I recently enjoyed having my friend Danny Pantuso on The Proof Of Work podcast. As a venture investor at Decasonic, a Chicago-based VC firm, Danny brought valuable insights into venture capital, web3, and where he sees the most opportunity today.
I was fascinated to hear about Danny's interdisciplinary background in management science and engineering from Stanford, which informs his balanced approach to blending art and science and his adventures in founding and selling a successful startup in Iceland after spurning a safe product management role at Microsoft in Silicon Valley.
We explored provocative ideas around venture capital herd mentality, the limitations of the Fat Protocol thesis, and the exploding creator economy. Danny offered thoughtful insights on maintaining clarity in turbulent times, emphasizing rationality and traction over hockey stick projections and how Chicago's ecosystem differs from Silicon Valley. I particularly appreciated his emphasis on first principles and rationality in decision-making.
Danny offered practical advice for founders, emphasizing traction and de-risking. His emphasis on shipping and getting things done renewed my optimism about the future of web3 venture capital in our rapidly changing world.
(00:00) Intro
(01:51) Life studying Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University
(05:20) Journey from Stanford University to being a VC at Decasonic
(10:29) State of Web3 VC in 2023
(17:42) Most excited among Web3 Gaming, AR/VR and AI
(25:38) How frontier technologies will transform human behavior
(31:38) Is Hollywood worried with the power of Generative A.I.
(35:24) Mental models guiding rational evaluation of startups
(46:44) What makes Decasonic unique
(48:15) Views on Fat Protocol Thesis
(51:37) Thoughts on appchains
(53:50) Decasonic's investment process
(58:29) Power of creators in gaming space
(1:02:59) Chicago vs Silicon Valley VC Ecosystem
(1:05:23) Rapid Fire Questions
👉 Follow Decasonic on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@decasonic7738
👉 Follow Decasonic on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/decasonic/
👉 Follow Decasonic on X: https://twitter.com/decasonic
👉 Follow Decasonic on Mirror: https://mirror.xyz/decasonic.eth
👉 Follow Decasonic on Telegram: https://t.me/decasonic
👉 Follow Danny on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dpantuso/
👉 Subscribe to Proof Of Work's Youtube Video Podcast: https://yt.openinapp.co/1klyf
👉 Subscribe to Proof Of Work's Apple Audio Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/proof-of-work-with-shiv-mehta/id1694867776
👉 Order my book on History and Evolution of Money on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Protocols-Money-Primer-History-Evolution/dp/0648927059
👉 Follow Shiv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shivmehta/
Danny Pantuso: Lessons from Decasonic Web3 Rising Star VC | Proof Of Work With Shiv Mehta Episode 14