Jacq Vaca sits down with Pareen Lathia, Head of Founders' Community at Monad, to discuss the evolution of community building in the tech space, particularly within the Web3 ecosystem.

They explore the origins of Founders House at Eth India 2023, the importance of listening to users for product-market fit, and the unique challenges faced by founders and how their own community can support them.

Pareen shares insights on how to navigate early startup life and the critical role of aligning values to build strong, supportive networks that empower founders to thrive.

Follow our guest:

https://x.com/PareenL

https://x.com/monad

Chapters

01:04 The Founders House Experience

03:56 The Evolution of Community Support for Founders

06:13 Learning from Past Experiences

08:36 The Importance of Product-Market Fit

11:26 The Role of Community in Startup Success

14:20 Challenges in Building Effective Communities

18:47 The Dangers of Early Funding

21:54 The Illusion of Validation

24:51 The Importance of Focus in Startups

27:32 Building Communities in Ecosystems

33:43 Values DAO: Connecting Through Shared Values

41:07 Tough Love in Founder Communities

46:19 The Role of Founders in Startups

48:29 Understanding User Needs

50:30 Learning from Past Mistakes

52:30 Building a Strong Community

55:47 The Culture of Monad Community

01:00:10 Getting Involved in Monad

Hosts Jacq Vaca and Brett Lindstrom from Fish and Chips are back as they sit down with Katya Ternopolska, Head of Growth at Wormhole, for a lively and insightful conversation about the human side of crypto and DeFi. Discover Katya's entry into crypto, the importance of real-world connections at conferences, and why bringing more humanity into the crypto space matters. The trio dives into what “DeFi for All” really means—highlighting stories from Latin America, Ukraine, and beyond—and explores how decentralized finance is breaking down barriers for underbanked communities, enabling anyone to earn, save, and build wealth. Whether you’re new to crypto or a seasoned pro, this episode is packed with laughs, personal stories, and a fresh perspective on what makes the industry so exciting and ripe for disruption. Follow Katya: https://x.com/0xKATYA https://x.com/wormhole https://www.linkedin.com/in/katya-ternopolska/

In this episode of Crypto Currents, hosts Brett Lindstrom and Jacq Vaca dive deep with special guest Mike Gavella, founder of Coinstack, a leading media outlet for institutional investors. From spicy takes to hilarious banter, this episode covers everything from institutional adoption to meme coins and controversial personalities in crypto. 👉 Subscribe to the Crypto Currents podcast for more engaging discussions about crypto culture, industry insights, and beyond! https://x.com/coinstackcrypto https://x.com/fishandchipsyay **Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the hosts and guest(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official stance of Crypto Currents or its affiliates. This content is for entertainment and informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Always do your own research before making any investment decisions.

In this episode of Cryptocurrents, hosts Brett Lindstrom and Jacq Vaca sit down with Justice Conder from Polygon Labs. The convo explores governance mechanisms, the balance between community input and visionary leadership, and the innovative q/acc (quadratic accelerationism) project that rethinks ecosystem funding through protocol-sponsored tokenization. Justice also touches on the importance of returning to cypherpunk principles, the potential of ZK technology for privacy, and how account abstraction and natural language interfaces are making crypto more accessible.

The episode concludes with Justice's spicy take that Ethereum needs to return to its crypto-anarchist roots to remain relevant in the evolving landscape.

Join Jacq & Brett as they sit down with Kevin Jones, Developer Relations Engineer at The Graph. The hosts dive into Kevin's journey from photography and music to becoming a key figure for The Graph's community. We explore The Graph's innovative approach to decentralized data solutions and discuss how it's revolutionizing the way developers build on blockchain. From its ethos of "builders for builders" to the importance of subgraphs and community participation, this episode is packed with insights into how this industry leader is thinking of infrastructure, governance, and data. Find Kevin: https://x.com/cryptomastery_

In this episode of Crypto Currents, hosts Brett Lindstrom and Jacq Vaca interview Chad Hugghins, Head of Community at the Sei Foundation.

Chad discusses his journey in the crypto world, from early involvement in Friends with Benefits (FWB) to his current role at Sei. He explains Sei's unique features, including its twin turbo consensus mechanism and focus on speed and scalability.

Chad shares insights on community building, the challenges of growing a blockchain ecosystem, and the importance of transparency in crypto projects. The conversation also touches on Chad's background in theater and how it relates to his work in the volatile crypto industry.

The episode concludes with Chad's thoughts on government involvement in cryptocurrency and the potential pitfalls of state-backed Bitcoin reserves. Find Chad: https://x.com/ChadHugghins

Hosts Brett Lindstrom and Jacq Vaca share their personal experiences with meme coins, including success stories and cautionary tales. Disclaimer: This episode is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Nothing discussed constitutes financial advice.

This emergency episode of Crypto Currents, hosted by Brett Lindstrom and Jacq Vaca, celebrates the resignation of Gary Gensler as the head of the SEC. The hosts discuss Gensler's controversial tenure and its impact on the cryptocurrency industry. Good riddance.