250: The World is Yours | Brian Zwerner, W3 Studio & Beyond the Game Network | Investing in Diverse Founders, Sports and Web3
Brian Zwerner is the President and Founder of W3 Studio, and a VC and Founder of Beyond the Game Network. As the President and Founder of W3 Studio, a 501c3 non-profit venture studio, Brian and his team help diverse founders in Atlanta build startups in web3. W3 Studio partners with corporations and provides grants to startups to fund the launch of their first products.
With his role as a VC and Founder at Beyond The Game Network, Brian teams up with a venture group of athletes that invest in Seed to Series B consumer startups in sports, media, web3, and fitness.
Brian Zwerner was previously the founder of Sportal, a startup in the sports industry. He managed the growth of Aquina Health through a Series A capital raise. He has invested in or held senior roles with several companies and funds and previously spent 20 years in investment banking roles in the US and overseas.
In this episode, Brian and I riff on what led him to scratch his entrepreneurial itch in the first place, his experiences as a founder, and the symmetry of his leadership across Beyond the Game Network and W3 Studio. We also take a look at the market for sports-themed digital collectibles since the 2020-2021 bull run, how to build a more sustainable business at the intersection of sports and web3 by focusing on fandom rather than speculators, and how his advice to founders has evolved with the comings and goings of bulls and bears.
LINKS:
Episode title inspired by ‘The World is Yours’ by Nas
Learn more about W3 Studio: https://w3studio.us/
Learn more about Beyond the Game Network: https://thebtgnetwork.com/
Connect with Brian Zwerner on social media:
-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/w3studioatl
-Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-zwerner/
-Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrianZwerner
-Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bzwerner/
-TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brianzwerner
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