The time has come for me to move on from PowerTrade.

Almost two years ago, we saw the crypto market needed to become more sophisticated in it’s derivatives offerings, and set out to create the best in class platform for the big missing financial primitive in crypto: options.

Since then, we have built what is probably the best and most comprehensive options and derivatives exchanges in crypto, as the market appetite for these derivatives has also grown significantly.

PowerTrade is now seeing great traction with options traders in the private Gamma Boss option trading group, and also growth with the PowerPools product, which enables gamma hedging of bonding curve style AMMs using options.

Having built several great features that are firsts for the crypto industry, plus a roadmap of releases that will continue bringing more trading tools that are firsts for crypto, PowerTrade has a bright future ahead.

On a personal level, I had the opportunity to learn a lifetime's worth of knowledge about derivatives, options, risk and margin, trading tech, product design, and more, from the fantastic teammates I worked with.

Reflecting on my personal accomplishments and bright points of my time at PowerTrade, a few things stand out:

• architecting and building out the first DAO based exchange liquidation reserve, in collaboration with Delphi and Bootnode (mainnet very soon!)
• bringing in top notch backers to collaborate with (several greats undisclosed), to the tune of ~$12m
• prototyping product designs on a complex topic (options) into something simple and approachable
• negotiating partnerships with some trading industry power houses that are worth 9 figures in future business for PowerTrade
• growing and operationalizing from a small team to 40 fully remote team members (hiring is f*&#**n hard!)
• bringing in top notch traders and market makers to trade on PowerTrade

Now, PowerTrade has grown to a place where my strongest skills of going from 0 to 1 are no longer needed and the company is operationalized to succeed without my assistance. (if you are a marketing or sales wizard they are hiring)

This presents an opportunity for me to get back to my passion of DeFi, DAOs and web3.

I remember fondly the tough but rewarding crypto winter days of building Mosendo and DeFi Nation, of geeking out over and building on new DeFi primitives, algo stables, DAOs, layer 2s, smart wallets and usability tech.

I look forward to applying the learnings from PowerTrade, Mosendo, DeFi Nation, and participating in DAOs such as MetaCartel DAO, to creating new innovations in web3.

If you are interested in chatting about some of the idea spaces I’m exploring, get in touch! I’ll be hacking at ETH Denver and otherwise online at the interwebs.

Even more important than the idea, I highly value working with teammates who enjoy and respect each other and bring out the best in each other - if we vibe, lets do something awesome!

I look forward to reconnecting with old friends and making new friends in my next journey in the metaverse.

Cheers!
Tom