The man behind the hand

A fresh day brings with it a brand-new interview opportunity! We're thrilled to delve deeper into the life of Lorenzo, a prominent figure within the Cardano community. Lorenzo has established himself as an exceptional leader, offering valuable guidance to the community and delving into numerous projects.

Let's start by giving a bit of background about yourself. Be as specific or general as you would like. Remember, no judgment here! We appreciate the fact you are willing to open up to a room full of strangers. Where are you from? What do you do? What are your skills? What do you do for a living?

Hey everyone, Lorenzo here! Okay, let's do this: as my name suggests, I'm Italian, in my late 20s. My background spans from creative consulting in the fine dining business, to communication and strategy in web3, and everything in between.

Here's a bit of background:

I'm a huge foodie. I worked in the business for years, at one point I even had a small catering company with my brother. The highlight was consulting the top catering company in Italy (I was only 22), where I spearheaded their research and development division.

In the summer of 2018, I got into flipping sneakers and streetwear, downloaded a popular marketplace app and started selling Supreme, Nike kicks, etc. - you know the deal. Fast forward 3 months, that same company hired me. That company turned out to be a VC-backed tech startup based in London. As with most early startups, you do what's needed to push the company forward. So I started in sales, then moved to customer support, then product, then communication. We shipped 4 different products in 4 years. It was brutal! Saying "I learned a lot there" is an understatement. Over the years I was able to climb my way to managerial positions, I believe I took less than a month off work in over 4 years. Got burnt out more times than I can remember. I was fired unexpectedly after the company's latest project fell through in the summer of last year.

Fin.

In reality, this huge failure was the beginning of the best year of my life. The last project I worked on at that company was NFT-focused and we started in the summer of '21. It was an alpha group with a 26-person team behind it, we would review hundreds of projects a day and write in-depth reports about the best ones. Around the same time, I was also entrusted to head the entire communication for the official Twitter account.

What projects do you run or do you help with? If none, what project brought you into the space?

I founded TGT Alpha last summer. I see it as the culmination of my experiences.

In general, I've been in Cardano since early 2021. I think my first Cardano mint was Dexo Worlds.

What projects are your favourite and what are they looking to do for the space and/or the world overall?

I've been researching and reviewing projects for over 2 years now, it's hard for me to pick favourites as things change so frequently in this space.

Generally speaking, I look for vocal, strong-minded founders with high adaptability and morals. I'm a sucker for good communication, so while a good product needs to be there for a business to succeed, good communication is currently more important.

What brought you to blockchain technology in general?

The classic stuff: I got drawn to it for investment purposes, and stayed for the myriads of opportunities for real-life innovation. I also love subcultures and collectables.

What event in your life triggered you to decide that you needed to learn & build the next generation of technology?

Mostly circumstantial - I love talking to people who are smarter than me, and Crypto has been on these people's minds for years.

What do you see as the biggest advantage(s) to blockchain technology over current web tech?

I'd be foolish not to say decentralisation, but also accessibility and convenience. My friends are still blown away when I show them how quickly and cheaply blockchains like Cardano can settle transactions.

Why Cardano out of all the other chains? If not Cardano, why the chain that you prefer & why?

I think this applies to most of us: you first get into Bitcoin, then learn about Dapps and inevitably get stuck into Ethereum. You quickly get tired of it and you look for alternatives, with the best of them being Cardano.

If you could do anything to make a living, what would it be? What's stopping you from making this a reality?

I can't lie, last year was pretty rough, but I worked tirelessly to turn my passion into a reality. I now consult web3 businesses across three different blockchains, with my main focus being Cardano. I help these projects get their point across through effective communication (Mostly on X).

What are the most important qualities a team must possess and what attributes do you look for when researching a new company or project to invest money into?

I think it mostly comes down to shared vision. If the founder(s)/CEO can impress the company's vision onto its employees, they will do whatever is needed to turn it into a reality.

I mostly look for true leaders. In this space, you need to be ready to fail countless times, and not everyone can sustain that. The rewards can be massive though.

Where do you see yourself 10 years from today? What are your long-term goals and why are they important to you?

In 10 years I'll be in my late 30s so hopefully, I'll be married to my fiance and have lots of kids, and a nice farmhouse in the Italian countryside.

If the above becomes true, it means I did pretty well after all.

What are your hobbies? What do you find the most enjoyment in?

I am obsessed with cooking, I'd say sharing my creations with family and friends is what brings me the most joy.

I almost became a pro skier when I was a teen. I have been skiing my entire life and participated in more races than I could ever remember, across 2 continents (EU & NA).

I also love free diving and spear-fishing. Haven't done much of these in the past couple of years but I'll come back to it.

If you could change one thing in the world, what would you change and why would you change it?

We're getting deep into it now!

What's your favourite kind of music? What is your favourite music artist? What is your favourite song?

Elaborate on how and why these became your favourites.

I listen to music 4 hours a day on average, I like to find new artists and grooves all the time.

Not sure about genres, but whatever Vulfpeck does I'm a huge fan of. I'm the type of person who gets stuck on specific tracks for weeks on end. Current song on repeat? Game Winner by Vulfpeck. Great vibes and is also quite inspirational.

What is your favourite book or piece of literature? What about it made it so special?

To stay on theme: "Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well" by Pellegrino Artusi. It's the best Italian cookbook ever published. It's from 1891 so you know it's good.

When you research a project, what do you look for?

I learned that the best way to research NFT or Defi projects is to ask the founders directly. I usually do a deep dive into the available documentation, popular posts, and their Discord server if they have one, and then ask to either jump on a call where I can ask the hard questions OR set up a private AMA on TGT so that our members can also help me find what's underneath the surface.

I now have the platform and reach to get into most people's DMs so that also helps.

When your co-founder left ‘The Hand’, how did that affect you and what have you learnt from the experience?

All things considered, and I don't want people to take this the wrong way, but I wish it happened sooner. It was a slow and painful process that was drawn out for months where our interests and aspirations went in opposite directions so I had to make a series of tough decisions over time, versus just ripping the bandaid and being done with it.

Needless to say, I am extremely proud of where TGT is right now, and I wanna thank my old self for sticking to my convictions, even when the easier choice would have been to fold.

I am now more cautious regarding partnerships and business deals in general, I learned my lesson there.

Shadow banning on X, how are you trying to combat it so it doesn't affect your reach?

My job is mainly focused on X communication, so I need to ensure I'm always up to speed with everything that's happening, the new changes to the algo, the current 'meta' and so on, so that I can bring all this information and experience when consulting clients.

This includes testing different strategies and how they affect reach all the time, including shadowbanning, which is now the talk of the town on X since monetization was launched.

It's a tricky game, mostly because X does not notify users when these restrictions are applied. There are many ways to avoid it, the main one being to avoid farming views on large accounts that don't interact back/don't follow your account.

If you mostly interact with verified accounts that also follow you, you will likely be fine!

In conclusion, Lorenzo's journey has been a fascinating blend of fine dining, blockchain exploration, and personal passions. He values decentralization and convenience in blockchain tech and found his way to Cardano after experimenting with various chains. Lorenzo's long-term goals include personal fulfillment and family life.

Beyond blockchain, he's an avid cook, skier, free diver, and music enthusiast, particularly drawn to artists like Vulfpeck. In research, he advocates direct communication with project founders for deep insights.

Lorenzo learned the importance of aligning interests in co-founder relationships and partnerships. He's now cautious and values convictions.

Addressing shadow banning, Lorenzo stays informed about platform changes and emphasizes genuine interactions to maintain a healthy reach.

In summary, Lorenzo is a multi-talented individual, passionate about blockchain and communication, with a unique journey and exciting chapters ahead.