Decentralized masters and their DeFi journey

The decentralized finance (DeFi) scene is growing rapidly. Tan Guerra and Salim Elhila have entered this dynamic field, launching Decentralized Masters, to guide and educate people about the world of crypto.

The entrepreneurial duo's journey demonstrates their ability to adapt, overcome and evolve as they carve out a place for themselves in the dynamic environment of DeFi.

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From Wall Street to the Web3

An AI and big data engineer by trade, Salim found his calling beyond the corporate world. Expanding his expertise in engineering, math, and statistical modeling to include online venture marketing and sales strategies, he became a marketing leader behind $100M in sales across these industries. But his real breakthrough came in 2022 when Elon Musk tweeted about Bitcoin (BTC). It piqued his interest and sent him down the mysterious rabbit hole.

“I've been involved in a lot of Web3 projects, the most famous being MetaLegends, where I ran the marketing side of things. That project sold for $20 million. That's when I realized things are moving fast in the Web3 world,” says Salim. “And that's when I met Tan at the end of the bull market.” We chose to start something together and that's how it became a decentralized Masters.

Tan, on the other hand, started his journey in the world of finance by climbing the ladder of investment banking. From the suburbs of Paris, he took a traditional route while maintaining his role on Wall Street, and saw the inner workings of the banking industry. But Tan's experience at crypto conferences and seeing the potential of blockchain technology made him shift gears. He realized the power of DeFi, especially compared to traditional banking systems, and made the transition into the crypto space.

“At 21, I passed my CFP1 and made it to Wall Street. I did an internship as an investment banker, and it really opened my eyes,” added Tan. “I saw behind the scenes of the big investment banks how the game was rigged. And I saw real use cases of crypto how it could make everything better.

Turning adversity into opportunity

The establishment of the decentralized Masters came at a crucial time. The company was launched before a brutal market crash: FTX, one of the largest centralized exchanges in the US, collapsed, triggering a domino effect in the industry. The collapse of the Sam Bankman-Fried empire caused widespread panic, eroded confidence in CEXes and intensified the challenges for the fledgling company.

Despite early success, their journey took a drastic turn when their payment project unexpectedly blocked transactions and their banking partners temporarily blocked their funds. Also, social platforms restricted their content and it seemed like everyone was against them. However, Salim and Tan saw an opportunity in the ordeal.

“We started selling very well. It was a huge success. But after a week or two of sales, the FTX crash happened” – Salim reflects. “Then everything went downhill. We almost gave up, the whole universe was conspiring to make sure we didn't win. But as we were at the end of the year – you know what, if we could do this during a bear market, imagine how amazing it would be during a bull market? And then it became a crazy ascent.

Acquiring new banking partners and payment processors paid off the duo's resilience, and Decentralized Masters grew from zero employees to more than 80 team members in a year by the end of 2022.

Both entrepreneurs now see the end of November 2022 as a turning point for the entire DeFi space. People realized that centralized exchanges are not secure and validated the value proposition of DeFi platforms.

Tan notes that centralized exchanges, like traditional banks, use customers' assets to make money and offer crypto products without using blockchain technology. According to him, this leads to issues such as limited transparency and lack of security, as seen in the case of FTX.

“What do centralized exchanges do? They pay their customers 3-4% to make 20-30-40% in DeFi protocols. That's what the bank does when you leave your money in savings,” he recalls. Rather, it is so that they can make a profit.”

Decentralized approach

Decentralized Masters offers a comprehensive course on DeFi and crypto markets. The platform's value lies in its multifaceted approach, from portfolio management and asset selection to technical analysis and strategy development.

Currently, the company boasts of a team of 10 full-time analysts who conduct in-depth research on various projects and compare them on various variables. They provide a complete description of each asset, including fundamental, technical, on-chain and group analysis. The projects are rated based on these variables, which provides a rating system to assess their potential for success.

“We are fortunate to be surrounded by a group of people who are all experts in their different narratives. They do their due diligence every day,” explains Tan. “This basically allows us to weigh different protocols, different projects, and make sure we're only investing in projects that have the highest potential for sustainability.”

But the group's vision goes beyond analysis to include community building and mentoring. Decentralized Masters provides a platform for the core community and members to connect and exchange knowledge. This extensive ecosystem fosters a thriving community, where members proudly display their credentials.

“We bring together high-value individuals with similar sophistication and values,” says Salim. “Community is everything in crypto: it can make or break one's success. At the end of the day, if you're surrounded by the right people, things will work out.

TradFi and DeFi bridge

Decentralized blockchain is designed to act as a bridge between traditional finance (TradFi) and DeFi. Their strategies use portfolio management principles from Tan's CFA background, as well as incorporating decentralized financial instruments. This fusion of two worlds is critical to their mission.

We teach people to avoid risk while optimizing potential rewards. It's all about our portfolio allocation principles and the rules we follow to avoid the downside.” Salim commented. “Once you decide to hold 10 to 12 assets, you can use DeFi tools to develop the returns with a long-term mindset. When the market is red you can add some delta neutral strategies and additional strategies on top of it.

The founders draw parallels from the world of TradFi to the current Diffie space, where concepts like rebalancing and liquidity recovery echo ideologies that stem from traditional finance. They highlight that this transition marks a broader shift, with everything moving from TradFi to DeFi, where everything is tokenized.

“While TradFi now has more capabilities due to decades of development, DeFi is catching up fast, especially with financiers joining the pace. This space needs real finance to jump ship and help devs.” Tan highlights the importance of synergy between financial and technical expertise.

This association is incorporated into the decentralized Masters Group, with Salim's engineering skills and Tan's financial skills leading the development of the platform. Driven by its commitment to education, innovation and community building, the project is poised to expand even further. Masters' decentralized vision reflects the evolving crypto space as they merge the old and new financial worlds, offering nuanced insights and strategies.