At the crux of the crypto community are gatherings. During a four-day inaugural conference from March 28-31, the brilliant minds behind the Edge of NFT podcast–Joshua Kriger, Jeff Kelley, Eathan Janney and Zack Sekar brought the LA blockchain clique together.
L.A. LIVE, the entertainment complex perfectly set in DTLA and adjacent to the Arts District is where tons off-site events were held. Since parking is difficult to navigate, public transit is one’s ideal option. In fact, some arrived via e-bikes with helmet in tow.
Attendance included financial experts alongside web developers, to those eager to learn about digital market spaces, DeFi, Web 3 and minting NFTs. Thanks to the growing tech within the City of Angels, largely in part to lower startup costs in comparison to Silicon Valley, the event drew an international crowd.
Notable speakers ranged from billionaire Mark Cuban, NBA legend and founder of Black Santa Baron Davis, famed DJ Steve Aoki and world-renowned CEOs Robby Yung and David Wachsman. Other highlights which grabbed our attention were the art installations, innovative activations and musical performances.
The venue’s outdoor courtyard provided us with a much needed recess in between talks. In fact, we caught performances by rappers Nelly and Rich the Kid, played Trivia at the Freckle and snacked on lite bites from a plethora of parked food trucks.
Wednesday night included an exclusive party held by Magic Eden, the leading NFT market place on Solana. The beginning of the night included a panel discussion from the Magic Eden team members Jack Tanlu, Zhuoxun Yin, Sidney Zhang and Zhuojie Zhou. After the discourse, the night was led by sets from Flosstradamus, Waka Flocka Flame and Migos‘ very own Quavo.
However, like many industries in America, the tech arena is white male-dominated, threatening new generational wealth of both women and minorities.
That said, there were few discussions which concentrated on marginalized people within the realm, including the web3 panel which featured Dapper Labs, Stephanie Smellie, Ridhima Khan, Jayne Peressini, Nicole Rochette with moderator Ros Gold-Onwude.
Perhaps next season, the organizers will consider grants for POC, LGBTQ and artists alike, encouraging inclusivity.
In celebration of this metaverse, 360 MAGAZINE, a brand which was established within this emerging smart city, launched its NFT capsule.
Article: Bee Davies, Yash Thadani, Vaughn Lowery
