Webinar
The Next Frontier: The Next Frontier: Blockchain, Fintech, and the Venture Capital Opportunity — A Conversation with Alumni Ventures and The Defiant
Sophia Zhao, Partner at Alumni Ventures, and Camila Russo, Founder of The Defiant, led a fireside conversation on the state of blockchain, crypto, and fintech venture — where capital was being deployed, what the next generation of on-chain and financial infrastructure companies was building, and how accredited investors could gain structured exposure to one of the most active corners of private markets.
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In this session, Sophia and Camila unpacked what was happening across blockchain, crypto, and fintech venture — from the DeFi and on-chain infrastructure layers being built beneath stablecoins, tokenization, and programmable finance to the fintech-adjacent companies bridging traditional financial systems with the new rails emerging around them. They examined both the crypto-native and traditional fintech landscapes, discussing where valuations were stretched, where they were not, and how the investor perspective on the space had evolved from broad speculation into a more disciplined, category-specific approach.
Whether you were a current Alumni Ventures investor sharpening your view of the sector or an accredited investor evaluating blockchain, crypto, and fintech for the first time, this session provided a grounded, cross-market perspective on one of the most consequential themes in venture. Watch the recording to hear Sophia and Camila’s conversation and learn from their responses to investor questions during the live Q&A.
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Key Takeaway
- HomeHear a cross-market view on blockchain, crypto, and fintech venture from Alumni Ventures' Sophia Zhao and The Defiant's Camila Russo
- HomeUnderstand where sophisticated capital is deploying across DeFi, on-chain infrastructure, stablecoins, tokenization, and fintech — and where the durable venture opportunities are forming
- HomeGet a grounded, practitioner-and-media take on one of the most active corners of private markets today
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Alumni Ventures is America’s largest venture capital firm for individual investors.
About your presenters
Sophia brings a wealth of experience in capital advisory, corporate development, and operational optimization, establishing impactful collaborations with CXOs and Founders. With a diverse industry exposure encompassing cloud computing, mining and minerals, consumer goods, and Web3, Sophia has been at the forefront of transformative technologies. Since 2018, she has been immersed in the crypto universe, working at Galaxy Digital, Huobi US, and Crypto.com. In these roles, Sophia engaged with startups and institutional clients on capital raising and trading across the Americas, EU, and Asia regions.
Actively fostering innovation and mentorship, Sophia serves as a mentor and judge at prestigious institutions such as Yale’s Tsai City for Innovation, Berkeley’s Blockchain Xcelerator, Techstars, and Layer 1 protocols, including Ethereum, Algorand, and Solana. She maintains close ties with the blockchain communities at Stanford and Yale.
Driven by a passion for shaping the future through frontier technologies, Sophia is currently supporting AI data and applications deals within her team. She holds a BBA from Simon Fraser University, an MBA from the University of British Columbia, and an MAM from the Yale School of Management.
Camila Russo is the Founder of The Defiant, a media company focusing on decentralized finance, and the author of The Infinite Machine, the most read book on the history of Ethereum. Previously, she was a markets and crypto reporter at Bloomberg News based in New York, Madrid and Buenos Aires. She has an MSc in Journalism from Northwestern University and is originally from Santiago, Chile.