229: Money Talks w/ Laura Walsh | Grayscale Spot Bitcoin ETF | Loyalty and Digital Assets | New Web3 VCs | Elon's Job Board
After intersecting stories of meeting Vitalik Buterin and Bono, Pete Townsend and guest co-host Laura Walsh take a look at the recent SEC ruling in favor of Grayscale that many expect will open up the floodgates for the trillions of institutional capital currently on the sidelines of crypto.
We also look at the positioning of NFTs or ‘dynamic digital assets’ as the core technology to drive more expansive yet personalized loyalty programs for big brands and sports teams, all through the lens of Pet Berisha’s Sporting Crypto newsletter. Laura also gave us a run-down of two new web3 venture capital funds from MoonPay and Vessel Capital, and we also exercised our right to ask ‘what the heck Elon Musk is up to now?’.
With over 6 years of experience in the blockchain and web3 space, Laura Walsh is a passionate and innovative entrepreneur, mentor, and consultant. She founded, invested in, and advised multiple startups in the gaming, esports, and decentralized finance sectors, leveraging her extensive network, knowledge, and skills in the industry.
As an Entrepreneur in Residence at Techstars, Laura supports and guides 12 promising web3-based startups, helping them with their go-to-market strategies, fundraising, and scaling. She also collaborates with other web3 experts, investors, and stakeholders to foster a vibrant and inclusive ecosystem. Her mission is to bring the future of finance to today and empower the next generation of entrepreneurs with the tools and resources they need to succeed.
STORIES COVERED:
Grayscale wins SEC suit on Bitcoin ETF
The Real Reasons the Grayscale Bitcoin ETF Decision Matters (Coindesk, 29-Aug-23)
Crypto vs SEC: What Grayscale’s court victory means for bitcoin ETFs (FT, 30-Aug-23)
Web3 to Web2 Crossover
Web3 Loyalty: Buzzword or Breakthrough? (Sporting Crypto by Pet Berisha, 4-Sep-23)
Web3 VCs still launching new funds
MoonPay launches venture arm to invest in web3 infra, gaming and fintech (TechCrunch, 29-Aug-23)
Vessel Capital emerges from stealth with $55M fund focused on web3 infrastructure and apps (TechCrunch, 24-Aug-23)
What’s Elon up to?
Elon Musk's X takes on LinkedIn, releases Beta version of job hiring platform for verified companies (Business Today, 26-Aug-23)
LINKS:
Leave a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Check out our MoneyNeverSleeps website and email us at info@norioventures.com
Follow us on Twitter: Pete Townsend | Laura Walsh | MoneyNeverSleeps
Follow us on LinkedIn: Pete Townsend | Laura Walsh | MoneyNeverSleeps
Pete Townsend
Co-Host
Web3 & fintech investor, MD @Techstars Web3, founder of Norio Ventures, mentor, non-executive director, podcaster and bad guitar player.
Listen On
Recommended
Here are some great episodes to start with if you're new to the podcast!
257: How I Got To Techstars on a Flywheel | Hesus Inoma Interviews Pe…
This week, I’m sharing an episode of the ‘Venture with Hesus’ podcast that I recorded in late 2023 with the unstoppable Hesus Inoma, as he interviews me on lessons learned from being part of the startup ecosystem the last 8 …
252: Meet the Techstars Web3 Class of 2024
This episode features an introduction to the 12 founding teams that form the Techstars Web3 accelerator class of 2024, with each of their founder/CEOs giving you a quick look inside what they're building.
247: Money Talks with Mai Santamaria | Digital Identity, Trust, Risk …
Mai Santamaria joins me once again as guest co-host as we riff on the intersection of digital identity, digital wallets, blockchain, CBDCs, and how the political regime under which an individual lives influences your senses of trust and risk. We …
239: Web3 Wishlist | What Would You Like Web3 Founders to Solve?
Pete Townsend introduces an insightful line-up of entrepreneurs and investors who share their thoughts on web3. Opinions are gathered around what aspects they hope to see web3 founders solve - their web3 wishlist - focusing on topics such as user …
233: Money Talks w/ Elliott Griffin | Pete’s Path into Crypto | Ventu…
We’ve got a special crossover episode this week courtesy of our friends at the Irish VC podcast, with a big shout-out to Finn Hatherell for producing the initial episode on the Irish VC podcast channel over the summer. The Irish …
211: Money Talks: Lessons Learned from 1,000 Startup Deals | The Amer…
Eoin Fitzgerald and Pete Townsend take a quick look at the triumvirate of bank failures in the US with Silvergate, Silicon Valley Bank, and Signature Bank before Eoin asks Pete about his lessons learned from seeing over 1,000 deals in …
207: What Makes a Great Web3 Team
In this special segment, we’re featuring web3 investors, founders and mentors such as Joey Krug from Pantera Capital, Matthew Graham from Sino Global Capital, Teana Baker-Taylor from Circle, Sam Williams from Arweave, John Wu from Ava Labs, Clarisse Hagege from …
205: Memory Lane | Sam Williams and Arweave
Sam Williams is co-founder and CEO of Arweave, a blockchain protocol allowing us to remember and preserve valuable information, apps, and history indefinitely. In this episode, Sam shares the inspirational story of how Arweave got started, their life-changing experience with …
178: Get it Together | Carla Rosenkranz and Barterchain
Carla Rosenkranz, founder of Barterchain, riffs with Pete Townsend about how the Barterchain idea is rooted in her own experience of exchanging English lessons for yoga classes, the core of her conviction to start building Barterchain, the network effects from …
166: Joey Krug | Pantera Capital, Being Early in Crypto and Shipping …
Joey Krug is the Co-Chief Investment Officer of Pantera Capital, the first institutional investment firm focused exclusively on bitcoin, other digital currencies, and companies in the blockchain tech ecosystem. Joey joins Pete Townsend on this episode originally recorded as part …
165: Matthew Graham | Sino Global Capital, Web3 and Making Your Hobby…
Matthew Graham is the CEO of Sino Global Capital, who are providing strategic investment to best-in-class companies that are moving the blockchain and digital assets ecosystems forward, and then help them to thrive in the Asia market. Matthew joins Pete …
067: Startup Insights #2: The Unexpected
In this special segment, we feature four founders sharing how they dealt with one thing they didn't expect to face as a founder - Martin Brown from Unitek, Lizzy Hayashida from Change Donations, Andrew Mullaney from Premind and Paul Smyth …
054: Startup Insights #1: Hard Decisions
The MoneyNeverSleeps crew picked out six founders from past episodes talking about the hard decisions they've made along the way, including taking the leap, operating without a playbook, building teams, penetrating new markets, and finding your way home from the …