From Traditional Finance to Web3: David Tng's Journey with Tezos

Colors of Web3 & Entrepreneurship

David Tng, the Managing Director of TZ APAC, a key player in the Tezos blockchain ecosystem, makes an appearance on the 53rd episode of Colors of Web3 & Entrepreneurship. David charts his path from traditional finance to the world of Web3, reflecting on his experiences in robo-advisory, payments, and lending. He unpacks the origins of Tezos, a layer-one blockchain known for its unique on-chain governance system that facilitates upgrades without contentious hard forks. David outlines the mission of TZ APAC, an organization funded by the Tezos Foundation to promote the adoption of Tezos. He details their work with Fortify Labs, a startup studio designed to guide and support Web3 startups built on Tezos or its EVM-compatible layer-two solution, Etherlink. The conversation explores the diverse programming languages within the Tezos ecosystem, including Michelson, Solidity, and the upcoming Jstz ("Justice") language, aiming to attract a wider range of developers. David provides his insights on the challenges and opportunities within the Web3 landscape and how regulatory clarity could unlock mainstream adoption. ⌛ Timestamps: 00:00:00 Episode trailer 00:00:29 David's Background in FinTech and Robo Advisory 00:07:00 Different gigs in FinTech & Early Web3 Encounters 00:16:35 David’s First Experiences with Web3 and Bitcoin Mining 00:20:06 David's hobbies 00:21:10 Deep Dive into Tezos, the Tezos Foundation, and TZ APAC 00:28:05 Fortify Labs: TZ APAC's Startup Studio and Cohort Highlights 00:37:20 TZ APAC activities during Token2049 in Singapore 00:41:06 Programming Languages on Tezos: Michelson, Solidity, and the Future of Jstz ("Justice") 00:44:36 Etherlink: Tezos' Layer-2 Rollup and the Tezos X Roadmap 00:49:40 Tezos - a blockchain that can upgrade itself due to on-chain governance 00:51:10 The team behind TZ APAC 00:54:18 Core contributors (engineering teams) for Tezos 00:56:30 Challenges facing TZ APAC: how to attract more builders in Web3 00:59:44 David's hot take on how to onboard 1 billion users / 1 million developers into Web3 01:03:55 Predicting Web3’s evolution in the next few years 01:05:56 Advice for Breaking into Web3 01:07:58 Where to Follow David and TZ APAC 01:09:11 Episode outro and next episode preview Follow David and his company: David's Twitter: https://x.com/tng_david TZ APAC: https://x.com/TzApac TZ APAC Website: https://www.tzapac.com/ Fortify Labs: https://www.tzapac.com/fortifylabs/ My social media: Twitter/X: ⁠https://www.twitter.com/LamWeb3⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/lamweb3/⁠ Website: ⁠https://lamtrinh.xyz⁠ My old article about the 2-3 prevailing narratives of 2024-2025: https://substack.com/home/post/p-143541984 If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe to stay updated on our upcoming episodes with industry experts and innovators in the Web3 and Entrepreneurship spaces. Thank you for listening!