Turning Uncertainty into Opportunity: My Path to Blockchain Marketing

My journey into the blockchain industry began in an unexpected way—during my PhD studies, right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many others, I spent long months in isolation, immersed in academic research and literature reviews. It was a period of intellectual discipline but also monotony. Then, by chance, I came across a part-time opportunity related to blockchain.

At that time, the DeFi bull market was in full swing, and enthusiasm for blockchain’s potential was at its peak. My initial exposure to concepts such as decentralization and tokenized business models was nothing short of exhilarating. Unlike traditional industries, blockchain offered a radically new way of organizing markets, communities, and incentives. I quickly realized that marketing in this sector required much more than conventional skills—it demanded an understanding of technology, finance, and consumer behavior all at once. Fortunately, these were exactly the fields I had been passionate about and had academic and professional training in.

Motivated by this alignment, I dedicated myself to learning blockchain deeply while gaining hands-on experience. Over the span of three years, working with different projects through a marketing agency, I had the opportunity to study more than 100 blockchain projects across multiple countries. This gave me a panoramic view of how blockchain innovation was being interpreted and adopted globally.

Yet, the deeper I went, the more I saw the challenges. More than 90% of blockchain projects failed within six months. The industry was heavily influenced by cyclical bull and bear markets, regulatory uncertainty, and the speculative motivations of its participants. For marketers in particular, there was a constant tension between driving adoption and avoiding the ethical pitfalls of hype-driven financial speculation. The paradox between sustainable, compliant business practices and the decentralized ideals of blockchain became a central question for me.

With these questions in mind, I paused my agency work and returned to research and reflection. I launched several projects focused on decentralized innovation, which connected me with founders and marketers across Europe, the U.S., and Asia. What I discovered was that my challenges were not unique—many professionals in this space were grappling with the same balance: how to reconcile decentralization with regulation, and how to grow an industry that is both innovative and sustainable.

This realization became the seed of Teramy. Together with my co-founder Terence, we founded Teramy with the vision of creating a dedicated platform for blockchain and crypto marketing. Our goal is to build a bridge between academic research and industry practice, to help professionals navigate uncertainty with insight, and to provide the tools and frameworks needed for long-term sustainable growth.

Blockchain is still a young industry, full of both opportunities and contradictions. With Teramy, we hope to contribute clarity, direction, and resilience—helping the ecosystem grow not only bigger, but stronger.

Dr. Wuxia (Amy) Bao

Assistant Professor in Marketing, Rennes School of Business, France

Co-founder, TERAMY Academy