The past couple of months have been a whirlwind of travel, learning, and growth for me and for Calea. Between attending global events like Token2049, Devcon, and SmartCon, and managing a rapidly expanding team, this period has been nothing short of transformative. As I reflect on these experiences, I want to share some insights—about the industry, our journey, insights on tokenomics and the lessons learned along the way.
What a journey it’s been!
A Bit of Background
Before diving into the highlights, let me set the scene. In September, I left Spain for Token2049 in Singapore—our first major stop. Just four months earlier, this would have been unimaginable. Up until May, it was just my co-founder, Álvaro, and me steering the Calea ship. But May marked a turning point: we welcomed our first team member (or as I like to call them, a Padawan). By the time I set off for Singapore, we had grown to a team of five, giving us the bandwidth to delegate tasks and focus on building Calea’s presence at events.
Token2049: A Melting Pot of Ideas
Token2049 was everything I’d hoped for and more. The event was a vibrant intersection of blockchain innovators, service providers, founders, and investors—a holistic snapshot of the industry. Being in Singapore, where everything was conveniently close, made it easy to navigate the main conference and the buzzing side events.
The sheer number of VCs and market makers present blew me away. While I knew the industry was growing, seeing the scale of interest firsthand was eye-opening. Meeting our partners and clients in person was another highlight; the irony wasn’t lost on us that it took traveling halfway across the world to make it happen.
One recurring theme in my conversations was the central role of tokenomics in a project’s success. VCs emphasized how poorly designed tokens often render otherwise brilliant projects uninvestable. This affirmed the value of Calea’s unique approach to tokenomics design and stress testing. However, it also exposed a challenge: ego. Many founders were resistant to feedback, clinging to token designs that often lacked alignment with their project’s business goals. A token should incentivize behavior that drives value—not just exist for the sake of it.
Bali: Building Connections in Paradise
After the high intensity of Token2049, I headed to Bali, where the Solana Breakpoint after-events took place. Bali’s beauty is unparalleled, though I didn’t get much time to explore. (To give you an idea of how exhausting Token2049 was, I slept 14 hours straight upon arriving in Bali!)
The week in Bali was a breath of fresh air. The crypto community there is rich with talented individuals focused on building projects with real utility. The more relaxed setting fostered deeper connections and meaningful discussions, a stark contrast to the fast pace of Singapore.
Merge: A Glimpse of Spain’s Growing Ecosystem
Midway through my Bali stay, I flew back to Madrid for Merge, where Calea was a semifinalist in the startup competition. While Merge felt smaller in scale compared to Token2049, it was exciting to see Spain hosting an event that captured a slice of international blockchain culture.
The audience leaned toward institutions and “suits,” many of whom admitted they didn’t know much about blockchain. Still, it was encouraging to see Spain making strides in this space and to connect with contributors genuinely adding value to the ecosystem.
SmartCon: DeFi Meets TradFi
From Madrid, it was back to Asia—this time to Hong Kong for SmartCon by Chainlink. This event focused heavily on the convergence of DeFi and TradFi. Listening to a panel featuring HSBC alongside Chainlink’s Sergey Nazarov was surreal. Large financial institutions openly acknowledging blockchain’s potential to solve their operational pain points was something I couldn’t have imagined five years ago.
The discussions reaffirmed that blockchain is no longer a niche technology—it’s becoming a cornerstone of the financial world.
Devcon 7: A Geek’s Paradise
The final stop on my journey was Devcon 7 in Bangkok—a city that’s as vibrant and chaotic as the event itself. Devcon was the perfect end to this marathon trip, offering a deep dive into interoperability, ZK-rollups, account abstraction, and the challenges of onboarding the mass market.
One key takeaway: for blockchain to reach mass adoption, transaction costs need to drop to fractions of a cent, and technologies like ZK-rollups and account abstraction will be pivotal in making this a reality. While the technical discussions were enriching, the logistical challenges of Bangkok’s infamous traffic were a reminder of just how dynamic (and exhausting) this space can be.
Looking Ahead
As I write this, I’m already planning my return to Singapore for Token2049 in 2025. Reflecting on the past few months, I’m filled with gratitude—not just for the incredible experiences but also for the growth of our team, now eight strong. Balancing events, side events, team management, and actual work has been a challenge, but it’s one that continues to push me to grow.
This journey has been a rollercoaster, and I can’t wait to see what’s next. In the meantime, I’ll save some of my reflections on team growth for the next blog. Stay tuned!
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