The pain of transition for crypto startups: In a bear market, should you stay or go?
Written by: Qiao Wang
Compiled by: Xiaobai Navigation Coderworld
Since the beginning of this year, at least 5-10 startups I have worked closely with have turned tocryptocurrencyIrrelevant direction.
Pivots are normal for startups, and most of these companies pivot for valid reasons. For example:
-
They have no growth and no idea of growth.
-
They no longer get excited about what they are doing when they wake up.
But I want to discuss in particularcryptocurrencyThe idea of transformation. Because I believe almost everyone has thought about this question at one time or another, especially if this is your first bear market.
说实话,每当一位创始人放弃cryptocurrency时,我都会感到有些失望。但如果转型确实是合理的,我会祝他们好运,并且如果可能的话,我会希望继续参与他们的下一段旅程。但是,当你做出这样的决定时,有一些事情需要考虑。这一切的重点不是告诉你不要放弃加密货币,而是要在你的决策过程中考虑这些因素。
Bearish sentiment
The second half of the second year of a bear market is when sentiment bottoms out. I’ve talked about this many times on Twitter and on podcasts in the past because I’ve seen this happen not once, but twice.
I’m not sure why it’s always like this, why cryptocurrency cycles always last 4 years. Maybe it’s psychologically acceptable.Xiaobai NavigationReality always takes 1-2 years. Maybe people always need 4 years to forget the boom and bust of the last cycle and the lessons learned from the last cycle.
Regardless, this cyclical mood has become so predictable now that I will think critically about whether there is real substance behind my lack of conviction or if it is simply caused by emotion. I will try my best not to let emotion dictate my decisions.
Minimize regret
Everyone I know who left crypto during the last bear market regretted it. Everyone who tried to convince them to leave crypto during the last bear market became a laughing stock when the bull market came back. I have spoken about this in the past.
Now, this time may indeed be different, no one knows. But I will try to minimize the risk of regret. One way to do this is to give yourself a deadline to try all the good ideas in crypto before moving in other directions. “At least I tried”.
Non-linear growth
Many founders, especially those from FAANG, YC, or the traditional startup world, leave crypto because they expect the growth trajectory typically expected in Web2.
In fact, the growth trajectory of cryptocurrency products is rarely smooth. Instead, most products grow in steps. This is especially true for the more “native” cryptocurrency products. This is largely due to the cyclical nature of the overall market.
Now, you could say, “I don’t want to be dependent on an external factor that I can’t control, namely, the growth of cryptocurrencies as a whole”. This is certainly a valid point. However, the counter-argument is that every successful cryptocurrency company in history had to take this risk. Each of them had an unwavering vision for the future of cryptocurrencies. If Coinbase had given up on cryptocurrencies because they didn’t achieve 5% week-over-week growth, they would never have gotten to this point.
Discover the Secret
Part of building a startup is finding the secrets that no one else knows. In crypto, I’ve found that for founders new to crypto, it usually takes at least 1-2 years to “find that secret.”
Why did it take so long? Well, I guess because crypto is so counter-intuitive and so different from Web2 or TradFi (where most founders come from). Too many founders give up on crypto in less than 1-2 years, right before that critical moment.
Worse, a bear market can be the best time to find that secret. There are fewer bubbles and fewer distractions. Founders can think more clearly. They are more likely to find users who will also stick around for the long haul.
Unfair Advantage
Instead, to succeed in a new industry, founders need to know a secret that no one else knows.
So, before chasing after the new shiny thing, a key question to ask yourself is: “Do I have an edge in this new industry?” If the answer is no, then you’re probably better off staying in crypto, because after 1-2 years, you’ll already know a lot about crypto.
You now understand why cryptocurrencies are so important. You’ve built a strong network. You’re engaging with users on the ground all day long.
The article comes from the Internet:The pain of transition for crypto startups: In a bear market, should you stay or go?
This article will introduce account abstraction and ERC-4337, and based on the application of account abstraction and the development of the Web2 account system, speculate on the evolution of the Web3 account system and the ownership of traffic entrances in the future. Author: CloudY, Jam walletAccounts are essential to entering Web3, and the UTXO model of the Bitcoin network and the account model of the Ethereum network have always been...