That wraps up Week 32 of Coffee with Captain! Another week, another crypto market crash, but we’re still here. We had our first addition of Made by ApeCoin Mondays and it featured two heavy hitters in the Ape community. We also heard from a team of a new AI-powered, skill-based racing game by Racino Gaming. Lastly, we introduced our weekly Ape Ecosystem Update with our main man Lost. Mix in memecoins, socialFi and a reaction to the ThreadGuy & Greg Solano interview to create a captivating week.
In case you missed any of the shows, below is a small recap of each day with links to the podcast on Apple and Spotify. Links to other streaming platforms can be found on our buzzsprout page. Check out the timestamp if you want to catch the specific interviews.
Monday
Crypto Markets Crash + Made by ApeCoin Builders Introduction
The weekend was a tough one for the crypto markets as geopolitical uncertainty caused another pullback. There is unrest in Europe, turbulence in Japan’s Yen and the US election is looking close. Instances like these are when it’s best to DCA into tokens you have conviction in.
The Coffee Crew is joined by two ApeCoin builders, Jason and Popil, for the first edition of Made by Apecoin Mondays. Both of these builders share how they ended up in web3, how BAYC has influenced their lives, and what they’re creating. Popil defines herself as an artist who started her journey in 2021 clubhouse spaces, which connected her with other NFT artists. She has had collaborations with brands like Nike, Procreate, Photoshop and MoMa. Popil has also worked with OpenSea and Element, both NFT marketplaces. After acquiring a Bored Ape, she created her own brand called Bored Tea. At the time, there weren’t a lot of Bored Ape brands that had been created. One of those early brands was Bored Bagels, which is how she connected with Jason.
Jason, known as NFT Hoarder on X, entered the web3 after degening into the AMC craze. Since then, he’s acquired a Bored Ape and created the brand Bored Bagels. Jason has experience with distribution and uses his experience to help others in the Ape community. He’s even helping BAYC and ThankApe move MBA (Made by Apes) products from the US to Lisbon.
Check this episode out on Apple and Spotify.
Tuesday
CryptoPunks Are Overvalued + Racino’s AI-Based Racing Simulation
Tuesday morning comes with a hot, or not so hot, take that BAYC and Pudgy Penguins will flip CryptoPunks in the bull run. The Coffee Crew has a few different thoughts on this claim. Maybe the Punks are more of a collector’s assets or even store of value instead of community-oriented. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure I’d want my store of value in an NFT. A counterpoint brought up was there being a different culture within Punks that you don’t understand from the outside. Cap’s view is there will be more interest in the upcoming utility for BAYC and Penguins than just collecting a Punk. Only time will tell.
Later, the Coffee Crew is joined by Racino Gaming to discuss their Polygon-based, skill-based AI racing simulation game. Racino is built as a web browser-based game where you can play on mobile or desktop. Anyone can play for free simply by signing up with an email and claiming a free car. There are digital assets integrated, so you can purchase a car. Racino has a variety of different races available on the platform with weather and track conditions integrated.
They game developers went away from RNG and made the entire game skill-based so a person who understands the game has a better opportunity to win. Everything is based on real life with an extensive data table. There are trillions of combinations of what you can do for performance and all cars are different. Racino has different tiers to help separate the advanced players from the beginners with free entries and races with entry fees. They’ve taken inspiration from other web3 NFT games like Zed Run, Photo Finish, Chicken Derby and Muzzle Run. These are all animal based games and they’ve tried to go for a more realistic type approach.
Check this episode out on Apple and Spotify.
Wednesday
The Future of Memecoins + Creator Programs and SocialFi
Creator programs for games and projects have been effective within the web3 sphere. Pirate Nation is an example of a newly released creator program that rewards users in $BOOTY, their game economy token. Blast might be an example of a creator program that started hot, but is fading. Web3 brands in general need to be generating content and engaging their community. Additionally, they need to create an ecosystem and give users a vehicle to actively promote the brands.
Pump.fun is another example of socialFi with their new update. Cap wonders why pump.fun is seemingly unchallenged with their platform. This springs the Coffee Crew into a larger discussion about memecoins. They have been running hot, but some within the Coffee Crew believe we’re reaching a memecoin bubble and it’s bound to pop. Are memecoins destined to die out in the future?
What’s after VeeCon? Gary V still continues to build the VeeFriends brand and the blockchain happens to be part of his business. He may not be as outspoken as before, but he continues to talk about NFTs. Does web3 need a charismatic spokesperson on behalf of the community and gain credibility?
Check this episode out on Apple and Spotify.
Thursday
Is Telegram the New Web3 Home?
Steve is traveling to VeeCon, so we’re joined by a special guest co-host, Lost, who will also be giving up the Ape Ecosystem Update each week. Today’s episode centers around Telegram and Discord as hubs for web3. How did Discord become the default home of web3? Cap believes the attention is shifting to Telegram, but I’m not sure I agree with that. Telegram is too chaotic for communication in a bull run. However, there are pros and cons to both.
Discord started as a gaming discord and continues to be the home of gamers. It was adopted by web3, but not everyone wants to be in there. Telegram is easy and home of memecoin traders, but lacks advanced bots. Discord has advanced features that Telegram doesn’t have yet. One major downside of Telegram is it being attached to your phone number without any other alternatives. Telegram wasn’t built for community, it’s a worldwide communication combating What’s App. You can’t deny that Telegram has a place in the future of web3 though.
Later, Lost gives the Coffee Crew updates listeners on the Ape ecosystem. Telegram has been a hub for ApeChain talk and there will be greater integration than just an announcements channel in the future. There are a lot of partnerships created by companies that have agreed to launch with ApeChain, but not all have been revealed. Token airdrops are being negotiated on the backend, which will attract more users. We also talk about ApeCoin DAO and how to get involved. All you need is $APE, whether you have a Yuga ecosystem NFT or not. There are plenty of AIPs being submitted and under review, so don’t miss out.
Check this episode out on Apple and Spotify.
Friday
ThreadGuy & Greg Solano Interview Reaction + Fade Solana?
Steve is considering pulling funds out of the Solana ecosystem. The question comes up about the value of the Solana blockchain outside of memecoins. This sparks a conversation between the Coffee Crew of both pros and cons. One of the speakers said a better question may be, “What is Solana doing to attract builders creating real products?” There’s obviously a lot of volume driven by memecoins. That user base may draw builders creating strong products utilizing the network. Right now, I don’t see a strong differentiator for the chain in the future.
The ThreadGuy & Greg interview evokes an emotional response from Cap and prompts him to share an old article from 2018. It’s worth checking out if you have the time. Steve and Cap were both impressed with how Greg handled himself. He took most of the blame for Yuga’s faults and it feels like the company has course-corrected. The phrase “the job is not finished” echoes through the Ape ecosystem and it is hard to see them not rising from the ashes.
Check this episode out on Apple and Spotify.
Wrap Up
Week 32 of Coffee with Captain is in the books. We hope you’re liking our new recurring Made by ApeCoin Mondays, featuring builders in the web3 space. Cap threw out some hot takes calling CryptoPunks overvalued, the death of memecoins and Telegram overtaking discord. Let us know what you think about his calls. If you missed week 31, make sure to check it out here.
Be sure to check out:
- The Everything Token: A Book on Web3 and NFTs
- Making Coffee: Our Official Coffee Partner
- ENS: Ethereum Naming Service
- Harpie: The Onchain Firewall
