Michael Peres with Sergey Khusnetdinov, a venture capitalist, educator, and community builder working at the intersection of blockchain, venture capital, and academia. Sergey is the founder of Ga^3in Ventures, a VC and accelerator that connects Duke University alumni with leading Web3 founders, backing more than 60 startups and partnering with major blockchain ecosystems like Polygon Labs, Aptos, and SES. In this episode, we unpack his unconventional path from corporate life at Microsoft and machine learning startups to building a crypto focused platform that helps investors and builders navigate one of the most complex, fast moving industries on the planet.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
• How Sergey went from corporate roles and a Duke MBA to his first startup and early exposure to crypto.
• Why the blockchain and Web3 space can feel like “a total mess” from the outside and how to actually get started.
• The moment he realized crypto was a serious career path and how he created a role for himself as a US based crypto bank leader.
• What he learned working with more than 100 startups and why he chose to focus on the most information dense, unconventional industries.
• How Ga^3in Ventures connects Duke alumni with Web3 founders and structures support for both sides of the table.
• Why the rapid movement and complexity of crypto still keeps him intellectually energized years later.
