1460
Alana Levin
@alanadlevin #1460
Investing @variant, writing at https://backoftheenvelope.substack.com/
6878 Follower 221 Following
Unironically, Airbnb is becoming Craigslist (but with better branding)
Every time I cast something related to (non tech) culture, I feel the strong urge to tag @ted bc I’m not sure who else on here will resonate with the post
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I wish there were a way to bet on the growth of Giggly Squad
Underrated commentary on tokenization and private equities from the most recent Robinhood earnings call
It’s actually so crazy that an iced latte is just a caffeinated cup of milk
What are the places most likely to be cultivating talent mafias right now?
Bonus points if it’s non-obvious
Bonus points if it’s non-obvious
The TAM for digital assets and crypto rails is the largest it's ever been, while simultaneously being the smallest it'll ever be
Every platform that supports mini apps should embed Kickstarter-like rails to help devs get early funding
VCs can genuinely add value. Here's how:
Just as venture capitalists diligence investments, founders should diligence VCs. The process I'd run, if I were in a founder's shoes:
Hyrox seems like the new CrossFit
XRP trading volume on Coinbase last quarter was higher than pretty much every asset besides BTC and USDT
Lesson in there
Lesson in there
Great example of crypto rails being used to help make the world more productive https://x.com/rleshner/status/1920466810589090213
Fun set of thought experiments:
- What companies that are around today will still be around in 5 years?
- Which of those companies will continue to grow in value or societal importance?
- How would you rate your exposure to that upside?
- What is commonplace today that *won’t* be around in 5 years?
Then, for all of the above, ask yourself if 5 years feels too long or too short a time horizon
- What companies that are around today will still be around in 5 years?
- Which of those companies will continue to grow in value or societal importance?
- How would you rate your exposure to that upside?
- What is commonplace today that *won’t* be around in 5 years?
Then, for all of the above, ask yourself if 5 years feels too long or too short a time horizon
Feels like every week we're seeing new announcements about major fintechs and payment co's utilizing stablecoins
Imagine that in two years these headlines will look similar, but about various DeFi protocols instead of stablecoins
Imagine that in two years these headlines will look similar, but about various DeFi protocols instead of stablecoins
Checklist of things all founders should do when picking a VC:
1. Run references, with both success and failure cases in each VC's portfolio
2. Check for conflict risk - both explicit conflicts, and companies that could be competitive in the future
3. Consider how long the specific partner may remain at the firm. Far too few founders ask about their specific partner's plans / ambitions
4. Ask how the firm thinks about selling. Important for crypto, but becoming increasingly important in generalist venture (where lack of IPOs = lack of exits)
1. Run references, with both success and failure cases in each VC's portfolio
2. Check for conflict risk - both explicit conflicts, and companies that could be competitive in the future
3. Consider how long the specific partner may remain at the firm. Far too few founders ask about their specific partner's plans / ambitions
4. Ask how the firm thinks about selling. Important for crypto, but becoming increasingly important in generalist venture (where lack of IPOs = lack of exits)
The best way to avoid burnout isn’t rest, it’s momentum and success
Working on something meaningful and seeing its impact is a powerful stimulant and makes it easier to work harder for longer
Working on something meaningful and seeing its impact is a powerful stimulant and makes it easier to work harder for longer
If I were to have been asked at the beginning of the decade what wouldn’t be around by 2030, I don’t think “what we currently perceive as coding” would have made the list
Ask me today and it much more likely it would
Ask me today and it much more likely it would
There are broadly two categories of venture-investable businesses:
1) products that enhance productivity in the world
2) products that provide entertainment
One challenge in crypto is that many people have focused on the entertainment side but far less have built with the true intent of increasing productivity
An orientation around productivity is more robust long term. It's one of the reasons stablecoin excitement has grown each year: stables provide many ways to create more productive systems
1) products that enhance productivity in the world
2) products that provide entertainment
One challenge in crypto is that many people have focused on the entertainment side but far less have built with the true intent of increasing productivity
An orientation around productivity is more robust long term. It's one of the reasons stablecoin excitement has grown each year: stables provide many ways to create more productive systems
Paperview is one of the cooler mini apps I’ve seen, and has a pretty good starter list of content ideas
A good litmus test for identifying strong founders: do you feel like you’re learning every time you catch up with them?
Spotted on Robinhood's roadmap: Tokenization
