Diversity: The tech space has a bit of a perception that its lacking females, and especially females who are willing to be on panels or give talks – not what I saw at Zebu. Well done to the team – a great mix of panels, and lots of females everywhere!
Community: This is where I struggled. A lot of Web3 enthusiasts are on ‘X’ with alter egos, or nick names – how to know even know who is who? Listening to several of the panel discussions on Community topics, the feedback was basically – if you are new in the space and are launching- use an influencer or partner with someone who has a big following – as you won’t/ can’t organically grow it. Yikes! We also heard that community is great, but understanding why the community there is more important – to support the cause, or to make money? Important to know if you are asking them to vote on new product features…
Themes: What is web3? It is everything – and it’s all in a secret language! Great to hear that Web3 is rebranding to make it more accessible for entry, but there is a challenge at a big event like Zebu that they try to cover/ include panels on blockchain, NFT art, NFT data, gaming, defi……..too much, and end up too diluted. I feel a more focused approach would be suited, or focused stages.
What I found annoying: ‘Bear market!’ Every panel, every conversation, every little Gif and sticker. Ok – so what? Let’s talk about the opportunity this brings, the clearing out of the junk, leaving the quality, the better positioning for the future. Only a couple of the panellists were shouting opportunity, tokens tokens everywhere, time for some to fail and the good to rise…. Everyone else – gloom.
So – would I go again – YES. Great conversations, panels I enjoyed on Tokenomics, Regulation, DeFi, Community and meeting new people was worth the trip alone! (Plus the wines in the bar after with random amazing people!).
