It's time for a ‘flight to quality’, Crypto funding platform Thrive Protocol founder says

Episode 27 of The Crypto Beat was recorded with The Block's Head of Growth Tim Copeland and Thrive Protocol Founder Daniel Jacobs.

Listen below, and subscribe to The Crypto Beat on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, Twitch or wherever you listen to podcasts. Please send feedback and revision requests to [email protected]

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The Block’s head of growth, Tim Copeland, is joined by Thrive Protocol Founder Daniel Jacobs.

In this episode, Jacobs explains how Thrive combines expert and AI agent reviewers to validate contributions, making funding faster, fairer, and focused on real value creation. He also critiques crypto’s value-extraction mindset and advocates for a shift toward long-term value and ecosystem sustainability.

Outline

00:00 – Introduction
01:03 – The Origin of Thrive
04:23 – Reviewer Incentives 
05:35 – AI Agent Adoption
08:52 – Confirming AI Accuracy
12:36 – Comparisons to Kaito
13:58 – Growth Metrics
16:26 – Challenges in Crypto Grant Funding
20:50 – Extracting vs. Creating Value
25:07 – Are VCs good for the space?
28:37 – Moving into “Fundamental Season”
30:07 – Interesting projects
31:17 – Daniel’s Predictions for 2025
31:42 – Closing Thoughts

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Guest links:
Daniel Jacobs - ⁠⁠https://x.com/thrivegiraffe⁠
Thrive Protocol - ⁠https://x.com/thriveprotocol⁠

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