Derek Hsue

Co-founder @hi_reverie | host

[Tenbin Labs @tenbinlabs]

Tenbin's first asset is live.

Introducing Tenbin Gold (tGLD): Liquid, Yield-bearing Tokenized Gold.

Built for instant on-chain liquidity with DeFi utility.

https://t.co/0TESwDZ6As

[Derek Hsue @derekhsue]

youtube: https://t.co/rA1DxyEJeP

[Derek Hsue @derekhsue]

I really enjoyed my conversation with @buffalu__ about all things @jito_labs.

We dive into the early history of Jito, what finding PMF was like, and what the future holds.

(1:23) What is Jito
(10:18) Why Solana stood out early
(16:06) Starting Jito
(22:58) FTX fallout and doubling down on Solana
(30:54) MEV politics and shutting down the mempool
(36:20) Memecoins
(38:59) Finding PMF and scaling to >90% of validators
(41:27) Jito airdrop and token launch strategy
(51:40) Expanding beyond infra to user facing apps
(59:12) The Solana ecosystem and what it needs
(1:16:00) Jito’s presence in DC and crypto policy

[Derek Hsue @derekhsue]

The @altitude team have consistently shipped products that users and businesses love. If you're interested in a world class financial product built on stablecoins, you should check them out.

Proud to be a small part of their journey since 2022.

[Altitude @altitude]

Businesses no longer need a bank account.
We've raised $18M on this bet.

Go https://t.co/IluqZrBOmA

[Fireblocks @FireblocksHQ]

Michael Shaulov on building @FireblocksHQ:

"Position your team as close as possible to the tree. When the apple falls, they can catch it."

Fireblocks bet on DeFi in 2019. Acquired payments infrastructure in 2022. Now processing $6T annually for MoneyGram, Stripe, Checkout, and global banks.

Listen to how they survived 50% churn and kept revenue flat. Full episode 👇

[Derek Hsue @derekhsue]

youtube: https://t.co/gEdnU7t1Fx

spotify: https://t.co/NQ31fDJrS0

[Derek Hsue @derekhsue]

I had a wonderful chat with Michael, the founder of @FireblocksHQ.

We talked about the early history of Fireblocks, scaling through DeFi summer, Unit 8200, how to successfully build a B2B crypto product, and much more. Hope folks enjoy!

(0:00) Intro
(0:34) Altitude
(1:31) Growing up in Israel, learning programming, and starting internet businesses
(7:49) Unit 8200 and the mindset it teaches
(16:05) First startup, mentorship, and early lessons
(20:20) Where the inspiration for Fireblocks came from
(28:18) Finding product-market fit with Fireblocks
(37:11) Enterprise-first vs bottom-up GTM strategy
(42:53) Catching the DeFi wave
(51:24) Surviving Terra, 3AC, and FTX
(1:08:44) How Fireblocks is evolving

[Derek Hsue @derekhsue]

It's rare for crypto teams to have the conviction and ambition to prioritize long-term sustainable growth over short term hype.

I spent 2 hours with @keoneHD last year to record a podcast, and I left feeling like him + the team genuinely fit the bill here.

It's still early days for Monad, but glad they are taking the long view.

[Hasu⚡️🤖 @hasufl]

Monad was ridiculed by many for not launching with a big incentive program to print vanity headline numbers, as if that strategy had ever worked for anyone.

A few months later, TVL, txns, fees, DEX volume charts have been steadily grinding upwards, and the token is actually the top performer.

As I've said at the time, mainnet launch is not the finish line, but literally day one.

[Sam Leisure @tweeterSam3]

https://t.co/T70wR68JqP

[Derek Hsue @derekhsue]

I had an incredible chat with @seyong, co-founder of @tryfomo.

fomo launched less than a year ago but has already had a remarkable rise, becoming a go-to trading app for both crypto-native and mainstream users alike.

We cover a lot of ground, from the original motivation to build fomo, to recruiting the early team, what worked (and didn't work) with user acquisition, and what he's learned over the past year.

Sometimes the success behind certain crypto products can feel random, but it's clear that fomo's is not. They've been extremely intentional with every part of the company (team/product/growth/fundraising), and it reflects in the feedback from users.

Was a pleasure recording this one.

(0:00) Intro
(1:13) Early life. Jersey and Yale
(7:03) Working on product at dYdX and meeting Paul
(14:06) The genesis of fomo, early team formation
(33:42) Product-first philosophy and obsession with UX
(46:24) User-led growth and getting to know your customers
(59:48) Raising Series A from Benchmark
(1:06:22) Where fomo is heading; the speculation graph era
(1:21:49) Building a social product to match its growth
(1:28:58) Memecoins as a category
(1:40:35) Other teams that Se admires

[Derek Hsue @derekhsue]

full episode: https://t.co/MaLNP34DlX

[Derek Hsue @derekhsue]

Benchmark does not make many crypto investments, so when they did the Series A of @tryfomo, it's interesting to hear how it came together.

"We were very appreciative of how much time they spent getting to know the product."

[Derek Hsue @derekhsue]

How should a startup think about user feedback? Users don't always know what they want, and they may have differing views.

Se shares some insight into how to balance these issues: "often the solution is not the thing they propose...we needed everyone moment to be joyful."

[Derek Hsue @derekhsue]

I had an incredible chat with @seyong, co-founder of @tryfomo.

fomo launched less than a year ago but has already had a remarkable rise, becoming a go-to trading app for both crypto-native and mainstream users alike.

We cover a lot of ground, from the original motivation to build fomo, to recruiting the early team, what worked (and didn't work) with user acquisition, and what he's learned over the past year.

Sometimes the success behind certain crypto products can feel random, but it's clear that fomo's is not. They've been extremely intentional with every part of the company (team/product/growth/fundraising), and it reflects in the feedback from users.

Was a pleasure recording this one.

(0:00) Intro
(1:13) Early life. Jersey and Yale
(7:03) Working on product at dYdX and meeting Paul
(14:06) The genesis of fomo, early team formation
(33:42) Product-first philosophy and obsession with UX
(46:24) User-led growth and getting to know your customers
(59:48) Raising Series A from Benchmark
(1:06:22) Where fomo is heading; the speculation graph era
(1:21:49) Building a social product to match its growth
(1:28:58) Memecoins as a category
(1:40:35) Other teams that Se admires

[Derek Hsue @derekhsue]

@seyong 🫡

[Derek Hsue @derekhsue]

youtube: https://t.co/OBDbHCmRzD

spotify: https://t.co/X0CD3h8Boh

[Derek Hsue @derekhsue]

I had an incredible chat with @seyong, co-founder of @tryfomo.

fomo launched less than a year ago but has already had a remarkable rise, becoming a go-to trading app for both crypto-native and mainstream users alike.

We cover a lot of ground, from the original motivation to build fomo, to recruiting the early team, what worked (and didn't work) with user acquisition, and what he's learned over the past year.

Sometimes the success behind certain crypto products can feel random, but it's clear that fomo's is not. They've been extremely intentional with every part of the company (team/product/growth/fundraising), and it reflects in the feedback from users.

Was a pleasure recording this one.

(0:00) Intro
(1:13) Early life. Jersey and Yale
(7:03) Working on product at dYdX and meeting Paul
(14:06) The genesis of fomo, early team formation
(33:42) Product-first philosophy and obsession with UX
(46:24) User-led growth and getting to know your customers
(59:48) Raising Series A from Benchmark
(1:06:22) Where fomo is heading; the speculation graph era
(1:21:49) Building a social product to match its growth
(1:28:58) Memecoins as a category
(1:40:35) Other teams that Se admires

[Derek Hsue @derekhsue]

@adamlawrencium @Archive_Pod @jmo_mx @gauntlet_xyz 👀

[Derek Hsue @derekhsue]

New episode of @Archive_Pod with @jmo_mx, co-founder of @gauntlet_xyz.

Anyone who knows John knows he's extremely direct, and he holds nothing back here. We discuss the evolution of Gauntlet through the years, the future of vaults, what's happening with Aave, and more.

Thank you to @altitude for making this show possible.

(0:00) Intro
(1:16) What Gauntlet does
(5:28) Risk management vs asset management
(11:09) What’s missing in vaults today?
(16:52) Innovation and investing in DeFi
(19:32) Can the blue chips get disrupted?
(22:07) The Aave DAO politics
(30:18) Regulatory environment - then and now
(41:01) Exploits and hacks in DeFi
(46:39) Gauntlet’s culture
(48:44) John’s truck and his love for chocolate milk

[Derek Hsue @derekhsue]

youtube: https://t.co/9LCV9Ub46z

[Tenbin Labs @tenbinlabs]

Private beta is now live.

Real markets are coming on-chain.
Liquid tokenized assets are inevitable.

https://t.co/clfJz8qtOG