John Palmer

Yo, so let me tell you about John Palmer. This guy’s the real deal in the startup and crypto world, no cap. Started out as a software engineer at Snapchat, like, he jumped straight into the big leagues early on. You see that and think, okay, this dude knows his shit from the get-go.

Then, he’s been around some heavy hitters, Goldman Sachs, The New York Times, Brown University, so he’s got that mix of tech, finance, and media. But what’s crazy is how he pivoted from all that into building his own stuff. He founded Hexel back in W18, which went through Y Combinator, one of the most elite startup accelerators out there. Hexel was all about enabling communities to create their own cryptocurrencies. Imagine that, giving people the tools to basically mint their own coins and run their own economies. That’s advanced thinking.

But John isn’t just about building products, he’s got a deep passion for spatial software and crypto. He’s been experimenting with some wild projects, like $ESSAY, which was the first community-owned essay crowdfunding on Ethereum. That’s some next-gen stuff, blending community, content, and blockchain. The guy’s always pushing boundaries.

He’s also a designer and consultant for a bunch of startups and investors, like Mirror, Muze, and even helping out Y Combinator with admissions part-time. That shows he’s not just about his own projects but also about shaping the system. Plus, he runs a blog at darkblueheaven.com where he drops long-form essays, so he’s got that intellectual side too.

What really jumps out is his curiosity and drive. He’s been involved in everything from big corporate gigs to launching innovations that challenge the way we think about communities and money. His process screams one thing: he’s all about creating tools and ideas that enable people, whether that’s through crypto or community-driven projects.

Bottom line? John Palmer’s the kind of guy who’s been everywhere, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley, from media to crypto, and always with a vision to build the future. He’s a product nerd, a crypto pioneer, and a legit innovator who’s not afraid to jump into the deep end. That’s why he’s so important. He’s not just riding the wave, he’s making it.