You are watching Taking Stock live from the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
Our next guest is Joe Buttram.
He is the CEO of Field Digital Corp.
It's nice to see you here today.
Thanks, JD.
So talk to me first and foremost, what is Field Digital and why do you think the capital markets world really is in need of a company like this right now?
Field Digital is a crypto native fintech conglomerate.
We're focused on the picks and shovels business of the industry.
No matter where token prices go, we're buying assets and businesses that are making the whole system work.
And so in general, uh, right now, most people haven't had access to crypto outside of Bitcoin, the larger ETFs.
We're really focused on the growth strategies that are empowering this whole industry.
Private markets have exploded and retail investors out there want access to the next big thing.
Where does field digital fit into that ongoing? retail investors, it's a big deal, right, because like the access to this stuff really hasn't been had outside of like a friend that has a startup or a hedge fund that you have to be a credit investor to invest in, right?
With Field Digital, we're going to be able to give access to all of retail and everybody to have access to these financial products that haven't existed before in the public markets.
How does Field Digital help open the door to parts of the economy that maybe for far too long felt off limits to people?
That's a great question.
I think in general, right, it's been really spooky and scary, um, like, you know, crypto, you hear all these crazy hacks and like what's happening to my money this, that and the other.
You press send, does it, where does it go?
This is like the way for us to really establish the infrastructure, give everyone access, bridge the gap between traditional Main Street and Wall Street into on chain essentially in tokenization, all the cool things that come from that, and we're building all the future products that are enabling this ecosystem.
When you look for a so-called field target, how do you go about separating signal from noise?
How do you know it's just the shiny things out there and what's really deserving of your proper attention?
So I've been in the space for 15 years now, and a lot of the people that I know are true missionaries, not mercenaries, right?
Crypto has a bad reputation.
People are like buying and selling, leaving, coming back, whatever's going on.
The people that we're bringing and rolling up into the business are true believers that have been in the space just as long as I have and are really building like the best people to build the next generation of the infrastructure are probably the people that built it before, and we're bringing those people on.
A lot of companies have been pretty hesitant to go public over these last few years.
We're starting to see the IPO pipeline in general.
Pick back up, but a lot of companies wait patiently on the sidelines.
They want to see who else is going to dip their toes into those markets first.
Why do you think right now might actually be more of a mature moment for that conversation?
Well, what we're seeing in general, right, crypto is very cyclical, and there's a little bit of malaise right now.
Institutions are ready.
People are starting to position like we have a mandate from the White House, like everything's starting to happen, and they just want to make sure that what they're investing in and what they look at is legit, checking the boxes, making sure compliance is all there, and now is the right time.
Given where prices are and everything's at, the fervor has died down and the real cream is rising to the top.
And so we're bringing those into the public markets and as everything rerates and gets usage again, this is going to be exciting.
Joe, one of my favorite questions to ask people is what is one lesson for the world of investing that you wish you had learned sooner?
Let's say you've got someone watching this interview right now.
They're in their twenties.
They're starting their investing career.
They're trying to figure out the do's and don'ts.
What are some best tips and tricks that you would best advise them, things you wish you knew when you were a younger investor.
I really do think it, it comes, it's, it's, it's your gut, right?
Like at the end of the day you have to really know what you're investing in and ultimately like you overthink things and there's a million different ways to analyze an asset, but really like at the end of the day you do all the homework and at the, you just think to yourself, is this the thing that I want to hold on to through all the ups and downs, and I think that's the question everyone has to ask themselves and that's usually what wins.
Finally, what most excites you about where your industry is right now, but even more importantly, where you most hope or think it will be tomorrow.
I'm most excited about having the big conversations with mainstream Wall Street.
Everyone's interested in my big job right now, you know, CEO, doing the marketing, all this stuff, but really it's education, and it's the job of like the people in my industry to go and teach everyone that this is a transformative asset class that is going to change the world, and I really do believe that.
Joe Buttram, you crushed this interview, my man.
You're welcome back onto the show anytime.
Joe is the CEO of Field Digital Corporate.
