Preethi Kasireddy: From Investment Analyst to Web3 Advocate
Preethi Kasireddy didn’t come from the computer world to begin with. She started her career as an investment analyst at Goldman Sachs, then moved to Andreessen Horowitz, where she often sat down with promising startup founders. But sitting pretty as a venture partner wasn’t enough.
She wanted more, not in terms of position, but in terms of understanding. “How could I possibly know which projects were good if I didn’t even understand how they worked technically?” she said in an interview.
Rather than continuing the safe path, she decided to learn to code from scratch. From self-taught, then to Hack Reactor—a fairly well-known coding bootcamp. From there, the path to the crypto world was wide open. Coinbase was her next stop. There, she became an engineer and helped build the foundation of the now global exchange platform.
However, Preethi didn’t stop there. Amid the rapid flow of innovation, she decided to leave Coinbase to found TruStory. Her initial vision was simple: how do you verify truth on the internet, especially in the world of blockchain that is often peppered with bombastic jargon? Unfortunately, despite receiving funding, the project did not last long.
But as the old adage goes, it’s not the fall that matters, but how you get back up. Preethi did not disappear from the radar. Instead, she reappeared with a new direction—more down-to-earth, more impactful.
Preethi Kasireddy: Teaching Web3 From the Ground Up
DappCamp was born from a different spirit. No longer wanting to build a product that “explodes” in the market, but wanting to build people who understand and can contribute to the Web3 ecosystem. Through this training program, thousands of developers—both beginners and those who are quite experienced—learn firsthand how to build decentralized applications from scratch.
The material is not just about technical matters. At DappCamp, participants also learn how to think as builders, not just as users. Preethi is often directly involved, answering technical questions, and even sharing her ups and downs. She knows very well what it’s like to be someone who wants to understand, but doesn’t know where to start.
Although her name is not as famous as Vitalik Buterin or Balaji Srinivasan, Preethi’s influence is not small. She opened the door for many who initially found the blockchain world too complicated. Through her personal blog posts and tweets, she often discusses difficult concepts in a simple and relatable way.
When Tech Meets Life’s Tough Questions
However, not everything she says is warmly received. In late 2024, she caused a stir after stating that “a vacation to find yourself” is not comparable to the experience of being a parent. “Children will teach you more about yourself than backpacks and airports,” she wrote. Her comments sparked debate, especially from a generation that values the freedom to explore before starting a family.
On the other hand, her courage to express this personal view made many people feel more human. That behind the terminal screen and lines of code, there is a figure who is also grappling with the same life questions as the rest of us.
Now, in addition to still actively running DappCamp, Preethi is also involved in developing Ferta, a startup that focuses on fertility issues. And even though she is busy, she has not lost her enthusiasm for sharing.
If you think the crypto space is all about numbers, speculation, and get-rich-quick projects, Preethi Kasireddy’s story shows you the other side: about learning from scratch, about building, and about choosing to stay even when the path you choose isn’t always smooth.