June 28, 2024

265: Keep it Simple | Pranav Kanade from VanEck on Liquid Venture Investing

265: Keep it Simple | Pranav Kanade from VanEck on Liquid Venture Investing

Pranav Kanade is the Portfolio Manager of VanEck's Digital Assets Alpha Strategy. VanEck is an American investment management firm headquartered in New York City with over $100bn in assets under management. Although they’re well known for their passive exchange-traded funds or ETFs, they also manage active portfolios such as Pranav’s Digital Assets Alpha Strategy.

Pranav Kanade joined VanEck in 2022 from Millennium Management where he was a Credit Portfolio Manager working closely with a team of six investment professionals. Prior to Millennium, he was the founding member of the Head of Research for the Liquid Credit investing business at Angelo, Gordon & Co. and also spent time with Hutchin Hill Capital focused on technology and energy.

In this episode, Pranav and I dig into his transition from traditional finance (TradFi) to the crypto world, his investment philosophy, and the catalysts for growth in digital assets. Pranav details his journey, the differences between traditional and liquid token investments, and how stablecoins, decentralized physical infrastructure, gaming, and social finance can drive mass adoption. We also delve into regulatory landscapes, tokenomics, and the challenges and opportunities in token project investments.

TIMESTAMPS: 

00:18 Meet Pranav Kanade: From TradFi to Crypto

01:55 The Evolution of Digital Assets

04:10 Understanding Tokenomics and Market Dynamics

16:20 The Future of Stablecoins and Tokenized Securities

21:13 Managing a Liquid Venture Portfolio

26:03 The Role of Regulation in Crypto Adoption

38:05 Closing Thoughts and Personal Insights

LINKS:

Follow Pranav Kanade on socials:

-Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pkanade1/

-Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/vaneckpk

-Substack: https://killerapps.substack.com/

Learn more about and follow VanEck:

-X-Twitter: @vaneck_us  |  https://twitter.com/vaneck_us

-LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/vaneck/

Leave a review and subscribe on 

-Apple Podcasts:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1455819294

-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4F8uOLxiscYVWVGEfNxTnd

-Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvaaHrJjizUEd0-93mjCKsQ

MoneyNeverSleeps newsletter on Substack: https://moneyneversleeps.substack.com/

MoneyNeverSleeps website:  https://www.moneyneversleeps.ie/

Email us at info@norioventures.com

Follow on X(Twitter): 

-Pete Townsend: https://twitter.com/petetownsendnv

-MoneyNeverSleeps: https://twitter.com/MNSshow  

Follow on LinkedIn:

-Pete Townsend: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pete-townsend-1b18301a/
-MoneyNeverSleeps: https://www.linkedin.com/company/28661903/admin/feed/posts/

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/moneyneversleeps/message

Recommended

Here are some great episodes to start with if you're new to the podcast!

Jan. 20, 2023

205: Memory Lane | Sam Williams and Arweave

Sam Williams is co-founder and CEO of Arweave, a blockchain protocol allowing us to remember and preserve valuable information, apps, and history indefinitely. In this episode, Sam shares the inspirational story of how Arweave got started, their life-changing experience with …

Listen to the Episode
July 26, 2019

054: Startup Insights #1: Hard Decisions

The MoneyNeverSleeps crew picked out six founders from past episodes talking about the hard decisions they've made along the way, including taking the leap, operating without a playbook, building teams, penetrating new markets, and finding your way home from the …

Listen to the Episode
Feb. 3, 2023

207: What Makes a Great Web3 Team

In this special segment, we’re featuring web3 investors, founders and mentors such as Joey Krug from Pantera Capital, Matthew Graham from Sino Global Capital, Teana Baker-Taylor from Circle, Sam Williams from Arweave, John Wu from Ava Labs, Clarisse Hagege from …

Listen to the Episode
Dec. 3, 2021

166: Joey Krug | Pantera Capital, Being Early in Crypto and Shipping …

Joey Krug is the Co-Chief Investment Officer of Pantera Capital, the first institutional investment firm focused exclusively on bitcoin, other digital currencies, and companies in the blockchain tech ecosystem. Joey joins Pete Townsend on this episode originally recorded as part …

Listen to the Episode
Dec. 8, 2019

067: Startup Insights #2: The Unexpected

In this special segment, we feature four founders sharing how they dealt with one thing they didn't expect to face as a founder - Martin Brown from Unitek, Lizzy Hayashida from Change Donations, Andrew Mullaney from Premind and Paul Smyth …

Listen to the Episode
Feb. 16, 2024

248: Venture Investing and Connecting the Dots

We've remastered and packaged up two of our most popular episodes from 2023 that were originally going to be one episode looking at the venture capital mantra of ‘investing in lines and not dots’ with VC investing insights from Patrick …

Listen to the Episode
Feb. 23, 2024

249: Bridging the Gap | Connor Murphy | One Problem, Two Ventures and…

This week’s guest is Connor Murphy, the CEO of Bridge. I met Connor at a Techstars event in Dublin in 2019 as he was just getting his latest venture off the ground in Bridge, and I started using the Bridge …

Listen to the Episode
April 18, 2024

257: How I Got To Techstars on a Flywheel | Hesus Inoma Interviews Pe…

This week, I’m sharing an episode of the ‘Venture with Hesus’ podcast that I recorded in late 2023 with the unstoppable Hesus Inoma, as he interviews me on lessons learned from being part of the startup ecosystem the last 8 …

Listen to the Episode
Sept. 27, 2024

270: The Stablecoin Revolution with Linda Jeng | Unpacking Castle Isl…

Linda Jeng is the Founder and CEO of Digital Self Labs, and she joins me in exploring the evolving landscape of stablecoins. Our discussion focuses on our key takeaways from Castle Island Ventures' latest stablecoin report, '...

Listen to the Episode
Nov. 8, 2024

275: Web3 Fundraising Playbook | Pete Townsend | Raising Your 1st Rou…

We're diving deep into the fundamentals of fundraising for Web3 startups and early-stage ventures navigating their first capital raise. Fundraising is always challenging, but in web3, it’s a whole new frontier with unique hurdles. This session, originally presented at a …

Listen to the Episode
Dec. 6, 2024

278: Money Talks w/ Mai Santamaria | The Butterfly Defect & the Futur…

This week, I’m joined by the brilliant Mai Santamaria for a far-ranging discussion inspired by Ian Goldin’s concept of The Butterfly Defect — a thought-provoking take on the risks and interconnectedness of our global systems....

Listen to the Episode
Dec. 20, 2024

280: 2025 Predictions with Alejandro Gutierrez

In this special year-end episode, Pete Townsend is joined by returning guest co-host Alejandro Gutierrez for a wide-ranging conversation about what the future may hold with their 2025 predictions. Together, they explore transformative ideas, emerging trends, and groundbreaking technologies that …

Listen to the Episode
Jan. 17, 2025

281: The Art of Startup Exits | Brian McDonald from Bay Advisory

Brian McDonald is a partner at Bay Advisory, a corporate finance firm helping founders navigate funding, scaling, and exiting their businesses. Brian first joined the show in 2021, and now, four years later, he returns to share updated insights on …

Listen to the Episode
Jan. 31, 2025

283: Arabian Prince | The N.W.A Pioneer Empowering the Next Tech Gene…

This week, we’re tapping into the intersection of hip-hop, technology, education and startups with a true pioneer—Arabian Prince. If you know your rap history, you know Arabian Prince as one of the founding members of N.W.A, the Rock and Roll …

Listen to the Episode