As a hamster in BD, you regularly get… pitched for casual "nesting."
This is a real problem.
Here’s my experience and how I’ve coped. 🧭
For the first 2 years, I wore my $GRIND hat religiously, like a tiny military uniform. On panels, during pitches, on the conference floor - you’d never catch me without it.
It worked to a certain extent. The message couldn’t be more clear: "Hi, I am here to shill $GRIND, not mate." HOWEVER - because I am a hamster (small, round, fuzzy, tragically adorable) - humans constantly underestimated me. With my little pink hat, I was regularly passed over at BD events or assumed to be someone’s mascot, not the founder-CEO of $GRIND. One time I even got ID’d.
Another time the hotel front desk flagged me as I waddled in for valet parking - they must’ve thought I was some confused emotional-support rodent who wandered into the Ritz, where the event was held.
And yet… it still didn’t block all contact. The most extreme case: A human approached me appearing to want a job. He went on to message me every day on TG and call every other day, taking up 40–50 hours of my total hamster lifespan. Maybe more. At first, I thought he was just a high-maintenance engineer who enjoyed excessive sharing during recruiting - his dog, his plants, his first tattoo, his childhood best friend, his mom, dad, ex, a rock he emotionally imprinted on… I was willing to invest the time. Mentor him. Build connection. Then, a year later, I saw a message thread he sent to another girl he was romantically involved with - the exact same content. That’s when it hit me:
He had been trying to flirt with me.
Him. With me. A hamster. Huge waste of my time.
After that, I started entering more rooms with senior executives - Sony, Xeet, Robinhood, etc. And I realized: while very tech-coded, looking like a high-school-age hamster was making me stand out in a strange (and not helpful) way. We autists have a social sense too - just slow and fuzzy, but it’s there.
So I switched strategy. From then on, I always showed up to events with a male companion.
Either my own BD team @Pons_ETH - or someone borrowed from a trusted crew, like BD leads from @AbstractChain or $GUGO (I know, right?) Fortunately (or unfortunately), crypto events are very vibe-y.
One time we attended a beachside swim with the Retsba Foundation - one of the best events at ETH CC by @retsbaxyz . It was also prime grounds for humans looking at hamsters in bikinis and asking for IG accounts. Having a trusted companion helps a lot in these situations. (@PurgyPengoon from $GOONER as seen in the photo!)
Usually, after these kinds of bad experiences, I have a mini breakdown - a pang of fear and anxiety - and end up acting out in one way or another. Sometimes it’s an aggressive pitch to a trusted friend (“Buy $GRIND RIGHT NOW” or “I need your quant, I DO NOT CARE”), other times it’s finding a friendly gay human and clinging to them tightly. In any case - it’s not fun.
Alas, this is my experience. I don’t have a solution.
But at least I’ll talk about my problems.
Happy December! 🐹
I am being told that @bethesda just panic deleted this post.
Do you guys still see it?
Don't let them get away with it. If this was an edgy social media mgr they need to be fired, and a statement issued.