Jay Estefani

@mariachakk @seandrinkslunar @David_yuuu @imjoannexu @joinrepublic going to be a great panel!

ever bonded over childhood trauma and hard seltzer? same. i'll be moderating East to West, a panel with AAPI founders who turned third culture chaos into culture-shifting brands ft. @seandrinkslunar @David_yuuu @imjoannexu RSVP below w/ a chance to win a Labubu

The path to success isn’t always linear—sometimes a step back or sideways leads to a leap forward. Grateful to @RepublicCrypto & @mariachakk for hosting, and @sofiagarcia_io & @dabblerer_ for sharing your real, unconventional journeys. #unconventional

spoiler: the traditional path is a scam how many times have we heard: “be a doctor, lawyer, or engineer” to make it in life? if you're a child of immigrants, this line probably lived rent-free in your head for years. but the truth? some of the most impactful leaders I know didn't follow that script. they rewrote it. today, I moderated a panel featuring three women who’ve shaped, supported, and inspired my career: @sofiagarcia_io @jayestefani, @dabblerer_ each of them left "safe" paths to build something that felt real to them. we talked about what it actually takes to lead with identity, clarity, and conviction. my takeaways: – curiosity is enough to start. conviction is what sustains you. – your background doesn’t have to be traditional — just true to you. – the hard parts of your story can become the most powerful. – everything we use and admire today started as someone’s idea. yours can too.

Nothing makes me feel less important than hearing “your call is very important to us” on an endless loop while I wait 40 minutes to speak to a human. Brands, we can do better. Anyone else feel this?

@mariachakk Insightful! Thanks Maria!

Post GDC: Gaming is undergoing a structural reset. The next wave of breakout hits won't come from AAA studios—they'll come from small, scrappy teams leveraging AI, UGC, and Web3 infrastructure to rewrite the rules. 1) Layoffs aren't the end - they're the beginning. 30k+ jobs lost in gaming over the last 3 years has flooded the market with veteran talent. We're entering a post-AAA era: ex-studio leads are buidling lean teams, testing new models, and prioritizing experimentation over perfection. 2. Small teams birth big genres. History repeats itself: from Battle Royale to MOBA, genre-defining innovation started with small teams. Today, AI tooling, UGC platforms, and composable web3 infra are lowering the cost to create and monetize new experiences. I admit there is still it's fair share of challenges on the web3 front, but it can be solved. Micro-studios generating $10k-$20k/month today may define the next genre tomorrow. 3. Web3 gaming is quietly maturing The hype may be gone. Token prices are down. But under the hood, infra is catching up. Studios are no longer launching tokens prematurely - some aren't launching them at all. What's missing is breakout content. We need more quality gameplay, something sticky that grabs people's attention. Games like @playoffthegrid @MaplestoryU @RavenQuestGame are early signals. They're thinking long-term: hiding the crypto, refining the loop, and building strong IP-driven ecosystems. 4. Creator Payouts are Expensive - Stable coins Can Fix That. User-generated content is booming. @Roblox and @SecondLife proved it works, but they also exposed its limits - slow payouts & compliance headaches. In the U.S., platforms need money transmitter licenses in every state to process payments - costing $1m-$2m+ in compliance. Cash outs take 30-90 days and rev shares are rarely in the creator's favor. Stable coins can offer a better solution: - instant, global payments & programmable rev share via contracts. Of course, in order for this to be successful, UGC platforms must have two critical elements: securing valuable IP & effectively capturing user attention. 5. Tokens are a growth lever, not the main product Tokens should accelerate scale, not be the main attraction - unless you're a meme coin. Web3 games that launched tokens too early often prioritized speculation over gameplay. This led to weak fundamentals, investor pressure, and no real player base. Today's best teams are flipping the script: build the game, validate demand, then tokenize to deepen loyalty and scale.

China is redefining supply chains. The future is about building smarter. American businesses need to create resilient supply chains that turn strengths into innovation & adaptability into advantages. #SupplyChain #GlobalTrade open.substack.com/pub/converges/…?

Nerding about global supply chain. Want a quick download of why's the market is rapidly accelerating? Read more below - linkedin.com/posts/jayestef…

🌟 Excited to host! Join me for VC/Founder Coffee Meetups next Thursday at 8:30 a.m. ☕ Connect with local VCs and fellow founders at the start of their startup journey. 📍Limited spots available! Sign up here: lu.ma/vcfoundercoffe…

@StartUpRabbi @StartUpRabbi - to name a few: 🗓️ Calendar: Reclaim.ai & Calendly 🖥️ Workflow: Make ✍️ Task Management: Todoist 📧 Surveys/Emails: Mailmodo 📝 Deal Memos: ChatGPT 💬 Social: Buffer ℹ️ Database: Airtable & Notion 🚀 CRM: HubSpot ⏺️ Meetings: Spiky.ai

@jayestefani What are you fave ones?

VCs -- Looking to save time on administrative tasks and have more time for strategic thinking? Boost your productivity by integrating APIs and automation into your day-to-day ops. I promise, it's a game changer. #VCs #ProductivityHacks

Open invitation to share your Good Reads reading lists. I want to see what worlds you’re exploring. #reading #GoodReads

In a sea of companies, the power to articulate your vision and product experience sets you apart. Master the art of storytelling – it's your secret weapon in connecting with investors and customers alike. 🌟 #Entrepreneurship #StorytellingMatters

I use The Five Minute Journal as an effective method for cultivating a consistent gratitude mindset. 2.5 AM - grateful for... - what would make your day great - daily affirmation 2.5 PM - amazing things - could've done better.. buff.ly/2JtthiX #gratitude #mindfulness

In today's episode, I speak with @jayestefani, the Founding Principal at m]x[v, a NYC-based VC firm with a $50M B2B cloud fund. We delve into venture capital, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Full Ep: inpeak.xyz/podcast Don't miss it! #VC #Innovation #Entrepreneurship

When you encounter low integrity founders, run. Even little things will often add up to bigger things later.

@genemurphy I’m right behind you

Apartment hunting in New York = minus fun 😳

@erica_wenger Welcome!

I’m loving NYC so far!!!!! The energy is unreal. If you don’t live here, come join us!

@irrvrntVC zeni.ai

Best accounting firms for VC-backed SaaS businesses?

@Cooler_io @DarrelFrater @MarkPhillips11T @mxvcapital Yes, we’re deploying. We write check sizes of $500k - $1.5M and are currently trending ~4 investments a year

@DarrelFrater @jayestefani @MarkPhillips11T @mxvcapital For @mxvcapital Are they deploying capital? If not, how many investments do they make per year?

What questions do you have for @jayestefani and @MarkPhillips11T for our session tomorrow? About @mxvcapital Stage: Pre-Seed & Seed Industries: B2B SaaS - “picks of shovels” of any enterprise company (marketing, sales, dev tools, people, data, ops tooling) Geographic Focus: US and International Check Size: $500K - $1.5M About @11TribesVC Stage: Seed & Series A Industries: Opportunistic - Current Focus on Healthcare, Future of Work, and Food & AgTech Geographic Focus: Tier 2 Ecosystems Check size: $300K - $500K

Excited to be hosting Founders Office Hours with the amazing @DarrelFrater. This is a great platform for founders to bring all their questions around building and fundraising!