ZuConnect Innovation Journey Prelude to Changing Mindsets

ZuConnect Pioneering an Innovation Journey to Shift Mindsets

Author: ivyFanshao.eth, Youbi Capital

ZuConnect is back, and I can hear the prelude of a change in mindset.

ZuConnect happened before the DevConnect conference, and it was a two-week pop-up city, an extension of Zuzalu’s activities. The participants in this pop-up city can be summarized as a diverse community of 300 individuals from different nationalities and industries. Gathering such a group of people in the beautiful and complex city of Istanbul would naturally spark magical chemistry. The participants and the chosen location are already excellent raw materials, requiring minimal polishing.

Here are some observations from the perspectives of the participants.

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A World of Diverse Perspectives

For this occasion, I specifically interviewed 7 friends from different countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Ghana, Vietnam, Turkey, Serbia, Switzerland) with a focus on the payment and finance angle, attempting to write a geographic journal about crypto adoption.

Two individuals stood out the most. Both of them had started crypto wallet businesses in Argentina and Ghana respectively, and later shifted towards the education and training sector, in different forms such as offline developer communities and online Spanish courses. These two individuals were evidently well trained in critical thinking or had received higher education. When I asked them for an overview of the local economic/financial system, their explanations started from the geographical and political context, going in-depth on foreign exchange and finance, presenting a logical and coherent analysis applying the “observation – problem – solution” framework. When they showed me the local payment tools commonly used (such as belo and USSD mobile money), I couldn’t help but be shocked. It completely shattered my imagination about the world—any region, regardless of limited resources or infrastructure, has its own incredibly ingenious ways of problem-solving. It’s awe-inspiring to witness the strength of human adaptability and the wisdom sparked by adversity. Humans will always find a way out.

Image: ZuConnect venue—5-story integrated building (bookstore + restaurant + coworking space)

The Gap between Eastern and Western Education Models: Static Closed-Loop Input vs. Dynamic Socratic Dialogue

The first cultural shock came from my hiking experience in the forest with 5 Zuzalians from different countries and industries. Among them were individuals researching bio-tech longevity, passionate about philosophy and archaeology, and working on privacy projects. The density and frequency of the conversations between them were high, constantly inspiring each other with no end in sight. From discussing UFOs and the secrets of Area 51 to talking about biotechnology, shell men clones, politics, Bob Dylan, archaeology, views on data privacy, and how human society operates, different perspectives joined in, propelling the dialogue forward with increasing enthusiasm. In the car, 3 out of the 5 people didn’t have mobile data, but it had no impact on their daily life. They could go almost a whole day without checking their phones, focusing their attention on their fellow travelers. Along the way, I had the urge to take out my phone and check the news, using the feed stream to fill the gaps in my mind. At the end of the day, my phone still had 70% battery remaining.

Another mind-blowing experience was a global workshop discussing how to create crypto products for Ethiopia, Argentina, and Turkey. The participants’ backgrounds could practically form a United Nations: Middle East, South Africa, West Africa, Latin America, Turkey, Eastern Europe, United Kingdom – I was the only East Asian person present. What impressed me the most was how the participants could confidently express their opinions and engage in debates, even without having complete context. Meanwhile, I realized that I only had information in my mind, but no opinions. I could only express my views when I had prepared a script and couldn’t think on the spot or engage in real-time multi-round conversations with others. This has nothing to do with language but rather with a lack of training in critical thinking.

For example, when discussing Africa’s development, a friend from Ghana mentioned:

They don’t care about democracy but basic life quality, including food, drink, and shelter. Humans must survive.

And he also acknowledged China’s rise as a model. This immediately sparked extensive questioning from the participants. Someone brought up the perspective of an economist from Turkey, stating that for prosperity, citizens need “inclusive institutions” to create a virtuous cycle of “innovation, economic expansion, and broader property rights.”

It seemed that the participants didn’t let their limited knowledge of Africa hinder them from putting forward their own viewpoints. The entire conversation gradually revealed the logical thinking and speculative nature of each person’s thought process. If it wasn’t for the limited time, they seemed like they could endlessly ask and explore. Meanwhile, I frustratingly discovered that I had no speculative process. Just like what Gimmy and Boney Cat felt, when faced with dialogues and debates, I often found myself speechless.

Discovering Blind Spots through Diverse Perspectives

When the topic shifted to “useful products and their successful experiences,” everyone started discussing a company I didn’t expect: Binance.

Participants from Africa, Vietnam, and Latin America recognized the strengths of Binance. They believed that the company put substantial effort into regional insights and practically provided products that people truly needed in each region. Instead of promoting abstract concepts that many users don’t care about, they created a win-win situation between the platform and the users – the platform received transaction fees, and users gained financial freedom.

People don’t care about self-custodial; they don’t give you a shxx.

People care about how to transfer money across borders easily.

A participant from Argentina believed that Binance sold a hope/dream in Argentina. For example, there was an advertisement that said, “Earn a salary as a kindergarten teacher during the day, make money as a crypto trader at night – earn 7*24h.” It sold a beautiful expectation that even ordinary people in their regular jobs had the possibility of becoming traders and earning money.

Africa’s participants believe that Binance has done a lot of education and popularization work around local needs, namely property ownership and financial freedom. For example, in Nigeria, they help locals understand practical methods to achieve financial freedom in the post-pandemic era of economic decline. In the Telegram community, Mods often say, “Your money won’t disappear.”

When others discuss Binance, I once again feel the bias of identity. People from the Middle East, South Africa, West Africa, and Latin America have all studied the success of Binance, but the Chinese-speaking world has hardly conducted any research or reports on this industry-leading money-printing machine (before CZ stepped down as CEO). This is a very strange thing. One reason behind this may be “native language discrimination”: we regard Binance as a domestic exchange and see CZ, a Chinese face, as somewhat of a kinship, so we look at him with a “level gaze.” We tend to research objects that we look up to, while ignoring those that we see on the same level or from above. Therefore, Binance becomes the elephant in the neglected room for us.

Inspiration: How is self-discovery possible?

In a consumer society, people care about others’ evaluations and strive to conform to social norms. Everyone is more or less subject to a certain degree of training. Training is like a stone pressing on a sapling. When this stone is removed, the small tree can grow into its own shape. This is the process of self-discovery. When a community is inclusive enough, you no longer feel like a freak and feel safe, so you dare to do things you have always wanted to do but didn’t dare to, and even have a bunch of people joining you to go crazy. You feel seen and your identity is acknowledged. The role of experimental communities is to remove this training stone, allowing human nature to grow freely, and encouraging everyone to achieve greater benefits through their own skills and passions. Looking back at my experience in Shanhaiwu in August after a while, I only then realized the process of “moving the stone”.

ZuConnect has given me the opportunity to have more “inspiring discussions” with others, and I have learned from Gary and Chance how to think through writing. These practices help people clarify their thoughts and turn vague ideas and feelings into well-organized words.

Pop-up cities are not an innovation; how to balance openness and community quality?

Hiding in the mountains and forests to escape from the world and engaging in two weeks of closed-door discussions is not a new thing. The Bohemian Club, established in 1872, has long been practicing this.

The Bohemian Club holds a two-week summer camp in mid-July at the Bohemian Grove campground in Monte Rio, California, where they also conduct secretive ritual ceremonies of the Freemasons and discuss major economic and political issues. The club strictly prohibits members from discussing the topics and activities with outsiders. Former US President Herbert Hoover once called this club, “the greatest men’s party on Earth.” It was established in 1872.

At the ZuConnect governance meeting, the selection criteria for participants is a core topic, which is quite controversial. In fact, if the selection of elites was truly implemented, the community nature would become very close to that of the Bohemian Club. However, a high-quality community must have high scrutiny, and the screening process is a reduction of entropy, whereas “permissionless” implies an increase in entropy, moving in the opposite direction. How will openness and community quality be balanced? Perhaps we cannot pursue these two conflicting goals simultaneously within one community, but there can be many pop-up cities spread across different parts of the spectrum, each heading towards one end of the spectrum.

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