Joining Pantera
November 7, 2023 | Nihal Maunder
I’m thrilled to share that I’ll be joining the investment team at Pantera, where I’ll be helping build out their early-stage investment portfolio.
My journey into Web3 didn’t begin with an innate understanding of the future global impact of blockchain technology. In all honesty, I was initially quite skeptical. Back in 2017, I was fully immersed in building my own AI/ML startup at Cal, paying little attention to the blockchain hype. At the time, the lack of practical applications in the blockchain space led me to believe that most of the buzz was just a passing fad.
However, my perspective took a dramatic turn during the summer of 2020. The VC firm I was working for had tasked me to explore opportunities in the open finance sector. Coincidentally, this was when a relatively small space called DeFi was experiencing explosive growth. As I delved deeper into the blockchain space, I found myself falling deep into the Web3 rabbithole. Before I knew it, I was a member of ~50 Discord servers, researching blockchain protocols day and night.
When the bear market struck, I didn’t retreat from the space like many others. Instead, I felt a strong urge to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying technology. This led me to leave the VC world and join 0x, a Web3 infrastructure startup, where I worked on product and growth. During my time at 0x, I had the privilege of collaborating with passionate teams who were building real-world applications on top of the 0x protocol, including projects like ReFi, cross-border payments, RWA tokenization, and more. Through this experience, it became abundantly clear to me that blockchain’s impact was poised to extend its reach into every corner of the world.
My decision to join Pantera is rooted in a profound belief in blockchain technology’s potential to usher in the next generation of finance and human coordination. The Pantera team comprises some of the brightest and most experienced individuals I’ve ever met in the blockchain field, and their groundbreaking portfolio speaks for itself. I can’t think of a better platform than Pantera to do my small part in supporting the entrepreneurs trailblazing in Web3.
While my initial focus at Pantera will revolve around DeFi and Web3 infrastructure investments, I’m always open to connecting with individuals working on consumer applications in the Web3 space. If you’re a builder in Web3, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at nihal[at]panteracapital.com.
Finally, I want to give quick shout outs to the Toyota Ventures team, for getting me into Web3 & giving me the green light to pursue blockchain deals; 0x team (Amir, Fulvia, Daria, Phil & the rest) for being so supportive in my growth in the Web3 space; and Dave for the invaluable advice & mentorship throughout my career.
Twitter: @nihal_maunder