Resy and Eater: Ben Leventhal
When Ben Leventhal first started blogging about New York City’s restaurant scene in the early 2000s, he was doing it as a hobby. But as the website Eater gained weight and spread to other cities, it became a snarkily influential voice in the dining world. Recognizing that many restaurants struggle to survive, Ben then co-founded Resy, a booking app that squeezed more value into seats by charging diners higher rates for a hot table. When this business model flopped, Resy made a rapid pivot that eventually paid off, with an acquisition by American Express for $200 million in 2019.
This episode was researched and produced by Sam Paulson with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant. Our engineers were Robert Rodriguez and James Willetts.
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Why Resy Founder is Building in Crypto | Ben Leventhal & Li Jin
In this episode of Empire, Li Jin from Variant Fund and Ben Leventhal from Blackbird and co-founder of Resy, cover the intersection of the consumer market and crypto. They delve into the history of consumer startups, the limitations of traditional businesses in the dining industry, and the potential of crypto to transform ownership. Ben discusses Blackbird and how it addresses issues in the restaurant industry by establishing better connection and understanding between restaurants and customers. To close out Li touches on her vision for consumer crypto leading into 2024. Thanks for tuning in!
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Timestamps:
(00:00) End of Times for Consumer Apps
(05:58) Consumer Crypto's Advantage
(17:22) Identity Rails for Restaurants
(21:23) Balancing Blockchain & Consumer Rights
(27:45) Complexity of Building On Web3
(30:00) Toku ad
(31:16) Variant Fund Approach to Consumer Crypto
(36:23) Why Use Crypto?
(41:54) FLY Token & Progressive Ownership
(46:44) Mitigating Attack Vectors
(50:21) Consumer Crypto in 2024
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Resources
Blackbird Docs
https://www.blackbird.xyz/flypaper
Li Jin Barrier to Mainstream Adoption
https://variant.fund/articles/barrier-to-mainstream-crypto-adoption-is-product-market-fit/
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Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.