Katherine Wu | katherine.eth
@katherineykwu
Followers
73K
Following
34K
Media
415
Statuses
7K
COO @ensdomains + venture partner @archetypevc ⬅️ prev: vc @cbventures @notationcapital bd @messaricrypto
New York, NY
Joined September 2017
Absolutely honored to announce ~something new~:. Today is my first day as the new COO of ENS Labs! . I truly believe ENS is one of the most impactful and important places to be in crypto right now, and I am unbelievably humbled and excited to embark on this new journey.
We're thrilled to welcome @katherineykwu to ENS Labs as our new COO! 🎉. Katherine brings years of experience in the crypto space, having been a Venture Partner at Archetype, a key leader at Coinbase Ventures, and a former ENS DAO MetaGov Steward. With her extensive experience.
178
33
1K
Every once in a while I get so intensely consumed by imposter syndrome that I lose nights of sleep and spiral into existential crisis mode. Then someone outside my work bubble asks me a question about my industry and I realize that I know way more than I give myself credit for.
122
267
3K
I just walked out of the Hong Kong SFC (that’s their equivalent of the SEC) office and uhhhh holy hell was that a stark contrast to meetings with the US SEC. The U.S. is going to be left so far behind in the new decade due to fragmented, archaic, and stringent regulations.
79
612
2K
Gensler really went live today to give us all a huge "fuck you" . In all seriousness though- this is the most aggressive and hostile stance re US crypto regulation to date from the SEC- magnitudes more than anything before. Working through this speech rn to give a breakdown soon.
172
308
2K
breaking news as corporate America discovers that "blockchain tech" is just a slow fucking database .
110
600
2K
🚨 THIS IS HUGE: the SEC just released an official statement on “Framework for ‘Investment Contract’ Analysis of Digital Assets” analyzing whether a digital asset is a security or not. READING NOW WILL POST ANALYSIS HERE STAY TUNED.
62
636
2K
buying in-flight wifi to mint NFTs from 30,000 ft above ground this feels extremely normal.
108
71
2K
I have tears steaming down my face trying to figure out what the hell this means. WeChat is the only form of communication between me and my parents and grandparents- my entire family in China. It’s always been so goddamn hard to be so far from them, and especially this year.
NEWS: Trump Issues Executive Orders Cutting off WeChat and TikTok from transactions with the United States . w/ @AnaSwanson .
292
183
2K
gm! quick update: today is my last day at coinbase. sometimes you take that leap of faith and it just doesn't land quite right- that's ok! eternally grateful for the amazing people i've meet & proud of the work i've done. wrapped up this week &working on next steps. stay tuned :).
101
34
2K
“pitch deck is a game. where you and your friends play entrepreneur and venture capitalists” . please i just came here to buy catan. i am not ok 💀💀💀
67
160
2K
send this to someone when they ask you what you want for Christmas 🎊🎁 . (you guys should’ve all seen this coming. !). ps buy bitcoin 😘
155
171
2K
some Monday morning ~professional~ update:. I’m joining Coinbase Ventures!!! 🥳⚡️. Sometimes, the answer to “what should I do next” just takes one email from someone you’ve always admired to make the leap (thank you, @emiliemc!) .
193
23
2K
My dad (who lives in China) told me that there is a company called “Blockchain Group” listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange and asked me if I knew about it. Surprised, I looked it up—didn’t think it’d happen already!. it’s a goddamn tea company that changed it’s name 😑😑😑.
86
169
2K
If no Twitter announcement/update- did it really happen?. Some (belated) updates on my side:. 1. I've joined @archetypevc as a Venture Partner to lead investments in early-stage crypto companies;. 2. Work with @crypto_council as its first crypto policy Research Fellow!. Context⬇️.
132
512
981
Some hard truths about being a VC that I learned the hard way:.
48
132
1K
I'm kicking off 2024 by heading into a scary surgery next week (more info in thread if you’re curious). Stress was an onset trigger (among others) for me and I've learned the really hard way that health >> everything else. Nothing else is more important than you feeling 100%.
171
43
1K
from a nyc summer friday sunset a year ago. i miss this vibe sm 🥺
40
4
1K
Instead of a tweet storm about the FinCEN crypto guidance, I downloaded and annotated the entire thing. For those who actually would like to read the document, but may need some help in figuring out exactly which sentences/ sections matter. DL here :).
94
290
963
🌟 LIFE UPDATE!!. I am *so* incredibly excited to finally be able to share this: I am joining the wonderful humans at Notation Capital! I can't think of better people to learn from and work alongside — as a VC (!!)💃🏻. @notationcapital @nchirls @alexlines .
113
22
901
Update to the $24 million settlement with the SEC: . I compiled both the SEC settlement order AND the settlement letter that their lawyer sent to the SEC. And annotated it. Trust me, you're going to want to read this.
78
237
829
The SEC releases final new accredited investors rules to include (regardless of personal wealth):. members of an investment team at a fund (vc/PE/HF). “spousal equivalent” (ie can pool finances w your s/o). those w certifications (series 7, 65, etc).
30
188
829
Bytedance (which owns both Tiktok + Douyin) released a 2019 data report today on the user behaviors and trends on Douyin. It’s only available in Chinese, so I thought it might be interesting to translate and share! SUPER interesting differences:.
37
170
810
lmfao we really just all tuned in to watch three white men interrupt each other tn. ok.
34
42
806
friend: so how’s your new job going?. me: honestly everything is awesome but the only unsettling thing is that with each passing day that HBO show Silicon Valley feels more like a documentary and less like a totally absurd comedy show I used to laugh at.
24
41
805
😱 IT HAPPENED!!!!!:. Kik filed their answer to the SEC's complaint today and it's 100+ pages long and if you don't think I'm crazy enough to annotate ALL OF THE PAGES YOU'RE WRONG. Happy reading + some thoughts from me :).
46
151
790
shoutout to @Azuki for consistently shipping high quality products 🙌. finally received my twin tiger jacket!! 🔥🐅🌱 such an awesome token of appreciate for Azuki owners
61
59
731
1. The first EVER lawsuit in China that involves blockchain tech just got decided & the released opinion contains a really detailed blockchain explainer. This is entirely unprecedented and has huge implications for the legitimacy of blockchain tech in China. 🇨🇳
15
341
735
Just had the chance to skim the (400+ page) Bitmain IPO document. Some interesting stats:. In the first half of 2018, Bitmain’s revenue was $2.845 billion, with a net profit of $1.123 billion. 95% of revenue comes from the sale of 2.56 million (!!) mining rigs. More below ⬇️
35
261
718
Launch day!! 🎉 . I’m so excited to share a new program that we’re doing @notationcapital: Notation Moonlight 🌙 - it’s an 8-week program (completely free) for those of you who perhaps want to start a company, but worried about taking the first steps 👼🏻.
38
71
736
I’d really love to start a podcast/video series for the “crypto-curious” audience — thinking of it as an educational/ non intimidating resource for people who are looking at “102” level type content . Do I know any good podcast production folks who can help me with this?DMs open!.
80
21
736
The past 10 years. 🎓Graduated high school, college & law school.🖇Went from law -> bd @ startup -> vc .🙋🏻♀️ Learned SO MUCH about myself!.🚙 Got my driver's license :).🌃 Made NYC home.👦🏻 Cute supportive bf.👭 Closer than ever to friends + family . Excited for the next 10! 🥂.
19
10
724
As much as I’m convinced and optimistic about the long term future of crypto, time periods and especially days like this truly suck. My heart goes out to everyone who’s losing their jobs. Hit me up if/ when you’re ready for a new opportunity- esp women in web3. I’ll do my best.
48
39
697
Mood booster: . Walked out of yoga class *just* in time to catch the tail-end of sunset ❤️🌇 🌅🙏🏻
29
33
689
following anything crypto/ defi-related in the summer of 2020
41
21
684
As requested- my annotated guide to reading and understanding the SEC complaint against Ripple 👇🏻. 2020 has truly broken my brain but ty lovely people for encouraging me to put on my analytical hat again- hope this helps!. Plus some quick thoughts here :.
50
122
662
also hi friends! i am breaking my Twitter hiatus-. towards the end of last year I was feeling super uninspired and burned out, which then me to a full offline break. in the past few months ive re-immersed myself back into crypto full-time and I’ve never been more energized.
58
4
656
As we head into another bull run, I just wanted to say this: . There’s nothing wrong about selling your crypto holdings if you need the cash to cover your expenses or to give yourself a financial cushion. It’s been a long & tough crypto winter. Take care of yourself first.
46
51
627
The sole reason for removing likes on Instagram comes down to one thing: ad dollars. 🤑. Removing likes is Instagram’s way of taking back some $ that‘s currently going from brand to influencers. Now brands will be forced to pay $ to Instagram in order to get the reach they want.
35
128
630
Spent the weekend w/ a large group of friends and every single person, regardless of industry, talked about how much they hate their jobs- but 'whatever, it's fine, everyone hates it'. It really shouldn't be fine or normal. We spend at least 50% of our waking hours at our jobs.
40
62
615
EOS JUST GOT SUED BY THE SEC OMG IT FINALLY HAPPENED.
56
125
575
i just found out why nickelback is treading on twitter and I legitimately cant stop laughing lmao what a fucking time we live in.
22
36
570
For those who haven't had the time to read today's major court decision in SEC v. Ripple- I wrote a 3-page summary!!. TLDR; huge L for the SEC today; huge W for exchanges & retail investors. PDF linked for easy reading within the post.
39
89
562
!! I am SCREAMING @HesterPeirce u r a hero. "our current definition includes investors that spend their days cruising around in a Ferrari that Daddy bought them, yet excludes investors whose weeks are spent earning money and weekends are spent figuring out how best to invest it.".
12
89
544
🔊 Announcing: . Namechain by @ensdomains, a purpose-built Layer 2 solution. This is the next evolution in ENS and part of the larger ENSv2 direction. By dramatically reducing costs, improving performance, and providing a familiar Ethereum developer experience our hope is to
JUST IN: ENS Labs, the company behind @ensdomains, is moving ahead with a plan to migrate the domain name service from Ethereum its own layer-2 network. @margauxnijkerk reports.
41
77
557
it costs zero dollars to not tweet or say hateful things (particularly hateful things towards marginalized communities) in public literally WHYYY is this so hard to understand for people (especially those who assume positions of power).
28
39
537
OKAY SO I just made my way through the 49-page complaint that the SEC filed against Kik- if you want an annotated guide to cut through the legalese, why certain arguments and facts are being made, what this all means, read along with me here: .
43
116
527
True story: . the bartender overheard me and @PeterMcCormack talking about crypto and came over and asked "Hey, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation and want to take your take on something: what do you guys think of XRP?" . and Peter just starts laughing maniacally. .
37
16
497
wow tonight was absolutely not the night to watch I am Legend for the first time.
62
9
528
My brother (who is in his last year in medical school!!) comes to visit me in NYC. Me: *feeling extra cute today b/c I put some blush on my cheeks ☺️*. Brother: “ummmm hey Katherine so I think you may be showing some symptoms of Lupus [rash]”. Me:. 🤦🏻♀️😭.
30
17
521
Wow. Andreessen Horowitz is registering their entire firm of 150 people as financial advisors in order to make bigger bets. "If [a16z] wants to put $1 billion into crypto or shares from public companies . they can" 😲. via @Forbes by @alexrkonrad .
24
136
503
For the first time ever, China has more companies on the Fortune 500 list than the U.S.- and also overtakes the US in the number of new companies worth at least US$1 billion. In terms of profitability, Saudi Aramco overtook Apple as the most profitable company in the world.
In a first, China has more companies on @FortuneMagazine’s Global 500 list than the US
25
146
479
Regulators worldwide share the same customer protection concerns, but its the open-minded way they approach changing dynamics (in tech, finance, etc.) that is key. I am more convinced by the day that the next decade of innovation will flourish & happen outside of the US. 🙅🏻♀️😔.
30
59
477
Yesterday a total stranger grabbed my arm in the subway to get me to talk to him and today another man followed me into a CVS store and blocked my path to “ask about my background”. Both times I had earphones in. Afterwards I went home & angry-cried over how powerless I felt.
157
51
479
Next Monday, May 7th, a group of SEC and CFTC officials will discuss whether or not Ether should be classified as a security. The outcome has huge implications for the future of tokens: either a categorical crack down, or a shift in the legal landscape.
36
273
456
Hi friends! Are you nervous about an upcoming meeting/ presentation or hitting a creative wall, and wish you could practice or brainstorm with someone? . I have some free time (~2-3 hours/week) and would love to hype you up!💖 . Let me know👇🏻.
33
37
473
"If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room". If I could go back in time and hear this advice again, I wish it was this:. "There will always be smarter people than you in the room, but it doesn't mean you don't deserve to be there".
12
45
472
@annafifield Haha did you realize what the little robot was saying to you? . “Oh wow, you are the cutest human I have ever seen! How about a selfie? Ready? Say chee—“ . and thats when you hit the button to shut the door and sent it away!! 😂😪😭.
13
18
430
My friend tells me that she feels guilty about telling others how much she loves her job (that she worked really hard to get and is phenomenal at!) and so as a result, always downplays it. Why is there something socially unacceptable in genuinely saying "I fucking love my job"?!.
67
19
449
The majority of the men in my professional life whom I interact with on a regular basis are kind, paitient, and respectful. But every once in a while I am reminded very starkly of the implicit sexist bias that exists from small gestures to more overt acts.
24
39
429
No lie I am fangirling so hard right now at @HesterPeirce, who just pointed to this very packed lecture hall and said: . “This right here— what you all are working on— is the solution to the fincancial crisis.”. #MITBitcoinExpo
10
66
428
i went on vacation last week and instead of going out at night i watched all three of the Lord of the Rings movies and honestly it was the best $12 + 9 hours i've ever spent.
36
5
424
Seems like I’ve been saying this to friends a lot lately:. You shouldn’t feel guilty about not being happy in your current job. It’s okay to both be grateful for your current job & income stability but also wanting to explore other opportunities you may feel more fulfilled doing.
10
20
417
new yorkers on the subway won't bat an eye if a whole marching band were to walk through the train performing at max. volume but this AM one man gently sneezed and the entire cart glared at him & then half of those people moved into a different cart at the next stop.
25
20
413
i really do love to sing along and say “happy birthday to me”🎶🌟💖 . getting older is awesome (aside from the whole waking up to random neck/back/joint pain thing)🥳
54
2
410
?????? bring back traffic lights and crosswalks pls. this on x-games mode now
24
20
404
Hi friends!. After an incredible ~two years with @notationcapital, this is my last month!. Deeply grateful to @nchirls and @alexlines for having me play such a big part on the team, and I look forward to being part of the Notation fam for years to come!. Next: time off to ~vibe~.
25
1
407
Hung out with some cactus (or is it cacti??)🌵this weekend . — @ the Moorten Botanical Garden in Palm Springs
19
0
389
Wuzhen, China. Unbelievably gorgeous. 😍💫
19
20
382
Here we go again:. Another trip around the sun ✅🎂☀️🌎🙋🏻♀️!
43
0
380
For the first time on Halloween night I’m on the other side of the door as an adult (?!) giving candy away 🍬. The kids all ask me “how many pieces of candy can I take?” which is so cute but also lmao being a kid sucks like I just fed myself candy for dinner I have so much power.
15
11
392
1/ Talked to a NYAG attorney last night, who said this:. The SEC is engaged in the crypto exchange space. With Etherdelta, they got Coburn to cooperate & show that existing laws fit in this space. Translated: “We know how to put the crypto economy in our existing framework.”.
22
128
371
Pro tip: . I am always happy to meet new people but if you are going to give me your business card and my hands are full then come find me later DO NOT I repeat DO NOT reach and put your business card down my pants pocket???. I cannot believe I even have to say this.
49
9
369
In China right now & its hard to get on Twitter but. holy shit. For how much we talk about cryptoassets as a global asset, it certainly does not feel that way. This is basically a parallel crypto universe with little/ no bridge in between. 1/.
37
96
362
OMGOMGOMG ITS HAPPENING THE SEC OFFICIALLY SUED KIK TODAY .
20
79
359
I set an alarm for 7AM EST to read Facebook's Libra blockchain announcement and woke up to various posts, tweets & takes around the world (the announcement was released at 5AM). Instead of adding more words to the discussion, here's a roundup of takes that made me think :).
12
104
368
For those of you who are interested in reviewing + keeping up with the SEC's actions in the crypto space, I have compiled all the SEC actions/ statements thus far. Check it out and let me know if i have missed anything. Otherwise, nerd out and enjoy:).
21
87
353
Obligatory Miami tweet 🌴. I'm in Miami all of next week with nothing else to do other than to chill and catch up with new and old friends - let's hang!! . DMs are open/ Friends pls text me 🥳📲.
28
4
357
Hi @jk_rowling! I’m sorry for adding to the noise, but:. Bitcoin is like Galleons for the digital realm; there’s no way to magically produce more beyond what was set by code; and Bitcoin is immune to duplicates for similar reasons why the Doulbling charm won’t work on Galleons!.
People are now explaining Bitcoin to me, and honestly, it’s blah blah blah collectibles (My Little Pony?) blah blah blah computers (got one of those) blah blah blah crypto (sounds creepy) blah blah blah understand the risk (I don’t, though.).
18
25
368
Fun fact: Veritaseum used to be in the same WeWork building (and same floor!!!) as me and I used to go out of my way to walk by their offices and see if there was anyone in there. spoiler alert: no one was ever in there.
24
27
343
So many moments from this week in DC around Facebook/ Libra/ Bitcoin/Crypto have felt utterly surreal and emotional to me. As crypto becomes more common in national discourse, a quick reminder to be kind to newcomers— we’ve all been there & are lucky to learn from each other :).
13
37
351
guys I failed my road test today 🚗😭 it was raining so heavily and I was SOOOOOOOooo nervous I forgot like all the rules. please give me some advice I’m too old to fail this test again I just want my license.
314
3
330
Sometimes I think about deleting my early content around crypto b/c so much has changed since then. But it also reminds me of how much fun it was to go down the crypto rabbit hole for the first time and how much I've learned. So it may be cringey, but my passion is still here :).
24
10
338
I finally gave in and bought a robot vacuum and now I'm just spending my Sunday following it around my apartment and watching it work lol this is my life now.
29
7
339
i had a dream last night where i was being chased around a desert by a huge spider-like creature that was shooting out these webs called 'web3' and then i discovered that the creature was called "ethereum" i need to stop checking twitter before bed wtf.
24
19
337
standing in a very warm and crowded subway cart being enclosed by 10 other puffer jackets (very sweaty now); can’t reach the handle bar, left AirPods at home. staring up at an Uber eats ad. very bright fluorescent lights. it’s 830am and I’ve got 7 more stops to go FUCKIN MINT.
40
1
344
There's enough discourse on how glamorous and exciting the job seem to be, and I have never taken the opportunity for granted 🙏🏻 . But there is needed space for people in the industry to be more vulnerable-- and more supported.
24
3
350
1/ In case you missed it this week, the CFTC lost a big case to DRW Investments (the owner of crypto trading firm Cumberland). 🔥🔥🔥 HOT take from this opinion: a federal judge compares the CFTC's enforcement lawyers to Flat Earthers. More context ⬇️.
7
92
330
Just two legal nerds cheesin’ over crypto‘s future 🤓😁 w/ @giancarloCFTC . Shoutout to @a16z for organizing the crypto regulatory summit- getting both crypto folks + regulators in a room really spurred some important & necessary dialogue for the future.
10
14
336
Went to Big Sur for the first time this weekend, 10/10 would recommend 😍🌊
14
8
324
Anytime my friends come to me for career-related advice, I've always pushed them (mostly women) to ask for more in their salary base for the next gig. My best friend today successfully negotiated a 50% salary pay increase and a more senior title. So proud of her 😭✨.
7
12
333
It seems so weird to me that a lot of people has to preface any opinions with “I’ve heard of /owned bitcoin since 2012 (or whatever number)” in order to be taken seriously. I wish we would place less importance on that and instead focus on the substance of the content & thought.
43
34
324
Just out: the first of my video series covering regulation in the crypto space! An episode on the SEC: what they are, what they have power over, and how their jurisdiction extends to the ICO space. Also some thoughts on regulation for ICOs. via @YouTube.
25
83
324