By Lauren Tierney, Venture Investor, Decasonic
I am searching for founders with a bold vision and unwavering dedication to developing blockchain use cases that can transform the mainstream.
Join me in shaping the future of web3.
Why I Joined Decasonic: Unlocking the Potential of Blockchain
From Silicon Valley tech to Venture Investing Internationally, I am excited to join the Decasonic team, where we firmly believe that blockchain technology holds the key to unlocking trillion-dollar opportunities, and are committed to leveraging its disruptive potential to accelerate the pace of progress toward a better future.
Blockchain technology is at the beginning of its journey, much like the Internet was in 1998.
Alongside this best-in-class team that draws on decades of experience, I will relentlessly pursue the opportunities to bring blockchain into the mainstream by helping founders craft narratives, accelerate product market fit, and scale growth.
Crafting Narratives That Drive Mainstream Adoption of Web3
With my background in marketing and storytelling, I will harness my expertise to help founders build exceptional narratives around their products to inform product marketing, category creation, investor deal fit, and ultimately drive the success of their businesses on an international scale. In today's web3 landscape, conveying clear narratives is more important than ever for brands to truly drive mainstream adoption.
My love for storytelling runs deep and beyond my work in Silicon Valley. I have a true passion for connecting with founders and helping them tell their stories in authentic ways so they can better connect with their target market. So much so that in the past 5 years, I’ve launched two podcasts focused on just that.
The first, was when I graduated from college and found myself new to the adult world anxiously filled with questions. I constantly heard people much older than me say, "If only I knew then what I know now” and thought - what is this knowledge that everyone successful person seems to have and hold so tight? And so, I created a podcast for young women just starting their careers - just like me at the time.
"Life Snacks" aimed to provide young females just entering the workforce with advice from successful female entrepreneurs, authors, and business leaders. For two years, I published a new episode every Tuesday, asking questions like, "Do you have to be passionate about your work to be successful?" and "What advice would you give to your younger self after just graduating from college?" I not only gained so much advice and wisdom from the one-on-one conversations I had with world-renowned founders like Alli Webb of *Dry Bar and* Jaime Schmidt of *Schmidt's Naturals* and BFF, but I fell in love with connecting to founders and helping them spread their message in a purpose first way.
Fast forward to the end of 2019 - I had just moved to Chicago to transition my West Coast tech job to be fully remote (I was ahead of the times), and concurrently I fell down the web3 rabbit hole. By the end of 2020, I was captivated by the growing interest in blockchain, web3, and NFTs in the mainstream and despite the negative reputation that web3 had gained, I saw the immense potential of the technology and its ability to revolutionize core industries and empower consumers. However, I noticed that few people in my personal and professional circles shared my interest. When I brought up the topic, I was met with blank stares or dismissive attitudes. I realized that for people to care about web3, they needed to understand how it will inevitably directly impact their lives and the current content and news headlines were not capturing the mainstream consumer's attention.
So, in January 2022, I joined forces with my friend Stef Caldwell to launch Allowlist, a podcast dedicated to simplifying and demystifying web3 for listeners. Our aim with Allowlist is to bring a fresh, approachable perspective to the conversation around web3 and blockchain. By focusing on real-life, consumer-first use cases, we hope to provide listeners with an approachable and digestible conversation so that they can see the direct impact blockchain will have on their lives and not be left behind in this important conversation.
As I interviewed hundreds of founders across the globe, it has become very clear that their journey to success is never a straight-line rocket ship, and at Decasonic, we understand and appreciate that. At Decasonic, we place a strong emphasis on meeting founders exactly where they are and leading with empathy. We believe that understanding a founder's unique journey, challenges, and vision is critical to helping them succeed. At Decasonic, we don’t just invest in the best ideas, but we invest in the founder's themselves. By meeting founders on their level and taking the time to listen and empathize, we are able to provide better support to them in crafting an authentic and powerful narrative that will drive product market fit, support marketing efforts, and find the right investors to drive their business forward. With my background in narratives, I am especially eager to provide guidance and assistance to founders in these critical areas that will provide high returns for their businesses.
Recently, the brightest minds building in web3 have been overpowered or set back by news headlines tying web3 to narratives of malicious actors or get-rich-quick schemes, but this story of web3 does not end here. After months of hosting the show, meeting with web3 founders weekly, and attending web3 events internationally it is clear that world-changing innovations are happening in this space and in fact, there just getting started.
Tackling International Challenges with Web3 Technology: Financial Inclusion, Data Ownership, AR/VR Innovation, and Beyond.
Today, the most exceptional individuals in the world are thinking about how to use blockchain technology to tackle some of the most pressing international challenges. I plan to hit the ground running focusing on finding founders building killer apps that drive mainstream adoption. I will be exploring various areas, including but absolutely not limited to revolutionizing international financial transactions, democratizing data ownership, and driving innovation in augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR).
Here in the US, most people take for granted access to banking systems, but internationally this access is not always as easy to come by, especially in underdeveloped countries. In addition to a lack of international access to banking systems, financial transactions in the US still have drawbacks. On average, cryptocurrency exchanges charge lower fees (0-1.5%) compared to the average cost of 7% for international money transfers through banks. Blockchain technology and cryptocurrency offer a solution to the high costs and slow speed of cross-border payments through traditional banking systems.
Another problem at the forefront of web3 minds is a focus on putting ownership back into the hands of the consumer. In 2022, the average American possessed around 300 accounts for a wide variety of websites, leaving fragments of their identities across the internet. From our medical records and education certificates to our financial statements and the content we create and consume online, we do not own and cannot easily track any of this data. The issue is that other people actually own this data about us. We are giving up our data every time we create a login, fill out a form at the doctor, or make a purchase on Amazon, and that data most likely is being sold without our knowledge. Studies show that somewhere between 52%-72% of US companies are selling our data without our explicit knowledge and consent.
Finally, I believe we will see AR and VR use cases that transform the way we work, learn, and interact in society. And before you stop reading, I don’t say this because I think we will stop interacting in an in-person capacity, but I do believe that the way we interact digitally will get substantially better because of this new technology. AR and VR present the opportunity for lower cost, more immersive experiences, and efficient ways to learn, work, and even work out. I am eager to seek out use cases like those presented by AR and VR that will lead to society adopting web3 in the mainstream.
And this is just a small piece of my broader focus on use cases that drive international adoption of web3. For founders, this means that there is immense opportunity to leverage blockchain technology in ways that have not yet been imagined. The possibilities are endless, and the potential for groundbreaking advancement is enormous. So, to all the founders out there, don't be afraid to think big and dream of ways to harness the power of blockchain to make a meaningful impact on the world.
The future is bright, and I can't wait to see what we can accomplish together.
Let’s Build This Better Future for Technology Together
All of this to say, I am thrilled to bring my expertise to the Decasonic team as their newest Venture Investor. Decasonic is a fund that is not only paving the way in the future of blockchain, but a fund that values paying it forward, empowering entrepreneurship, embracing diversity, and promoting social responsibility.
It is my belief that these guiding principles will lead us not only to the best investments in the web3 ecosystem but also will enable us to drive a positive impact on the international world of web3.
Lauren speaks to a Bay Area high school
The launch of the Allowlist podcast hosted with P33
“Life Snacks Live” a Chicago community event for young women
Don’t Be a Stranger
And we can’t do any of this alone. So to any fellow investor, founders, or just web3 enthusiast reading this, please don’t be a stranger! You can reach me at Lauren at Decasonic dot com and I always welcome a coffee chat as I love nothing more than connecting to people with a shared passion for this space.
To building a better future of technology. Together.
Lauren
The content of this material is strictly for informational and educational purposes and is not meant to constitute investment advice or a recommendation or solicitation to buy or sell any asset or to make any financial decision. Nothing in these blog posts should be considered legal or tax advice. You should consult with your own professional advisor before making any financial decision. Decasonic offers no warranties on any content in the material posted in these blog posts, including that it is accurate, complete, or correct. The opinions expressed in these posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Decasonic. Decasonic is not liable for any errors or omissions in the content of this newsletter or for any actions taken based on the information provided herein.