volume of people flooding out of every venue in Denver.

3. The NFT and DAO hype is real, and I don’t know if I welcome it. It’s a tad too much imo. It almost feels like a must factor when you want to be seen “cool” in crypto or something.

4. ETH Denver had an inclusive program in terms of sponsors and presentation content. So called “eth killers” took part in many ways - which was surprising to see. Just an amusing observation, but Harmony and Polygon went all-in in terms of afterparties.

5. I always feel this way tbh, but I felt strong as ever the need to step up in my game and keep learning and building - otherwise I’ll be swept away by this never-ending wave of new ideas and brilliant minds. This space is exploding - keep being consistent and be humble.

6. I’m known as the “nice” person in the Korean crypto scene, and I’m not sure that is a good thing. Male-dominant macho culture still exists - and will forever exist. I rarely express this thought, but I strongly felt this on this Denver trip. Do I need to have a large sum of capital in order to be taken “seriously?” Devoting my time and passion into creating a healthy community is still looked down upon, compared to investors who can sway their portfolio companies on what to do. I won’t go too deep into this, but this consistent ignorance discourages me and challenges me in unnecessary ways.

7. My KryptoDenver private lunch event went so smoothly - I could not ask for anything else. It was absolutely perfect, in terms of the vibe, food, people. My Denver trip was half complete after successfully finishing this event - then I MCed in ETH Denver main event at the Sports Castle Infinity Stage, and that went pretty well as well. I was concerned that I might ruin the stage (and I don’t make good jokes!!), but thankfully it passed by well. That perfected my trip… then the PEOPLE I met in Denver was cherry on the top. The stress I got from preparing for the trip and going through the trip was the highest so far, among all my trips in the past - but the level of satisfaction and “reward” I got was the highest as well.

These observations and thoughts are very rough - this is literally a rough draft. Also, I’m still adjusting to reality in Seoul and getting out of the Denver daze. That said, I simply want to emphasize that this trip has inspired/motivated in so many ways, and I wish to become a stronger and more competent person in pushing my Erica Social Token project and BUIDL Asia conference this year. LFG!

When I travel abroad, I always try to host a KryptoSeoul meetup, whether it is small or large. Although I did not know anything about Lisbon, I decided to organize my own event by partnering up with The Base Lisbon, a coworking space in the center of Lisbon.

The meetup went extremely well, and we had a superb panel of 6 panelists: Augie from Sequoia, Baek from Hashed, Peng from Tendermint, Vanessa from CoinFund, David from dYdX Foundation, and Tim from The Block. Since it was such a diverse panel, we covered general topics that highlighted 2021 - DeFi, NFTs, DAOs. During the 1-hour panel, so much insight was poured in coming from different angles. What was most impressive was that the panelists had a balanced viewpoint in that they don’t just see everything as a rosy future. Concerns about security, regulations, usability, etc were all brought up. It was truly a magical experience.

Oh, and the meetup was briefly covered in Korean media CoinNess! Here’s the link:

https://coinness.live/news/1016091