Bridging Eastern and Western Values To Evolve Web3

Efficiency drives my personal and professional endeavors. From the American Midwest to the financial hubs of Asia, I’ve observed how different cultures approach innovation, risk and the process of building profitable businesses. I’ve had the privilege of learning from both Western and Eastern startup ecosystems, and these diverse perspectives have defined my approach to supporting Web3 ecosystems.

Early Lessons In Innovation

From an early age, I was committed to getting the most out of my work by taking a thoughtful, scientific approach. I was a multi-sport athlete throughout high school and a Division I athlete in college. Although I wasn’t the most physically talented athlete, I employed specialized training techniques to hone my skills. I graduated high school as a nationally ranked athlete and won multiple state titles as a long jumper and 100-meter dash specialist, despite being the shortest member of the team.

Athletic success opened the door to academic and professional opportunities. I moved to the East Coast and attended Princeton University, where I was exposed to a world of highly driven classmates. While recurring injuries ended my athletic career, this ultimately drove me to discover a newfound passion for academics and entrepreneurship.

Eastern And Western Philosophies

After graduating, I worked in corporate strategy at a major technology firm, where I saw firsthand how bureaucracy can hinder true innovation. I transitioned to work in the cryptocurrency industry in late 2015, where I had the privilege of joining Gemini, a licensed and regulated cryptocurrency exchange. I worked alongside the Winklevoss twins at a time when the industry was still nascent and underdeveloped. Gemini taught me to embrace structure as a core virtue.

The industry inevitably had its own set of challenges; early-stage founders were expected to navigate an opaque, fragmented system with little guidance. Where traditional finance had well-established pathways for capital formation, Web3 lacked comparable infrastructure. I eventually transitioned from Gemini to work at Chinese-based hedge fund, FBG Capital, which specialized in trading and investing in newly launched cryptocurrency companies.

When I relocated to China for this opportunity, I immersed myself in a different kind of business culture, one that aligned in many ways with the “move fast and break things” ethos of crypto. Unlike the West, Asia’s approach to startups was focused on rapid iteration. Businesses scaled at a breakneck pace, launching products and refining them in real time. Decision-making was instinctive, risk tolerance was high, and market feedback loops were significantly shorter.

In Eastern cultures, the sheer speed of execution was a revelation—projects that would take months to gain traction back home could test, iterate and scale in a matter of weeks. Unlike the structured venture capital model in the U.S., where startups spent years securing funding before launching, Asian startups often hit the market first and fine-tuned their models as they grew. The system wasn’t perfect, but the dynamism was undeniable.

The Best Of Both Worlds

After two years in Asia, I transitioned back to the U.S. I applied my newfound perspectives to my work at AscendEX, an early-stage cryptocurrency exchange. It was at AscendEX that I first began blending core virtues from both Eastern and Western cultures. I fought relentlessly to foster a professional culture that balanced both innovation and sustainability, which culminated in a major fundraise, and paved the way for me to become the firm’s CEO before my 30th birthday.

After four years with AscendEX, I launched my own venture, Forgd, a free-to-use platform designed to support blockchain companies as they launch and scale tokenized businesses. Now, my focus is on delivering solutions to help Web3 businesses innovate and thrive in a way that is both nimble and sustainable. To optimize their likelihood of success, blockchain projects must have the agility and speed to capitalize on market opportunities. At the same time, they must build a foundation for sustainability. This means structuring tokenomics in a way that incentivizes long-term participation rather than short-term speculation, and it means designing projects with transparency and trust at the forefront.

A Future Beyond Borders

Web3 doesn’t belong to any one country or region. To succeed, it must adopt the best practices and mindsets from around the world. Different approaches don’t need to be in conflict. In fact, their integration can drive the next wave of innovation.

As the Web3 ecosystem continues to evolve, those who can bridge these worlds—who can operate with the discipline of traditional finance while harnessing the dynamism of decentralized innovation—will be the ones who define the future. The next great companies will be built by those who understand the strengths of both East and West and apply them to create something entirely new.

Excellence isn’t an accident. It’s the result of working smarter, learning from setbacks, and always pushing forward. And it comes from observing and adopting the best practices to advance the development of technology—wherever you find them. The goal remains the same: to push past the limits of what’s possible.

Shane Molidor is CEO and founder of Forgd, a token advisory and optimization platform that revolutionizes access to essential tools for blockchain projects.