Money, Meaning, and Mindfulness: Redefining Success in Crypto

Francisco Quartin de Macedo shares his journey from sports betting at 14 to managing millions in crypto trading, and how his pursuit of meaning led him to create a purpose-driven hedge fund after achieving financial freedom.

• Starting with sports betting at 14 years old provided financial independence and a different relationship with money
• Questioning purpose after financial success led to deep work with psychologists and neuroscience exploration
• Being neurodivergent (ADHD) provides hyper-focus capabilities but requires conscious management
• Shifting from quantity to quality in relationships has paradoxically expanded his network more effectively
• Leadership evolution from reactive impatience to strategic patience through self-awareness
• Creating a hedge fund focused on using profits for positive change rather than luxury consumption
• Finding Bitcoin investors share values of freedom and consciousness beyond just financial returns
• Web3's problems stem from human nature, not the technology itself
• Balancing ruthless execution with being present for his children remains his ongoing challenge

Connect with Francisco on LinkedIn or learn more about his fund at NHD Capital. For an intimate gathering of founders, VCs and creators in Portugal, check out the Sintra Synergies Pre-Web Summit retreat at www.sintrasynergies.com. It's taking place in the weekend before Web Summit from November 6th till 9th.

Finding Meaning in the Crypto World: A Journey from Performance to Presence

In the world of cryptocurrency trading and investment, we often hear stories about astronomical returns and financial freedom. But what happens when you achieve those goals and still feel something is missing? This is the journey that Francisco Quartin de Macedo, a cryptocurrency fund manager and former trader at Blockchain.com, shared during a walking podcast interview in the beautiful town of Sintra, Portugal.

Francisco's story begins unexpectedly – at 14 years old, he discovered he could make significant money through sports betting. This early financial independence shaped his relationship with work and money in profound ways. "I could make money in sports betting that was more than a normal salary in my country," he explains. "Through that, I think I never felt that pressure that society feels in that trap of having to make a salary."

This freedom from conventional financial pressure allowed Francisco to approach his career differently. At Blockchain.com, he eventually managed around $300 million as a trader and even turned $100 into $6 million through his trading expertise. Yet despite these impressive achievements, Francisco found himself asking deeper questions: "What am I doing here? What's the actual goal?"

This existential questioning led him down a path of self-discovery. Francisco began working with a coach psychologist and dove deep into psychology and neuroscience, trying to understand himself better. What he discovered was transformative – not just for his personal life but for his professional approach as well. He recognized that his neurodivergence (he has ADHD) gave him unique capabilities like hyper-focus and determination, but also created challenges in maintaining balance and presence.

One of the most interesting revelations from Francisco's journey is how his approach to networking and business relationships transformed. "If I went to a conference a couple of years ago, I would try to talk to as many people as possible," he explains. "And now I'm very strategic... a meaningful connection is much more important than anything else." This shift from quantity to quality in relationships has paradoxically expanded his network more effectively than his previous approach.

Francisco's evolution also affected his leadership style. He recounts a pivotal moment when he reacted aggressively to a missed deadline. "I was super impatient, I was aggressive," he admits. "For the person on the other side, it just seemed like this guy's an idiot. For me, it was me being controlled by my emotions." Through self-awareness work, he's learned to create distance between his thoughts and reality, finding more effective ways to lead without being driven by impulse.

Perhaps most fascinating is how Francisco is applying these insights to his hedge fund. Unlike the stereotypical image of hedge fund managers buying yachts and luxury items, he's created a vision for using profits to drive awareness and positive change. "Hedge funds, if they know how to use their money properly, the profits they make, this could be the game changer," he argues. "You don't need to buy a yacht, you can just literally change the world with the money you made."

Francisco's story highlights a growing trend in the cryptocurrency space – a community of people who value freedom, self-awareness, and meaningful connection over traditional definitions of success. As he raises money for his USD and BTC funds, he's finding that the Bitcoin investors he meets often share these values, creating connections that go beyond business to discussions about consciousness and mental health.

In a space often criticized for scams and get-rich-quick schemes, Francisco offers a refreshing perspective. He acknowledges the immaturity of the Web3 market and the problems caused by bad actors, but sees these as human problems rather than inherent flaws in the technology itself. "It's not Web3 itself," he explains. "Blockchain is amazing. The Bitcoin values of the core community that I'm surrounded by are just hard to match."

For those struggling with similar challenges – balancing ambition with presence, managing neurodivergent traits in a demanding world, or finding meaning beyond financial success – Francisco's journey offers valuable insights. His ongoing question remains: "How can I find that balance between being this ruthless person who executes and gets all the accomplishments I know I can get, but at the same time not miss out on the growing up of my children?"

There may not be a simple answer, but the willingness to ask the question and continuously refine the approach is perhaps the most important step. As Francisco puts it: "I know the answer, I just need to kind of feel it more in my body."