There is never a dull moment in the cryptoverse. Blockchain, DeFi and web3 technologies continue to evolve rapidly in the wild extreme world. How extreme? Consider these two examples.
The Terra ecosystem will disappear in a multi-billion dollar crash and burn, while traditional investment firm Andreessen Horowitz will close its $4.5 billion crypto megafund. Then you have the ongoing regulatory pull of crypto on the back of a Coinbase insider trading outfit.
It’s a lot to keep track of and digest, and that’s why we asked our editorial team Lucas Matheny, Jacqueline Melink, and Anita Ramaswamy — who eat, sleep, and dream all things crypto — to share their insights and perspectives. At TC Sessions: Crypto and the hosts of TechCrunch’s Chain Reaction podcast, they are the brain trust behind the program.
Before we dig into the juicy stuff, here’s a reminder to join us — and these ace editors — at TC Sessions: Crypto on November 17 in Miami. Buy a launch pass now and save $250.
Without further ado, here’s a quick look at what our editors are most excited about entering TechCrunch’s first ever TC Session: Crypto event.
What are your main points or goals as you put together the programming for the first TechCrunch Sessions: Crypto event?
Anita Ramaswamy: I’m focused on making sure that our speaker lineup and the topics we’re putting together are representative of the diversity of perspectives and backgrounds in the Web3 community.
Lucas Matheny: I’m spending a lot of time building an agenda that makes sure we’re fair against the unprecedented excitement around this industry by providing a less attractive context to natural disasters while pushing more consumers toward products that encourage speculative investment.
Jacqueline Melink: I hope to delve into the intricacies of the industry and create a program that makes the content easily accessible to people while also highlighting and commenting on the risks associated with the industry.
If we talk about the name of the show, we will hear more than just “Crito”?
LM You bet. While adoption of cryptocurrencies remains the industry’s top-level focus, the space has seen much less monotonous growth over the past two years, with founders pushing new blockchain technologies to organize and run online communities, encouraging early adoption of new products on the web.
J.MThere is a deeper level to the crypto industry than just “crypto”. The audience will be able to listen to discussions on topics that are useful or interesting, but they are creating their own way with the technology. Crypto is the center of the industry, but it’s not the be-all-end-all of chat time.
R: Absolutely — Many people use the term “crypto” as a synonym for everything related to blockchain technology, even though it mainly covers financial applications/tokens themselves. Those are important, but we’ll talk about how blockchain technology and the ideas that shape it will affect founders, innovators, and everyday Internet users who don’t delve into the Web3 space. Cryptocurrency itself is at the heart of most Web3 projects, but I consider this a broader Web3 phenomenon.
What makes 2022 such an amazing year to hold our first crypto event?
J.M: This year has been nothing short of tumultuous — I mean, in a good way or a bad way — and a lot of people are looking for answers about that dynamic. Even when the event takes place, the crypto industry may be very different from when we started planning. There’s a chance we can shape our conversations to fit the current landscape, but that’s the “beauty” of this industry. Organizing an event during the first “Crypto Winter” is ever-changing and fitting because even if everything doesn’t go according to plan, we still need to provide content and a conference. Hosting this year’s event shows that we are here to provide conversation through good times and bad times.
R: Regardless of the recent talk of “crypto winter,” I believe the past two years have marked a significant turning point in the arc of crypto history. Market conditions can (and probably will) change, and we’ll explore plenty of that on the show, but the past couple of years have seen a lot of people dip their toes into crypto for the first time. That’s why 2022 is a good time to reframe some of the discussions we’ve had in the crypto community with a broader perspective and a vision for the future.
LM Crypto may be in a slump right now, but it’s during these times that players looking for a quick buck leave the industry and reshape the industry. Holding this event in 2022 promises to be an opportunity for those who want to stick around to hear from sustainable power players about their success stories and how they survived past winters.
Regarding your own background, how are you interested in writing about the crypto, NFT, blockchain and web3 communities?
LM A lot of my own initial interest had to do with the developer’s enthusiasm around the space, which felt different from the financial considerations. The proximity between technologists and digital artists in the NFT community – who have never had an effective way to monetize their work – inspired me to explore the sector further and explore communities in ways that have never been done before. . It’s been a wild ride ever since – they’re all playing on Twitter 24/7.
R: I credit my cousin, now a commodities trader, with sparking my initial interest in blockchain – I’ll never forget visiting his family when I was still in college and listening to him explain things like decentralization and hashrate. The context of Bitcoin. It sounds dumb, but as a political science major, I was intrigued as I tried to wrap my head around the ideology behind it. And as a former investment banker-turned-business-journalist, I’ve spent much of the pandemic following huge bureaucratic financial institutions as they slowly embrace the idea of crypto, often out of customer demand.
J.MI had a personal interest in crypto before covering the industry full-time, but I never dove deep into it. Little did I know, the place was much bigger than I first thought. After I started reporting on it, many of the “good” industry players were creative – albeit a bit ruthless – and determined to succeed regardless of the obstacles thrown at them. That was encouraging to me. My passion stems from my passion for learning. Even though I cover different crypto topics, I still learn something new almost every day. This industry keeps me curious and always on my toes.
Finally, aside from the obvious reason that it’s an amazing city, why host this event in Miami?
J.M: Miami has become one of the front runners representing the crypto industry and has an active community of developers, developers and retail and institutional investors.
R: Miami has always been one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the United States, with a vibrant immigrant community. Now the city has become somewhat synonymous with crypto, with major investment firms and startups in the space settling in to call Miami home. As a native of Miami, New York, it’s amazing to see what a significant impact the influx of crypto talent to Miami has had on both my friends and family, and my peers in NYC. To Miami temporarily or permanently.
LM Just as crypto has been a huge success in the tech market over the past several years, Miami has become the poster child for a new tech hub during the epidemic of young tech workers leaving the Bay Area. People have a lot of opinions on the city, but no one can argue that Miami doesn’t have a passion or strength—which I especially enjoy for TechCrunch sessions: to get into crypto.
There you have it, and we’ll be sure to catch up with our team as we get closer to TC Sessions: Crypto. In the meantime, take advantage of our special introductory pricing and save $250 on general admission passes. Buy your pass or bundle today and then get ready to go crypto with the Web3, DeFi and NFT communities.
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