MEMECON transforms crypto Twitter's pseudo-anonymous personalities into real-world connections through a unique conference experience that embraces the wild, quirky energy of meme coins. Jax shares insights on building community through memorable experiences, expanding globally, and navigating the still-emerging meme coin ecosystem.
• MEMECON provides a space for crypto enthusiasts who may feel disenfranchised from mainstream Web3 culture
• The conference stands out by embracing chaos and quirkiness rather than traditional professionalism
• Most attendees are crypto OGs looking for genuine connections beyond digital interactions
• The power of the event comes from transforming online friendships into meaningful real-life relationships
• Storytelling centers around community members who become characters that shape the conference experience
• The deliberately unprofessional branding initially made people question if the conference was even real
• MEMECON has expanded from Lisbon to Singapore and Bangkok, attracting global participants
• Asian meme communities bring unique cultural elements influenced by manga and anime
• Advice for meme coin investors: treat it like gambling and only risk what you can afford to lose
• The meme coin space is still very early and should be approached for fun rather than fortune
Joeri Billast, RYO Ambassador for Europe, on the Memelore panel
Inside MEMECON Lisbon: My Experience and Exclusive Interview with Founder Jax
Walking into MEMECON in Lisbon, you immediately sense something different in the air. This isn't your typical Web3 conference with polished presentations and corporate networking. Instead, there's an electric energy that feels both chaotic and authentic, reflecting the wild nature of the meme coin space itself. The atmosphere is deliberately unconventional, designed to break free from the sterile professionalism that dominates most crypto events.
The conference's unique character becomes immediately apparent through its visual identity and bold artistic choices. The artwork is deliberately striking with bright, crazy colors that assault your senses in the best possible way. This isn't subtle corporate branding; it's an intentional statement that MEMECON stands apart from everything else in the Web3 ecosystem. The visual chaos mirrors the meme coin space's own unpredictable nature, where anything can happen and usually does.
What truly sets MEMECON apart is its ability to bring the pseudo-anonymous world of crypto Twitter into physical reality. For months or even years, community members interact online, building relationships behind avatars and meme-inspired usernames. MEMECON creates a rare opportunity for these digital personas to step out of the shadows and connect face-to-face. The result is often surprising – discovering that the person behind the wild meme posts is surprisingly similar to yourself, sharing the same awkward energy and passion for this strange corner of the internet.
The Meme Lore panel exemplified this unique atmosphere, where I had the privilege of serving as the official ambassador for RYO-CHAN. Joined by speakers from Solana Strategic Reserve, Brave, and ShitCoin, with Vamp moderating, we dove deep into meme culture and Web3 storytelling. The discussion naturally led to explaining RYO-CHAN's samurai-inspired lore, blending courage, honor, and compassion with AI-powered protection tools. It's a perfect example of how MEMECON facilitates conversations that you simply wouldn't find at traditional conferences – where meme coins with utility and genuine purpose can share the stage with pure entertainment.
Perhaps the most memorable moment came when a dog appeared on stage alongside a lion, only to get scared of its feline companion. These are the kinds of spontaneous, bizarre moments that define MEMECON's character and create lasting memories. You don't just remember another PowerPoint presentation; you remember the chaos, the laughter, and the genuine human connections formed in the most unexpected circumstances. This is marketing and community building at its most authentic – creating experiences so unique that they become stories people tell for years to come.
Related Posts:
Behind the Scenes: Podcast Conversation with Founder Jax
Sitting down with Jax, the co-founder of MEMECON, reveals the deeper philosophy behind what might appear to be simply another crypto conference. Jax's journey into creating MEMECON wasn't born from traditional event management experience or corporate ambition. Instead, it emerged from recognizing a fundamental gap in the Web3 conference landscape – the absence of authentic community experiences that truly reflected the culture and energy of the spaces they claimed to represent. When Jax and his co-founder Julian started this venture, they had no prior experience organizing events and limited funds, but they possessed something more valuable: a genuine understanding of what was missing in the crypto conference ecosystem.
MEMECON's expansion from Lisbon to Singapore and Bangkok wasn't just geographic growth; it represented the validation of a concept that resonated across cultures. The Asian markets brought their own unique flavor to the meme culture, particularly through the natural connection between manga, anime traditions, and meme aesthetics. Jax observed how different communities embraced the MEMECON experience, with some attendees traveling internationally just to reunite with friends they'd made at previous events. This organic growth pattern revealed something profound about the hunger for authentic connection in the Web3 space – people weren't just attending a conference; they were participating in a cultural movement.
The genius of MEMECON lies in its recognition that a significant portion of the crypto community doesn't fit the traditional Web3 mold. Jax openly acknowledges that many attendees are "a bit different" – people who might feel awkward in typical professional crypto settings dominated by traditional finance aesthetics and corporate formality. These are the individuals who found their tribe online but struggled to connect meaningfully in sterile conference environments. MEMECON deliberately creates space for the quirky, the unconventional, and the genuinely passionate members of the crypto community who might otherwise feel marginalized by mainstream Web3 events.
What makes MEMECON particularly powerful is its ability to serve those who've become disenfranchised with Web3 – people who've been rugged, lost money, or simply felt disconnected from the promises of decentralization. Rather than pretending these experiences don't exist, MEMECON acknowledges them and creates a healing space where shared struggles become the foundation for genuine community. The pseudo-anonymous nature of crypto Twitter creates deep friendships, but MEMECON transforms those digital relationships into real-world connections that often become lifelong bonds.
Jax's proudest moments aren't about successful events or growing attendance numbers; they're about witnessing people build genuine relationships and form lasting friendships. When community members like Dumpstar and the conference's artist Dude – who had worked together online for a year – finally have the opportunity to meet in person, the energy becomes electric. These connections represent the true value proposition of MEMECON: transforming the chaotic, passionate energy of online meme communities into tangible, real-world experiences that validate and celebrate the unique culture that emerges from the intersection of internet culture and financial innovation.
Key Insights and the Future of Meme Culture in Crypto
Understanding the meme coin space requires accepting that it operates as a completely different beast within the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem. Jax emphasizes this distinction repeatedly, noting that while other crypto sectors can blend together at traditional conferences, meme coins represent something fundamentally unique – a wild, unpredictable culture that defies conventional categorization. This recognition led to MEMECON's core mission: creating an event that authentically represents the chaotic, "schizo energy" of the trenches where meme coin communities are born and thrive. Unlike sanitized crypto conferences that attempt to make everything palatable for mainstream consumption, MEMECON embraces the raw, unfiltered nature of meme culture.
When pressed about investment advice for those curious about meme coins, Jax offers a refreshingly honest perspective that cuts through typical crypto hype. His guidance is unambiguous: treat meme coin investment like gambling, be extremely careful, and only risk small amounts of capital that you can afford to lose completely. This isn't the promise of easy riches that often accompanies crypto marketing; instead, it's a mature acknowledgment that the meme coin space, despite its growing influence, remains highly speculative and volatile. Jax suggests that newcomers should approach the space primarily to learn and understand the culture, betting on the possibility that the entire sector will grow rather than expecting individual tokens to deliver guaranteed returns.
The power of meme coins lies not in their technological innovation but in their ability to build cult-like communities that span the entire ecosystem. Jax describes these communities as emerging from "the trenches" – the daily grind of active participants who create deep, passionate followings around their chosen projects. These aren't casual investors checking portfolios occasionally; they're cultural participants who live and breathe the meme coin lifestyle. The community aspect becomes so powerful that it transcends individual projects, creating a meta-culture that celebrates the absurd, the chaotic, and the genuinely innovative approaches to community building in the digital age.
Joeri Billast, RYO Ambassador for Europe
Explaining meme coins to mainstream audiences presents a unique communication challenge that Jax has mastered through what could be called "the neighbor test." His approach is brilliantly simple: start with familiar concepts like Bitcoin and memes, then bridge to widely recognized examples like Pepe or Doge, before drawing parallels to Comic Con culture. By framing meme coins as "cultural currency" and describing events where people might dress up as dogs and frogs to discuss the future of finance, he makes the incomprehensible suddenly relatable. This communication strategy reveals the sophisticated thinking behind MEMECON's approach – making the weird accessible without losing its essential weirdness.
MEMECON's future vision involves perfecting the art of bringing digital chaos into physical reality. Jax acknowledges they're only about fifty percent of the way toward fully replicating the meme coin experience in real-life conference format, but the direction is clear. The goal is to create events that feel as unpredictable and energizing as discovering a new meme coin project in its early stages. This means embracing the uncomfortable, celebrating the unconventional, and creating spaces where the "different" people in crypto can be authentically themselves without conforming to traditional professional expectations.
The broader significance of MEMECON extends beyond entertainment or even community building – it represents a crucial experiment in authentic Web3 culture creation. In a space often criticized for its disconnect between technological promises and cultural reality, MEMECON demonstrates that meaningful community can emerge from embracing rather than sanitizing the weird corners of crypto culture. Jax's proudest moments center on witnessing genuine friendships form and watching people discover their tribe in real life, suggesting that the future of Web3 might depend less on perfecting blockchain technology and more on creating spaces where human connection can flourish around shared passion for digital culture and financial experimentation.
Check out the podcast episode with Anthony Diaz, founder and chairman of Zenza Capital and the RYO project: If Grandma Can Use It, Anyone Can – The RYO Revolution with Anthony Diaz