Ryan Yi: Token rights impact investor returns, DAOs face operational challenges, and the strategic benefits of token consolidation

Key takeaways

• Token rights often fall short, impacting both short-term and long-term investor returns.
• Equity investors can siphon value from tokens, creating conflicts of interest.
• DAOs face operational challenges, leading some to adopt traditional legal structures.
• Aligning users and token holders is crucial for successful token-based projects.
• Managing multiple tokens is burdensome for early-stage teams.
• UMA’s primary activity is serving as an oracle for Polymarket prediction markets.
• Outstanding tokens can hinder B2B sales and relationships with large institutions.
• Discontinuing a token is considered unethical to investors who hold it.
• Consolidating multiple tokens into one is strategically beneficial.
• The market no longer views tokens as free capital, prompting consolidation.
• Token management can distract early-stage startups from finding product-market fit.
• Traditional business structures are becoming more appealing to crypto projects.

Guest intro

Ryan Yi is the founder of Onchain Group, where he focuses on analyzing crypto governance structures and token economics. Previously, he served as an investment analyst at CoinFund, where he conducted research on crypto asset-class economics and developed investment strategies for digital assets. His work examining incentive structures in decentralized protocols and token models directly informs his analysis of whether current DAO governance frameworks can effectively serve crypto communities.

The token rights dilemma

• Tokens often lack sufficient rights for holders, affecting returns. “Tokens did not confer sufficient rights on for token holders… it really impacts our long term returns and our short term returns.” – Ryan Yi
• The equity-token conflict allows equity investors to siphon value from tokens. “Previous investors who had equity could siphon value from tokens.” – Ryan Yi
• This conflict undermines the value of tokens for new investors.
• Understanding token rights dynamics is crucial for crypto market investors.
• Insufficient token rights lead to significant issues in the liquid token space.
• The equity-token problem creates a fundamental conflict in investment structures.
• Token rights impact both market stability and investor interests.
• Addressing token rights is essential for improving investor confidence.

DAOs and operational challenges

• DAOs are cumbersome for business operations, prompting transitions to traditional entities. “DAOs are kind of cumbersome from a business perspective.” – Ryan Yi
• Traditional structures offer more nimble operations for crypto projects.
• Operational limitations of DAOs are a significant trend in the crypto space.
• The transition to traditional legal entities is driven by business efficiency.
• DAOs face challenges in executing business operations effectively.
• Aligning users and token holders is crucial for token-based project success. “The user and the stakeholder really being aligned as your token holder is quite important.” – Ryan Yi
• Stakeholder alignment plays a key role in successful token projects.
• Understanding DAO challenges is vital for navigating the crypto landscape.

Managing multiple tokens

• Managing multiple tokens is a significant burden for early-stage teams. “Managing the token, managing market makers, managing listings, managing liquidity… is a huge time suck.” – Ryan Yi
• Token management can distract startups from finding product-market fit.
• The operational load of token management is akin to going public as a company.
• Early-stage teams face challenges in managing token-related activities.
• Token management complexities hinder startup focus and growth potential.
• Streamlining token management is crucial for startup efficiency.
• The burden of token management affects early-stage project viability.
• Simplifying token structures can enhance startup agility and focus.

UMA’s role in prediction markets

• UMA’s primary activity is as an oracle for Polymarket prediction markets. “The majority of UMA’s activity is actually as an oracle for the Polymarket prediction markets.” – Ryan Yi
• Understanding UMA’s market positioning is crucial for assessing its strategy.
• UMA’s value lies in its role as a prediction market oracle.
• The focus on prediction markets defines UMA’s business strategy.
• UMA’s oracle services are central to its market activities.
• The prediction market niche is a key area for UMA’s operations.
• UMA’s strategic focus is aligned with its oracle capabilities.
• Assessing UMA’s role in prediction markets is vital for understanding its business model.

Challenges in B2B sales with tokens

• Outstanding tokens hinder B2B sales and relationships with large institutions. “Having an outstanding token hurts their ability to do B2B sales.” – Ryan Yi
• Token presence is a barrier for crypto projects in traditional business contexts.
• Establishing partnerships with traditional businesses is challenging for token projects.
• The market reality affects crypto projects’ business strategies.
• Understanding token-related challenges is crucial for B2B sales strategies.
• Token discontinuation is considered unethical to investors. “It’s quite unethical to do that to people who have savings in a token.” – Ryan Yi
• Ethical considerations are critical in discussions about project governance.
• Navigating token-related challenges is essential for business success.

Strategic benefits of token consolidation

• Consolidating multiple tokens into one is a positive strategic move. “Consolidating from multiple tokens to one or even just one equity… doesn’t make sense from a strategy or incentives point of view.” – Ryan Yi
• Token consolidation enhances strategic alignment and incentives.
• The market no longer accepts tokens as free capital. “The markets just no longer accept that.” – Ryan Yi
• Consolidation reflects a shift in market dynamics and investment trends.
• Streamlining token structures is strategically beneficial for businesses.
• Understanding the inefficiencies of multiple tokens is crucial for strategy.
• The shift towards consolidation aligns with market perceptions.
• Token consolidation is a strategic response to evolving market conditions.