Crypto to Coffee and back

In January 2023, just a few months after the FTX collapse, I felt disillusioned with crypto. I'd gotten into the space back in 2016 during an internship at Deloitte, diving deep into the value, principles, and tech behind blockchains. That passion carried me for years, but 2022 tested it. So I decided to try something new. I moved back to Ireland from New York for about four months to open a coffee shop. While there, I kept my New York hours. I woke up early to build the café, then around 3pm, I switched to my second job as a software engineer.

It was a long process but hugely rewarding (you can check out the café here). The café grew quickly and found product-market fit early. Before I knew it, we had a team of 10 on payroll and were generating well over £250k per year in revenue.

But I felt there was still more for me to do in crypto, so I moved back to New York and joined Optimism in 2024 to help scale Ethereum. Now I am continuing that mission while staying open to new ways of bringing crypto to more people, whether through content or software. You are on that journey with me.

Like I said in my last newsletter, I'm trying out different forms of content. Some educational, some conversation and some a bit more spicy. Let me know what you think. Here's my latest short video:

malone

@blainemalone

what’s your best explanation of a blockchain?
I’ll wait…

12:19 AM • Apr 17, 2025

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See you next Thursday!

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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are my own and do not reflect those of my employer or any affiliated organizations. Nothing in this publication constitutes financial, legal, or investment advice.

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