Prix de Spool

Avichal Garg may not be a name that often appears in mainstream media headlines. But behind the scenes, he is a figure who has quietly played a major role in the crypto space, especially when it comes to early-generation altcoins and blockchains. He is not just an observer—he has been involved, for a long time. The Stanford graduate started his career not in crypto, but in a much more “traditional” place: Google . There, he was involved in search and ad quality projects, and even played a role in building Google Transit. But like many other tech stories, his curiosity and passion for building led him away from his comfort zone. He founded PrepMe, an adaptive learning platform, and then Spool, a mobile content management startup that was acquired by Facebook. At Facebook, his career was no joke. Avichal managed more than 400 engineers and was a key part of Facebook’s local product. But even at the heart of the world’s tech giant, Avichal was not satisfied. There was another calling—one that was far more experimental and risky: crypto. In 2018, he founded Electric Capital. That’s where he changed direction. The company has become one of the most active investors in early-stage blockchain projects. They don’t just inject funds, but also help build the technology and ecosystem foundations from the ground up. Names like NEAR, Solana , Kraken, and Magic Eden aren’t just idle portfolios. He chooses projects that he thinks have a strong foundation on the developer side, not just hype. What’s interesting about his approach is that Avichal sees crypto from a programmer’s perspective. He doesn’t look for coins that can go viral, but is more interested in projects that have an active developer community. According to him, in the crypto space, the strength of the technical community can be the deciding factor in whether a project survives or evaporates. On the other hand, he believes that one day people will no longer call “crypto” something foreign. In the following years, he says, platforms like Coinbase may not need to call themselves crypto services, because digital assets will become a normal part of the daily financial system. However, that doesn’t mean it’s without its challenges. Investing in the blockchain world is certainly not a smooth road. Markets can be wild, projects can fail, and technology can change rapidly. But so far, Avichal seems to be enjoying the uncertainty. He frequently shares his views on social media and blogs, touching on topics ranging from AI, heuristic startups, to the future of Web3 . Funnily enough, despite his large role behind the scenes of many Web3 projects, his communication style remains relaxed. On Twitter (or now X), he often jokes about technology trends, sharing light insights that sometimes include engineer-style humor: logical but dry. But that’s Avichal. To outsiders, the world of crypto investment can sometimes seem like a chessboard full of intrigue and strategy. But for Avichal Garg, it’s more like an open laboratory, a place where ideas can be tried, failed, refined, and re-executed. He’s not just injecting money, he’s also involved in the long-term formation process. Given his track record and distinct approach, it’s no wonder that many call him one of the key figures in the development of crypto infrastructure. Not the loudest, not the craziest. But it’s precisely because of his consistency that Avichal has become a name to be reckoned with.