Yes, I am a Myrmidon, but my story down the Web3/Crypto rabbit whole is my own. It all started in 2016 while working for a small firm on Wall Street. The job was simple, build relationships with financial advisors that practiced at Morgan Stanley, UBS, and others across the country. This was in an effort to introduce our fund strategies. Essentially, we would act as a distribution arm, gaining access to trading platforms and then on-boarding the new mutual funds. Once we had approval, it was time to build out a pipeline of interested advisors, deliver the narratives, and wait for allocations to pour in. In my mind this is how you got ahead. Climb the corporate ladder, be a shark, and KILL, KILL, KILL!!!
While working with my team was a blast, there was never a feeling of real value exchanged. Not saying we didn’t solve for a problem, but for me, it was never fulfilling. We didn’t help those in third world countries change their life, or show the average Joe how they could break free from big tech/banks. Not to mention, the industry is riddled with red tape, antiquated systems, a frat like culture and had plenty of nepotism. There was this constant gatekeeping going on, “what school did you go to?” or “who do you know?” type of thing. You had to satisfy this person in order to get the opportunities or access. At one point the thought of going for my CFA was a goal of mine, just to build a little more street cred among the big time ivy leagues. Don’t get me wrong, there was lots of valuable info gained from Wall Street. Not to mention my love for a good competition and being the top performer at the sales firm, winning weekly and quarterly bonuses regularly. But there was always this feeling that there just had to be another gwei to make it.
I’ll never forget when one of the hedge fund managers (I’ll spare the name for now) shared his institutional research on Bitcoin on a conference call — something new to me, despite Satoshi Nakamoto’s white paper on Bitcoin already published in 2009. Hearing about Bitcoin through the fund manager didn't signal anything except an opportunity to spot trade into something with a hard cap — a quick money grab at best. After allocating some funds in my trading account, I took a position in GBTC (an investment product that got me the exposure to Bitcoin). This was after getting the green light from compliance of course…
At first, watching GBTC and Bitcoin soar just meant the trade worked out in my favor. But my thoughts on crypto stopped there. The position was liquidated after a decent pump, and the profits were allocated to other trading opportunities. It was only after a conversation with a friend that I considered buying other crypto currencies. We talked about Bitcoin’s first mover advantage, and how Ethereum could maybe be a more unique opportunity — the next big trade. But neither of us understood the technology, we only saw the hype.
As part of my strategy, I needed to find a way to trade $ETH tokens in a more direct manner. The easiest way to buy crypto in the United States is through an exchange, similar to a brokerage account or bank account. My friend recommended Gemini and thats where I acquired my first bit of $ETH. At some point I stumbled upon a a really shallow, “Bitcoin vs Ethereum” article. It was at this moment I read about the about the similarities and differences of their blockchain tech. Then, perhaps the most insane thought popped into my head, “what if this Ethereum thing is useful and if so, how do I try it? How can I use my tokens to access this world of builders and applications?” I didn't know the answer yet, but my brain was hurting and I liked it.
When I began looking “deeper” into the creator of Ethereum, Vitalik Buterin, I stumbled upon the popular Decentralize Everything video and heard a high level conversation regarding decentralized blockchain, bitcoin, double spending, smart contracts, and what Ethereum solves for. The idea that Ethereum was a blockchain that could be home to decentralized applications blew me away. This is right around the time I became fully pilled!
There is a lot to be said on why I personally felt the need to figure this Ethereum stuff out…and truthfully I was probably just lucky. There is also so much learning for me to do. I like to think that I came to Ethereum to make money but found a disruptive technology that is inclusive to anyone willing to jump in, and I am hooked. Along the way I have made so many amazing connections and found a sense of purpose by helping others along their journey. For example, Zapper, where all of crypto/Web3 journeys converge. It has been about 4 years since the first time I bought Ethereum and I have not sold a single $eth. In fact, I am adding to my stack every day, playing in DEFI/NFTs (see my @forgottenrunes wizard below). I am even layer 2 technology, and polygon!
This is the end of my personal story into the rabbit hole but just the beginning of my journey into Ethereum and the Web3 world. Stick with Zapper and the Myrmidons and journey forward with us. This is the gwei…
