Fred Kessler

@rime_salmi @fractlnetwork Thrilled to have been around all the events you organised and seeing the energy you have to walk the path you created to achieve your goals. Onwards and Upwards!

how I’m building @fractlnetwork for a $10M exit in 6 months, so I can produce my dream musical 🎤🎬 I don't know how 🤷🏼‍♀️ That's what the show is about ha. Figuring it out, in real time. Wish me luck lol fractl's new docu-series ‘‘The Crypto Hustle’ launches feb 26. Final-fucking-ly. thank you @SuperteamCAN & @solana for the funding and for making Episode 1 possible 🥰 For those of you who are new here, hiiii 🙋🏼‍♀️ my name is Rime Salmi, I'm an artist who accidentally built the biggest investor network in web3. And now we're producing a 12 episode documentary about how I'm working my way back to being an artist, with funding. the origin story. when I crashed with the last crypto cycle, back to zero (plus tax) at my grown age, I had to ask myself what the hell I was gonna do with my life. I always just wanted be an artist. With agency. So i worked and paid for everything, studio, music videos, started a record label, all that to keep my artistic freedom, for my entire career. Had some success, lots of failed experiments, lots of tears, and lots of fun. After I lost everything to the terra luna crash (mistakes were made 🥲), I had to figure out how I would fund the dream next. I needed a break from the emotional roller coaster of trading crypto, so I went back to school for the grant money (thank you government of Canada). I relocated to madrid for a change, and started making tiktoks. Skits that I thought were funny. Skits that i thought were risky but honest and necessary. I’ve always loved saying out loud what others are ashamed to even think 🤓 if you follow me on ig or tt you know ha I was having a blast. Creating all day. Some tiktoks took off. Ones that felt very personal. I felt seen. I was at my happiest, filming, editing, singing and pretending to listen in class, for the grant money. Then it hit me. That's what i want. I wanna be telling stories. I dont wanna be just a singer, just a songwriter, just an actress waiting for auditions to come my way. I wanna do it all, tell more stories, write and produce them. so…A musical? But I hate musicals 😭 why do they start singing in the middle of a conversation?!? whyyyyy A musical for people who don't like musicals??!!! 🥹 That’s it!! A MUSICAL FOR PEOPLE WHO DONT LIKE MUSICALS 🤩 DONE. So from the lowest of my finances, in the middle of career confusion, with a bruised ego from failing so miserably at my first crypto cycle, I found something great to get excited about for the rest of my life. I needed to validate the feasibility… because I know I’m a dreamer who gets shit done, but I’m very much a idealist. so I asked my good friend of mine and the producer of my first 2 albums Benny Adam (now a rising star, this is me clout chasing) for advice. I asked him: ‘is this too much? For me to wanna produce a whole as* Netflix series, music and all?? He’s the most talented, ambitious yet realistic guy I know. And I knew he would tell it to me like it is, but kindly. Because he’s also a nice human 🫶🏽 ‘So?? Is it too big of a project??’ He paused… I looked at him, hopeful 🥹 ‘Ya. It’s a reeeally big project 😕’, he said. Fuck. and then he paused, again. Just tell me, I thought. Tell me aaaall the reasons this is a bad idea… 😞 beat. ‘But if anyone can do it, it’s you’ cue inspiring battle field music Reeeallyyyyy? 🥹 I teared up. I’m tearing up now writing this. Because at that low point in my life, that’s what I needed. Just one person who really knew me, to remind me, despite my circumstances, of who I am and what I’m capable of. That I’m crazy, yes, but in a good way 👉🏽👈🏽 Shokran Benny. I don’t think you know how much that meant to me (I’m gonna tell him again because he’s on episode 4 of the Crypto Hustle ha) Ok. So. Musical it is. When I ran out of back-to-school government money, and needed to be an adult again, I reintegrated the crypto space, with a purpose. I called my friend and mentor Armando Pantoja and asked him what he thought I should go for in terms of job (I needed a break from entrepreneurship). He said ‘I’ve seen you at conferences, you’re really good with people, you know marketing, and you actually understand crypto. He said go to conferences, you’ll figure it out. Just show up’ I did. I showed up to eth denver 2022 and I started the first iteration of what became fractl as an influencer marketing agency, because I saw a good skill-market fit and because I couldn't find a job lol but I hated it. I dont wanna manage influencers, I don't wanna manage artists. I’m an artist, I would never manage me, that's crazy 😂 One thing led to the other I became a fractional CMO. An opinionated one 🤓 I found myself always trying to lead founders towards personal storytelling… suggesting they put themselves out there more. I really believed that it would help them build trust in a space that so desperately needs it. Then, I started hosting our investor events (to get leads for the agency), and saw the struggle of founders building and fundraising at the same time and the original idea for this show started to form. We need bolder marketing in this space. What if we followed these founders around the world at all these conferences and followed their journey, building a company, raising, launching a token, failing. In these ruthless markets, with the drama of personal sacrifices… I could see it so clearly 😃 So I started pitching it. THE BEST MARKETING CAMPAIGN EVER GUYS!! WHO'S IN?? No one. I couldn't convince a single founder of the vision.🥲 Maybe I wasn’t qualified enough in their eyes to carry out such a big vision, following multiple founders on a 6 month production around the world. They were probably right lol But I’m also a little crazy. And really really stubborn. That's something right?? A few months later, inspiration still strong, I told @pabloerminy who's worked on multiple Netflix shows about it and he said: ‘why dont you just tell YOUR story? You have a great story, people will wanna watch you build in public to fund your artist dream. As a first reality tv production, one story is more than enough to handle.’ Wise man. Maybe i did underestimate how complex a multi-lead, international, real-time, film production would be 😬 Done. because I know great advice when I hear it. PIVOT! 🛋️ So that’s how ’The Crypto Hustle’ was born. This journey I was trying to sell to other founders, I would do it for myself. show not tell. Now the funding. I tried selling the project to sponsors on and off for over a year, between the normal fractl operations, hiring, training, firing, messing up, learning. And only ended up spreading myself so thin, that I neglected the core business. Company became a mess (for others reasons too, that I will come up on the show, hint: boys) Bottom line is, we lost more money than we made, trying to sell a show. I should've known. Film fundraising is a producer’s full time job lol Fast forward 1 year, 2 pilots and a near bankruptcy later, I’m now launching Episode 1 from Korea and just wrapping episode 2 from Hong Kong. No funding. (except for Episode 1, thank you again Superteam Canada 🥰) Fuck it. Might not be the big production I had envisioned, but all the core principles and the emotions, and team talent is there.. An MVP. Now. because waiting for things to align would just delay this indefinitely. And because I have more conviction than ever. not only in authentic storytelling as the best marketing, but also because my soul needs this. I need creativity to keep going. If i stay too long in business mode without publishing art, stories, songs, dances, funny skits, I find no reason to wake up in the morning. Not to be dramatic, but I really only wanna be an artist 😂 Also, the timing IS ideal. because in my mess, I got lucky 🥰 I found a production team that felt right instantly. Love at first meeting. not only are they aligned with the docu-series concept, but with the end vision too. The cultural impact I wanna have with the musical. @bigvegetablebro Badr, Momo, @JuicySocialAgency, you're my favorite part of 2026 🫶🏽 So here we are. About to launch episode 1. Documenting the process of building fractl for a $10M exit in 6 MONTHS, so i can produce my dream musical 🥰 It’s about to be epic. Or a massive failure, in public. can girl with the pink hair make this happen? 👀 let the adventure begin 💚☺️ full episodes will be on my youtube channel. go subscribe ok? youtube.com/rimesalmi

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The BGA hosted another Offline Workshop, this time with @simon_davis, CEO of @MightyBearGames, for a powerful conversation on AI's role in the future of gaming. This wasn't a typical presentation. It was intimate, honest, and packed with practical insights from someone who's been building games for over two decades. Simon walked us through where gaming is heading: 💡 Why AI isn't optional anymore ⚡ How content creation pipelines are transforming 🎯 What it takes to build AI-native from the ground up The room was small by design. When industry veterans speak this openly, the questions flow naturally, and the session proved it. The engagement was exactly what these workshops are meant for: depth over scale. Big thanks to Simon and everyone who joined us and brought their curiosity and experience to the table. 📍 Where should we take the next one?

The BGA is live at Token 2049 Singapore! 🎮⚡ We're bringing the heat and showcasing the next generation of blockchain gaming right now at LEVEL 5 - MB5-34. Stop by our booth to: 🎮 Try out the latest Web3 games 🤝 Meet developers and industry leaders ⚡ See what's next for blockchain gaming 🎁 Pick up our latest BGA Magazine The revolution isn't coming – it's already here. Come see what everyone's talking about! 🚀

Excited to join the @BGameAlliance Board of Directors! Honored to be serving alongside @Anuradha_RC and @samusb, bringing together diverse experiences to help drive adoption and support the growth of blockchain gaming worldwide. Big thanks to the BGA community for the trust!

📢 Calling all @BGameAlliance members! The BGA Board Member Election 2025 is now live and we need your vote! 👉 …chain-game-alliance.smartmatchapp.com/questionnaire/… (it only takes 30 seconds) The BGA Board is helping to shape the strategic decisions for the BGA, to better represent your interests. Their vision, experience, and commitment is essential for the Blockchain Game Alliance. This year, we will be replacing 3 board members with your vote and have 14 candidates who come from strong backgrounds: Founders, VCs, Builders, Entrepreneurs, expert in AI and Blockchain. Each one of them shared their motivations, areas of focus, and how they plan to contribute to the BGA’s mission. ▫️Anuradha Chowdhary, Founder & CEO, ZeroTo3 Collective @Anuradha_RC @ZeroTo3C ▫️Sam Barberie, Head of Strategy and Partnerships, Sequence @samusb @0xsequence ▫️Jeff Outlaw, Chief Experience Officer, YOM @GlasswalkerPFFT @YOM_Official ▫️Diogo Abreu, CMO, QUDO @_DiogoAbreu @QUDO_games ▫️Timothy Tello, CEO, 3THIX @timtello @the3thix ▫️Tamas Daniel, Co-Founder and CEO, WAM @dani_wam @playWAM ▫️Vladan Falcic, CEO, Cosmix AI @VladanFalcic @Cosmix_Ai ▫️Frederico Kessler, CPO/Partner, Funfair Ventures @FredCryptoVC @FunFairVentures ▫️Chris Avignon, CEO, PlayToEarn @PlayToEarn ▫️Dirk Schepens, CEO/Founder, xSPECTAR @xspectDS @xSPECTAR ▫️Benjamin James, CEO/Founder, Atlas and 40 @6329 @AtlasLabsXYZ @404gen_ ▫️Patrick McGrath, Co-Founder and CEO, Moonlit Games @Moonlit_Games ▫️Zlatko Stjepanovic, CEO/Founder, Lussa @_Zlatko369 @Lussaio ▫️Morten Rongaard, CEO, Pixel Pai @rongaard @Pixel_Pai The vote is only open to BGA members. Please take a moment to explore their ideas and choose the one who best represents your values and goals for the organization. Thank you once again

@Davissko_ Spot on. Was unsure about going to Gamescon this year, but I believe that it's actually the best time to see the project that are still alive and building good quality content with no buzzwords. To help those that aren't playing the quick win and above all to meet up old friends

Gamescom 2025 - Is web3 gaming finally dead? Brutally honest opinion on Gamescom from web3 perspective and what it means for the industry. Read at your own risk. 1. General presence Last year around 65-70% of my web3 gaming network was present at Gamescom. This year it was about 20-25%. Huge red flag. There was about 6 web3 sideevents, 4 of them happening on same time (same as last year), but that didnt matter at all, if you visited one, you've met everybody as the same (very small)audience was just event-hopping them all. Talking to people was mix of everything, but I was amazed by the amount of delusional takes such as "It really looks like web3 is the future of gaming" while the sentiment around it was never worse. 2. Networking presence So who was them event-hoppers? Founders - the same people you meet at every conference for last 3 years pitching you the same thing with close to zero improvements (sorry not sorry, less partying more working is better fundraising strategy), people who still build telegram games, people who are cocky until they find out you are an investor, with very few bright exceptions that actually build something interesting Investors - not that many of them, usually those attending are diehards and came to maintain relationships and get vibe check on the industry and that usually agree with me - there is very little projects raising that they find expiring Blockchains - @Immutable brought in army of BDs to spread word about their new product with clear vision to bring web2 projects and audience to the ecosystem, even though it doesnt make me very bullish on $IMX in short term, if executed right it could help the industry as a whole and build strong business case that could later on transfer some value to the token. @avax bringing lower amounts but quality people to build on the foundation they've set with bringing two (actual) AAA games into their ecosystem. The message from these 2 is clear - no more handouts to mediocre games, now they wanna offer manpower and users. S/o to both. Others (content creators, studios employees, community members, external development studios) - its nice to see those that haven't gave up on struggling industry, especially content creators that've been served koolaid and now have to work their asses off to make a living. 3. Booth presence Business area - makes sense for fundraising and other b2b talks (who would have thought) which I think is more of a GDC topic and unless it's nobrainer for you (europe based team so the trip is cheap) I see it as wrong read on which conference to attend IMX - nice spot at the entrance to indie hall, whole booth dedicated to @MightMagicFates which I was very sceptical about (why does the world need another fantasy themed TCG/CCG with HS-like aesthetics) but after playing it I was pleasantly surprise, few nice mechanics like your hero on board alongside other units (just like in HoMM), mulligan every round or completely different economy from other card games. You might say its shame they dedicated whole booth to one game, but it has strong web2 appealing IP and as mentioned above, the IMX team had different agenda. x.com/i/status/19587… AVAX + @opensea - Huge booth at great location in one of the main halls, right next to the @CapcomEurope booth. @ParallelTCG was in your face on stage with @uhhdub shouting into mic lurking passers-by to try the game. Inside (because of the age restriction) of the booth was @playoffthegrid and by the queue you could see not being directly on people's eyes doesnt hurt them. S/o to the Avax team, last year I felt like they misunderstood the conference game by making big consumer-facing booth at GDC and having none at Gamescom, happy they fixed it this year. x.com/coopernicus01/… @SamsungDE - Pleasant surprise was seeing @WilderWorld at the Samsung booth in the middle of the same hall as AVAX booth. The booth was packed and lets see whether this partnership can bring more eyes on this game. They were promoting upcoming $100k tournament in their newly launched game - which i didn't feel super excited about, in my eyes it's pretty generic HALO-like arena shooter. It's obvious they are taking the @staratlas approach (big end-game vision, shipping mini-games on the way) which im not a big fan of as I think building cyberpunk GTA competitor might be way too difficult for such a young studio. Maybe i just need to believe in something. x.com/WilderWorld/st… 4. Web3 sentiment This one is bizzare. Web2 people are becoming more open to it, respecting those who grind despite NFTs being dead, while Web3 teams are convincing you that their game isn't really Web3. I get it, you need to be careful with gamers and its good to have communication strategy that is honest but also prevents hate, but telling web3 people that your game isn't web3 when it is, that aint it. 5. Outside the web3 bubble Unfortunately - most of new interesting people I've met were web2 Fortunately - I'm not the only one. The best projects in the space didn't participate in the web3 circlejerk activities and thats good. 6. So what does it all mean? Weak b2c conference presence, VCs find new pitches uninspiring, no more hand-outs from blockchains, wave of bankruptcies, small amount of side-events, teams being scared to use buzzwords like web3 or NFTs. It's obvious, web3 gaming is about to die, right? Well, I'm here to provide different read on current state. The ecosystem is healing. VCs were unexperienced in fresh vertical, they learnt their lesson and became unwilling to fund larps. Larps VCs who were lurked in by fomo left. Gaming studios, larps, that claimed to build AAA games, with their monthly burn matching AAA studios, but quality of product on Indie level are going bankrupt. Sad but inevitable. Gaming studios that know what they are doing are attracting big publishers, web2 gamers, and going by "go big or go home" motto. It's not only those that were present, but some stayed home working because they know how to prioritize. Some of them will not make it but noone said gaming is an easy market. Blockchains realizing they were only cashcows for larps, that doesn't help the industry, supporting few top projects and focusing on UA is the way forward - blockchains as the new publishers. Buzzwords becoming forbidden words - good. Web3 gaming was never gonna get carried by hype and number go up (maybe the ones focused on web3 audience exclusively). At the end of the day it's gamer who decides whether they enjoy playing the game or not. Game first, web3 later. Let me instert Gartner hype cycle that @Fiskantes likes so much. Web3 gaming hit rock bottom after peak of onflated expectations. I believe everything thats happening it just clearing air for it to head towards plateau of productivity, rather then innovation graveyard. Kudos to all of those will lead us there🫡 Okay that's end of my long-ass brain dump. If you've made it here I respect you, let me know what you think and have a nice day. PS: Was amazing to meet all of old friends at Gamescom and meet some new, sending love to y'all! Note: I am just one person with opinion with biases that are reflected in our investments. I obviously didn't meet everyone attending and other people could have different experience - feel free to share. I hope this post won't be seen as attempt to damage subjects in the space, rather as encouragement to take an example from those I think are steps in right direction. My goal isn't to trashtalk others, i wish others success even if i have no exposure in their business - because it indirectly helps those we have exposure in and more importantly I'm not envious person.

@Sheebaverse @jrp_gg @Ani_Knows @bigdog_max @NicoThePico @micah_dominguez That was a good time! Sad to not have you all this year at gamescon.

@jrp_gg @Ani_Knows @bigdog_max @NicoThePico @micah_dominguez @FredCryptoVC This is a good one too Missing you too 🥹 It’s been too long 😤😤

Feeling major FOMO for Gamescom this year 😭 Wishing everyone who’s going safe travels and an amazing time! (Stoked to see what chaos the wolves get up to! @WolvesDAO) 🐺🐺🐺

Bro Jump is LIVE! 🎉 Octo and @Starknet drop an exclusive new game! 🎮 Master new skills: flip, bounce & survive with @StarknetBro 🤖🚀 Available now on the Octo app 🐙📲

@Sheebaverse Web3 gaming unfortunately is stuck in the crypto bubble... Mostly due to studios needing to raise capital and being pushed by VC and investors into token deals that bring no value to the project. Hopefully we will see a new wave of projects that are focused on value not raises

Web3 gaming is stuck in a bubble and that’s partially why growth and engagement feel dead. We’re not reaching new people, just recycling the same voices. So instead of trying to break out I propose we infect the algorithm, hijack other timelines and disrupt ‘normal’ account feeds. If we’re stuck in a bubble, let’s get the whole world stuck in it with us and stop trying to do it the other way around.

@JSquare_co @SarintipThanya2 @BGameAlliance @EthCC @FunFairVentures @crypto_isms It was great to be part of the panel.. At the time where Blockchain Gaming needs more clarity it's important that VC and investors provide more support to those that are trying to build something great.

Our Senior Investment Associate @SarintipThanya2 joined the VC panel at @BGameAlliance BGA Connects: Cannes during @EthCC, alongside leaders Corentin Cadieu (0x Labs), @FredCryptoVC (@FunFairVentures), and @crypto_isms. The discussion covered Web3 gaming’s key trends, challenges, and future outlook. Great exchange of insights with fellow VCs! 🎮✨ #ETHCC #Jsquare

What!? Pre-registrations took off over the last few days and we have just crossed the ONE MILLION mark! 🤯

🎉 IT'S GAME TIME with @ponkesol 🎮 We are proud to launch PONKE BOUNCE on the Octo Gaming app! 📲 Let's bounce to the beyond and the infinite with the army! 🪖 Live now, only on Octo! 🐙

@doperaider A OG gane by the OG himself :)

Before Axies battled, before Apes ruled… there was DopeRaider. 🌿💰 The underground classic of early blockchain gaming. If you know, you know. If you don’t, you will soon. 👀 #DopeRaider

@Sheebaverse @mrspaceman @jrp_gg @SandboxVR Best way to end GDC. Friends and games!

G(gamers)M Build together. Play together. Mog zombies together ✊

We are pleased to announce that Usual has closed a $10M Series A funding round, led by @BinanceLabs and @KrakenVentures. Together, we’re building the foundation for a Stablecoin Renaissance.

Octo x PSG 12 Stars ⭐️ We are proud to announce that we are officially teaming up with @PSG_inside & @PSG_Communities for an EPIC game drop! 🎮 PSG 12 Stars is our first game created with a prestigious and well-known brand ❤️💙 Ready to play like Champions? Play now! 🐙

The Dog wants to play! 🎮 🔥 BONKmaze is live exclusively on the Octo Gaming app! 🐙 Join @bonk_inu as the Dog takes center stage in this ultimate hide-and-seek adventure! 🐾 💨 Escape the maze 😈 Dodge villains 💰 Collect coins and hunt for treasure Do you have what it takes to rule the maze and claim the crown? 👑 Download it NOW and dive into the action! The victory is yours 🏆

@TobiasTBV @Brent_Fulfer @BTC_OS @getkoinx @ZekretProtocol @vurse_official Omw!!!!

Quickly room tour of tonight’s event! See you soon! We are ready 🚀🚀🚀

@thelastmonarchy Awesome achievement!