Hello there,
In the latest episode, Pacman, the founder of Blur and Blast, offers a deep dive into the evolution of NFT marketplaces and Layer 2 solutions in crypto. Starting with his early days working at Teespring in Silicon Valley, Pacman shares how his passion for startups led him to launch multiple ventures, including Namebase.
The conversation transitions to the creation of Blur, an NFT marketplace that quickly rose to dominance within three months of its launch in 2022. Pacman identified a gap in the market where existing platforms like OpenSea were focused on a shopping experience rather than meeting the needs of high-volume traders.
We discuss how Blur catered to a market of traders at a time when OpenSea was focused on retail NFT consumers. Blur filled a crucial gap in the market by offering real-time, information-dense trading tools that catered to serious traders.
Pacman discusses the markets, reflecting on the lessons learned from Blur and how they are being applied to Blast. He suggests that while the market is currently in a quieter phase, the groundwork is being laid for the next big wave of innovation. In today's episode, we discuss several data points, such as Google Trends, to aid this argument.
If you are curious about NFTs, L2s, and how to take down incumbents, this episode is for you!
Signing out,
Saurabh Deshpande
Ep 19 - Building from first principles