05.18.2023

Maya's Reading List

May 18th 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) ETH active deposits reach an all-time-high in May

There were 20K active deposits of ETH to exchanges on May 5th - highest since November 2021, when ETH hit an ATH of $4,500. ---shoutout Milk Road for the data (they have a great daily crypto newsletter)

🚀 Updating our report on #Ethereum's sky-high active deposits, exchange addresses interacting on the network is now at its highest level since November, 2021. As expected, $ETH is showing decoupling signs and on the cusp of breaking $2k once again.
— Santiment (@santimentfeed)
May 5, 2023

2) Book Summary/Interview for Ashlee Vance's new book When the Heavens Went on Sale.

His book discusses the current efforts in space commercialization with highlights of all the most significant projects building now for the future.

Modern Space Race + State of Elon Musk — With Ashlee Vance

Listen to this episode from Big Technology Podcast on Spotify. Ashlee Vance is the author of When The Heavens Went On Sale, a new book about the modern day space race. Join us for a conversation about the commercial ventures fighting for their place in low earth orbit, and why governments have ceded the space to the private sector. We'll discuss SpaceX, Planet, Rocket Lab, Astra, and Firefly Aerospace. Stay tuned of for the final 20 minutes, where Vance discusses his relationship with Elon Musk and the state of the billionaire entrepreneur. --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. For weekly updates on the show, sign up for the pod newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901970121829801984/ You can pick up Vance's book here. Questions? Feedback? Write to: [email protected]

3) Gamecast - a new podcast by game investor Blake Robbins and Mitch Lasky (Benchmark)

For those of you that watched the show Tetris on Netflix and now need more game history fixes.

Gamecraft

Listen to Gamecraft on Spotify. Gamecraft is a limited series about the modern history of the video game business. Beginning in the early 1990's, the video game business began a radical transformation from a console and PC packaged goods business into the highly complex, online, multi-platform business it is today. Game industry legend Mitch Lasky and game investor Blake Robbins go on a thematic tour of the last 30 years of gaming, exploring the origins of free-to-play, platform-based publishing, casual & mobile gaming, forever games, user-generated content, consoles, virtual reality, and in-game economies across this eight episode series.

4) Miro, the digital collaboration whiteboard has 50M MAUs and was last valued at $17.5B?!

A thread:

Miro was last valued at $17.5B, is the 8th most valuable US startup, and recently hit 50m MAU. They also have an incredibly unique, and effective, product culture. I sat down with @vparmar230 (CPO) to learn how @MiroHQ builds product.
Some of my biggest takeaways:
— Lenny Rachitsky (@lennysan)
May 9, 2023

5) The Sohn conference had some bangers:

Patrick Collison (Co-founder of Stripe) interviews Sam Altman (OpenAI)

Patrick O'Shaughnessy (Invest Like the Best Podcast, OSAM) interviews Bridgewater CIO Karen Karniol-Tambour

6) Street Photos of Every Building in NYC in 1939/1940

1940s NYC | Street photos of every building in New York City in 1939/1940

7) I really like the Milk Road (a crypto newsletter). They have a fun, lighthearted tone

Also latest vc-backed token project to launch a token is $Sui:

🥛 What's Sui? The newest blockchain & token

PLUS: Bitcoin dominates 49% of the crypto market..

8) Axie Infinity - a crypto play-to-earn game that was the darling of the bull market launches in the Apple App Store

Axie Infinity's Token Jumps 12% After Firm Lists Game on Apple App Store

The dollar valued locked in the open futures contracts tied to AXS has surged to highest since February, signaling an influx of new money into the market.

9) Palantir launches AI for military applications:

Palantir shows off an AI that can go to war | Engadget

Palantir, the surveillance company founded by billionaire mogul Peter Thiel, wants to get in on America's Forever War action..

10) What's all the hype in Quantum Computing?

check out the Bell State if you are curious about this crazy field of research.

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(Disclaimer I'm an angel investor in Bonside and investor on the platform!)

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