Get to know the mind behind DappRadar’s reports
Blockchain history is currently being written, and a few people are the ones leading the way. In this series of interviews, you will get to know some of the minds behind the wheel at DappRadar – and how they’re redefining Web3. Once our industry reports are an essential part of our community, we’ll start by introducing you to our Head of Research, Pedro Herrera. Tag along and meet the team!
The Web3 space moves fast. There are always new projects, market fluctuations, new technologies, millions of dollars invested, and thousands of people not knowing what they are doing. In an ocean of misinformation, those who know how to analyze the market are king.
At DappRadar, we are fortunate to have professionals who take this even further.
Without further ado, let’s get to know our pioneering blockchain researcher Pedro Herrera and his trajectory at DappRadar.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your professional journey?
I was born and raised in Mexico City and now reside in Barcelona. I’m a sports fan at heart and grew up in the 90s. Apart from outdoor activities and sci-fi/pop/manga culture, the crypto industry has become another of my interests.
Professionally, I started my journey in 2012 as a Fraud Analyst at EY, where I spent six years involved in financial and data-driven initiatives for some of the most renowned American banks. After finishing my studies abroad and two short stints with other projects, I joined DappRadar in 2021 as a Sr. Blockchain Analyst. Then, earlier this year, I started advising projects on how to implement their Web3 strategy, and, of course, having the chance to lead DappRadar’s Research team is the biggest prize.
How did you get into the decentralized applications world?
I learned about blockchain and cryptocurrencies in 2016. Since then, I’ve been convinced about the potential of this technology. For my Master’s degree, in the summer of 2019, I opted to develop a dapp with two other colleagues to trace the provenance of organic products grown by local Scottish producers. We used Solidity for the contracts and built a simple front for our dapp. And then, in DeFi’s summer of 2020, I learned about tens of dapps as the industry was leaving the previous crypto winter.
What excites you the most about Web3, blockchain, and decentralization?
The impact of implementing these concepts into our social and economic models. When you think about the application of blockchain in an election, in the supply chain, or in building a worldwide health system, you can immediately imagine how different our lives could be. And this is all because of blockchain disrupting potential.
I remember how it all went with the internet, and it is difficult not to see the similarities. And to make matters more interesting, the Metaverse comes into play. The Web3 Metaverse economy that is upon us will surprise many people.
Why did you want to join DappRadar as an analyst?
I was eager for a full-time role in the industry. At that point, I was a technical writer for a Tezos-related project. I was applying for different roles in Kraken, Binance, and others, but when I saw the Blockchain Analyst role, I crossed my fingers and sent my application on LinkedIn. I remember reading about how Skirmantas and Dragos created DappRadar’s first version in a single weekend and became immediately supportive of their idea.
What is it that you bring to the project?
Always try to bring my best and positive attitude. Trying to be open but always thinking about what’s best for the team. I adopted this mindset from playing American football. Apart from that, I will typically bring tequila, mezcal, and other interesting stuff.
What is a typical day at work at DappRadar usually like?
I have the fortune to have one of my hobbies as a job, so I’d say my day starts when I open my portfolio, check token and NFT prices, then go to Twitter and keep reading news while I ready myself to either go for a morning workout or sit at my desk. I spend a good amount of time brainstorming about our products’ future from different perspectives.
Then, I’m also busy playing with our data to understand the markets, answering questions from the media, and curating our data and reports with the rest of our team.
As a researcher in Web3, what are the main challenges you face?
I’d say two main issues: first, the quality and availability of the data. It is still hard to find accurate providers of Web3 data. Even internally, cleaning and harmonizing our data is one of our biggest challenges. This is one of our goals in DappRadar, becoming that source for our community and users.
And second, distinguishing the noise from the important. We live in a society that is becoming more selective with the time spent reading. That applies to social platforms like Twitter. Following and reading from the right people is underrated. I’ve learned more from Twitter threads than from entire college courses. Moreover, there are a lot of people shilling projects and promoting pyramid or Ponzi schemes that damage the industry. The accounts we follow on social media and the authors that we read determine how we perceive certain situations.
What tip would you give someone looking to follow your steps?
Each journey is different, but understanding blockchain and the dapp industry and interacting with any of the thousands of trusted dapps in real life is a good start. I also think there is room for different types of roles in the Web3 space like moderators, designers, communicators, and several others that can follow different paths, but for me that the one thing all Web3 roles have in common is the curiosity for always staying up to date with industry news and the excitement of being part of a community or even a DAO.
For analytical types of roles, data I’d definitely suggest learning to code and exploit data through Python, R, or similar.
How do you see this industry developing in the next few years?
The potential is massive, but at the same time, we’re still at least a couple of years away from seeing an exponential adoption breakout, even though the biggest brands in the world are already pivoting to Web3.
I see NFTs and crypto being used ubiquitously in our business and daily lives. Web3 will completely disrupt entertainment sectors like video games, music, movies, and the fashion industry.
However, I think the most significant adoption wave will come from blockchain games, with the metaverse supporting a trillion-dollar industry. Precisely here, in the metaverse, we will start spending more and more time consciously than we do in the physical world.
What do you expect from DappRadar in 10 years?
The World’s Dapp Store powered by the RADAR token is synonymous with distribution, contribution, and reputation in the web3 era.
