You believe you’re making a bet on the future of finance, creating a better decentralized world. Are you? Let's be brutally honest: your crypto dreams are probably being puppeteered by venture capitalists. Yes, those guys. The same individuals who used to run the show on Wall Street are now moving into leadership roles on Web3. The ramifications of this change are even more nefarious than you realize.

Are VCs Really Helping Crypto?

Think back to the dawn of crypto. Ethereum’s ICO. It was chaotic, to be certain, but it was our chaos. A community uniting behind the idea of building something new, something radical. Now? Each one of these other projects is funded by a who’s who of Silicon Valley venture capitalists. On paper, this looks like a huge victory. Funding, expertise, connections. Fellowship applications now open: Go beneath the surface. Instead, you’ll just find a system that is rigged against the very ideals that crypto was originally found to promote.

Yet VCs, by their nature, are wont to return on investment. That’s not, by any means, inherently evil –– it’s a radical misalignment with the ethos of decentralization. They have to immediately be promised huge returns and in spades. This pressure indirectly pushes projects down the path of chasing short-term hype. They focus instead on marketing woos and rushed exchanges listings instead of building a solid, long-term, truly decentralized network. I mean, it’s the equivalent of planting a tree and thinking you’re going to get fruit from that tree the next day. It just doesn't work.

What do VCs add beyond the check, other than cash? Often, surprisingly little meaningful guidance. Yes, they may open access to exchanges, but those listings cost dearly. A massive price.

Exchanges Are Profiteering Off Dreams?

Let's talk about centralized exchanges. In practice as well, they serve as gatekeepers, charging outrageous, prohibitive listing fees that suck projects lifeblood. It's highway robbery, plain and simple. In turn, these fees may total to several millions of dollars. They suck value out of the project and the community, concentrating it with centralized interests. It's a tax on innovation, a barrier to entry for smaller, truly decentralized projects that can't afford to play the game. It’s a system that is actively rigged to benefit the already rich and powerful, consolidating more and more control in the hands of the few.

Think about it: a project is forced to allocate a significant portion of its initial funding, often raised from ordinary investors, to pay for a listing on a major exchange. Although that money was well-intentioned, it could have gone a lot further on creating the technology, creating the community to support it, and creating real adoption. Instead, it’s just filling the coffers of a middleman, a centralized exchange, keeping traders in a cycle of dependence and loss.

Go back to the roots. Embrace decentralized token launches. Yes, they're messy. Yes, they're harder. But they’re not just better from an operational perspective—they’re fairer, more transparent, and more aligned with the original dream of crypto. Picture this — projects are funded by the community, governed by the community, and built for the community. We hope to see the day when your success is not measured by the size of your capital raise. Rather, it’s all about the strength and engagement of your network.

Decentralization: The Only Way Forward?

This is not some utopian fantasy. It's a necessity. Most importantly, we believe that crypto has the power to democratize finance and return control back to individuals. In order for this to happen, it needs to be decentralized. We need to rediscover the decentralized soul of crypto, return to our roots, and build a future where the power is truly in the hands of the people.

It's not easy. Decentralized launches face challenges:

Yet, these challenges are very real and certainly present! In 2023 let’s develop better tools and frameworks for decentralized launches. These will assist us in offering clear regulatory direction and make the overall process safe and scalable. To truly support decentralization, we need to start by funding projects that welcome it in. Equally important, we must begin to hold accountable those who persist in pushing the failed centralized model.

  • Regulatory uncertainty: Navigating the legal landscape can be a minefield.
  • Scalability: Handling a large number of participants can be technically complex.
  • Security: Ensuring the integrity of the launch process is paramount.

The future of crypto depends on it. Let’s not judge the success of a token launch based on how much money it raised, but rather the community around it. That's the metric that matters. Start demanding it.

Before you blindly ape into the next VC-backed project, ask yourself: Who's really in control here? Your crypto dreams, or their bottom line? The answer might shock you.

And before you blindly ape into the next VC-backed project, ask yourself: Who's really in control here? Your crypto dreams, or their bottom line? The answer might shock you.