Rui Serapicos shares his experience building Web3 communities and discusses the transformative potential of AI and blockchain convergence.
Drawing from his work with the Portuguese Blockchain Alliance and various tech communities, he reveals strategies for overcoming cultural barriers to professional networking while exploring the unique characteristics that make Web3 communities thrive.
• Building communities in Portugal presents unique challenges as people prefer spending time with family over professional networking
• Success in community building comes from starting with a strong advisory board and expanding concentrically through personal connections
• Web3 communities are naturally more outgoing due to digital nomad culture and values of decentralization
• The CODA event in Porto (May 7-8) will showcase real-world blockchain applications and AI convergence
Sintra Synergies and CODA 2025 promo
• AI's transformative potential exceeds that of electricity, potentially addressing humanity's greatest challenges
• Blockchain enables new community-based business models that fundamentally change value generation and distribution
• The "MiCA Without Falling Asleep" panel aims to make regulatory concepts accessible without overwhelming complexity
What does it really take to build thriving Web3 communities, especially in cultures where professional networking isn't the norm? Rui Terapicos, President of the Portuguese Blockchain Alliance and advisory board member at Genius Insights, offers a masterclass in community building drawn from years of experience.
Drawing from his pre-Web3 days, Rui shares how he overcame significant cultural barriers in Portugal, where busy professionals traditionally prioritize family time over networking. His strategic approach—starting with a small advisory board, setting clear growth targets, and expanding through personal connections—successfully grew a tech community from zero to 500 members. The critical insight? Once you reach about 200 members, automation becomes essential for sustainable growth.
The conversation shifts to fascinating distinctions between traditional and Web3 communities. The digital nomad nature of Web3 participants naturally creates a more outgoing ecosystem, but Rui highlights something deeper: the fundamental values of decentralization, independence, and innovative thinking that make Web3 communities inherently more experimental and interconnected than function-based networks.
Joeri Billast - moderator CODA
Looking ahead to the CODA event in Porto (May 7-8), Rui explains its focus on real-world blockchain applications and the critical convergence of AI with blockchain technology. This synergistic relationship—blockchain mitigating AI risks while AI accelerates blockchain development—represents one of the most promising frontiers in digital innovation.
Perhaps most thought-provoking is Rui's perspective on AI's transformative potential, which he believes exceeds even that of electricity. While we currently lack the "periscope view" to fully comprehend how AI might address humanity's greatest challenges, he remains excited about blockchain's potential to create new community-based business and governance models that fundamentally transform how value is generated, shared, and distributed.
Ready to connect with this visionary community builder? Find Rui on LinkedIn, Medium, or through the Portuguese Blockchain Alliance at all2bc.com. Don't miss the CODA event at codaevents.com or his insightful YouTube channel "The Genius Inside."
Joeri Billast and Rui Serapicos in Lourel, Sintra
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KEY HIGHLIGHTS
[02:02] What does it take to build a thriving Web3 community, and what lessons have you learned from the Portuguese Blockchain Alliance?
[06:50] How does the Portuguese Blockchain Alliance compare to other communities you've built?
[10:19] Can you share what the CODA event is about, its mission, and what’s happening there?
[13:34] What’s your take on the convergence of Web3, blockchain, and AI?
[16:43] The panel on MiCA sounds really exciting and has piqued my curiosity. Could you share the panel’s name and what you expect from it?
[18:55] With everything you're organizing, what excites you the most right now in Web3, AI, or your daily work?
[22:35] Rui, for those in our listening room curious about the Blockchain Alliance, CODA, and everything else you're working on, where’s the best place to direct them?
NOTABLE QUOTES
“A lot of people compare AI with electricity. So the way that electricity did it change the worlds. It obviously it's an enabler. Not just an enabler, but it's an accelerator for multiple things. “
“The level, the multiple level of change that AI will bring. It's just, it's just not comparable one and comparing a form of energy and there are many forms of energy with a computational system.”
“Some people say we're at the golden days of AI. We're just on the brink of finding the potential. The same with the electricity.”
MENTIONED RESOURCES
Portuguese Blockchain Alliance: https://all2bc.com/
The Genuis Inside: https://thegeniusinside.com/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGeniusInside
CODA 2025: https://www.coda.events/
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