From Anthropology PhD to Building Solana's NYC Hub: Dr. Rebekka Revel on What Founders Actually Need

Dr. Rebekka Revel went from studying how communities form meaning to building one of crypto's most active founder ecosystems. In this conversation with Supermoon Co-Founder Elena Obukhova, she breaks down what early-stage builders get wrong, why the best founders pivot without ego, and what Solana Skyline has planned for 2026. 

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The Unlikely Path: Fine Arts, Buddhism, and a PhD That Predicted Web3

Rebekka Revel's journey into crypto didn't start with a whitepaper. It started with a doctorate in anthropology focused on how communities create meaning, connection, and physical spaces that represent shared identity. She studied the material culture of belonging: what people wear, how they build spaces, and what those choices signal about the groups they form.

After pivoting away from academia, she returned to her art practice right as the 2021 NFT wave hit. The concept of digital asset ownership stopped her in her tracks. For a researcher who had spent years studying how people assign value to physical objects, the idea that you could own, sell, and build communities around digital creations was a natural next step.

She landed on Solana for a reason most founders will relate to: she couldn't afford to transact on Ethereum. But it was the people, not the gas fees, that made her stay. The Solana community was welcoming, curious, and collaborative in a way that felt different from other communities.

That community instinct eventually led her to Superteam, Solana's global initiative to build regional hubs supporting local ecosystem growth. And exactly one year ago, she arrived in New York City to build what is now Solana Skyline.

Why Founder Communities Work Differently Than Creative Communities

Elena asked Bekka about the difference between art communities and founder communities, and her answer cuts to something important about how Web3 operates.

Art communities, Bekka explained, tend to be narrow and rigid. Artists create independently and promote themselves individually. The relationships are less collaborative because the work itself is personal and competitive.

Founder communities in Web3 are the opposite. The relationships between builders are deeply collaborative because success is interconnected. If one project wins, the ecosystem wins. There's natural overlap between what different teams are building, which creates organic partnership opportunities that don't exist in more siloed industries.

What makes the founder community especially powerful is its diversity. People come from completely different backgrounds, education levels, and walks of life. There's no single school that teaches you blockchain. You have to jump in and learn through experience. Bekka called it a "proof of work system" where credentials matter less than what you actually build and contribute.

The Biggest Challenge Early-Stage Founders Face (It's Not Fundraising)

When asked what founders struggle with most in the early stages, Bekka didn't say fundraising or product-market fit. She said it's knowing when to pivot.

Founders get locked into their original concept. They feel like there's something there, but it's not quite fitting. The hardest skill to develop is recognizing the moment when a slight shift in direction could unlock real traction, versus grinding on something that isn't working out of pure stubbornness.

In Web3 specifically, the teams that pivot well tend to explode. They're in tune with what the ecosystem actually needs rather than what they originally imagined it needed. Bekka emphasized that staying nimble and building a team capable of rapid iteration is more valuable than having the perfect idea on day one.

The signal that it might be time to pivot? Talk to other founders. Bekka sees this as one of the biggest unlocks the Solana ecosystem offers. Founders who have already navigated that crossroads are usually open about sharing what worked, what didn't, and when they knew it was time to change direction.

Elena added a critical investor perspective here: previous failures aren't red flags. They're green flags. A founder who tried, failed, learned, and came back is demonstrating exactly the kind of resilience that makes companies succeed. Failure in venture is universal. Persistence is rare.

Inside Solana Skyline: 150+ Events, 20,000 Visitors, and a Co-Founder of Venmo

The numbers behind Solana Skyline's first year in NYC tell a clear story. Over 150 events hosted, Co-Hosted and participated in. An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people through the doors. Flagship activations during Solana on Wall Street, Accelerate, NFT NYC, Solstice, and the Digital Asset Summit.

But the numbers only capture part of what Skyline does. The building itself is a multi-functional community hub: co-working space, content studios, conference rooms, and event venues all under one roof. Bekka's role has been to take a building that existed but wasn't accessible and turn it into a space the community actually uses.

One detail that stood out: Ikram Magdon-Ismail, co-founder of Venmo, who now works in web3 focusing on Jelly Jelly on Solana, is open about sharing his full founder story, including the parts that happened behind the scenes that nobody talks about publicly. That kind of access, hearing the real story behind a massive success from someone sitting at the desk next to you, is what makes physical community spaces irreplaceable.

Skyline also plugs into Solana's broader global infrastructure. Superteam operates in over 20 countries, each with regional leads who actively support local founders with everything from pitch deck feedback to hiring help to ecosystem introductions. The Colosseum hackathons (the largest crypto hackathons in the world, happening twice a year) serve as an on-ramp where builders level up through multiple cycles of iteration under pressure.

What "Founder Success" Actually Means in a Fast-Moving Ecosystem

Elena asked Bekka to define founder success, and the answer was notably different from the typical startup playbook.

Success in Web3 isn't static. It's not a revenue number or an exit. It's the ability to stay flexible, read what the ecosystem needs next, and build layers that other people can build on top of. Bekka pointed to two examples: Squads, which started as a multisig tool and expanded into multiple product branches that only became possible because of the underlying  technology, and Arcium, a privacy-focused project whose infrastructure now enables entirely new companies to build things that weren't possible before.

The real measure of success, in Bekka's view, is whether what you build creates opportunity for others. That's how ecosystems grow. You can't build everything alone. The founders who find ways to provide platforms for others to build on create compounding value that goes far beyond their own company's metrics.

Solana Skyline's 2026 Playbook: Quality Over Quantity

After a year of explosive growth, Bekka said Skyline is shifting its approach in 2026. The theme is quality over quantity.

Rather than Skyline creating all the events, the goal is decentralization: communities creating events for themselves, in their own spaces. DeFi projects hosting DeFi nights. Developer teams running boot camps. The momentum from 2025 showed that when people experience a great workshop or panel at Skyline, they get inspired to host their own. That self-sustaining cycle is what Bekka wants to accelerate.

The co-working space is becoming a clearer hub for founders, builders and creatives who want focused work time alongside meaningful connections. Open co-working happens every Friday, and anyone can join, just click here!

Two major incubator programs are in play: the AIR Incubator (focused on AI) is currently using the 7th floor office space, and the Solana Labs incubator launches in mid-March. Notably, Skyline is intentionally welcoming people who aren't exclusively in Web3 because cross-pollination between verticals creates the kind of unexpected connections that lead to real innovation.

And underneath all the programming, there's a simpler mission: understand what each founder actually needs and help them get it. Whether that's ecosystem introductions, incubator placement, hiring support, or sometimes just someone to talk to.

Key Takeaways for Founders

On pivoting: The best Web3 teams pivot well because they listen to what the ecosystem needs, not what they originally assumed. Build a team that can shift direction without breaking apart.

On learning from others: The biggest unlock for early-stage founders is hearing the real stories behind successful companies, including the failures, the near-bankruptcies, and the five pivots nobody talks about.

On failure as a signal: Previous failures aren't red flags for investors. They're green flags. Universal mistakes plus persistence is a strong signal.

On ecosystem thinking: Success isn't just your company's metrics. It's whether what you build creates platforms and opportunities for others to build on top of.

On community: Physical spaces where founders work alongside each other create "synchronistic moments" that don't happen on Zoom. If you're in NYC, Skyline's doors are open.

Dr. Rebekka Revel is the head of Solana Skyline in New York City. Find her on X at @DrRebekkaRevel and Solana Skyline at @SolanaSkyline.

Connect with the AIR Incubator here.

You can join their Open Co-Working each friday by signing up here.

Supermoon is a network-powered incubation and growth program for early-stage founders building in convergent tech. Learn more at supermoon.xyz or apply to our Growth Engine at supermoongroup.com/growth-engine.

This interview is part of Supermoon's Greater New York City initiative, spotlighting the people and organizations building founder communities across the city. Reach out to us if you want to connect and be featured!

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