Note: CEO of Crypto Fund Research, Josh Gnaizda, attended the NAC3 event in San Francisco on June 23. We have not, and will not, receive any financial compensation from NAC3.
NAC 3, San Francisco
Have you ever gone into work on Monday only to hear several of your coworkers gathered around a desk discussing their “epic” Saturday night? Lady Gaga’s epic concert, the vodka shots, the general debauchery.
Why didn’t you join them for what must have been an unforgettable night? For a moment you get a tinge of jealousy. Then you remember what you did on Saturday. You had a wonderful evening with good food, better wine, and stimulating conversation with a handful of close friends.
If the NAC3 Bitcoin & Blockchain Conference in San Francisco was a part of your social life, it would almost certainly be the latter experience. It was not big – maybe 200 attendees. There were many insightful guests – but no Lady Gaga. The venue was nice, but nothing you’d find in Architectural Digest.
Yet it’s the somewhat humble nature of NAC3’s first conference held in San Francisco, that actually made it such a worthwhile experience.
Guest speakers at larger conferences can sometimes seem inaccessible. If you’re lucky, you may be able to work your way through the crowd and have a brief conversation in the few minutes they make themselves available. This is not so at NAC3. Virtually all of the guests mingled with the attendees for the duration of the conference. One-on-one conversations, mimosa in hand, were not only possible, but fairly common. Did we mention the mimosas? Yes, complimentary mimosas flowed freely throughout.
View of San Francisco skyline from Treasure Island
The earlier comparison to an intimate dinner with friends may not be the best description. If it was more like one of those early summer BBQs with friends, it was in no small part due to the conference’s location on Treasure Island. Treasure Island is a 576 acre manmade island with spectacular views of the East Bay and San Francisco skylines. It also boasts a marina and several small winerys. The weather was one of those incredibly rare 80 degree days that San Francisco sees about once in a lifetime.
Some might argue the guests were less spectacular than at some larger conferences. And in the most literal sense this is true, though well-known industry names like Crypto Bobby and Carter Thomas gave very informative presentations. However, the intimacy of the event more than made up for any perceived lack of star power.
The most informative element of the conference, at least for us with our decided interest in crypto investing, was the after-lunch discussion panel with Jonhnson Nakano, Lindsey Maule, and Ryan Baird of Decipher Capital, Luna Capital, and Innovator Fund, respectively. As relatively small hedge fund / venture investors, they discussed the challenges they deal with. In particularl, the discussion of the difficulties with safe custody/storage of client assets was quite enlightening. They also shed light on some of the enormous opportunities in the investment sector.
All in all, NAC3 is well worth the price of admission. The free drinks and food, intimate setting, and spectacular location on Treasure Island differentiate NAC3 from most other events of this type.
Below is our interview with NAC Founder, Andy Crane:
1) When and why did you found NAC3?
NAC3 was founded in late October of 2017. My long time friend and popular crypto youtuber David Hay and I were having drinks one night near where we lived in San Diego. David and I have been friends for a long time going to the same music festivals and even Burning Man together. That night David suggested I start a blockchain & cryptocurrency conference. So I did. It was a natural fit as I have been a professional event organizer for a while having run the business and operational side of a successful music festival called Desert Hearts.
2) How does NAC3 differ from other blockchain conferences?
As far as I know, we’re the only one with an open bar serving mimosas all day haha. More so than anything, it’s the vibe. Everyone is very inclusive and welcoming. It’s really cool to see the diversity at our events, especially the first one in Vegas in particular. We had people from every age group, ethnicity, walk of life, and profession. I would say that NAC3 is very inclusive and not pretentious. Beyond that, we’re also the only conference I know that caters to everyone from industry professionals to the retail investors.
3) Do you plan to hold NAC3 again in the Bay Area? Are you considering other locations for future conferences besides Las Vegas and San Francisco?
During this last year we’ve done four events: Las Vegas, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Doing that many conferences in such a short period of time got to be pretty hectic. For the year ahead, we will stick to just two events a year and make them really special. The next one will take place in Vegas on December 8th and for the following one, we may come back to San Francisco and then oscillate between the two moving forward.
4) How do you select your speakers and panels?
We like to have a good blend of experts that span the different areas of the industry so that the content is well-rounded throughout the day. We also always have a few influencers who are the cream of the crop like Crypto Bobby, David Hay, or Carter Thomas.
5) How can future attendees or sponsors get more information about upcoming events?
Info: www.nac3.io
Tickets for upcoming event (Vegas, December 8th): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nac3-bitcoin-blockchain-conference-tickets-47531520056
Sponsorship inquiries: sponsor@nac3.io