With Solana Accelerate preparing to take over New York City this week, we wanted to get into the conference spirit with a reliable pulse check of the ecosystem.
And who better to talk to than gum (@0xGumshoe), renowned Solana thought leader and creator of The Gummies?
Before sharing his bold predictions for the event, gum reflected on whether Solana Accelerate will mark a turning point for Solana. We covered his advice for first-time attendees, top networking tips, and which speaker from the stacked lineup he’d most want to have dinner with.
RockawayX: The event has been positioned as a pivotal moment for innovation on Solana, especially in light of evolving U.S. regulatory dynamics. In your view, does this moment live up to that narrative, or is the hype overstated?
gum: Solana and crypto were targeted by regulatory institutions in the past. Today, we are living the exact opposite, but challenges lie ahead.
Solana has positioned itself well by aligning with American ideals of innovation, growth, and freedom. In my view, the conference is a way to strengthen ties with the U.S. and attract institutions and key players from various sectors.
I’d even say this isn’t a crypto-first conference – it’s a showcase for outsiders to see what’s being built on blockchain.
RockawayX: Which five teams should attendees try to connect with at Accelerate?
gum: It depends on your goals. If you're looking to grow your protocol, you should connect with teams like Jupiter and Pudgy Penguins – they’ve been through it all.
If you're seeking connections, funding, partners, engineering support, or growth strategies, there's no one better than the team at RockawayX.
For representatives from traditional finance, Kamino is the go-to; it’s the most robust and advanced DeFi protocol on Solana. And finally, Solana itself should be one of the key connections attendees aim to make, given the network and support it provides.
RockawayX: What advice would you offer to someone attending Accelerate as their first industry conference?
gum: Go to the side events. If you’re a builder, do not try to pitch your idea, just connect with people. If you’re an investor, take note of the trends and use them to form a thesis - a lot of projects went from small caps to multi-billion dollar valuations after presenting at conferences.
RockawayX: If you could have dinner with one speaker from the Accelerate lineup, who would it be and why?
gum: There are so many greats to choose from, but I would talk to Circle’s co-founder, Jeremy Allaire. Stablecoins are an exciting ecosystem, and I would love to learn all the little details of how Circle went from nothing to where it is today.
RockawayX: What’s your boldest prediction for what might unfold during Accelerate?
gum: I’d bet on US-policy related announcements. The conference is taking place in the capital of the world, the heart of the US, with speakers from places like the CFTC, the US Senate, and the House of Representatives.
RockawayX: Are there any projects that you anticipate making significant announcements?
gum: Yes, teams are definitely saving big announcements for Accelerate. I expect Luca Netz from Pudgy Penguins to drop some alpha related to Abstract. Jupiter always has something up their sleeve, so it’s hard to imagine them not sharing something major for the ecosystem. I also speculate that both Meteora and TimeFun will announce their tokens.
I believe Kalshi, the event betting exchange, might announce the rollout of crypto deposits on their platform. It would make sense as a strategic move to challenge Polymarket on the crypto consumer front.
