GM, web3! This is part of a mini series, featuring profiles of people who have left Web2 for Web3 and exploring why they made the leap. If you have ideas for people to feature (including self-nominations!) reach out to us @Sarah or @Vedika.

Today, we’re excited to profile Zach Davidson, growth & partnerships at Rabbithole. Enjoy!

First, some context: what did you used to do, and what are you doing now? 

I'm Zach and I'm a web3 operator + investor. I started my career two years ago as Erik Torenberg's Chief of Staff at Village Global, where I focused on investing + operations. While working with Erik I also spent time helping scale On Deck from ~5-200 employees, spinning up new fellowships, and supporting the broader team across hiring, fundraising, and more. Today I lead all things community at RabbitHole, a learn & earn platform with a vision of becoming the best place to find work based on verifiable crypto-credentials.  As we transition from a centralized company to a DAO, I oversee contributor acquisition + engagement, new workstream development, and go-to-market for special projects in our ecosystem. You could think of me kinda like the mayor of a small town — I oversee our community's efforts + empower the right people to make our ecosystem the best it could be. 

What was your first exposure to crypto/web3?

I first learned about crypto in 2016 during a freshman year internship. One of my teammates, Brock, was raising a small crypto hedge fund at the time + opened my eyes to the world of Ethereum. To be honest, I didn't understand much of the technical stuff back then, but I found the concept of decentralized technology interesting from a philosophical POV, and I kept it in the back of my mind for the next few years.

What was your “aha” moment / why did you decide to go FT into web3?

Fast forward to 2020/21 — while working with Erik I saw the power of what online communities could accomplish if you put the right people in the room. But while web2 communities did a great job of aligning their members' shared values + sense of purpose, they lacked a value transfer network where members should share value with one another, or earn economic upside in the success of their community at large. I started thinking about how I wanted to spend my time and with DAOs finally coming into public discourse I knew it was my chance to take the leap + lead a community of my own. 

Any learnings from the process / since joining web3 full-time? 

I think the best advice I could give someone about going full-time DAOs or web3 in general is to put yourself out there. Or put differently — "do the job before you have the job." Since crypto levels the playing field + opens up a truly global workforce, those that succeed are the ones who are unafraid to speak up, prove their worth, and contribute to the causes they care about in a legible way. The last part is especially important, since there is virtually no hiring process for truly web3 native roles — you gotta learn to build in public + get comfortable throwing half-baked ideas out there to see what sticks. The most interesting connections I've made + opportunities I've been given have come from being public with my thoughts and my work. Do the job before you have the job, and the right doors will open.

Thanks Zach for joining us, and let us know who you’d like to see next!