Dana Love, founder of PoobahAI (exited 5 companies, PhD in economics), breaks down why Web3 lags mainstream adoption and how AI-built software can unlock the space: “the future of Web3 is coding without coders.” We cover: the zero→one grind, macro shifts (globalization → nationalization), inflation realities, and why blockchains need to drop the barrier to projects, devs, and users. Dana shares Poobah’s approach—virtual co-founder, multi-chain no/low-code, pre-audited on-chain digital objects, and real showcases (NFT ticketing, RWA real estate, car auction). We also talk go-to-market (students & exec MBAs), chain partnerships, and their seed round.
Timestamps
[00:00] Dana’s thesis: coding without coders is Web3’s future
[00:01] Background: exits, policy PhD, AI/ML → crypto since 2011
[00:02] Patterns from 5+ exits: first $1 of revenue + investment; hearing “your baby is ugly”
[00:04] Macro: globalization → nationalization; inflation dynamics & wages
[00:07] Startup stages: 0→1 vs 1→10 vs 10→50—don’t over-process the first customer
[00:08] Why Web3 adoption lags: tooling, UX, paucity of devs/projects/users
[00:10] Public vs private chains; why transparency is a feature for upstarts
[00:11] Naming Poobah & the “many hats” founder
[00:12] Poobah overview: virtual co-founder, on-chain generation, digital objects (pre-audited contracts)
[00:15] Code quality: making no-code generate good code; best-practice RAG/context
[00:17] Focus: Web3 first—massive untapped value
[00:18] GTM: students, MBAs, exec MBAs → enterprise wedge
[00:19] Case: Princeton CS student ships NFT ticketing as a vibe-coder
[00:20] B2B: chain licenses to drop coding barrier to near-zero
[00:22] The “hackathon circus” & why broadening the builder base matters
[00:23] Non-dev creators as founders: fine-arts → sticky NFTs
[00:24] The Shopify moment for Web3 (payments/regulatory context)
[00:27] RWAs: real estate fractionalization; car auctions; built in weeks
[00:30] Will AI replace devs? Senior vs junior leverage; law firm analogy
[00:36] Market will rebalance skills & pay; seniors x AI = force multiplier
[00:37] Roadmap (6–12 mo): low-code launch → no-code, multi-chain MCP, virtual co-founder
[00:38] The ask: chain partnerships, seed syndication, universities & exec MBAs
Connect
https://www.linkedin.com/company/poobahai/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/danalove/
Disclaimer
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