👋🏾 Hey there!

It’s incredible how quickly the week goes isn’t it!? I’m writing this whilst sat in the 30+ degree, humid heat of Tuscany and feeling grateful to be here!

I've known the team at venture capital firm Concentric for some time, and in a conversation with the founding partner - Kjartan Rist - he suggested I might want to speak with one of their team, Alex, who had set up a new fund to look at investment in Bitcoin infrastructure.

I was naturally intrigued.

Firstly because I have always been slightly sceptical of the crypto and blockchain ‘movement’ but also because after speaking to Alex, it was clear that some very smart people, including himself, were taking the opportunity pretty seriously.

In fact one of the first things he said to me when we first spoke was that he thought both blockchain and the wider crypto space were essentially unregulated ponzis which will all go to zero over time.

Maybe you disagree, but hey - don’t shoot the messenger!

So with that in mind, I really think you’ll enjoy this episode of Nothing Ventured with Alex Mann 🪙🪙

p.s. I love feedback so please do tell me your thoughts on the episode! I’d love your opinion on what I could do better, who you’d like to hear from and anything else you might want to let me know - just reply to this email :)

I’m also very open to conversations, so give me a follow on LinkedIn, Twitter (at least until it implodes), Instagram and now Threads and drop me a note :)

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With that said, let’s get into it.

In conversation with Alex Mann - Partner at Timechain.

When you first sit down with someone, it’s evident whether or not they’re a deep thinker.

I had first noticed Alex was when we first spoke over a zoom call. As he and I discussed his background a bit further, I learned he held both a BSc in Physics from UCL and a Master of Philosophy from Cambridge.

It became obvious to me that Alex was someone who is insightful and observant with an analytical mind. He understands how to think, and more importantly, thinks about things that are worth spending time and energy on.

The ensuing podcast was one of my favourites, mainly because it challenged a number of my own preconceptions around Bitcoin, it's utility and its future.