January 3rd 2023

SPICE CAPITAL PRESENTS: 🔥 🌶 HOT SAUCE 🌶 🔥

Here at Spice Capital, we’re focused on making big bets in areas primed for rapid change. To do that, we believe it’s important to stay up to date with what some of the most exciting thinkers and builders are saying day-to-day as well as mixing up your content intake with some fun from the corners of the internet. We know there’s a lot of noise and the space can feel overwhelming. Don’t worry! We’re here to be the Hot Sauce in your bag so you can make sure you always keep things spicy!

1. On this week's reading list I'm linking you to another reading list! Blake Robbins from Benchmark started a monthly compilation with fun curation across web3/ai/consumer.

2. Many have tried and all have failed to build a social mapping consumer app but at least Antoine Martin's Zenly got a $250M exit out of it. RIP Zenly.

3. Web3 natives have gotten used to complex onboarding flows but a new wave of startups have been experimenting with "tagalong" chrome extensions that work well with existing wallets.

One example is Fire - they live on top of the wallet to help with fraud protection.

Fast forward to the future...imagine a login flow that links your wallet to other applications off chain. How much do you hate setting up a new device where you have to type in passwords for every single app? Or how much do you hate updating all your subscriptions when you get a new credit card? Tons of business ideas to be explored that use the benefits of crypto in real world use cases :)

EX: ...one-click sign in and you are logged into instagram or... one click-sign in and your transaction is synced to your bank account!

Fun to think about new marketing attribution models here as well!

4. Great piece on the current "digital resistance" - I can get behind advocating for a future with less of a brand-centric digital landscape. (sourced from the "Elite Links" channel on the Dirt Discord).

"However, on the fringes of cyberspace, there appears to be a percolating desire for new modes of digital being, seeing and worldbuilding. It is taking shape in what has been labelled “shitposting”, posts written off as detractions from the main conversation, or “schizoposting” stream of consciousness onslaughts often delivered to your feed in the form of 40 consecutive tweets."