Image credit: Circle
For those of you tracking my journey, the first quarter of 2022 has been an inspiring chapter of exploring deep into the landscape of emerging internet technologies. Many metaphors are used to compare this time historically, but it really does feel like the early web1.0 days, only this time arguably of more substance. The energy and momentum around building a new internet is palpable, and just stepping into the space continues to reignite my imagination. There are a stunning number of groundbreaking advances in technology to absorb.
My Next Step
As for my next step into emerging landscape, I’m excited to share that this week I’ll be joining Circle as VP of Creative & Brand Marketing. In this recent chapter leading up to this decision I’ve had the great opportunity to speak with some of the industry’s most talented builders, founders and storytellers — and I can say with confidence those with the Circle community are consistently the most inspirational and aspirational. I’ve carried a shortlist of criterium in my hunt for the next creative challenge and Circle was at the top of all of those metrics. In the spirit of mutual-inspiration, I’m sharing below my thoughts on why Circle was the right next team to join and mission to get behind. Below is my considered rationale:
Values
My first fundamental filter in looking for a creative challenge was to find a company whose values aligned with my own and who was frankly doing net good in the world. For me this was paramount, and Circle is demonstrably living their four values in several ways including its efforts like Circle Impact, Circle Ventures and SeedInvest. Dante A. Disparte has written a brilliant piece that broadly details the improvement of financial inclusion and prosperity for all here.
Leadership
There are many bright minds in this current tech landscape with many compelling visions for the future of the internet, but the leadership at Circle stands out amongst the rest. If you don’t know Jeremy Allaire’s story you should :) Jeremy is a bright and humble mind and he has a track record for building infrastructure before most see the need. Not only is Jeremy tenured in this space but at Circle he brings his trusted partnership with COO Elisabeth Carpenter as well as Dante Disparte Chief Strategy Officer and Sherice Torres as Chief Marketing Officer. These are but a few of the brilliant minds at the helm of the ship, if you’re curious I’d suggest a deep dive on the rest of the leadership team here.
Compelling Tech
When assessing emerging tech through the lens of genuinely contributing positively to the advancement of society, versus simply building a shiny new thing, what was first most compelling to me was their particular stablecoin, the USDC. I don’t profess to be a crypto-diehard, nor a hardcore NFT fanatic (though I hold a few) so for me as a n00b the simple concept of giving the US dollar the power of digital currency was incredibly powerful. In the same way that we can’t fathom needing to send an ‘international email’ that would somehow require several days to transmit and would cost a small fee, when you step back from the picture it seems crazy to think that the way money moves around the world is simply stored in Oracle database clusters but requires days to reconcile international transfers for example. Why stablecoin?
The value of most cryptocurrencies, especially Bitcoin, fluctuates – sometimes wildly. Virtual currencies aim to facilitate ever more secure transactions, but their values seem increasingly to involve speculation. In all this blockchain technology plays a major role – providing the underpinnings and infrastructure. Stablecoins are more fixed than ‘normal’ cryptocurrencies – because their values are pegged to other assets like fiat currencies or commodities. As a result, promoters of stablecoins enjoy many cryptocurrency benefits (transparency, security, privacy, etc.) without the volatility that comes with other digital coins. [Source]
Of all the interesting growth edges of this space then, this was something that felt undeniably compelling. This was an area that was going to be most the intellectually stimulating, presenting the most complex narrative, and whose most base story I felt would be crucial for the world to understand. I believe Circle to be a category definer, not just disruptor, in terms of being one of the few transparently dollar-backed stable coins in the market. This line of thinking tickles the brain in just the right way, and I have a seemingly insatiable appetite to learn about the space.
Creative Opportunity
The web3 landscape is plagued by marketing/technospeak, which is to say there is an incredible opportunity to tell the story of this emerging technology, why it matters, how it works, what it means to the world. If the opportunity is to bridge the delta between the potential of this emerging platform technology and the world’s understanding, then this is an area where I want to invest my time.
Diversity
As a person of color in tech, it’s important to me that we not only embrace diversity in the teams and businesses that we build, but that we also support diversity through the products that we ship. Not only has Circle built a permanent initiative (Circle Impact) aimed at reaching the people and communities who are all too often left behind by the traditional financial system, they have also focused on allocating a share of USD Coin (USDC) dollar-denominated reserves to often underrepresented Minority-owned Depository Institutions (MDIs) and Community Banks. Circle is literally putting their money where their mouth is and also focused on providing equal opportunity through their products by focusing on boosting financial inclusion.
Future Vision
I’ve heard Jeremy and the Circle leadership team say that that Circle, USDC and its suite of products are a twenty-to-thirty-year vision. And even though he and the team are already 8 years or so into this journey, I’m thrilled to step onto the rocket ship and join them in this effort. The cause seems herculean, the potential to positively affect the world for good astounding. Which is to say the future is bright and I can’t wait to get stuck in. 🚀💯
I just applied for the VP Of Product Management role @ Circle and reading this was very helpful for me. I love the way you write. Thanks!