Filtering DeFi Projects from an Entrepreneur's Perspective: Is the Coinbase Founder Only in the Second Tier?

Original Title: "DeSci Track Entrepreneur Snob Chain Formation: Vertical Domain Entrepreneurs Are 'Scarce'"

Original Author: Arain, ChainCatcher

「DeSci」 is not a new concept, but since November of this year, this term has suddenly become popular in the community—especially during the November Devcon, endorsed by Binance co-founder CZ and Ethereum founder Vitalik, making many people feel the trend. According to Dune data, DeSci's popularity has been steadily rising and has become the top trending narrative in recent times.

DeSci (Decentralized Science), according to the Ethereum Foundation's definition, is a movement that aims to establish fair public infrastructure in the field of scientific research using the Web3 stack to fund, create, review, confirm, store, and disseminate scientific knowledge. Specifically, DeSci aims to address challenges in traditional scientific research such as funding difficulties, lack of data sharing, and low research transparency. Currently, DeSci projects addressing the funding issue are the main type in this track.

According to RootData, the number of projects currently in the DeSci track is as many as 32, with so many projects making it a bit overwhelming to filter through them. However, having an outstanding Founder or Co-Founder is rare, and if these DeSci track entrepreneurs were to be ranked, it would form a DeSci Founder Snob Chain: Highly Vertical Entrepreneurs > Crypto/Other Industry Top Elites > Finance Professionals > Other Industry Serial Entrepreneurs.

First Tier

First-tier DeSci entrepreneurs not only have directly relevant experience but also high energy, holding key positions in multiple projects. However, such entrepreneurs are very rare, and the DeSci projects endorsed by CZ and Vitalik include first-tier entrepreneurs.

1. Tyler Golato

Prolific Projects in Crypto: Molecule, VitaDAO, BIO Protocol, PsyDAO (Psychedelics), AthenaDAO (Women's Health), Pump.Science

In the above projects, Tyler Golato serves as a founder, advisor, among other roles. Of particular note are the open-source drug development protocol Molecule and the community collective VitaDAO dedicated to commercializing longevity therapies. Tyler Golato is a co-founder, Chief Scientist, and CEO of Molecule, as well as a co-founder of VitaDAO.

In terms of his background, Tyler Golato is highly specialized in the field of biosciences. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (with a pre-medical focus) and pursued his studies from 2015 to 2017 at the National Institute on Aging - Laboratory of Molecular Gerontology at the National Institutes of Health in the United States, under the mentorship of Dr. David M. Wilson III and Dr. Vilhelm Bohr, focusing on repairing endogenous DNA damage.

He has also worked in Columbia University's Robert Fine Lab, researching the chemotherapy resistance mechanisms in pancreatic cancer and developing novel therapeutic strategies for various cancers.

Awards and honors: He has received the National Institutes of Health Academy Fellows Program award and was a finalist in the 2016 Ignite competition, among others.

Selected publications: "DNA damage and the maintenance of nuclear genome integrity in aging and associated phenotypes," "Latest advances in aging research and drug discovery," "Role of DNA repair in carcinogenesis and cancer therapeutics," among others.

2. Alok Tayi

Featured Crypto Project: Vibe Bio

Alok Tayi himself is an entrepreneur in the biopharmaceutical vertical, but his only known involvement in a crypto project, Vibe Bio, seems to be relatively unknown (with little news coverage). Interestingly, Vibe Bio's investor lineup is quite prominent, with investors such as Initialized Capital (backed Avalanche and Coinbase), Coinbase's former CTO Balaji Srinivasan, Andreessen Horowitz General Partner, and investor in Uber, Twitter, and Polymarket Naval Ravikant.

Now, let's talk about Alok's own experience. Alok graduated from Cornell University, obtained a Ph.D. in Materials Science from Northwestern University, and completed a postdoc with George Whitesides. He has 15 years of research experience, 12 years of entrepreneurial experience, and has founded two pharmaceutical SaaS companies, PreScouter and TetraScience—these two companies have hundreds of employees and over four hundred customers.

Alok founded Vibe Bio after his daughter was diagnosed with a rare disease because he personally experienced that the biggest obstacle to developing treatment methods is not finding potential treatments, but funding them.

Alok has published articles in top media and journals such as Forbes, Nature, and Nature Chemistry.

3. Simone Fantaccini

Featured Crypto Project: SynapseDAO

Simone Fantaccini, a low-profile but not simple DeSci track entrepreneur, hides information about being the founder of SynapseDAO on the guest invite list of a biopharma forum.

Currently, Simone Fantaccini remains the Chief Medical Affairs Officer and Chief Strategy Officer of the Swiss multinational pharmaceutical and biotech company, Novartis Pharma AG.

Simone Fantaccini is a fervent lifelong learner; he holds a medical degree from the University of Florence, a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Polytechnic University of Milan in Italy, and an MBA from MIP Politecnico di Milano. Most of the time, Simone Fantaccini is engaged in and promoting work related to biopharma, with a primary focus on multiple sclerosis-related research and has been involved in the research work titled "Activation of Natalizumab in Multiple Sclerosis: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis."

However, in 2023, he began exploring cryptocurrency and blockchain, first serving as a board member at Native Digital DNA (a project based on RFID Smart Dust DNA for on-chain asset authentication), and in the same year, he founded SynapseSciences, where he serves as a Co-Founder and President.

This year, a Synapse DAO, named after SynapseSciences, emerged. The Synapse DAO is dedicated to providing funding for research on neglected neurological diseases. In this DAO, Simone Fantaccini also brought in Scott Howell, the former Chief Strategy Officer of Novartis in the US and a medical doctor. In other words, Synapse DAO has two Novartis alums; he is not a lone ranger.

Continuing to work at Novartis Pharmaceuticals, co-founding Synapse DAO, Simone Fantaccini is actively engaged, serving as an Advisory Board member at VitaDAO.

Indeed, it has been proven that talented individuals always have abundant experiences and are slashies.

Second Tier

The resumes of second-tier entrepreneurs may not be as straightforward, but they are definitely impressive, with many of their projects highly anticipated by the market and frequently mentioned by others.

1. Brian Armstrong

Projects in the Crypto Space: ResearchHub, Coinbase

Starting from scratch to establish Coinbase, Brian Armstrong, who is still a co-founder of Coinbase, naturally attracts attention with his entrepreneurial actions in the DeSci field.

Brian Armstrong graduated from Rice University with dual bachelor's degrees in Economics and Computer Science and a master's degree in Computer Science. He previously worked as a developer at IBM and as a consultant at Deloitte.

In 2011, Brian Armstrong joined Airbnb as a software engineer, during which he encountered issues related to payment systems and cross-border payments, inspiring his idea to establish a cryptocurrency-related business.

In 2012, Brian Armstrong co-founded Coinbase with Fred Ehrsam, and Coinbase has since become the largest cryptocurrency exchange platform in the United States.

In the DeSci track, Brian Armstrong founded ResearchHub, which is a publishing DeSci project aimed at revolutionizing the traditional research journal publishing model. Leveraging blockchain technology, it has established a new scientific research exchange platform where researchers can more conveniently publish their research findings and creatively energize the research community with unique incentives.

Interestingly, following this, Brian Armstrong, along with Google Ventures partner Blake Byers, and Greg Johnson and Jacob Kimmel, co-founded a longevity project called NewLimit. Currently, there is little information available about NewLimit, and it is unclear whether this is another strategic move by Brian Armstrong in the DeSci field, but it marks the beginning of Brian Armstrong's exploration journey in the biopharmaceutical field.

2. Paul Kohlhaas

Notable Crypto Projects: Molecule, BIO Protocol, Pump.Science

Paul Kohlhaas is a prominent figure in the crypto space, having been involved in multiple cryptocurrency projects. Apart from his stint at the well-known blockchain company ConsenSys, it is worth noting that Paul Kohlhaas is often seen collaborating with first-tier figure Tyler Golato in the same projects, which may suggest a strong working partnership between the two.

Paul Kohlhaas graduated from the University of St. Gallen with a degree in Economics and Politics. Prior to entering the crypto space, he was a member of the Private Equity Business Group at White & Case LLP in Frankfurt, specializing in private equity transactions, domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, and providing advisory services in private equity, M&A, and corporate law.

After entering the crypto space, he worked for a period at ConsenSys and uPort before embarking on his entrepreneurial journey.

Paul Kohlhaas first co-founded Molecule with Tyler Golato, followed by the joint creation of BIO Protocol.

Pump.Science is a meme coin platform launched by Molecule on Solana's Desci track, allowing users to participate in the prediction of drug effects and the trading of experimental data through meme coins representing drugs.

3. Laura Minquini

Notable Crypto Projects: VitaDAO, AthenaDAO

Laura Minquini can be described as a representative of successful individuals in other fields. She is a female entrepreneur who has accumulated some entrepreneurial experience in the longevity and women's health sectors.

Laura Minquini graduated from York University in Canada with a Bachelor's degree in Linguistics. Her career started in the fashion industry, where she excelled in brand promotion and business development. She launched the first tech accessory product focused on fashion, "case scenario," achieving global high-quality distribution and multi-million-dollar sales within a year, and becoming a third-party supplier for Apple. She has collaborated with companies such as Louis Vuitton, Apple, and Pantone.

In 2019, Laura Minquini founded the platform MYKIGAI, focusing on longevity discovery and recommendations, which marked the beginning of her foray into the health industry.

Subsequently, she joined VitaDAO as a contributor, where she met Tyler Golato and together they established AthenaDAO, a novel decentralized collective funding research in women's health (with Tyler Golato serving as an advisor in AthenaDAO).

As a cross-disciplinary entrant into the DeSci track, Ms. Laura Minquini seems to have hit the ground running, perhaps fueled by her broad interest in the health sector. With more activity and effort, Laura Minquini is poised to move up to the top tier.

4. Vincent Weisser

Projects involved: PrimeIntellect, Molecule, VitaDAO, BIO Protocol

Vincent Weisser is primarily a technologist. While not having a very distinguished background, he has been involved in three well-known DeSci projects: Molecule, VitaDAO, and BIO Protocol, collaborating with Paul Kohlhaas and Tyler Golato.

Vincent is also one of the co-founders of VitaDAO and advises the platform. At Molecule, he serves as an advisor.

His latest endeavor involves creating the decentralized AI platform Prime Intellect, where he acts as the founder and CEO. The platform aims to commercialize computing and intelligence, providing developers with more affordable distributed computing and a sustainable business model for open-source models.

Perhaps Vincent Weisser's aspirations are not solely in DeSci, especially since Prime Intellect recently announced the completion of a $5.5 million seed funding round this year. Looking back, he may eventually slide down to the third or even fourth tier of the DeSci track.

Conclusion

Compared to DeSci entrepreneurs in the first and second tiers, the founders in the third and fourth tiers have more conventional backgrounds. For example, in the case of the popular hair loss treatment project HairDAO, founder Andrew Verbinnen had been working in the commercial real estate investment industry for many years. Due to his own struggles with hair loss and his growing interest in cryptocurrency, he conceived the idea of founding HairDAO. Another example is the data-focused GenomesDAO, whose founder Aldo de Pape is the founder and CEO of the online learning platform TeachPitch, having previously worked primarily in business development in the publishing industry.

These entrepreneurs all have notable work experience, but as the DeSci track has developed, it has attracted continuous influx of industry elites, forming a brutal "scorn chain." From the characteristics of projects that investors admire, founders with directly relevant experience are more favored: there is reason to believe that they have a higher success rate in this track.

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