Crypto VC Shifts Since 2021: Schmidt and Vasudev on Consumer Adoption

- Insights from The Big Brain Podcast on crypto's evolution since 2021. - Focus on VC competition, regulatory tailwinds, and consumer adoption. On August 25, 2025, The Block reported on an episode of The Big Brain Podcast featuring hosts Larry Cermak and Namik Muduroglu with guests Tom Schmidt of Dragonfly and Alok Vasudev of Standard Crypto. The episode unpacked the crypto industry's changing venture capital landscape, focusing on funding dynamics, regulatory advancements, and the impact of increased consumer adoption. Schmidt and Vasudev noted that venture capital competition has transformed significantly since 2021, especially in cap tables, and emphasized that treasury companies increasingly influence and drive innovation across crypto ecosystems. During the podcast, the speakers described regulatory developments as "tailwinds," suggesting these changes create favorable conditions for industry growth. In addition, the speakers identified consumer adoption as a major theme, highlighting the pivotal role of growing interest in crypto technologies as central to the sector's maturation. This convergence of funding, governance, and user engagement, they said during the episode, marks a "new era" for cryptocurrency.