I spoke with over 20 companies last week in a conference in Paris. Some probably spend $100k+ flying in staff, but couldn’t show actual external user builds. Conferences matter, but shouldn’t proving your product works for users come first?

Yes, conferences are obviously vital for connections, partnerships, and PR. But seeing that level of investment in presence before the fundamental step of external user validation just felt backwards – really putting the cart way before the horse.

Shouldn't the absolute priority be getting those initial signals from real users, proving the product actually works and is needed? This trend seems to prioritize optics, VC signaling, and just 'being seen' over genuine adoption fundamentals. It makes me question the long-term health and resource allocation in this part of the ecosystem.

Is this sustainable, or just an inefficient cash burn? Are we optimizing for the wrong metrics early on?

Curious for your honest thoughts, r/cryptocurrency. What's your view?