We sat down for an exclusive interview with Gabriel Anderson, the Managing Director of Tachyon, a premier accelerator for startups leveraging blockchain and Web3 technologies, proudly funded by ConsenSys.
Tachyon is an intensive 12-week accelerator program meticulously crafted to help founders rapidly validate their business models and scale their operations within the dynamic Web3 ecosystem.
Prior to his tenure at Tachyon, Anderson was a founder and co-founder of several ventures in the real estate tech and fintech sectors. He also spearheaded growth initiatives at VaynerRSE, a gaming-backed startup studio, where he established and led the Growth team. Furthermore, he served as the head of capital for the startups he incubated as an Intrapreneur-in-Residence at VaynerX.
Can you share your background and what initially drew you to the blockchain space?
GA: Today, I identify as a full-stack builder and designer. I'm a product builder at heart, having founded companies within the real estate technology and fintech verticals. Before joining ConsenSys, I was an Intrapreneur in Residence at VaynerX, a company where my mandate was to build startups under its corporate umbrella. One of those ventures scaled to over 20 million monthly active users. During this time, I founded and ran the company's growth division while overseeing growth and user acquisition for a portfolio of incubated startups. One such startup, Resy, was later acquired by American Express. I have a deep-seated passion for early-stage growth, user acquisition, and business development.
Before my entrepreneurial journey, I spent what some might call a misspent youth in finance at Merrill Lynch, so I inherently analyze things through the lens of market dynamics. In late 2018, I was having dinner with a good friend, Joe Cheng, a partner at Consensys Labs, the investment arm of ConsenSys. During a lively debate about cryptocurrencies as an asset class (I was the skeptic), Joe recommended a few whitepapers aligned with my interests in blockchain business models. One of them was the Dharma whitepaper. The very next day, I was flying to Toronto with my partner and ended up spending three days in our Airbnb completely absorbed in whitepapers, taking copious notes. I was instantly hooked. Just a few months later, I joined ConsenSys to advise our portfolio companies on growth and go-to-market strategies. Currently, I’m dedicating my time to building a team to help me launch the next evolution of our world-class accelerator, Tachyon T3.
What is the core mission of Tachyon, and what is ConsenSys' role in this initiative?
GA: Tachyon’s mission is to accelerate the growth of the Web3 ecosystem by cultivating the next generation of transformative technology startups. Tachyon is a core part of Labs, ConsenSys’ investment arm. As your audience likely knows, ConsenSys is a leading Ethereum software and blockchain company building the infrastructure, applications, and practices that enable a decentralized world. Consensys Labs has incubated and invested in over 100 projects and companies, including foundational pillars of the Ethereum ecosystem — such as Infura, Metamask, Codefi, Pegasys, and Nuo. Tachyon is our dedicated 12-week accelerator program designed to bring the most promising Web3 technologies to market.
Why is it so crucial to have an accelerator specifically focused on Web3.0?
GA: I love this question. I'd reframe it slightly: “What successful principles from Web 2.0 should Web 3.0 founders enthusiastically adopt?” There's a tendency in Web3 to reinvent everything from scratch. However, many proven business principles from Web 2.0 are essential for Web 3.0 founders to focus on.
To highlight one key area: Companies must maintain an relentless focus on their customers, their needs, and how to effectively serve them. This is the most reliable path to building a thriving ecosystem, market, or business. This involves getting out of the building and talking to your users, developing a product that solves a genuine customer pain point, and measuring how your product delivers on that promise through KPIs like your cohort metrics or unit economics.
That’s where the other program directors and I spend most of our time when designing the curriculum for Tachyon T3. Once those fundamentals are established, a specialized Web3.0 accelerator provides immense value in addressing unique nuances. These include technical challenges, like smart contract security, or systemic considerations, such as the legal implications for a global value-exchange protocol. And this doesn't even cover our in-depth market intelligence on where the ecosystem is heading and what novel business models are emerging as a result of the technology. These are insights that only a firm like ConsenSys can provide, due to our holistic, ecosystem-wide perspective.
What tangible benefits can startups expect to receive by participating in the Tachyon accelerator?
GA: Founders join an accelerator for two primary reasons: capital and a powerful network. At the core of Tachyon, we've engineered a program that provides founders with the initial capital they need to gain early traction and the extensive network they need to unlock their company's full potential. We invest $150,000 in each startup for approximately 7-10% equity. This structure makes us true partners with our founders and ensures we provide full access to our network to give them every opportunity to succeed.
We’ve assembled one of the most influential networks in the decentralized finance space, with mentors from within ConsenSys and the broader industry. The program is structured around one-on-one sessions and mentorship with investors, subject matter experts, and potential first customers. A strong network allows you to avoid common pitfalls and build a company with strong product-market fit. The program culminates with an Investor Demo Day, a closed-door, end-of-program showcase event with a highly curated group of early-stage investors.
What specific sectors within the blockchain industry is Tachyon targeting for its next cohort?
GA: For its upcoming cohort, Tachyon is dedicated to founders building in Open Finance who are creating more open, interoperable, and programmable financial systems and services. We define Open Finance broadly: it's a financial system with enhanced accessibility, transparency, efficiency, and interoperability, enabling new business models built on direct, trust-minimized relationships between participants.
We’re interested in a wide spectrum of projects, including innovative approaches to:
Who are some of the notable mentors involved in the Tachyon network?
GA: The network we’ve built for this cohort is second to none. You can view the complete list of mentors at: https://labs.consensys.net/tachyon/
What are the key dates for application and participation, and how can prospective startups apply?
GA: Applications are open from August 1st through September 16, 2019. The program commences in early November in New York City and runs through February 2020, with a short break for the holidays. To apply, please visit: https://tachyon.submittable.com/submit. For any questions, feel free to sign up for office hours with our team here: calendly.com/tachyon
What kind of post-program support does Tachyon offer to its graduating companies?
GA: We continue to support our founders after the program concludes, particularly with fundraising efforts. Tachyon will introduce founders to investors, but ultimately, the team must make decisions and move quickly as they see fit. We strive to give our teams the best possible chance of securing funding upon graduation.
How do you envision blockchain technology impacting our daily lives in the next 5-10 years?
GA: We'll stop saying things like "this is a blockchain company." I'm extremely optimistic about companies that seamlessly integrate blockchain technology behind the scenes, so users no longer interact with it directly. Instead, they will use products that leverage the technology's inherent competitive advantages to compete with the very best companies in the global market.
Is it possible that decentralized apps will replace their centralized counterparts in the future? If so, what future dApps are you most excited about using?
Yes, absolutely. I’m looking forward to the era of automated, peer-to-peer networks for decentralized value exchange where users aren't forced to interact with dApps. Instead, self-sovereign identity will be linked to wallets and operate automatically.
In that world, I hope I don’t need to interact with a dApp directly, perhaps only through my AI agent, which manages all interactions in the background. For this reality to materialize, I believe some killer dApps that could and should be built in the next 18-24 months are: smart contract scaling solutions, self-sovereign identity protocols, and more seamless and simple fiat on/off-ramps. I'd love to see the Web3 equivalent of Stripe be built.
For more information on Tachyon, click here.
