Actionable Takeaways for Founders
Are you solving a real problem for users?
Focus on delivering value instead of relying on buzzwords like "blockchain" or "Web3." How can you simplify your offering to meet an actual need?
How fast can you get feedback on your product?
Launch quickly and refine based on user data. Are you iterating fast enough, or are you over-engineering before getting valuable feedback?
Is your user experience frictionless?
Simplify the process to make your product easy and enjoyable to use. What unnecessary steps can you remove to enhance user satisfaction?
Are you leveraging decentralized platforms effectively?
Explore the potential of networks like Farcaster to create engaging, seamless user experiences. How can you integrate similar functionality into your product?
Can you monetize by solving a high-value problem?
Focus on a clear pain point that users are willing to pay for. What specific problem can your product solve that justifies a revenue stream from day one?
Key Discussion Points
Farcaster Ecosystem: Samuel Huber explains that Farcaster is evolving similarly to early Facebook, Reddit, and Twitter with a focus on mini-apps that let users interact without leaving the platform. It fosters a developer-centric community where shipping useful tools earns respect.
Mini-App Potential: Farcaster allows users to create enriched links and mini-apps within the platform, making interactions more seamless, e.g., completing actions like subscribing to a newsletter without leaving the feed.
Simplifying Blockchain Apps: dTech helps startups develop blockchain solutions by focusing on rapid prototyping and reducing unnecessary features. Samuel emphasizes the importance of launching quickly to gather user feedback.
Challenges for Blockchain Companies: Many blockchain companies focus too much on the "blockchain" label, rather than simplifying the user experience and solving practical problems, which prevents them from scaling effectively.
Monetizing Without VC: Samuel argues that startups should focus on solving problems users will pay for instead of chasing VC funding. This ensures a sustainable path to revenue.
Speculative Projects in Blockchain: Speculative projects dominate the blockchain space, but Samuel sees potential for real value in projects that solve concrete user problems, such as stablecoins used for payments.
Samuel’s Vision for dTech: Samuel aims to build meaningful, innovative products with like-minded people, continuing to work on decentralized and social applications.