In the past year, the first killer application of blockchain technology has emerged: venture funding. As blockchain-facilitated crowdfunding is disrupting venture capital at blistering speed, we are joined by Ciaran O’Leary, Founder and General Partner at BlueYard. BlueYard stands at the intersection of this transition. Structured as a traditional VC fund, its thesis focuses fully on the decentralized economy and it invests in tokens too. Ciaran joined us to discusses what blockchain means for VCs and its implications for BlueYard.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Ciaran’s journey as a VC
• How the VC industry has been changing
• Why he founded Blue Yard and its investment thesis
• Value creation in a blockchain economy
• Buying equity vs buying tokens
• Why tokens and ICOs are erroding the distinction between hedge funds and VC funds
• Best practices for running ICOs

Episode links:

• BlueYard Capital
• BlueYard Investment Thesis
• Filecoin Investment Article
• Protocol Labs Investment Article
• Userfeeds & why the web needs a new information ranking system
• OB1 & OpenBazaar – BlueYard Capital – Medium

This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/200