Members of the GROW team went to a lot of the side events at Singapore’s Token 2049, in addition to the main conference itself.
We’ll give you snapshots of the things we saw this year, but keep in mind that pictures alone can’t convey the enthusiasm and excitement of that week.
First, here’s the high-level summary of what people were saying.
"There isn’t a unifying theme within crypto at the moment."
"Exchange volumes (CEX and DEX) are at multi-year lows."
"VCs are on the sidelines – very few investments are being made into crypto."
"Hedge funds and institutions are in the process of setting up or exploring MMs"
"US and western teams are considering moving their headquarters to SG or HK, given more regulatory clarity compared to the US, where regulators only want to further tighten controls!"
"Community activity is very strong – in some of the NFT communities, it felt like 2021"
"We’re still seeing new layer 1 activity."
The turnout was great! The energy was high and it didn’t feel like crypto winter at all.
The first breakfast networking event we attended was so packed that it spilled out into the lobby and café. They couldn’t even check for RSVP after 30 minutes.
It was a good start, and that momentum continued through the very last side event we attended on Friday.
Many extravagant side events were held at very popular and high-end venues, such as the rooftop of the Marina Bay Sands.
This was a common sight during the week of Token 2049.
While most side events were structured as cocktail mixers or free form networking events, some had detailed presentations and speakers who were eager to present their work and showcase what they’ve been building.
We were sitting near the front, so you can’t tell from the below picture, but behind us was a packed room where there were almost as many people standing as there were sitting.
At the end of the week, we got to chill at an NFT community event, hosted by the Pudgy Penguins. This was one of the best events we attended.
It was a perfect example of what successful communities in crypto can be – welcoming, yet exclusive, extraordinary, but not gawdy, very well executed, and just fun-filled with good food and good people. Inside this event, it was definitely 2021.
In summary, it felt great to see the entire crypto industry come together from all over the world. We met amazingly talented people from all different parts of crypto – DeFi, CeFi, NFTs, Gaming, Art, etc.
While there are still so many unknowns for our industry, we all believe that crypto is here to stay, Bitcoin is here to stay, and the next bull run is right around the corner. See you all again next year!
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