Two VCs on Why This Is the Perfect Time to Invest in Crypto - Ep. 522

Despite the doom and gloom, Placeholder VC partners Chris Burniske and Joel Monegro are highly bullish on the present moment. “We’re all going to look back on this period and remember it as fondly as we remember ‘18 and ‘19,” Monegro tells Laura Shin. The two long-term investors explain why the confluence of macroeconomic factors and crypto-native (and AI) innovations make this the ideal time to invest in a Web3 future. They cut their teeth on Bitcoin, they grew up with Ethereum; hear what they think is next.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Show highlights:

why Chris says crypto’s four-year cycle will likely play out once again

the role of interest rates in asset valuation

whether the crypto industry has learned its lessons from the “crypto carnage” of 2022

whether there’s a future for KYC’d DeFi

when failing in crypto should be considered a crime, as in the Do Kwon case

what could happen with the rate hikes and how the macroeconomic environment affects the markets

how the ruling in the Ripple case impacts the development of new crypto companies and user adoption

whether Joel felt relieved by the ruling, considering Placeholder has invested in many tokens that were named as securities by the SEC

what Joel thinks of the new crypto bill in Congress and how he wishes that smart contracts were used to self-regulate the industry

what Joel and Chris think of the delicate situations of crypto giants such as Binance and DCG

whether the fat protocol thesis still holds up and whether it colors Placeholder’s current investment thesis

why most of the Layer 1s will become rollups, according to Chris

why Chris is bullish on Solana, despite the massive collapse in value following the FTX debacle

how NFTs will play a significant role in “establishing the provenance of content”

whether AI agents will become crypto power users

Thank you to our sponsors!

Crypto.com

Arbitrum Foundation

TOKEN2049

Guests:

Chris Burniske, partner at Placeholder VC

Previous appearance on Unchained: 

2022 in Review + How Cobie and Chris Burniske Are Playing the New Year

Cobie and Chris Burniske on How to Navigate a Crypto Bear Market

How To Value A Crypto Asset

Joel Monegro, partner at Placeholder VC.

Placeholder’s Joel Monegro on the Fat Protocols Thesis

Links

Fat Protocols by Joel Monegro

The Blockchain Application Stack by Joel Monegro

Decred Thesis by Joel Monegro and Chris Burniske

WSJ: 

Binance Lays Off Over 1,000 Employees

Binance Cuts Back Employee Benefits, Citing Decline in Profit

CoinDesk: Unpacking the Latest Lummis-Gillibrand Bill Draft

Reuters: US SEC accepts six spot bitcoin ETF proposals for review

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Despite the doom and gloom, Placeholder VC partners Chris Burniske and Joel Monegro are highly bullish on the present moment. “We’re all going to look back on this period and remember it as fondly as we remember ‘18 and ‘19,” Monegro tells Laura Shin. The two long-term investors explain why the confluence of macroeconomic factors and crypto-native (and AI) innovations make this the ideal time to invest in a Web3 future. They cut their teeth on Bitcoin, they grew up with Ethereum; hear what they think is next.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Show highlights:
why Chris says crypto’s four-year cycle will likely play out once again
the role of interest rates in asset valuation
whether the crypto industry has learned its lessons from the “crypto carnage” of 2022
whether there’s a future for KYC’d DeFi
when failing in crypto should be considered a crime, as in the Do Kwon case
what could happen with the rate hikes and how the macroeconomic environment affects the markets
how the ruling in the Ripple case impacts the development of new crypto companies and user adoption
whether Joel felt relieved by the ruling, considering Placeholder has invested in many tokens that were named as securities by the SEC
what Joel thinks of the new crypto bill in Congress and how he wishes that smart contracts were used to self-regulate the industry
what Joel and Chris think of the delicate situations of crypto giants such as Binance and DCG
whether the fat protocol thesis still holds up and whether it colors Placeholder’s current investment thesis
why most of the Layer 1s will become rollups, according to Chris
why Chris is bullish on Solana, despite the massive collapse in value following the FTX debacle
how NFTs will play a significant role in “establishing the provenance of content”
whether AI agents will become crypto power users
Thank you to our sponsors!
Crypto.com
Arbitrum Foundation
TOKEN2049
Guests:

Chris Burniske, partner at Placeholder VC
Previous appearance on Unchained: 
2022 in Review + How Cobie and Chris Burniske Are Playing the New Year
Cobie and Chris Burniske on How to Navigate a Crypto Bear Market
How To Value A Crypto Asset

Joel Monegro, partner at Placeholder VC.
Placeholder’s Joel Monegro on the Fat Protocols Thesis
Links

Fat Protocols by Joel Monegro

The Blockchain Application Stack by Joel Monegro

Decred Thesis by Joel Monegro and Chris Burniske
WSJ: 
Binance Lays Off Over 1,000 Employees
Binance Cuts Back Employee Benefits, Citing Decline in Profit
CoinDesk: Unpacking the Latest Lummis-Gillibrand Bill Draft

Reuters: US SEC accepts six spot bitcoin ETF proposals for review

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices