EXCLUSIVE: Matt Higgins on Passing on Cryptopunks; Lessons from Crypto, NFTs; And the exciting potential of blockchain technology – Ethereum (ETH/USD)
Entrepreneur and RSE Ventures CEO Matt Higgins been in cryptocurrency and NFT for many years and seen it all.
Higgins shared with Benzinga his experiences and what might be next for Web3 in general.
Higgins is a featured panelist at Benzinga’s Future of Crypto in New York City on December 7.
History of NFTs, Cryptocurrency: When asked about his history with non-fungible tokens, Higgins knew exactly where he was when he had his first experience.
Higgins loves and hates telling the story.
Higgins remembered being at a dinner with Gary Vaynerchuk (aka Gary Vee) and is told to buy five CryptoPunks.
“These little JPEGs called CryptoPunks were going to be huge,” Higgins told Benzinga, recalling Vee’s advice.
Instead of buying them, Higgins asked “Why?”, a move he said any other rational person would have asked as well.
“Digital ownership will be represented on the blockchain. The blockchain will be used for ticketing and on and on.”
As Higgins started to come around, he still asked why the CryptoPunks, to which Vee responded by saying it was because they are OGs.
“I ignored it and over the next few months I spent time looking at the room.”
Higgins said he had made all the mistakes in the cryptocurrency and NFT sectors and he was proud of it. This includes getting hacked, getting ripped off and chasing s**tcoins to $0.
“All that learning is incredibly valuable. I don’t regret a single thing.”
What’s Next for Crypto, NFTs: Higgins said he had seen this pattern play out before, and it was important to stay on edge.
“Now the ultimate opportunity of capitulation is underway,” Higgins told Benzinga. “I’ve never lost sight of how exciting blockchain is and its potential.”
Higgins is a fan of Ethereum ETH/USD and Ethereum naming services ENS/USD.
“I think ETH is the winner, you want one scalable layer 1.”
Higgins said he is shocked at how many people who have “earned their battle scars” in crypto and NFTs are now capitulating.
“If you wait for your conviction to be validated by the market before investing or taking action, you will miss the opportunity,” he said. Higgins added that he meant investing with time and commitment and not financially, in this case.
Related Link: EXCLUSIVE: Yuga Labs Co-Founder Greg Solano, AKA Gargamel, Is Coming to Benzinga’s Future Of Crypto Event: Here Are The Details
Future of Crypto Events: Higgins said it was important to have real-life events, as Web3 can enable isolation. Events can be good for mental health.
“You want to look people in the eye,” Higgins said.
Higgins is speaking at the Future of Crypto on a panel titled, “The State of Venture Finance in Crypto and Web3.”
When asked who he was excited to hear speak at Future of Crypto, Higgins shared several panelists.
“I would always pay any amount to hear Mooch (Anthony Scaramucci) talk.”
Higgins was also excited to hear from other Shark Tank hosts Kevin O’Leary. Higgins served as a guest Shark on the show previously.
“MR. Wonderful is always worth the price of admission.”
Higgins was also an investor in Yuga Labs and was happy to hear the co-founder Greg Solano.
“I’m curious to see the first real institutional player recover and what their strategy is.”
Higgins also loved investing in infrastructure plays such as ImmutableX IMX/USDwho will also speak at the event.
Higgins has a new book called “Burn the Boats” coming out on December 14th which looks at the theme of hesitation and hedging instead of going all in.
Higgins called the book somewhat genre-defining, covering self-help, business and being a bit of a memoir.
Higgins partnered with Shopping.io to allow people to buy the book with cryptocurrency, helping to set a new standard for e-commerce. Higgins thought we would look back and laugh at this, in the sense that books were not readily available to buy with crypto.
Hear Matt Higgins and many more speakers at Benzinga’s Future of Crypto on December 7th in New York City. Get tickets here.
