E55: Swissborg Co-Founder: "We Chose Community Over VC money"

Anthony Lesoismier-Geniaux is the Co-Founder & CSO of Swissborg, one of the Biggest Crypto Companies in Europe with over 1 million users and a valuation of more than 220 million CHF. Anthony is also a deep thinker and a super genuine and humble man. With his friends Cyrus and Alex Fazel, he started Swissborg in 2016 by following a very different funding route than the traditional VC approach: focusing on community-driven values and transparency. This approach has paid big time: Swissborg has built a profitable company and has successfully raised over $75 million from their community! Key topics: - Why « Think big » Silicon Valley culture is bullshit - How having no VC money saved Swissborg from the 2022 collapse - Tokens for Startup growth on steroids - Money and Success - How cockiness will kill you, every time - Embracing Change - Crypto Risks and Rewards - Zero vs. Positive sum-game - Why Narrative and Storytelling matter so much in investing This episode release marks the beginning of our partnership with Swissborg & Byzant Web3 Social Network. Watch our previous episode with Cyrus Fazel, the Co-Founder & CEO at Swissborg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrVElBHenqw ------------ Sponsor: -♾ Coinsilium provides vital funding and expert advice to Web3 and AI-powered early-stage technology companies. https://www.coinsilium.com -👾 Byzant is a Web3 social network ecosystem for creatives. Get ready to create, connect and collaborate using Byzant's suite of user-friendly tools and decentralized applications. https://bastionwallet.io/ -🤖 SwissBorg is Europe’s top trusted crypto app offering user-centric investment platforms and DeFi asset management with reliability and innovation. https://swissborg.com/ ------------ Follow Anthony & Swissborg https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_Jyx7gJXh3yHFxZSJIlIhQ https://swissborg.com/ https://twitter.com/swissborg https://twitter.com/AnthoLGSB Follow When Shift Happens: Website: https://www.when-shift-happens.co/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevinffollonier/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kevinfollonier Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinfollonier/ Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/yieldlabs ------------ Chapters 0:00 Meet Anthony 03:17 Society's Strength and Weakness 09:34 Money and Success 10:47 Knowledge and Experience 15:10 Self-Discovery Journey 18:23 Embracing Change 29:52 Cockiness vs. Humility 33:49 Relationship Commitment 37:45 Self-Reflection Importance 46:26 Crypto Risks and Rewards 49:25 Swissborg's Crypto Success 53:30 Loyalty in Business 55:27 VC Impact on Decisions 01:14:39 Chasing Crypto Yields 01:21:50 Economics of Free Riders 01:23:28 Zero vs. Positive Sum Game 01:31:34 Storytelling in Investing 01:59:22 Responsibility in Health/Finance