I am also excited for the multichain future, which we are seeing come to fruition.ĭeFi (decentralized finance), NFTs (digital art), Gaming, DAOs + Governance and Identity are all really exciting trends to follow. Kline: I am really excited about the decentralized web3 (decentralized Internet) stack coming together so that we can move all of the Internet on to web3. SHACK15: What are some of the trends that excite you in the crypto and blockchain space that we should all be looking out for? No one pays to speak.Ĭrytpo Underground is high signal, trusted space among a lot of noise in the blockchain space.
We do not allow any pay to play, shilling, or token promotion at the event. I think our values are what have allowed us to grow such a large vibrant community. Kline: Crypto Underground is one of the longest standing crypto events in San Francisco. SHACK15: How did your Crypto Underground community grow to become as large as it is today? Companies such as Maker DAO, Polychain, Pantera, and Coinbase have all spoken at CU as well as individuals like SEC Commissioner Peirce, Amy Wan, Michael Anderson, Miko Matsumura and more. Each event is dedicated to a speaker or a group of speakers that are contributing to the blockchain technology space. We’ve been hosting events for two years now. It is a networking and educational group for anyone interested in blockchain and crypto. It’s a group of over 1.6k cryptocurrency / blockchain technology enthusiasts (evangelists, traders, investors, etc.) that meet monthly in San Francisco. Miko and Ahalya are the original Co-Founders. It is all volunteer based for educational purposes. Kline: I have been leading Crypto Underground, one of the longest standing events in San Francisco in the blockchain space with high signal, no noise. We are leading the revolutionary charge at Edge & Node as Cofounder and Head of Business. So I joined The Graph, key infrastructure to ensure blockchains become the future of the Internet. Upon resigning from Orchid, I reviewed the blockchain industry and saw that decentralized applications were not competitive with centralized applications you find on your iPhone. I joined Orchid, an A16z and Sequoia back protocol working to ensure everyone gets equal access to the Internet. Fast forward six years, and that is exactly what we are doing. To revolutionize the Internet and finance space. Having seen the inefficiencies and friction banks created first-hand, when I learned about Ethereum in 2016, I saw the potential to remove that unnecessary friction to empower the individuals. I then went into Sales & Trading at Barclays to see Investment Banking from a new angle.
In Investment Banking, I saw IPOs and Merger & Acquisitions in house, seeing securities in the Financial Institutions Group at Bank of America.
Instead of diving in full time then (like many noble and brave developers and individuals), I decided to push on to pursue a traditional career path in banking. Tegan Kline: I first learned about Bitcoin in 2011. SHACK15: What’s your background and how did you get involved in crypto?