[Interview with Curt Shi] Early Backer of STEPN and Entrepreneur Turned Web2 and Web3 Hybrid Investor

[Blockchain Asia #42]

This is Coco. Today, I want to share this fascinating interview with Curt Shi, Founding Partner of ProDigital Future and an early backer of STEPN, a Web3 move-to-earn app.

Originally from China, he started out as an entrepreneur, then transitioned into Web2 investments with a particular interest in the fitness and lifestyle sector, driven by his passion for skateboarding in his youth. While in China, he was a skeptic of Bitcoin mining but participated in some ICOs.

He moved to Australia in 2000 and spent nearly two decades traveling between Australia and China until 2019 when he permanently settled in Australia. While in Australia, he was introduced to the founder Jerry of STEPN before he launched the project. Jerry was also an immigrant from Mainland China. His investment in STEPN led him to expand his investments into Web3 and launch the Web3 fund, ProDigital Future.

Curt Shi's accomplishments, experience, multifaceted background, and global investment footprint make this interview unique and very interesting!

In this candid conversation, we talked about:

1. How did he stumble upon STEPN and why did he write the founder a check after their first meeting? Looking back, what does he think STEPN could have done differently?

2. Why did he and his investment team turn down a Bitcoin mining investment opportunity?

3. What are some distinctive differences and commonalities between Web2 and Web3 investing?

4. What are the similarities and differences between China, the U.S., and Australia in terms of entrepreneurship and Web3?

The opinions and views expressed in the interview are the personal views of the speakers and should not be construed as investment advice.

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Here is the audio recording:

I want to thank Nan Hua for providing a text version of this interview.

Thank you for listening. There are two other relevant interviews, one with Rita Liao of CrunchTech, and the other with Sean Lee of Odsy Network.

Coco

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About the Author

I am Coco Kee, Co-founder of Kee Global Advisors and author of Blockchain Asia. More than 3 years ago, I started following innovations and developments in Asia’s blockchain, digital & crypto assets with the belief that this industry is inherently global and Asia is the other side of the coin. Blockchain Asia serves as a valuable resource, keeping readers stay informed of the latest developments and opportunities in Asia. It aims to be a platform for showcasing emerging Asian startups and investors.

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The curated content is selective and serves as information and contains personal views only, not investment advice.