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The weekend is here, and you’re likely looking to log off. This is not a long email. Just a brief update.
Here’s the thing. The newsletter is our biggest distribution channel. For a while, I considered not sending podcasts on the Substack. But judging by the data, we have thousands of streams coming in from Substack to our podcasts which is a more nascent asset compared to the articles themselves.
Our initial plan was to avoid sending podcasts here as most of the audience base is here to read stories, but it made little sense not to use our biggest distribution channel.
So, for those who prefer just reading, I’ll be marking our podcast issues with “Podcast” in the title. If you rather skip them, avoid opening these emails.
For those who enjoy podcasts, I’ll be dropping in a brief alongside the podcast updates via email. We have conversations with a number of successful operators recorded, and I’ll be sending them out each week.
Today we are joined by Ivangbi from LobsterDAO. He runs one of the largest communities focused on crypto in Telegram. He is also a former lawyer who has been contributing to Gearbox—a protocol focused on leverage with nearly $173 million in its smart contracts. Use the following links to subscribe on your preferred podcast players
You can find links to other apps on our Buzzsprout profile here.
Our conversation focuses on how Ivangbi built a community from scratch, the primary reasons why you should build one, and the challenges that come with scaling one. Ivangbi built his community through the previous two bear cycles and shares the abundance of wisdom that comes with having to give people who just got liquidated an outlet to vent.
There is a mix of not-so-popular ideas we discuss along the way—about how one may be better off investing in public equities than deploying into early-stage startups, or how venture funds are often really late to narratives in technological markets, and how markets simply repeat the same thing, decade after decade. Ivangbi digs into his years of experience working with early-stage startups to offer insights on timing narratives right.
We also speak extensively about his experience building Gearbox. There was a slight issue with some of the product’s smart contracts when the episode was being recorded, so we dig into how a DAO navigates security incidents and ensures users' interests are best protected when a potential hack could happen.
Listen on for deep insights from a person who has built a product, community, and brand through multiple market cycles in our industry.
It is about 90 minutes long. I enjoyed listening to it at 1.5x speed, but you may have to tweak it for your own preference. We’ll see you next week with a long-form on gaming.
Signing out,
Saurabh
Podcast Episode: Ivangbi from LobsterDAO