From Game Research to Web3 Accelerator: The Entrepreneurial Journey of Alliance DAO Core Contributor Will

Will was initially an academic researcher focusing on game design and mechanics research. After being exposed to Bitcoin, he transitioned into the blockchain field. He worked in cryptocurrency auditing for four years and became an expert in the field. He then joined Alliance DAO as its first employee, responsible for establishing the accelerator project.

At Alliance DAO, Will has taken on multiple roles, including fundraising, mentorship, marketing, and research. He particularly enjoys helping teams prepare for Demo Day, teaching them how to tell engaging startup stories.

Will believes that his academic background has cultivated his ability to handle ambiguity, which is very important for entrepreneurship. When faced with questions that have no ready-made answers, it is necessary to create new solutions by oneself.

The project selection process of Alliance DAO mainly considers two aspects: whether the team is excellent and whether the idea is outstanding. Will believes that the importance of the team is two to three times that of the idea. They look for founders with strong drive and understand the true motivations of the founders through in-depth interviews.

Alliance DAO receives nearly 2000 applications for each batch, but only about 0.8% of applicants can be selected in the end. Will stated that they will determine whether applicants possess "heat" through multiple rounds of interviews, meaning whether they are excellent enough and suitable to join the community.

Will believes that the advantage of Alliance DAO compared to other venture capital institutions lies in its ability to fully dedicate itself to accelerator projects. They have 15 full-time employees who can provide more in-depth guidance and support to founders.

Alliance DAO will not invest in subsequent rounds of projects it accelerates to avoid bias. However, they will invest in other quality projects, such as Arbitrum and Axie Infinity.

When evaluating founders, Alliance DAO focuses on several key points: whether there is a strong collaborative relationship among the founders, whether there is a strong desire for success, and whether the team size is appropriate. They tend to prefer small teams, as small teams can adapt more easily.

Will believes that the most interesting projects at the moment include Pump.Fun and Glow. He is particularly focused on the development of Pump.Fun, believing it has changed people's perception of meme coins, and he looks forward to seeing its final game mode.

Will emphasize that a key lesson in entrepreneurship is to create favorable conditions for oneself. By continuously focusing on a certain area, constantly learning and shifting directions, one may eventually discover something truly valuable.