Episoder
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Setting the Stage: Chris Joannou opens the episode by introducing Casey Fenton and Upstock, highlighting their mission to celebrate entrepreneurship. The focus is on the stories of determination, persistence, and resilience that inspire us all. The episode emphasizes that true success doesn't happen overnight.
Casey Fenton's Background: The conversation shifts to Casey's background, touching on his journey from growing up in a small town to becoming a serial entrepreneur. He shares his experiences in Alaska, involvement in politics, and how he taught himself to code. Casey's journey led to the creation of CouchSurfing, a platform connecting travelers worldwide.
CouchSurfing's Impact: Casey reflects on the success of CouchSurfing, growing it to 14 million members globally. He describes it as the original Airbnb, providing low-cost accommodations and cultural experiences. Despite the success, challenges arose, particularly in equity distribution for early contributors.
The Birth of Upstock: Casey introduces Upstock as a solution to the challenges he faced with equity distribution. He explains the difficulties in using traditional stock options and the inspiration behind creating a platform that simplifies and gamifies the process, making it more transparent and motivating for contributors.
Upstock's Core Concept: The conversation explores the core concept of Upstock, focusing on Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) and how they offer a more accessible and transparent way to distribute equity. Casey emphasizes the importance of aligning incentives and fostering a sense of ownership among contributors.
Expanding to Web3: Chris Joannou steers the conversation towards the intersection of Upstock with Web3 and the broader crypto space. Casey discusses how Upstock adapted its model to accommodate token-based incentives, introducing Restricted Token Units (RTUs). This opens up possibilities for crypto companies to distribute tokens without the complexities of traditional methods.
Revolutionizing Equity Distribution: Casey shares the vision behind Upstock—increasing worker ownership from the current 8% to 30%. He envisions transforming the world by empowering individuals with equity, reducing wealth disparity, and encouraging a mindset shift towards entrepreneurship.
Conclusion: The podcast episode concludes with gratitude from both Chris Joannou and Casey Fenton. The audience is encouraged to explore Upstock and its innovative approach to equity distribution. The conversation serves as a source of inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs and a call to action to rethink traditional models of ownership.
Note: The provided content is a fictional blog post based on the information provided in the user's request. The details may not accurately represent real events or individuals.
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Summary: Avery Akkineni discussed various aspects of Web3 strategies in the most recent podcast. According to her, clients want to design things that will be successful in the long run. She also mentioned that there are different ways to approach integrating Web3 strategies, including launching a full-scale NFT project or collaborating with others in the industry. Collaborations can be a great way to dip your toes into the space, and they can help brands build relevance and surprise and delight consumers. She emphasized the importance of designing products that are built for the long-term with services that extend beyond Web3 natives.. For brands that are hesitant about taking the crypto plunge, collaborations offer a good way to get started with lightweight initial steps like poll apps, sponsoring events in the Web3 space, or spending time getting the strategy right.
About Avery
President of Vayner3, Avery Akkineni, is leading the mission to guide the world's largest enterprises and intellectual property owners in navigating the next iteration of connected consumer behavior.
In July 2021, Akkineni launched the VaynerX consultancy, Vayner3, alongside serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk. In less than twelve months, Akkineni successfully led the expansion of the consultancy to 50+ global digital innovation experts. Partnering with dozens of Fortune 500 corporations across industries, Vayner3 has successfully advised organizations on strategic initiatives for brands, including Web3 program development, generative AI, and immersive digital experiences.
A leader, mentor, and investor in pioneering Web3 projects and communities, Akkineni is also an active advisor for several tech platforms, serving on the Board of Advisors of OneOf and Tracer, on the Web3 Advisory Board for Salesforce, Meta Creative Council, in addition to being a founding BFF member.
Before the launch of Vayner3, Avery spearheaded VaynerMedia's expansion into the Asia-Pacific region, building a team of 150 people and opening VaynerMedia offices in Singapore, Bangkok, Tokyo, and Sydney, while being awarded as Marketing-Interactive’s 2021 Independent Agency of the Year (Gold) within two years. Additionally, Avery has been honored on the "Woman to Watch" by Campaign Asia, “Web3 Marketing Trailblazer” by Ad Age, on "NFT100" by NFTNow, and on "30 Under 30" by The Drum. Before VaynerX, Avery spent her early career at Google in Silicon Valley, while she now resides in Miami, FL.
Introduction
Entrepreneurial Journey: Avery shares her inspiring journey, from growing up in Nashville to working with tech giants like Google and VaynerMedia.
Genesis of VaynerNFT: The episode explores the birth of VaynerNFT, Gary Vee's venture into the NFT space, and the strategic thinking behind it.
Strategic Insights: Avery emphasizes VaynerNFT's commitment to long-term thinking, collaboration, and exploring layer twos for sustainability.
Balancing Artistic Integrity: The conversation delves into how VaynerNFT navigates internal politics and strikes a balance between artistic integrity and corporate requirements.
Sustainability and Utility: Avery discusses VaynerNFT's projects focusing on sustainability and the rising trend of utility-oriented NFTs.
The Power of Community: VaynerNFT's success is attributed to community building, understanding social dynamics, and consumer behavior.
Exciting Trends in NFTs: Avery shares her excitement about upcoming trends, particularly utility-oriented NFTs and open editions.
Companies and Platforms Mentioned:
Vayner3 Official Website
Draper University
Veefriends
VaynerMedia
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Manglende episoder?
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Welcome to another exciting episode of "Overnight Success," the podcast that dives into the inspiring journeys of entrepreneurs and visionaries. In this episode, your host, Chris Joannou, sits down with Timmu Toke, the co-founder and CEO of Ready Player Me, a game-changing platform at the forefront of the evolving world of 3D avatars. Timmu shares his entrepreneurial journey, starting with early ventures selling food at 12, launching a fashion tech company at 18, and eventually leading to the creation of Ready Player Me. The conversation explores the transformative potential of avatars in the metaverse, discussing topics like blockchain, big-brand collaborations, and the future of virtual interactions. Discover how Timmu's early experiences shaped his path, the challenges faced in building avatars for enterprise clients, and the pivotal role Ready Player Me played during the pandemic's surge in virtual experiences. Timmu also delves into the significance of interoperability in the metaverse and the exciting developments in the digital fashion industry. Join Chris and Timmu as they explore the dynamic landscape of the metaverse, offering insights into the tech behind avatars, the importance of visual identity, and the future possibilities of virtual fashion.
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Justin Banon is a co-founder and visionary entrepreneur passionate about applying technological advancements to solve real-world problems. He is most well-known as the co-founder of Boson Protocol, a revolutionary decentralized network that aims to shape the future of commerce. With a background in physics, digital innovation, and crypto, Justin has always been interested in using the first principles of thinking to approach challenges and create solutions.
Justin's previous experience includes co-founding the Priority Pass Group, where he played an instrumental role in growing the company into a global rewards platform generating over $1 billion in annual revenue. His work in tech and innovation has gained him recognition as a thought leader and influencer, and he has been invited to speak at conferences and events worldwide.
Justin is committed to promoting equitable and fair commerce, and he believes that by combining cool tech with deep tech, we can create a future where commerce is accessible to all. He is an advocate for blockchain technology and believes that it has the potential to change the way we do business, create more transparency, and increase trust in transactions.
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Ilya Abugov is a co-founder and partner at Sanctor Capital, a blockchain investment firm that provides guidance and support to early-stage blockchain projects. He is also the former Head of Research at Crypto_Briefing, a leading cryptocurrency and blockchain media company.
Abugov has a background in computer science and traditional finance, having worked as a software engineer and a financial analyst at various companies before becoming involved in the blockchain industry. He became interested in blockchain technology in 2013 and has since become a prominent figure in the industry, with a focus on early-stage investments and supporting blockchain startups.
At Sanctor Capital, Abugov is responsible for identifying and evaluating early-stage blockchain projects, with a particular emphasis on the team behind each project and their ability to execute on their idea. He also oversees the firm's mentorship program and incubation for projects.
Abugov is an active member of the blockchain community, frequently speaking at industry events and sharing his insights on social media. He holds a BA and MA in Economics and minor in computer science from Boston University.
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Conlan Rios is the CEO and co-founder of Async Art. Conlan taught himself to be a mobile developer at 16-years-old. At the age of 18, Conlan used his knowledge and skills to enter the industry as a full-time developer. Conlan’s career evolved and among his many accomplishments, he can boast of being a DeFi and NFT veteran who helped launch the first version of Uniswap.info and was the first contractor hired for DefiPulse. Conlan has brought his experience as a former developer to the NFT space, where he is committed to building a platform that serves various communities around the world.
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Fireside with Eric Tang, Founder of Livepeer - the number one platform for decentralized live video broadcast on the internet! Eric previously co-founded Wilcard Inc and was a lead developer at Hyperpublic which was acquired by Groupon.
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Fireside with Lily Wu, co-founder of WOW Pixies, a social DAO that invests in women and diversity-led projects in the NFT ecosystem. Lily is currently the Startup Partner Lead, SEA at Stripe.
At the age of 16, Lily entered the startup world and founded her first company, making half a million dollars selling shoes. She started her second business at 19 years old, Austern International, which ended up generating over 7 figures in revenue and facilitated over 1,000 students attending physical Career Bootcamps in New York, Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Sydney, and Melbourne!
From there, she became the Head of Programs for NewCampus, an Edutech startup based in Singapore. In 2021 she became the founding ambassador of Future Females Singapore, a global organization dedicated to helping women entrepreneurs acquire the resources and connections they need to succeed.
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Polkadot is a blockchain network built to enable Web 3.0. Polkadot (DOT) uses the nominated proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus algorithm, parachains and a relay chain to facilitate a more scalable blockchain ecosystem.
Irina explains the idea behind decentralization, where users control their data and markets prosper from network efficiency and security. Polkadot has the lowest total electricity consumption; it’s the second most sustainable blockchain platform.
The UN has been hosting COP conferences where climate change has gone from being a fringe issue to a global priority. Companies are looking to solve climate change problems, but it is also essential to look for ways to educate and be aware of the changes that can be made through every day actions. NFTs can be used to promote climate action.
Unique Network is built on Polkadot, and the efficient and climate-friendly PoS blockchain. This technology and infrastructure allows meaningful steps to be taken for environmental conservation.
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Flux has signed a contract with GSR, a global digital asset trading and market-making leader. GSR will take the Flux financial game to the next level by leveraging the expertise of seasoned veterans in trading, quantitative investments, and trading technology. With the financial development safely in the hands of GSR, the core Flux team can focus solely on building the decentralized web 3.0 of the future.
Flux has had a fantastic year so far, with many milestone events. The development team has been relentlessly implementing new and innovative features in the Flux ecosystem. It has parallel assets on multiple blockchains and cross-chain. The Flux community has also stepped up. Also, the massive growth of the Flux network is seen that now exceeds 16,000+ globally deployed decentralized nodes. Many new miners are jumping in, bringing major increases to the Flux mining hashrate. And the community launched a very successful marketing effort that keeps sharing the good message that Flux is the project to watch if you want to see proper web 3.0 development and innovation in the blockchain space.
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About VeChain
Launched in 2015 as a private consortium network, the VeChain Foundation went on to launch the VeChainThor public blockchain in 2018, a fully programmable, EVM-compatible layer one smart contract platform.
Its unique two-token model ensures stable, low transaction costs while an advanced Proof-of-Authority (PoA) consensus mechanism guarantees high throughput, scalability, and security with minimal energy consumption. VeChainThor’s robust architecture has seen zero downtime for the network after almost 4 years of continuous operation.
Strong independent capabilities combined with the professional compliance guidance of strategic partners PwC and DNV has seen VeChain to establish partnerships with leading enterprises including Walmart China, Bayer China, BMW Group, BYD Auto, PICC, H&M Group, Shanghai Gas, LVMH, D.I.G, ASI Group and more.
VeChain continues to pioneer real-world blockchain applications across the globe with offices in Luxembourg, China, Singapore, San Marino, Milan, Ireland, Japan, France and the United States, working on wide-ranging applications from supply chain & logistics, sustainability & SDGs, carbon emissions, energy, medicine, De-Fi, NFTs and much more.
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Eunika addresses the discoverability issues that other platforms are overlooking. The visibility struggles to be seen as an artist in the NFT world. New users are usually the most active on this platform, they need the help more than anyone else. New users need to see the benefit of using a new app so it's a win win situation. This platform resonates with creators that want more freedom.
She also shares the struggles while developing NFT social media mobile app, and how it took multiple trials to achieve what they wanted to.
Additionally Yuser are trying to totally eliminate gas costs by working closely with Polkadot blockchain. Keeping the artists at the forefront of what they do.
Yuser is available to download now on both android and iOS devices.
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IOTX is an Ethereum token that powers IoTeX, a platform that aims to connect IoT devices (such as cameras and sensors) and decentralized applications. IOTX can be used to pay for transactions, for staking and governance, and to register new devices on the IoTeX network
It works by connecting machines with humans through a scalable blockchain network. While scalability is a major issue for many blockchain networks, IoTeX overcomes this hurdle by enabling real-time transactions at very low cost.
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Established in March of 2006, DFJ DragonFund was the joint venture between the internationally recognized venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ) and DragonVenture, which helped pioneer venture capital in China in the late 90’s. Since its inception, DFJ DragonFund managed two US Dollar funds “DFJ DragonFund I & DFJ DragonFund II” andone RMB fund. In 2014, the DFJ Global Network rebranded as the Draper Venture Network. With the launch of their 3rd US Dollar fund in 2016, DFJ DragonFund henceforward became known as DraperDragon.
They are a sector agnostic early stage fund. They look for companies with innovative technologies and business models with market appeal in Silicon Valley and in China. With their unique depth of experience and knowledge, their team can add value and resources in a broad manner. They are headquartered in Silicon Valley and have management and consulting offices in Shanghai, China.
As a member of the Draper Venture Network, they draw upon the substantial resources and capabilities developed over two decades of venture capital investing.
