The library
The research is the firm.
94 essays on token economics, governance, market structure, and network design — published in the open since 2017 by the partners and research team. Every piece below is hosted here; each links to its original source.
Landmarks
Fat Protocols
The most cited essay in crypto investing: why value concentrates at the protocol layer, inverting the web.
→Cryptoasset Valuations
The valuation framework that gave institutions a way to price a new asset class.
→Information Technology Market Cycles (A Brief History)
A brief history of computing's multi-decade cycles of expansion, consolidation, and decentralization.
→
Topic
Author
94 essays
DateEssayAuthor
Sep 15, 2025
Leveling the Stakes on Solana
Gurnoor Narula · 15 min
Jun 30, 2025
Revisiting L1 Tokens as Money: A Critique of ‘Monetary Premium’
Mario Laul · 12 min
Apr 16, 2025
Combined Metrics for Tracking Smart Contract Networks
Mario Laul · 19 min
Feb 19, 2025
Introducing the Sequencing Value Accrual Simulator
Gurnoor Narula
Feb 13, 2025
A Visual Guide to Sequencing Mechanisms
Gurnoor Narula · 6 min
Dec 16, 2024
The Cryptopreneur’s Dilemma
Mario Laul · 4 min
Nov 18, 2024
David and Goliath: How Web3 Can Compete in AI
Gurnoor Narula · 3 min
Jul 30, 2024
Eclipse: the Best of Solana, Ethereum, and Celestia
Chris Burniske · 4 min
Jul 10, 2024
Stable Coins, Stable Growth
Mario Laul · 11 min
Apr 25, 2024
Is it time to Move beyond Solidity?
Joel Monegro · 6 min
Apr 18, 2024
Saga: Open Blockspace for the Multiverse
Chris Burniske · 6 min
Apr 15, 2024
Onchain Finance is Thriving; What’s Next?
Mario Laul · 12 min
Feb 23, 2024
Introducing Gurnoor Singh Narula
Gurnoor Narula · 2 min
Dec 19, 2023
Institutionalization = Network Success
Mario Laul · 6 min
Nov 22, 2023
Rollups as Virtual Blockchains in The Modular Era
Joel Monegro · 7 min
Oct 23, 2023
AI Belongs Onchain
Joel Monegro · 4 min
Oct 10, 2023
Ethereum and Solana
Joel Monegro · 4 min
Sep 28, 2023
Placeholder is Hiring an Analyst
Chris Burniske · 2 min
Sep 20, 2023
Progressive Compliance
Mario Laul · 3 min
Apr 23, 2023
Internet Financial System: Infinity Exchange and Beyond
Chris Burniske · 10 min
Mar 9, 2023
Across Thesis
Chris Burniske · 4 min
Nov 14, 2022
Moving on from FTX
Joel Monegro · 4 min
Oct 27, 2022
Gyroscope Thesis
Chris Burniske · 6 min
Feb 3, 2022
Middlemachines
Mario Laul · 2 min
Oct 20, 2021
How Crypto Is Shaping the Digital Revolution
Mario Laul · 1 min
Jul 21, 2021
Scaling Ethereum with zkSync
Chris Burniske · 8 min
Jun 16, 2021
Element Thesis
Joel Monegro · 5 min
May 20, 2021
Isomorphism in DAO Governance
Mario Laul · 9 min
Apr 1, 2021
The Original Sin
Chris Burniske · 6 min
Mar 25, 2021
Replicating Market Makers
Alex Evans
Mar 11, 2021
Systemic Risk Mitigation in DeFi
Mario Laul · 13 min
Mar 2, 2021
A Note on Privacy in Constant Function Market Makers
Alex Evans
Feb 25, 2021
Re-Decentralizing Git with Radicle 🌱
Joel Monegro · 6 min
Jan 19, 2021
Optimal Fees for Geometric Mean Market Makers
Alex Evans · 1 min
Jan 13, 2021
When Does the Tail Wag the Dog? Curvature and Market Making
Alex Evans · 1 min
Dec 11, 2020
The Great Automaton
Mario Laul · 13 min
Dec 2, 2020
Can one hear the shape of a CFMM? (Part 1)
Alex Evans · 13 min
Sep 30, 2020
Ten Theses on Decentralized Network Governance
Mario Laul · 9 min
Sep 17, 2020
Stop Burning Tokens – Buyback and Make Instead
Joel Monegro · 13 min
Sep 15, 2020
Zcash Thesis
Chris Burniske · 6 min
Jul 20, 2020
Balancer Thesis
Chris Burniske & Alex Evans · 5 min
Jul 14, 2020
FOSS Governance and Blockchain Networks
Mario Laul
Jun 25, 2020
Why Stake When You Can Borrow?
Alex Evans · 1 min
Jun 17, 2020
Liquidity Provider Returns in Geometric Mean Markets
Alex Evans
Jun 15, 2020
A Superior Financial System
Chris Burniske · 12 min
Jun 13, 2020
Institutional Participation in Token-Weighted Network Governance
Mario Laul
May 29, 2020
Magic Authentication
Joel Monegro · 9 min
May 22, 2020
Proof of Liquidity
Joel Monegro · 5 min
May 7, 2020
Aragon DAOs
Joel Monegro · 13 min
Apr 9, 2020
Erasure Thesis
Joel Monegro · 9 min
Apr 6, 2020
On Autonomous Software
Mario Laul
Mar 6, 2020
Aragon (ANT) Economics
Chris Burniske · 11 min
Jan 30, 2020
Thin Applications
Joel Monegro · 14 min
Jan 7, 2020
How Much Does a Crypto-Vote Cost?
Joel Monegro · 6 min
Dec 14, 2019
The DeFi Déjà Vu
Mario Laul
Dec 3, 2019
Zerion
Brad Burnham · 3 min
Nov 29, 2019
Zcash's Network Upgrade 4: The Final Stretch of Decisions
Chris Burniske · 12 min
Oct 26, 2019
The Bookkeeping View of Money
Mario Laul
Oct 25, 2019
How To Think About Value
Joel Monegro · 12 min
Oct 22, 2019
Fire before Growth: The Likely Fate of Ethereum Killers
Chris Burniske · 14 min
Oct 6, 2019
Protocols as Minimally Extractive Coordinators
Chris Burniske · 7 min
Sep 3, 2019
Ethereum and The Seven Dwarfs
Joel Monegro · 4 min
Aug 19, 2019
Web vs. Crypto Service Models
Joel Monegro · 4 min
Aug 7, 2019
Cryptonetworks and Governments
Mario Laul
Jul 31, 2019
Sovereign Cryptonetworks
Joel Monegro · 14 min
Jul 10, 2019
Resources, Governance, and Legitimacy in Zcash's 2020 Network Upgrade
Chris Burniske
Jul 10, 2019
Risk Management in MakerDAO
Alex Evans · 2 min
Jun 26, 2019
3Box Thesis
Brad Burnham · 3 min
Jun 19, 2019
The Full Circle Hypothesis
Mario Laul
May 6, 2019
Blockchains are Bureaucracies par Excellence
Mario Laul
Apr 26, 2019
Value Capture and Quantification: Cryptocapital vs Cryptocommodities
Chris Burniske
Apr 10, 2019
DeFi Liquidity Models
Alex Evans · 6 min
Mar 13, 2019
Mario Laul
Mario Laul · 1 min
Mar 1, 2019
Maker Network Overview
Alex Evans · 1 min
Feb 25, 2019
FOAM Thesis
Joel Monegro · 8 min
Feb 19, 2019
Cryptonetwork Governance as Capital
Joel Monegro · 6 min
Feb 14, 2019
The Defensibility of Middleware Protocols
Chris Burniske · 3 min
Feb 2, 2019
Crypto Hedge Funds Vs. Venture Funds
Joel Monegro · 4 min
Jan 23, 2019
Maker Thesis
Chris Burniske · 5 min
Jan 9, 2019
Funding Cryptonetworks
Joel Monegro · 3 min
Jan 5, 2019
The Cryptoeconomic Circle
Joel Monegro · 5 min
Nov 30, 2018
Cryptonetworks are not Companies
Chris Burniske
Nov 13, 2018
Theory Follows Price, Price Follows Theory
Chris Burniske
Nov 6, 2018
Productive Capital in Cryptonetworks
Chris Burniske
Nov 6, 2018
The Nouriel in All of Us
Chris Burniske
Aug 13, 2018
Resource Distribution and Power Dynamics in Decentralized Networks
Mario Laul
2018
On Value, Velocity and Monetary TheoryLandmark
Alex Evans
May 12, 2018
Decred Thesis
Joel Monegro & Chris Burniske · 6 min
Apr 7, 2018
Cryptoassets: Flow & Reflexivity
Chris Burniske
Feb 20, 2018
Information Technology Market Cycles (A Brief History)Landmark
Joel Monegro
Feb 13, 2018
Investment Thesis Summary
Joel Monegro & Chris Burniske
2017
Cryptoasset ValuationsLandmark
Chris Burniske
2016
Fat ProtocolsLandmark
Joel Monegro
2014
The Blockchain Application StackLandmark
Joel Monegro
No essays match those filters.