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Olaf Carlson Wee

Founder & CEO, Polychain Capital · 1 appearance on the record.

computed by AI from the episodes · how this works → · full disclaimer →

investorfounderexecutiveoperator@olafcw ↗LinkedIn ↗polychain.capital ↗Wikipedia ↗Instagram ↗

Olaf Carlson-Wee is an American investor who founded Polychain Capital, a prominent crypto hedge and venture capital fund managing billions in blockchain assets. Before launching Polychain in 2016 with backing from venture firms like Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital, he gained industry prominence as Coinbase's very first employee and Head of Risk.

18statements → 5claims → 1claims resolved → 3.83/5average certainty → 2.67/5average debate potential → ≈4.5/5argument clarity, estimated → 15said about them ↓

1 supported 0 partly supported 0 contradicted 4 not checkable as stated how the 5 claims stand · each chip opens the sources

4 predictions · 1 assertion · 5 opinions · 5 insights · 3 disclosures · every statement was checked. The predictions and assertion are the 5 claims: statements the public record can support or contradict. 1 is resolved, and 4 name no date, number or outcome precise enough to check. Everything else (opinions, insights, what ifs, disclosures) can never be settled by the record, so it carries no assessment.

The record, in short

What the tape says about how Olaf argues and how the claims held up. Everything they said, and everything said about them, is in the tabs below.

Their most notable supported claim

Prediction Held up
Carlson-Wee: Crypto ecosystem will experience mergers of token networks
“I do think that we will see M&As of token networks.”
Olaf Carlson Wee Dec 11, 2017 ▶ 17:20 20VC: Inside The World's Leading Crypto Fund, The Future Exit Environment for Crypto Assets & The Beauty Of Benevolent Dictatorship with Olaf Carlson-Wee, Founder @ Polychain Capital

How they sound: speaking style how? →

182 words/min while actually speaking · 2.8 um and uh per 1k words

No argument clarity score for Olaf Carlson Wee: no usable question→answer exchanges on raw tape (a fair score needs 8+). We do not score a sample that small. Roundtable and news formats yield far fewer direct exchanges than interviews. Their coarse estimate from 13 exchanges on the produced feed is ≈4.5/5, shown at half point precision because the sample is small and produced tape scores higher.

Measured by listening to 3,203 words across 1 episode, but every recording we have of Olaf Carlson Wee is the aired feed, and an editor cleaned that audio before release. Some of the hesitation was cut before we ever heard it, so read these as floors: the true rates are at least this high. These are measurements of speaking style, not scores. How it's measured →

How the interview went all their pushback → series average →

Across 1 rated episode:

host pushback ▾ 3/10
pushed back at the host ▾ 3/10
setup questions received 55%

Everything Olaf Carlson Wee said on 20VC that made the record, most notable first. Filter by type, assessment or year in the ledger →

Insight
Carlson-Wee: Companies launching tokens must stop extracting direct network revenue
“The second thing is that if you are launching a token and you're a private company, you should be ready to stop extracting any revenue from your network. So however you were extracting revenue from the network, whether this was advertising or paid subscription…”
Olaf Carlson Wee Dec 11, 2017 ▶ 15:51 20VC: Inside The World's Leading Crypto Fund, The Future Exit Environment for Crypto Assets & The Beauty Of Benevolent Dictatorship with Olaf Carlson-Wee, Founder @ Polychain Capital
Opinion
Carlson-Wee: Solving humanity's deepest problems requires altering the human brain
“I think that the only means to solve the deepest problems that humanity faces is actually to alter the human brain itself.”
Olaf Carlson Wee Dec 11, 2017 ▶ 23:31 20VC: Inside The World's Leading Crypto Fund, The Future Exit Environment for Crypto Assets & The Beauty Of Benevolent Dictatorship with Olaf Carlson-Wee, Founder @ Polychain Capital
Insight
Carlson-Wee: Avoid opportunistic Wall Street transplants when backing crypto tech funds
“I'd look for people that have been in this ecosystem for a long time. I'd look for people that have deep technical expertise in this subject matter. I'd look for people that have solid networks among relevant people in this ecosystem. I would avoid Folks that …”
Olaf Carlson Wee Dec 11, 2017 ▶ 7:56 20VC: Inside The World's Leading Crypto Fund, The Future Exit Environment for Crypto Assets & The Beauty Of Benevolent Dictatorship with Olaf Carlson-Wee, Founder @ Polychain Capital
Disclosure
Carlson-Wee: Polychain operates under a benevolent dictator investment model
“So internally, we do have a benevolent dictator, which is me. I do obviously seek help from our research team extensively, as well as other partners at the firm. I, in general, though, I have kind of full veto rights over any investment.”
Olaf Carlson Wee Dec 11, 2017 ▶ 11:21 20VC: Inside The World's Leading Crypto Fund, The Future Exit Environment for Crypto Assets & The Beauty Of Benevolent Dictatorship with Olaf Carlson-Wee, Founder @ Polychain Capital
Insight
Carlson-Wee: Companies without network effects should not issue tokens
“So I think that a good rule of thumb, though, is that these companies must have network effects, period. If your business is not based on building network effects, then it doesn't make sense for you to create a token. I think this rule is the one I see broken …”
Olaf Carlson Wee Dec 11, 2017 ▶ 15:35 20VC: Inside The World's Leading Crypto Fund, The Future Exit Environment for Crypto Assets & The Beauty Of Benevolent Dictatorship with Olaf Carlson-Wee, Founder @ Polychain Capital
Prediction Held up
Carlson-Wee: Crypto ecosystem will experience mergers of token networks
“I do think that we will see M&As of token networks.”
Olaf Carlson Wee Dec 11, 2017 ▶ 17:20 20VC: Inside The World's Leading Crypto Fund, The Future Exit Environment for Crypto Assets & The Beauty Of Benevolent Dictatorship with Olaf Carlson-Wee, Founder @ Polychain Capital
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Carlson-Wee: ICOs will irreversibly accelerate crypto software development
“So I do think that this is an inflection point for the entire ecosystem, and that this concept of a crowd sale or so-called ICO is really a case of the genie being out of the bottle, and it will irreversibly change the pace of software development in this ecos…”
Olaf Carlson Wee Dec 11, 2017 ▶ 19:13 20VC: Inside The World's Leading Crypto Fund, The Future Exit Environment for Crypto Assets & The Beauty Of Benevolent Dictatorship with Olaf Carlson-Wee, Founder @ Polychain Capital
Opinion
Carlson-Wee: Cognition-enhancing technologies are massively underinvested
“I believe that cognition enhancing technologies are massively underinvested and underdeveloped right now.”
Olaf Carlson Wee Dec 11, 2017 ▶ 22:55 20VC: Inside The World's Leading Crypto Fund, The Future Exit Environment for Crypto Assets & The Beauty Of Benevolent Dictatorship with Olaf Carlson-Wee, Founder @ Polychain Capital
Opinion
Carlson-Wee: Ethereum is the most important protocol since Bitcoin
“So for example, if you look at Vitalik Buterin, the creator of Ethereum, he was 19 and a Russian Canadian who really didn't have ties to traditional venture networks. And Created what is pretty much inarguably the most important protocol since Bitcoin.”
Olaf Carlson Wee Dec 11, 2017 ▶ 9:24 20VC: Inside The World's Leading Crypto Fund, The Future Exit Environment for Crypto Assets & The Beauty Of Benevolent Dictatorship with Olaf Carlson-Wee, Founder @ Polychain Capital
Insight
Carlson-Wee: Non-experts should ignore crypto white papers
“I don't think people should evaluate white papers unless they consider themselves subject matter experts. This is very different from understanding a business, and if you don't understand, like, consensus mechanisms, the underlying cryptography used here, and …”
Olaf Carlson Wee Dec 11, 2017 ▶ 12:12 20VC: Inside The World's Leading Crypto Fund, The Future Exit Environment for Crypto Assets & The Beauty Of Benevolent Dictatorship with Olaf Carlson-Wee, Founder @ Polychain Capital
Opinion
Carlson-Wee: Traditional companies cannot acquire decentralized token networks
“I don't think that there's a Place in general for traditional companies trying to purchase token networks at all. I don't think that makes sense because you can't buy a token network.”
Olaf Carlson Wee Dec 11, 2017 ▶ 18:14 20VC: Inside The World's Leading Crypto Fund, The Future Exit Environment for Crypto Assets & The Beauty Of Benevolent Dictatorship with Olaf Carlson-Wee, Founder @ Polychain Capital
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Carlson-Wee: Decentralized exchanges will play a massive role in crypto
“I do think that decentralized exchange will play a massive role in the future of this ecosystem.”
Olaf Carlson Wee Dec 11, 2017 ▶ 25:28 20VC: Inside The World's Leading Crypto Fund, The Future Exit Environment for Crypto Assets & The Beauty Of Benevolent Dictatorship with Olaf Carlson-Wee, Founder @ Polychain Capital
Disclosure
Carlson-Wee: Polychain invests exclusively in crypto assets, holding zero equity
“Polychain is an investment manager, and we manage a fund that invests exclusively in blockchain-based assets. Another word for this is, you know, cryptocurrencies. So we don't invest in the equity of startups. We don't invest in public equities. We hold no sto…”
Olaf Carlson Wee Dec 11, 2017 ▶ 4:01 20VC: Inside The World's Leading Crypto Fund, The Future Exit Environment for Crypto Assets & The Beauty Of Benevolent Dictatorship with Olaf Carlson-Wee, Founder @ Polychain Capital
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Carlson-Wee: Polychain intends to hold crypto assets indefinitely unless thesis changes
“So while we do have the ability to rebalance the portfolio and sell down a position while staying ultimately long on the technology, it mostly is our strategy to hold these things forever. So until our thesis changes about something, it's our intention to real…”
Olaf Carlson Wee Dec 11, 2017 ▶ 5:55 20VC: Inside The World's Leading Crypto Fund, The Future Exit Environment for Crypto Assets & The Beauty Of Benevolent Dictatorship with Olaf Carlson-Wee, Founder @ Polychain Capital
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Carlson-Wee: Polychain Capital is not large enough to move crypto markets
“Actually, I know for a fact we are not big enough, despite the fact that I think we're likely the most prominent fund in this area, we are not big enough to significantly move these markets.”
Olaf Carlson Wee Dec 11, 2017 ▶ 6:22 20VC: Inside The World's Leading Crypto Fund, The Future Exit Environment for Crypto Assets & The Beauty Of Benevolent Dictatorship with Olaf Carlson-Wee, Founder @ Polychain Capital
Opinion
Carlson-Wee: Crypto fund investing is not a zero-sum game
“Well, I actually don't really view other crypto funds as competitors. The reason being that this is not a zero-sum game like much of Wall Street feels like it is. If you're a derivatives trader on Wall Street, if you win, somebody else loses directly. In this …”
Olaf Carlson Wee Dec 11, 2017 ▶ 7:11 20VC: Inside The World's Leading Crypto Fund, The Future Exit Environment for Crypto Assets & The Beauty Of Benevolent Dictatorship with Olaf Carlson-Wee, Founder @ Polychain Capital
Insight
Carlson-Wee: Direct community channels teach crypto better than books
“I would actually go direct to the source and start reading Reddit, Twitter, developer mailing lists, get in some WhatsApp groups, Telegram groups, WeChat groups, and just actually get involved with the community. I think that you can learn a lot more ambiently…”
Olaf Carlson Wee Dec 11, 2017 ▶ 24:18 20VC: Inside The World's Leading Crypto Fund, The Future Exit Environment for Crypto Assets & The Beauty Of Benevolent Dictatorship with Olaf Carlson-Wee, Founder @ Polychain Capital
Disclosure
Carlson-Wee: Bitcoin was the first asset I ever purchased
“The first investment I made in my entire life was Bitcoin. I had never purchased a stock, a bond, I'd never made an angel investment or anything like that.”
Olaf Carlson Wee Dec 11, 2017 ▶ 2:35 20VC: Inside The World's Leading Crypto Fund, The Future Exit Environment for Crypto Assets & The Beauty Of Benevolent Dictatorship with Olaf Carlson-Wee, Founder @ Polychain Capital

The other half of the tape: Olaf Carlson Wee's own voice is left out of every number here. Other people bring the name up 14 times in 4 episodes on 20VC. 1 statement on the record names them. every mention, with the transcript →

Who brings them up most Harry Stebbings 12Brian Armstrong 2

Statements about Olaf Carlson Wee, by other people (1)

Assertion Supported
Olaf Carlson-Wee was the first employee at Coinbase
“And prior to founding Polychain, Olaf was the first employee at Coinbase, serving as their head of risk and as product manager.”
Harry Stebbings Dec 11, 2017 ▶ 0:42 20VC: Inside The World's Leading Crypto Fund, The Future Exit Environment for Crypto Assets & The Beauty Of Benevolent Dictatorship with Olaf Carlson-Wee, Founder @ Polychain Capital

Every mention by year

Appearances (1)

EpisodeDateSpeaking time
20VC: Inside The World's Leading Crypto Fund, The Future Exit Environment for Crypto Asset Dec 11, 2017 18m
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