Issue 48 ? November Reign

In this Issue:

? Devcon Consumes Bangkok ????

? Bitcoin Hits 93K - Being on the right side of history

? A look back on a November to Remember & the November Rain ???

“For a minute, for a minute there, I lost myself. I lost myself.”

— Thom Yorke, "Karma Police"

That line hits differently when you’ve spent seven years immersed in the chaos, camaraderie, and sheer grit of startups, and then find yourself on the right side of history.?

Since 2017, I’ve ridden this wild web3 wave—its highs, lows, missteps, and moonshots.

Along the way, I left pieces of myself everywhere: in failed ventures, late-night brainstorms, partnerships that fell apart, and friendships that became lifelines.

Each moment shaped me—sometimes painfully, often beautifully.

This past week at Devcon SEA 2024, it felt like both a culmination and a fresh start with 650 + side events taking over Thailand's capital.

It was a crescendo in a song, still being written.

Bitcoin hit $93K, Ethereum’s brightest minds gathered under one roof in Bangkok, and 650+ side events turned the city I live in turned into a global epicenter of innovation.

Not a conference, not a movement, it was a feeling.

It was history.

And yeah, it felt damn good to be on the right side of it.

But history isn’t made on euphoria alone.

It’s forged in the trenches.

From Consumer to Creator

When I began this journey, I was a consumer—watching, learning, absorbing. Web3 back then was the Wild West: exhilarating, unregulated, and brimming with possibilities. But somewhere along the way, I crossed the chasm. I became a creator, (probably after realizing I’ll never be a day trader). With that came responsibility: to build, to lead, to fail publicly, and to rise again.

Not all startups survived. Some didn’t make it past their first pitch. Others grew legs, then wings, and are still soaring.?

The same is true for relationships.

?Some frayed and broke under the strain; others turned strangers into family.?

Through it all, I learned that growth requires sacrifice.

?Sometimes you have to disrupt your own identity to step into the next version of yourself.?

Comfort zones don’t just stretch—they shatter.

The Highs and Lows

There’s a misconception that success feels like winning the lottery: confetti, champagne, instant validation.

The truth?

It’s messy.

It’s the all-nighters.

?The FOMO when another team gets funding first.?

The gut punch of failure. It’s losing yourself in the process—and finding someone stronger when you come out the other side.

This week reminded me of that. In the middle of Bangkok’s buzz, surrounded by frens-turned-family, I realized that what matters isn’t the highs or the lows but how you navigate them.

With grace.

With grit.

With a willingness to evolve—even when it hurts.

This is the way, anon.

Highlights Worth Remembering

This week wasn’t just about soaking in the energy of Devcon of Bangkok's vibrant night scene—it was about creating it.

A few moments stood out as milestones in this whirlwind of a week full of connections, and growth.

First, the honor of speaking on the main stage of the ABC Conclave on the top of Emsphere - alongside my fren and the brilliant founder of Qualoo, Keith Dawson.

Together we discussed the rise of Depin, and the challenges and changes it will bring along the way.

Sharing that stage wasn’t just a career highlight—it was a reminder of how far we’ve come and how much further we can go when we collaborate.

Keith’s insights, paired with the electric energy of the other panelists, made it a moment that will stay with me long after Bangkok’s neon lights fade.

Then, there was the Web3 Swap Debate—the only one of its kind during Devcon SEA. Hosting this event was like orchestrating a live symphony of ideas: passionate, challenging, and full of the kind of raw energy that reminds you why this space matters.

It wasn’t about winners or losers; it was about driving the conversations that push us all forward, all the event organizers knew this, from Museigen to Founders Hub Network.?

Of course, Devcon wouldn’t be Devcon without its heart—the people.?

Catching up with old frens and meeting new ones felt like a reunion and a revelation all at once.

It’s these connections, these late-night conversations over beers and brainstorms, that keep the soul of Web3 alive.

Whether it was reconnecting with the frens who’ve been in the trenches with me for years or meeting the next wave of dreamers and builders ready to disrupt the status quo, these moments reminded me why I started this journey in the first place.

These highlights weren’t just professional—they were deeply personal.

They were about stepping into the next version of myself while being surrounded by a community that makes the whole damn ride worthwhile.

November Rain

Then came Thursday’s out-of-character November rain - it fell like a curtain call on my Devcon experience.

Not a rug, not a storm, but a steady, cleansing.?

A downpour—symbolic, almost poetic.?

Rain is transformation -? washing away the dust to reveal what lies beneath.

Washing away the old to make way for the growth of the new.?

It forced me to confront myself,? Bangkok traffic aside.?

In November Rain, Guns N’ Roses sings about love that lasts forever—but also the pain when it doesn’t.? Tell me this isn’t crypto.

Maybe it was the traffic or the sheer social exhaustion of combating the 650+ events in 9 days, but I couldn’t help but think about this November Reign (Bitcoins) and that November Rain (Bangkok's & my own).?

That duality mirrored my own reality: euphoria clashing with quiet introspection of how far we’ve come and what we’ve accomplished.?

The rain wasn’t just an ending; it was a reckoning and a new beginning.?

As Axel Rose sings “It’s hard to hold a candle in the cold November rain.” Not a red or green candle that we're used to in the markets, but a candle that symbolizes hope.

The same can be said for the fleeting moments of Web3, good, bad, and ugly.?

The truth is transformation happens in discomfort.?

It’s in the moments like this that clarity begins, not in self-congratulating side events.

That rain felt like the final act of a battle I didn’t know I was fighting.

A release of all the weight, the questions, and the “what-ifs” I’d carried since the beginning, when I entered the space.

We had surpassed the WAGMI mentality and moved on to the next phase.?

We're all gonna make it, but before we do, we must define what making it actually means.

Have you thought about what comes next, anon?

What keeps you going, after the festivities end?

That remains the question.

What’s Next?

Devcon SEA felt like a mountaintop moment, one we summited by standing on the shoulders of giants.

But where do we go from here?

Web3 isn’t just changing how we transact; it’s reshaping how we live, work, play, and learn. The choices we make—what we build, who we build with, and why—will ripple far beyond ourselves.

This was evident during the week of euphoria both in the markets and on the streets of Bangkok.?

It’s not just about being on the right side of history or the right place at the right time.

It’s about ensuring that history is worth writing.

To My Family, My Frens, and Myself

This journey isn’t just about blockchain or startups.

It’s about identity.

About leaving pieces of yourself behind, knowing you’ll never get them back, and being okay with that.

It’s about ambition that outpaces talent—and figuring out how to close the gap.

It’s about looking back at the trenches and saying:

“I was there. I did that. I’m still standing.”

To my frens at Qualoo, Founders Hub Network (F3AI) , Museigen.io, ICP, and beyond—you’ve made this bearable. To my family—thank you for grounding me while I try to level up.

And to myself—keep going.

Keep questioning.

Keep building.

LFG.

The Aftermath

As I write this, the dust has settled on Devcon.

The lights of the club are on, the side events are over, and Bangkok has returned to its chaotic, beautiful rhythm.?

But the energy of this week lingers.

We bought the ticket.?

We took the ride.?

Now it’s time to harness that momentum.

November was one to Remember.

?Now let’s make it one we’ll never forget, one we learn from, and use to make the best of 2025 possible.

LFG.

Onward. ?

(P.S. If you’ve made it this far, ask yourself: What’s your “rain”?

What’s your next chapter? Because the future’s unwritten—and you’re holding the pen.)

Thanks for reading.?? ?

See you next week!

Grateful for all the builders, innovators, movers, and shakers I've connected with along the way. ??

Thank you for nearly 7.7K followers

Next stop 10,000 ??

LFG ??????

– Nick ∞

The Altcoin Observer & AdLunam Interview is Now ??

Last month at the WikiExpo Bangkok 2024, I chatted with Nadja Bester, Co-founder of AdLunam and AltCoin Observer, to explore the current state of start-ups in Web3.

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