Markets swung, hype spiked, and scams grabbed headlines—yet we chose a different path: build trust first. I sit down with Dr. Loretta Chen, founder and CEO of Smobler, to unpack how self-awareness, character-first hiring, and pragmatic innovation turned a Web3 whirlwind into steady growth. From Singapore’s first for‑profit theater company to a digital-first agency at the intersection of gamification, AI, and blockchain, Loretta shows why real-world outcomes beat buzzwords every time.
We dig into what “useful” looks like: AI that reduces compliance friction and improves accessibility, blockchain that delivers traceability and provenance for institutions, and games that teach financial literacy instead of farming vanity metrics. Loretta shares the hiring patterns that work in a frontier space—optimizing for grit, resilience, adaptability, and integrity when résumés can’t tell the whole story. She also breaks down the operating model that lets Smobler scale: business unit leads who act like mini-CEOs with clear decision rights, trust as the default, and escalation only when needed.
The conversation gets personal, too. Daily exercise, meditation, and the joyful chaos of pets form a recovery system that keeps decision-making calm through bull runs and bear markets. We spotlight momentum across partnerships and investments—from a team originating at Facebook (Mistin Labs) to institutional collaborations with the New York Stock Exchange, Gemini, and Michigan Ross—plus an AI platform for the state of Hawaii that streamlines nutritional labeling and HACCP planning for food entrepreneurs.
If you’re building in AI, blockchain, or gamification—and you care about credibility, not just clicks—you’ll find a blueprint here. Subscribe, share with a founder who needs it, and leave a rating with your biggest takeaway so we can keep elevating these candid playbooks.