Decentralized Applications: What’s Now, What’s Next

Decentralized apps or “dapps” are the much-promised innovation of crypto. Imagine a decentralized version of every major application out there today, as well as new applications native to crypto. Given how early things still are though, what are some of the most concrete or near-term applications to be aware of? Arianna Simpson, founder and managing director of ASP and crypto angel investor (and former product manager at BitGo with stints at Facebook and Shoptiques) shares where we are right now, and where we might be heading -- from open financial tools and decentralized finance (“DeFi”) to infrastructure, gaming, and digital collectibles/ goods. This talk was originally delivered at the inaugural a16z Crypto Regulatory Summit 2019 in August.