EPISODE · Jun 29, 2023 · 39 MIN
Clemens Behrend: Web3, Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies
from Scouting for Growth · host Sabine VdL
On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Clemens Behrend, an entrepreneur with a rich background in building customer-facing support solutions in Web3. Clemens spent over 5 years building Bitpanda's customer community department from scratch and scaling it from pre-seed to unicorn status. And it is important to understand that the power of Web3 is in building unique communities. During their deep dive, Clemens and Sabine talk about his interest in Web3, Bitcoin, and Crypto, why he believes those 3 components are key to building unique communities, and Clemens shares a few tips for those of us interested in learning and trialling such technologies. KEY TAKEAWAYS From 2017 to 2022, I led and set up customer support at Bitpanda, the first Unicorn in Austria and a neo-broker that offers all asset classes from cryptocurrencies, stocks, and commodities to almost four million customers 24/7, 365. In my youth, I played a lot of computer games and realised you could earn money by selling items. So I launched my first business, an online shop for virtual items. Though this I discovered my passion for customer support and keeping my 1,000-2,000 clients happy. The biggest mistake I made was relying on 1 payment method. Then a friend of mine showed me BitCoin and that was the solution to my problem. After that, I focused solely on cryptocurrency. The most important thing that people need to realise when building a unicorn, especially in the crypto industry: Crypto is 24/7, it’s not like the stock market that closes on a Friday afternoon, it’s also on the weekends. Our key success factor was being based in Austria, and we had an impressum, which is not that typical in the crypto industry; people never knew where their funds were, but this gave us transparency and also trust from our clients. It meant we were always reachable with 24/7 support. Bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency, and I would say the only really decent one; all the others are copies because Bitcoin's source code is open, and anyone can publish and own their own cryptocurrency. They symbolise companies, so investing in Bitcoin and in cryptocurrencies are two very different things and have different risks. People need to do research before investing. BEST MOMENTS ‘Last century private currencies had been predicted, so the concept behind Bitcoin is not that new, it’s just beautiful to see how it’s now come into practice.’ ‘In Web2, you log in to a page, and there’s a Google SSO with just a username and an email; in Web3, you connect with your wallet, and you can transfer financial data on the blockchain.’ ‘Bitcoin’s uptime is still amazing: Over 99.9% with only a few outages of a few hours or so, the last of which was 10 years ago. Compared to traditional payment methods like Visa, Mastercard, or SWIFT, Bitcoin is doing well. ’ ‘Make it as easy as possible for your customers to complain, because the biggest issue for any business in Web3 is when you have people who silently quit and don’t tell you why. When you receive a complaint, see it as a last chance to convince the person to stay.’ ABOUT THE GUEST Clemens holds a BSc degree in Economics and has a rich background in building customer-facing support solutions in Web 3. He spent over five years building Bitpanda's customer support/community department from scratch and scaling it from pre-seed to unicorn. His knowledge in the field is extensive, and he is known for his strong analytical and managerial skills. ABOUT THE HOST Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of accelerators, investor, and co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, Sabine is known for asking the uncomfortable questions—about AI governance, risk, and trust. On Scouting for Growth, she decodes how real growth happens—where capital, collaboration, and courage meet. If this episode sparked your thinking, follow Sabine VanderLinden on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram for more insights. And if you’re interested in sponsoring the podcast, reach out to the team at [email protected]
What this episode covers
What if the real power of Web3 isn’t decentralised finance—but decentralised trust, built one community at a time? In this episode of Scouting for Growth, Sabine VdL sits down with Clemens Behrend, a Web3 entrepreneur who helped scale Bitpanda from pre-seed to Austria’s first unicorn, to unpack a side of crypto most leaders underestimate: customer support as a growth engine. This is not a conversation about speculation or hype. It’s about why communities—not code—ultimately determine who wins in Web3. Clemens’ path into crypto didn’t begin with whitepapers or trading charts. It started with online gaming. As a teenager, he discovered that virtual items had real value—and that people were willing to pay for them. Running an online shop for digital goods taught him two lasting lessons: how to keep thousands of customers happy, and how fragile businesses become when they rely on a single payment method. When that method failed, Bitcoin wasn’t a curiosity—it was a solution. That experience pulled Clemens deeper into cryptocurrency and eventually to Bitpanda, where he spent more than five years building the company’s customer support and community function from the ground up. From day one, the challenge was different from traditional finance. Crypto never sleeps. Markets don’t close on Fridays. Customers trade, panic, and celebrate 24/7. Support had to match that reality. One of Bitpanda’s most underestimated differentiators, Clemens explains, was transparency. Based in Austria, with a clear legal presence and an impressum—rare in early crypto—the company made itself visible and reachable. That visibility built trust at scale. Combined with round-the-clock support, it reassured customers in an industry often criticised for opacity and distance. The episode also draws a clear distinction between Bitcoin and “crypto” more broadly. Clemens is direct: Bitcoin is fundamentally different. It’s the original, with unmatched uptime and resilience. Many other cryptocurrencies, by contrast, behave more like companies—each carrying its own risk profile. Understanding that difference, he argues, is essential before investing. Research is not optional in Web3. Web3 identity is another focal point. Unlike Web2, where users log in with an email address, Web3 connects through wallets—enabling the transfer of financial data, ownership, and value directly on-chain. That shift changes how communities form and how trust is earned. But it also raises the stakes. When customers leave silently, businesses lose the opportunity to learn. Clemens’ advice is counterintuitive but powerful: make it easy for customers to complain. Complaints are not friction—they’re feedback and often the last chance to retain trust. Throughout the conversation, one theme is unmistakable: community is infrastructure. In Web3, technology enables scale—but relationships sustain it. Support teams aren’t a cost centre; they are guardians of credibility in an always-on ecosystem. This episode is essential listening for founders, product leaders, and enterprise executives exploring Web3 beyond the headlines. It’s a reminder that decentralisation doesn’t eliminate responsibility—it amplifies it. Because in Web3, trust isn’t granted by institutions— it’s earned, interaction by interaction.
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Clemens Behrend: Web3, Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies
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