Our AMA with Alex Kwon @ace is starting, reply with your questions 👇🏻
Alex is passionate about startups, and also no stranger to social platforms, having been BUIDLing different experimental social related projects. Anything relating to startups, angel investing or venture capital, he is your go-to guy!
- Thank you Alex, for taking the time to do this AMA. Could you give an introduction about yourself, and share a little as to what do you do?Great to be here! I'm working on my 3rd startup @perl with @peter fulltime - we met right here on farcaster and started @perl together. i've met many friends, partners, n investors here on farcaster. on the side, i bridge founders/investors via /pollenround warm intros. bridging them is such a wonderful experience
- Could you share with us as to what @perl is? What can we look forward to on /perl?We will be posting a daily “Game” post on @perl as a Farcaster /frames app. One caster will be chosen each day, along with a number. You simply have to guess whether the caster’s number of likes tomorrow will be “More” or “Less.” Our goal is to build a lavender Disney Land on top of social interactions.
- We noticed that /perl has some integrations and connections to /degen $DEGEN. What are the synergies between these two communities, and why did you choose to involve /degen?/degen (by @jacek) is a cultural phenomenon spiraling out of control (in a good way) on Farcaster. we are considering /degen as one of the options for cashing out @perl game wins. /degen is more than a meme coin at this point. it lubricates exchange of value smoother than anything ive seen so far here since '22.
- Could you give an overview as to what /pollenround does, and how investors and founders can start getting involved with it? What gave you the inspiration to start /pollenround ?/pollenround is a mailing list is of ~200 early stage investors i've vetted. I blast 1:n mails to investors like benchmark, a16z, general catalyst and beyond, and they've invested millions through me. /pollenround on fc is an experiment to expand upon that exclusively for fc founders.
- Could you share some of the proudest connections you have made for both investors and founders through /pollenround so far?i'd say it's when my intros become the catalyst for the founder's round. General Catalyst, for example, has invested many times through the intros i've made, and as a result, my relationship with both the investors and founders grow over time. it's a rare triple win situation that i enjoy being a part of.
- What are some of the things you noticed, and think could be improved when two parties are trying to connect with each other? E.g. from a founders’ perspective (looking to raise) and investors’ perspective (looking to deploy) from their point of view respectively? What are some advice you would give to them?number 1 point i make = really sell the team in addition to the idea/product. many people posting on /pollenround only share the idea/product, and "who" is behind the project can 10x or 1/10 how compelling it can be.
- There are many different (Decentralized) Social Networks around. How and why did Farcaster stand out as the Social Network of your choice?i love the people and culture here above the underlying technology. presence of dreamers who are curious, action-oriented, and well-versed with pay it forward culture - these have kept me here since '22. as @coopahtroopa.eth once said, FC is YC. @peter and I building @perl is the living example of it.
- Hi Alex! @ace As you are someone who is building multiple projects on Farcaster, what advice would you give to brand/corporate accounts trying to grow on Farcaster?i've tried growing many things but at the end of the day there's so much brute forced growth can do. i myself am in the discovery mode of building something people truly want. being authentic fun passionate can help though
As someone who has a few startups, what would you say is your greatest achievement from your experiences building them? Where did the drive and passion in building them come from?i wouldn't say i've achieved a lot (YET), but i do see one thing in common among those who went on to become legends - persistence. re: my drive - ever since a child, i've love building stuff like sculpture etc. my mom's side is all artists, and dad's side all entreprepreneurs. explains my character and drive.
What up @ACE Wen did you start in crypto and what got you hooked??2017 crypto kitty was my initial interest, and tbh, nothing other than @farcaster has really stayed with me on the consumer territory. i still don't identify myself as a die-hard crypto guy. i'm the chef. and crypto, ai, or whatever tech has appeals/utility to people are my ingredients.