I still miss opportunities to work at traditional tech companies such as Google and Facebook. Though, there are exciting advancements happening daily in the “hot” areas of the tech sector, especially in blockchain technologies and decentralized applications.
I stumbled upon a venture capital opportunity in 2018 when crypto was in the midst of its previous hype cycle. As a serial entrepreneur, I was bouncing some blockchain product ideas off of investor friends. It seemed as if there were just so many great, and potentially viable, new business concepts in this nascent sector. I realized that a venture fund and incubator might be better positioned to capitalize on these numerous opportunities. Fortunately, as I reflected on the notion of launching a venture fund the concept became increasingly appealing to me. With some considerable amount of effort, I was able to enlist the support of a group of investors who became our limited partners. They were led by the Founder of Huazhu Hotels Group (Nasdaq: HTHT). Our fund invested in some early stage projects, including one which enjoyed a hasty and very successful public exit.
Ultimately the crypto sector entered a long, dark winter. Our fund was almost killed. Difficult times expose and amplify the true character of people. People who have better discipline and integrity survive. I survived.
Since the resurrection of the crypto sector I have returned to active investing. Over the last three months, our fund has grown 5X. My personal crypto portfolio has grown by more than 10X. My Twitter followers know that I have been an evangelist for Defi and, in particular, Uniswap since day one. As I had been forecasting for some time, my portfolio, both personal and professional, ultimately generated substantial returns. I intentionally allocated a large percentage of my portfolio into Uniswap while the market was obviously fearful, believing that another crypto or Defi winter had come.
Time will tell whether my early enthusiasm in the Defi sector is worthy of merit. The market has a great way of providing infinite, ongoing feedback. Regardless, I continue to be a long-term optimist about crypto, and Defi in particular, and will continue to advocate for investment in it. I have observed that most who have enjoyed outsized returns in crypto have, at some point, passed through some dark times. I am no different. While I continue to be a long-term crypto and Defi optimist. I understand well the darker sides of downturns. At least now I have greater context within which to view those tough times. It (almost) always gets better…”
