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Friday marked my last day at Mantle. After three chaotic years building in crypto full-time, this is my love letter; and why it’s time to turn the page.
--- the origins ---
What began as a leap of faith became a rollercoaster with no brakes and no seatbelts, punctuated by brief, picturesque views at the peaks and valleys with the occasional gasp of fresh air. The exposure, the challenges, the velocity of it all, has been nothing short of humbling.
We experimented relentlessly. Some exceeded expectations. While others fell flat. The vision that crypto itself could tokenise and democratise access to anything, meant that working in an ecosystem, you either move fast enough to be an expert in anything, or you learn quickly by surrounding yourself with those who could. And it’s obvious to the naked eye who could and who couldn’t.
Over time, I learned as much from what to emulate as from what to avoid. There are many unsung heroes I’ve had the privilege to work with - people who made the chaos not just survivable, but meaningful; many of which have since left the organisation and moved on.
I’m proud to say I’ve done it all. And it was with you guys.
Being one of the last remaining from the original batch of Mantle (aka pre-mainnet), and one of the few who joined without referral, this gave me a rare vantage point to see through a handful of things.
I entered with a background in trading the once-glorious NFT cycle. Which then shifted to understanding the mechanics of SocialFi, and to Consumer, followed quickly by AI and finally RWAs. Each heralded as the next frontier use case. Every sector had its strengths, its limitations and reasons to exist. Eventually, some proved more durable than others. Internally, things moved just as fast and at times I wasn’t sure what changed quicker - people that come and go, or the market narrative.
Still, I had the opportunity to dive deep into incentive design, distribution playbooks, financial structures, and consumer psychology. Constantly evaluating how big a market could become and what potential lay ahead.
Two steps forward. One step back. We inadvertently also found ourselves in war rooms, tight timelines and unprecedented challenges. And somehow, each time, we emerged stronger and tighter as one.
--- what ecosystem growth really means ---
Contrary to just BD, Ecosystem Growth & Strategy during my tenure meant wearing many hats at once:
• Shaping vertical priorities
• Onboarding and enabling projects
• Managing key accounts
• Hosting events and private dinners
• Moderating panels
• Speaking on global stages
• Mentoring hackathon teams
• Designing incentives
• Aligning VCs and founders
• Filtering signal from noise
At its best, it meant front-row access to some of the most driven builders in the world.
At its worst, it meant firefighting, babysitting, marriage counselling to mediate fractured partnerships between two or more projects that initially wanted to work together and eventually fell apart.
Crypto compresses timelines. And sometimes maturity - in ways few industries do. This is also why I do not recommend fresh graduates to enter crypto as their first full-time foray.
I’ve seen teams build with integrity and grit. Yet, I’ve also seen teams drift from their original path, disappear, or lose sight of why they started. Still, I’ve held onto the belief that this industry is filled with more boon than bane.
What makes crypto extraordinary though is its diversity - culturally, geographically, temperamentally. Because of crypto, I’ve met some of the most talented, eccentric, value-extractive, brilliant, chaotic and occasionally difficult personalities across continents. Conferences often feel like an international high school on steroids - flamboyant, polarising, loud. Yet within that noise, you sometimes meet the rare few who see through the theatre, remain responsibly optimistic, and could build friendships without any commercial agenda. Those connections are real, and they matter.
Because behind every token, every altcoin, every protocol, there are humans. Ambitious ones. Flawed ones. Visionary ones. Extractive ones. Crypto simply amplifies what already exists.
--- what crypto is actually good at ---
Zooming out, it often felt like us against the world - a shared belief in an open, permissionless economy and the idea that financial rails could be rebuilt from first principles.
What crypto has consistently proven to be world-class at is capital formation; and capital formation only. It’s Kickstarter on steroids; eBay for ideas; layered with the anonymity and velocity of the internet. That low barrier to entry is powerful. It funds innovation at unprecedented speed. But it also funds noise, misaligned incentives, and sometimes wrong actors. The same openness that democratises access can dilute accountability.
Where crypto still struggles is accountability and efficient capital attribution toward long-term aligned value. Speculation thrives in ambiguity but sustainable value requires clarity. Until tokens are structurally treated and understood closer to equity ownership rights with real accountability frameworks, long-term value capture will remain uneven.
Disruption reshapes behaviour. But it rarely escapes gravity. New systems tend to converge toward familiar structures. Adoption also happens within very specific windows, and rarely in the way early evangelists imagine.
As I always say; not everything needs to be on-chain. If all you have is a hammer, everything begins to look like a nail.
--- where i stand now ---
That said, I remain bullish on crypto as next-generation financial rails.
Spend.
Settle.
Custody.
Transfer.
On-chain.
That future feels inevitable. If crypto ultimately becomes finance and finance becomes crypto — that may be enough. And perhaps the winners will be the durable networks that earn regulatory trust, liquidity depth, and Lindy longevity.
Alas, investment, adoption, and trading each have their own golden windows - and they rarely overlap. Understanding where we stand in that cycle has shaped how I approach opportunity: To observe where consensus runs, and be willing to think independently.
So as far as possible; fray from the stray. Thrive on that.
--- onwards ---
Lastly, I’m grateful to share that I’ve been awarded sponsorship to pursue a Master’s in Artificial Intelligence. I’ll take some time to touch grass of course, perhaps build quietly in the background, and will be professionally transitioning out of crypto - at least for now.
To everyone I’ve crossed paths with — internally and externally — thank you. Even for a brief moment, you were a teacher.
Inevitably, this chapter closes; some might even call it a fever dream and trust me, I couldn’t be more excited to turn the page. Don’t be a stranger, feel free to keep in touch!
Godspeed. Eliminate bias. Eliminate variance.
English
