Scenius Studio

In this episode, Ben sits down with Michael Dempsey, Managing Partner of Compound. At Compound, Michael oversees investments in AI/ML, robotics, biology, and of course crypto. His cross-industry knowledge and deep understanding of blockchain-native challenges and commercial opportunities makes him stand out from the crowd. Let's get into it. Connect with the guest Compound https://www.compound.vc/ Follow Compound on Twitter/X https://twitter.com/compoundvc Follow Michael on Twitter/X https://twitter.com/mhdempsey Disclaimer Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Phil Bonello, Co-Founder and CIO of Plaintext Capital. Phil is an industry veteran, having spent time at Messari, Ikigai, and Grayscale before launching Plaintext. Phil is a fundamental investor who understands what moves crypto markets intimately. He has a proven ability to find emerging trends and then find creative ways to express related trades before the narrative gets hot. Let's get into it. Connect with the guest Plaintext Capital https://plaintextcapital.com/ Follow Phil on Twitter/X https://twitter.com/PhilJBonello Disclaimer Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Ken Seiff, founder and general partner of Blockchange Ventures. Following a successful career as a founder and retail tech investor Ken discovered blockchain where he has repeatedly made contrarian, early bets that have paid off in spades. His insights into the history of internet innovation shine a light on where we are within the blockchain industry's growth and where we go from here. Let's get into it. Connect with the guest Blockchange https://blockchange.vc/ Disclaimer Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

In this episode, Ben sits down with James Parillo, Managing Partner of Figment Capital. Following a career in taxation and accounting, Jim developed an expertise in digital assets, which opened up the door to the world of venture investing. Now, as part of a collaboration with Figment, the industry's leading institutional staking provider, Jim and his team invest into critical infrastructure and middleware supporting the growth of the blockchain industry. Let's get into it. Connect with the guest Figment Capital https://www.figmentcapital.io/ Follow Figment Capital on Twitter/X https://twitter.com/FigmentCapital Follow James on Twitter/X https://twitter.com/VelvetMilkman Disclaimer Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Allan Cassis, Founder and CEO of LVNA Capital. Born and raised in Mexico City, Allan is a crypto OG and has been operating LVNA since 2017. Following early bets in Bitcoin and the Ethereum ICO, Allan currently operates a liquid and venture strategy that focuses on infrastructure and other pragmatic applications of blockchain and digital assets. Let's get into it. Connect with the guest LVNA https://lvnacapital.com/ Follow LVNA Capital on Twitter/X https://twitter.com/lvnacapital Disclaimer Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Homer Sun, Managing Partner of Animoca Capital. Following an illustrious career as the CIO of Morgan Stanley’s Private Equity business in Asia, Homer took the web3 plunge to launch Animoca’s first growth equity fund. Now at Animoca Capital, Homer is investing in category defining blockchain-related businesses 3-4 years before a potential IPO or strategic acquisition. Let's get into it. Connect with the guest Animoca https://www.animoca-capital.com/ Disclaimer Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Larry Sukernik of Reverie. Larry led Digital Currency Group's corporate VC before launching Reverie's consulting and advisory business where he worked with leading crypto projects, such as Uniswap, dYdX, and Osmosis. Building off of his experience working with leading protocols and companies, Larry launched a 20 million fund to invest in founders at the earliest stages. Let's get into it. Connect with the guest Reverie https://www.reverie.ooo/ Follow Larry on Twitter/X https://twitter.com/lsukernik Disclaimer Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Zoe Weinberg, Founder and Managing Partner of Ex/Ante, a venture firm investing in the next generation of privacy, security, and information tools. Prior to Ex/Ante, Zoe served on the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence and at Google AI. She has also had stints as an investor at the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank and at Goldman Sachs. Tune in for insights into Ex/Ante’s thesis of agentic tech and how blockchain represents a core component of the firm’s investment strategy. Let's get into it. Resources Mentioned National Secuirty Commission on Artificial Intelligence Signal Foundation Open Tech Fund The Metaverse is Coming, and the World is not Ready for it — Zoe Weinberg (NY Times article) Connect with the guest ex/ante https://www.buildexante.com/ Follow ex/ante on Twitter/X https://twitter.com/buildexante Follow Zoe on Twitter/X https://twitter.com/zweinberg Disclaimer Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Jeff Park, Head of Alpha Strategies at Bitwise. Jeff has had an illustrious career with a variety of roles at Morgan Stanley, Harvard Management Company, and Corbin Capital Partners before focusing his career on crypto and multi-manager solutions at Bitwise. Jeff’s insight into the forthcoming Bitcoin Spot ETF is timely and informative. Moreover, his measured approach when evaluating actively traded strategies demonstrates his mastery of various methods of alpha generation. Tune in for insights into active and passive digital asset investment strategies. Resources Mentioned Bitcoin, Blockchain, and Crypto — by Matt Hougan David Swensen, Yale Endowment Model Binance Tri-Party Agreement Hidden Road’s Route 28 Connect with the guest Bitwise https://bitwiseinvestments.com/ Follow Bitwise on Twitter/X https://twitter.com/BitwiseInvest Disclaimer Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Adam Benayoun Founder and General Partner of Collider Ventures. Collider is Israel’s preeminent blockchain-dedicated venture capital fund. Over the last five years, Adam has been investing in the asset class and steering blockchain and digital asset policy in Israel alongside Israeli-born blockchain unicorns such as Fireblocks and Starkware. Collider seeks to back Israeli teams where blockchain intersects with traditional areas of Israeli technological strength such as cybersecurity and cryptography. Amid the recent geopolitical turmoil in Israel and Palestine we thought this was an important episode to share. Let's get into it. Resources Mentioned Starkware Fireblocks Fhenix Connect with the guest Collider https://www.collider.vc/ Follow Collider on Twitter/X https://twitter.com/ColliderVC Disclaimer Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

In this episode, Ben sit downs with Alex Lange Founding Partner of Inflection based out of Berlin. Prior to launching Inflection Alex held roles at Google and Index Ventures where he leveraged his technical acumen and deep understanding of hardware to begin exploring cutting edge and non-consensus blockchain investing. Now at Inflection, Alex invests into both the infrastructure and application layer as the firm continues to build its brand as a premier European based early-stage venture fund. Let's get into it. Connect with the guest Inflection https://inflection.xyz/ Follow Alex on Twitter/X https://twitter.com/AlexLangeVC Disclaimer Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Rennick Palley Founding Partner of Stratos, a seed stage focused blockchain venture fund. Rennick is known for his research and understanding of blockchain infrastructure which he integrates into his equity research background. Stratos’ thought leadership into value accrual and token design offers unique insight for those interested in digital asset and network fundamentals. Let's get into it. Timestamps 1:36 How was the trip to Singapore? 2:08 What are some of the dynamics in Asia? 5:49 What is your background? 7:49 What would the world look like if your investments went 10x? 13:02 Why is it important to invest in the seed rounds? 16:45 Comparing the valuations of monetary assets and financial assets? 20:12 How do token owners accrue traditional value? 22:04 What is the business model for L2s? 26:02 Who is making the decisions around token dynamics: dev teams or token holders? 33:50 Where do data availability projects like Celestia fit in? 35:51 What is data availability? 38:10 How is Celestia's $TIA token integrated into the network? 40:30 What are some of the projects that Stratos is most excited about? 46:37 How is Dymension different than Cosmos 49:26 What is your most contrarian take within crypto? 52:40 What is your most contrarian take outside of crypto? 54:49 Where can people learn more about you and Stratos? Resources Mentioned Monetary Assets vs. Financial Assets Exploring the Economics and Network Effects of Layer 2 Solutions Babylon Celestia Intro to EigenDA Fuel Dymension Connect with the guest Stratos Capital https://www.stratos.xyz/ Follow Rennick on Twitter/X https://twitter.com/RennickPalley Disclaimer Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Evgeny Gokhberg, Founder and CIO of re7 Capital based out of the UK. Evgeny is a DeFi OG having formed re7 as one of the first true on-chain market neutral hedge funds in the asset class. Now Evgeny operates three vehicles: a market neutral fund, a ETH yield fund, and a directional long-biased strategy as part of a joint venture with Republic. Nobody knows the opportunity set and shortcomings of DeFi better than Evgeny and in this episode we cover a lot of ground as to what the future of on-chain finance looks like. Lets get into it. Resources Mentioned Compound Finance Total Value Locked (TVL) Uniswap v4 dYdX on Cosmos app-chain Synthetix vision UniswapX Squid Chainflip Lido market share dominance Connect with the guest Re7 Capital Follow Evgeny on Twitter/X Disclaimer Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

In this episode, Ben sits down with David Kalk, founder and CIO of Reflexive Capital. Dave recently spun Reflexive out of Commonwealth Asset Management where he was head of global macro and digital assets. Prior to Commonwealth, Dave was CIO of Peter Thiel’s Macro Fund and a trader at Goldman Sachs. At Reflexive, Dave brings an institutional mindset and cross asset market experience to liquid tokens and the early stage venture space. Let's get into it. Resources Mentioned Commonwealth https://www.cwamgroup.com/ Connect with the guest Reflexive Capital https://www.reflexive.xyz/ Disclaimer Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Anand Iyer of Canonical Crypo. Anand founded Canonical after a successful career as a founder, angel investor, and venture partner at Lightspeed and Pear VC. At Canonical, Anand invests into core blockchain infrastructure, middleware, and developer tooling. His thoughts on the intersection of AI and blockchain are representative of how these two technologies need each other to maximize their value to the world. Let's get into it. Timestamps 3:16 Background and experiences? 6:20 How did you transition from angel investing to running a fund? 8:50 What's Canonical's thesis? 11:55 What's it like being a solo GP and how are you sourcing projects? 15:09 What does the underwriting process look like at the pre-seed stage? 18:23 What lessons and commonalities have you learned from investing at the earliest stage? 21:35 What should founders be prioritizing at different stages of their company's growth? 24:09 Does blockchain need AI and vice versa? 32:55 What needs to happen for AI to impact the end user in their own application use? 35:56 How important is decentralization to the growth and development of AI? 39:21 What are AI agents? 43:01 Why is ZK ML important? 44:44 Why is MPC important? 46:40 Why is fully homomorphic encryption important? 49:19 What makes projects like FrenTech so popular? 52:29 What is your spiciest take within crypto? 55:38 What is your spiciest take outside of crypto? 58:26 Where can people learn more about you? Resources Mentioned Ikigai DeFi Masterclass Daniel Kang Fighting AI Generated Audio Sarah Silverman Suing OpenAI and Meta for Copyright Infringment Flocki.io Gensyn Friend.Tech ZeroDev Connect with the guest Twitter Canonical Crypto Disclaimer Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Jon Moore and Gaby Goldberg of The Chernin Group Crypto. At TCG, Gaby and Jon invest in web3 consumer applications and related infrastructure. Deploying out of a $120mm Fund I, TCG has and continues to invest in payments, collectives, gaming, entertainment, and consumer related utility products. The fund has a unified thesis around digital ownership unlocking net-new and business accretive opportunities. Tune in for unique insights into the application layer, mobile, wallets, and more. Let's get into it. Timestamps 2:00 What consumer use-case has the opportunity to onboard durable new users to crypto? 4:25 What is your background? 10:27 How has the team developed TCG's thesis and how has it evolved? 16:21 Are there examples of "passion" not driven by speculation/financialization in crypto? 19:08 Can you elaborate on how Arkive represents a new consumer experience? 24:21 Web2 brands integrating web3 tooling vs. web3 native brands? 31:03 How do you think about the integration of consumer with crypto infrastructure when investing? 36:18 How can crypto transition into mobile? 42:47 What is GMI vs. NGMI in crypto gaming? 43:41 What is GMI vs. NGMI in crypto music? 44:50 What is GMI vs. NGMI in crypto payments? 45:51 What is GMI vs. NGMI in DAOs? 46:50 What are some projects that you’re excited about? 55:29 What is your spiciest take within crypto? 58:22 What is your spiciest take outside of crypto? 1:01:16 Where can people learn more about you? Resources Mentioned Bright Moments Hume Arkive Flamingo Medallion Pudgy Penguins Y00ts to Ethereum Rainbow Wallet Sphere Curio Jia Finance Fairer by TCG Ledger Recover Once Upon - Block explorer Connect with the guest TCG Crypto Gaby Goldberg Jon Moore Disclaimer Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Evan Fisher, Founder and General Partner of Portal Ventures. Evan started his career at Goldman Sachs and Insight Partners before launching Portal. At Portal, Evan invests across the industry, globe, and fundraising stage as he applies his traditionally trained venture skillset to protocol investing. Evan is a pragmatist with a business model oriented investment framework that has thus far resonated with founders and builders across the blockchain industry. Lets get into it. Timestamps 1:45 How was ETHcc and your trip to Paris? 2:58 How should crypto-natives share with others what the state of the industry is? 3:44 What is your background? 6:44 How does your classical venture investment experience translate into protocol investing at Portal? 8:17 What is different about traditional investing and protocol investing? 12:41 What needs to change in crypto in order to attract institutional investors? 16:15 How can non-layer one tokens hold value without being deemed as securities? 18:05 Where do you feel like you have an edge? 20:45 What are the business models in crypto that are emblematic of where the space can go? 22:56 What are some emerging categories that you’re most excited about? 26:06 What is Urbit? 29:10 How do you invest in Urbit? 31:03 What is built on Urbit that can attract the interest of crypto native people? 35:19 What is next for DeFi? 38:41 How was the Ion deal sourced? 42:56 What are some of the retail ready projects that you are excited about? 47:48 Is there anything in AI that you’re excited about? 52:01 What is your most contrarian take within crypto? 52:22 What is your most contrarian take outside of crypto? 56:50 Where can people learn more about you? Resources Mentioned Medici Network Fully Homomorphic Encryption Urbit Holium Tlon Landscape Ion Protocol Connect with the guest Follow Evan on Twitter https://twitter.com/evanbfish Follow Portal on Twitter https://twitter.com/PortalVentures Portal Ventures https://portal.vc/ Disclaimer Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Hootie Rashidifard, Founder and General Partner of Hash3. Hootie recently announced Hash3’s first fund dedicated to investing in disruptive crypto middleware and infrastructure. With a roster of LPs with experience leading unicorn tech start ups, Hash3 works closely with its investor base and venture partner network to help crypto founders operate and scale their protocols and businesses. Let’s get into it. Timestamps 2:41 Background and experience? 6:11 What were you investing in at Canaan? 11:03 What made you leave Canaan and start Hash3? 16:26 Which categories are you investing in? 22:28 Are you investing in L1 or L2 blockchain architecture projects? 26:03 Why do we need more infrastructure? 27:29 What is your investment process at Hash3? 31:27 Is your 6 investment criteria just a mental checklist or a complete diligence process? 35:19 How do exit opportunities fit in your evaluation? 38:18 What projects have you invested in? 45:06 What appealed to you most about Ajna ? 51:07 What is your most contrarian take inside crypto? 53:30 What is your most contrarian take outside of crypto? 56:17 Where can people learn more about you? Resources Mentioned Surojit ChatterjeeGokul RajaramCanaanHash3 Investment CriteriaChainalysisCrossmintAjna LendingOpal Connect with the guest Follow Hootie on Twitter https://twitter.com/hootie_r Follow Hash3 on Twitter https://twitter.com/hash3xyz Hash3 https://www.hash3.xyz/ Disclaimer Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Kyle Samani, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Multicoin Capital. Kyle has been at the forefront of blockchain technology and innovation since founding the firm in 2017. Kyle is known for his non-consensus perspectives and his ability to break down business concepts and market structures to their core essence. Let's get into it. Timestamps 2:50 What are the lessons learned from Pristine? 6:20 What were the biggest takeaways from Vision Pro? 12:30 How do you best consume information? 13:47 What is your process for developing investible theses? 16:30 Was the value proposition for Helium clear to you immediately? 18:48 Lessons learned from evaluating DePIN projects? 22:12 Evaluating market structures? 25:14 Opportunities at the intersection of AI x crypto? 30:25 What do you think about Zero Knowledge tech and Privacy? 34:47 Issues with restaking and EigenLayer? 38:39 How has VC in crypto evolved? 40:51 Do you consider MultiCoin to be a generalist? 43:07 What emerging categories are most appealing to you at the moment? 46:53 What is your most contrarian take on crypto? 49:32 What is your most contrarian take outside of crypto? 50:54 Where can people learn more about you? Resources Mentioned Pristine Some Thoughts on Vision Pro — Twitter thread Helium Hivemapper The Convergence of Crypto & AI: Four Key Intersections EigenLayer Connect with the guest Follow Kyle on Twitter https://twitter.com/KyleSamani Follow Multicoin on Twitter https://twitter.com/multicoincap Multicoin https://multicoin.capital/ Disclaimer Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Quick reminder that despite our guest this week being a managing partner of a registered investment adviser, nothing in this podcast should be considered an offer of Multicoin’s investment advisory services or should otherwise be confused for investment, tax, legal or other financial advice.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Matt Walsh, Founding Partner of Castle Island Ventures. Matt was instrumental in the development of Fidelity's blockchain efforts before leaving to found Castle Island in 2018. Matt is a leading crypto VC with a deep understanding of tech innovation driving adoption, and the regulatory dynamics impacting the blockchain industry. Let’s get into it. Timestamps 3:15 What is your background? 5:04 Why was Fidelity open to Bitcoin in 2014? 8:10 What gave you the confidence to leave Fidelity and launch Castle Island? 10:26 What was it like raising capital for a new crypto fund in 2018? 12:07 How has the Castle Island thesis evolved since founding the firm? 18:17 What exit opportunities are available to equity-based blockchain companies? 23:15 What is the current state of venture in crypto? 26:25 Walk us through McHenry's market structure bill 30:18 What would this bill unlock within the U.S.? 32:54 Would this bill impact the proliferation of U.S. dollar denominated stable coins? 36:15 What is the status of blockchain acceptance in China? 39:17 Where does operation chokepoint 2.9 stand right now? 44:00 What impact will Ordinals have on BTC beyond NFTs? 48:12 What emerging opportunities are you excited to be backing now via Castle Island? 50:30 What is your most contrarian take within crypto? 52:55 What is your most contrarian take outside of crypto? 53:01 Where can people learn more about you? Resources Mentioned McHenry, Thompson, Hill, Johnson Release Digital Asset Market Structure Proposal An (Institutional) Investor’s Take on Cryptoassets — John Pfeffer Telecommunications Act of 1996 Waters Floats Stablecoin Bill Draft Ahead of Thursday House Hearing Beijing releases white paper for Web3 innovation and development Operation Chokepoint 2.0 — Nic Carter Halborn CAT Labs Connect with the guest Follow Matt on Twitter https://twitter.com/MattWalshInBos Follow Castle Island on Twitter https://twitter.com/CastleIslandVC Castle Island https://castleisland.vc/ Disclaimer Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.