Antonino Sardegno discusses blockchain venture capital with More Than Money


In the most recent episode of More Than Money, CoinGeek’s Patrick Thompson spoke to Antonino Sardegno about venture capital in blockchain, what needs to happen for more investors and businesses to have confidence in companies. of blockchain, and what engineers can do to make life easier for market players.

Who is Anthonyno Sardinia?

Sardegno is the Managing Partner and Founder of Hummingbird Capital Partners. He tells Thompson that the company helps family offices and entrepreneurial investors eliminate the administrative hassle associated with proprietary investment strategies.

How do they do this? They have institutional grade investment funds, and because they invest their own money, they know the pain points associated with executing an idea. They offer access to their platform and deal with other parties behind the scenes, ensuring that it is regulated, legal, and hassle-free.

Why spend time and energy learning what is happening in the field of blockchain and digital assets?

Thompson asks Sardegno why he and his company are interested in the industry. He gives a three-part answer.

First, it attracts enthusiastic, young and amazing minds. Second, the software itself is intellectually fascinating. Finally, real problems are solved.

Do you lean more towards the consumer or business side of the industry?

Noting that the industry tends to split into two camps; client or business, Thompson asks Sardegno which he is focusing on.

He replies that the business is the main objective. He believes blockchain technology will have a huge impact and create many positive outcomes for many people. A lot of creativity will be unleashed and new business models will be built, he tells us. As for adoption, he says it’s a matter of when, not if.

Thompson agrees, but he’s also optimistic about consumer-facing apps. He notes how easy ordinary people can dive in and gamble while companies need to be more careful. He asks what kind of issues need to be resolved before companies decide to implement blockchain technology.

For Sardegno it is crucial that everything works in accordance with legal requirements. He notes that all businesses need audits, and blockchain can help with that. He finds it an extremely useful tool for any business that needs to record ‘moments of truth’.

What are the “green flags” when evaluating companies for investment?

Focusing on investments for a minute, Thompson wants to know what Sardegno and the team at Hummingbird Capital Partners look for when evaluating a company.

Sardegno stresses that they are not interested in companies that make money through arbitration. Instead, they focus on companies that solve real-world problems. He gives the example of Tokenized. For him, any company that uses low-cost blockchain money transfers and builds business solutions around them is a great potential candidate.

Is there a particular industry that can benefit from blockchain solutions?

Thompson is well aware that the implications of blockchain technology are far-reaching. However, he wants to know if there is one in particular that Sardegno thinks will be positively impacted.

Sardegno replies that there are so many that it is “basically universally applicable”. There are limitless applications and capabilities, and we are only bound by human creativity. Creativity, for him, makes us all brothers and sisters.

Are there any evaluation metrics that you and your team are looking at in particular?

Thompson points to the difficulty many investors face in valuing companies in the blockchain space. Traditional methods of measuring the value of stocks and other companies often do not apply to this sector. He wonders how Sardegno and his team are doing.

He replies that aside from the usual stuff, they are looking at tokenomics and network effects. He explains how we don’t have a good idea of ​​exponential growth and how quickly it creeps up on us. He thinks that’s the kind of change this industry will experience. The current growth rate and the potential for exponential growth is something they are looking at.

Why now? Why weren’t they immersed in the ecosystem before?

Thompson asks why Hummingbird Capital Partners only entered the blockchain relatively recently.

“Because I don’t learn as fast as you,” Sardegno replies. “It takes time to digest.”

Besides the learning curve, he highlights how they have a strong fiduciary responsibility to the people they deal with. This causes them to be risk averse until they reach a minimum degree of understanding.

Sardegno stresses that knowledge transfer is absolutely crucial and that we have not yet understood the impact this technology could have.

What can blockchain engineers do to make life easier for others?

Thompson asks if there is anything blockchain engineers can do to make life easier for those who want to learn more.

Sardegno says to make the message easier to digest and encourages industry veterans to try to reach young people. He says to remember that his young sons are on the other side of the screen, and they will be the ones building in the future. On top of that, it encourages engineers to create as many real-world examples as possible. He mentions how real-life examples helped him understand the technology and how it works. So engineers should create prototypes to help people understand.

Thompson picks up on the age point, asking if any particular age group is tuned in to what’s going on. Sardegno thinks young teens are probably the most self-aware demographic because that’s when you have an unbiased imagination. He notes that wonderful things can happen when you combine the power of imagination with a tool like blockchain.

Do you have a takeaway for the public?

Thompson usually asks his guests for one last takeaway, something they’d like the audience to remember. He asks Sardegno for his final thoughts.

“Value will be king,” he says. He uses an analogy that the shoes you wear won’t matter, but the steps you take will.

Key points to remember

  • There is still an education gap in the world of blockchain and digital assets. This slows down the pace of innovation.
  • When accounting firms audit more blockchain companies, investors will have a better idea of ​​how to value them.
  • If engineers create more prototypes for their complex ideas, they are likely to be more successful and every market player will benefit.

Watch: BSV Global Blockchain Convention panel, Tokenizing Assets & Securities on Blockchain

New to Bitcoin? Discover CoinGeek bitcoin for beginners section, the ultimate resource guide to learn more about Bitcoin – as originally envisioned by Satoshi Nakamoto – and blockchain.

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