The Latest from Lucas Matney
Lightspeed’s Mercedes Bent on why the metaverse isn’t overhyped
On the Chain Reaction podcast this week, we dove into a topic that tends to stir up strong emotions, even from those outside the crypto space — the metaverse. Mercedes Bent, an investor at Light
Coinbase’s lost momentum
Hey everyone, and welcome back to Chain Reaction. In our Chain Reaction podcast this week, Anita and I chatted with Mercedes Bent of Lightspeed Venture Partners on backing blockchain startups and the
A blockchain billionaire’s big bet
Hello and welcome back to the Chain Reaction podcast, where we unpack and explain the latest crypto news, drama and trends, breaking it down block by block for the crypto curious. Although we’
Andreessen Horowitz debuts $600 million fund for games investments
Andreessen Horowitz is launching a new vertical fund exclusively focused on opportunities in the games industry. The new $600 million fund brings a pool of dedicated capital and a new internal structu
Kevin Rose on crypto winters, pseudonymous founders and his buzzy Moonbirds NFT project
On the Chain Reaction podcast this week, we spoke with Kevin Rose, a serial entrepreneur whose efforts — including most famously Digg –have been well covered in TechCrunch over the past co
Crypto VCs can’t just buy ‘community’
Hello everyone, and welcome back to Chain Reaction In our Chain Reaction podcast this week, Anita and I chatted with Kevin Rose of True Ventures and Proof Collective on the latest crypto crash and wha
Postmates founder banks $23 million for his new crypto startup TipTop
Postmates founder Bastian Lehmann’s new crypto startup TipTop was lightly teased out a few weeks ago, but now the stealth startup is sharing some info on its early funding, though there’s
Crypto winter is coming
Hello and welcome back to the Chain Reaction podcast, where we unpack and explain the latest crypto news, drama and trends, breaking it down block by block for the crypto curious. You’ve proba
Ex-Meta crypto chief David Marcus launches Bitcoin payments startup backed by a16z and Paradigm
After his departure from Facebook in November, many crypto industry insiders speculated where long-time executive David Marcus would land. Today, the former Messenger boss and Paypal executive offered
Mark Zuckerberg shows off Meta’s next headset (kind of)
Mark Zuckerberg took to his personal Facebook page today to show off a demo of the company’s unreleased “high-end” VR headset. The physical product, which for now is code-named Proje
Crypto market bloodbath hits Solana particularly hard
The past several days have been trying times for crypto investors as a broader market pullback has wreaked havoc on token prices. While Bitcoin and Ethereum have sustained over 20% declines each over
a16z, Coatue, USV invest in $725M developer fund for Dapper’s Flow blockchain
The web3 world is continuing to discover that it’s a lot harder to build a developer ecosystem than it is to build a platform. The Flow blockchain launched by NBA Top Shot creator Dapper Labs is
Crypto’s cops get ready for an uneven war
Hey everyone, and welcome back to Chain Reaction. In our Chain Reaction podcast this week, Anita and I chatted with Slow Ventures’ Jill Gunter on why there are so many dang blockchains out there
Haun Ventures leads $50M round in NFT startup Zora Labs
The NFT ecosystem continues to chug along, but the vast majority of volume is still moving through the centralized halls of NFT marketplace OpenSea, leaving crypto VCs eager to find new channels. Kati
Oops, I think they broke the blockchain
Hello and welcome back to the Chain Reaction podcast, where we unpack and explain the latest crypto news, drama and trends, breaking it down block by block for the crypto curious. On this week’
OK, this one is for the crypto-curious
Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. This is our Wednesday show, where we niche down to a single to
Sequoia’s Shaun Maguire on competition and conviction in crypto venture — ‘A lot of VCs… are going to pull back’
As crypto continues its wild rise, storied venture firm Sequoia is not just competing with the a16z’s of the world but with a rising crop of crypto native venture funds that are seeing their ass
Why a bipartisan embrace of crypto might never touch Bitcoin
Hey everyone, and welcome back to Chain Reaction In our Chain Reaction podcast this week, Anita and I chatted with Sequoia Capital’s Shaun Maguire on why gamers are skeptical of NFTs and where d
Please don’t YOLO your 401(k) into shitcoins
Hello and welcome back to the Chain Reaction podcast, where we unpack and explain the latest crypto news, drama and trends, breaking it down block by block for the crypto curious. It’s been an a
a16z debuts new crypto research team led by Columbia, Stanford researchers
In the world of crypto, where vast amounts of investment are pouring into young and scrappy teams building uncharted technology, it’s increasingly the VC firms who are investing heavily in resea