Scenius Studio (Episode #22)
Matt Walsh -- Castle Island
Scenius: The intelligence and the intuition of a whole cultural scene. The communal form of the concept of genius.
Welcome to the Scenius Studio
As a crypto-dedicated Fund-of-Funds Manager at Scenius Capital, host, Ben Jacobs has the unique opportunity to speak daily with the brightest investors in the blockchain space. In Scenius Studio, Ben chats with crypto Hedge Fund Managers and Venture Capitalists in wide-ranging, evergreen, and alpha-focused conversations.
In each episode of Scenius Studio, Ben dives deep with these talented professionals to understand what drove them to crypto, and how they approach the complex craft of investing in the wild west of digital assets and blockchain technology. We are excited to share these discussions publicly through this podcast.
If you find this show valuable, please subscribe and share The Scenius Studio with your network. See below for details on this week’s episode.
In this episode, Ben sits down with Matt Walsh, Founding Partner of Castle Island Ventures. Matt was instrumental in the development of Fidelity's blockchain efforts before leaving to found Castle Island in 2018. Matt is a leading crypto VC with a deep understanding of tech innovation driving adoption, and the regulatory dynamics impacting the blockchain industry.
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
In this episode we discuss:
Matt’s experience spearheading Fidelity’s early blockchain initiatives and experiments
Why some financial institutions like Fidelity are willing to explore blockchain technology while other organizations are resistant
The consistency of Castle Island’s thesis and mission since opening the firm in 2018
The decision around pursuing primarily equity-based deals rather than participating in token-based opportunities
The landscape of exit opportunities for equity-based blockchain companies
Trends in venture capital during this crypto winter
What the Digital Asset Market Structure bill would enable for U.S. based crypto companies and protocols
The strategy around US Dollar denominated stablecoin clarity and how it could support U.S. global reserve currency status
China warming to blockchain and potentially pushing for a Yuan-denominated CBDC
The status of Operation Chokepoint 2.0
Ordinals and how Bitcoin could become a trusted global source for data storage
Matt’s spiciest takes 🌶
Resources Mentioned
McHenry, Thompson, Hill, Johnson Release Digital Asset Market Structure Proposal
An (Institutional) Investor’s Take on Cryptoassets — John Pfeffer
Waters Floats Stablecoin Bill Draft Ahead of Thursday House Hearing
Beijing releases white paper for Web3 innovation and development
We hope you enjoy listening to this conversation with Matt. If you got any value out of the podcast then please consider sharing Scenius Studio with your network 💪