# Strategy & Operations for web3 (with Uniswap COO)

> with @mclader @smc90 In this wide-ranging conversation, Uniswap Labs COO Mary Catherine (aka MC) Lader discusses the challenges — and opportunities — of decentralized finance (DeFi); business strategy (& competition) in a world of open source; product vs. protocol innovation… as well as organization...

- URL: https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/podcast/strategy-operations-for-web3-with-uniswap-coo
- Authors: [Sonal Chokshi](https://a16zcrypto.com/team/sonal-chokshi), [Mary-Catherine Lader](https://a16zcrypto.com/team/mary-catherine-lader)
- Published: 2023-07-30
- Updated: 2025-01-28
- Focus areas: company building
- Tags: business strategy, community building, go-to-market, founder stories, podcast
- Format: podcast

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[Embedded media](https://player.simplecast.com/bd633058-479e-4533-9081-758b776a3734?dark=true)

with @mclader @smc90

In this wide-ranging conversation, Uniswap Labs COO Mary Catherine (aka MC) Lader discusses the challenges — and opportunities — of decentralized finance (DeFi); business strategy (& competition) in a world of open source; product vs. protocol innovation… as well as organizational structure & collaboration, hiring, metrics, community engagement, app store policies, decentralization, and much, much more.

The conversation — based on an interview with host Sonal Chokshi and founder Q&A live from a16z crypto Startup School earlier this year — also covers how to make decisions on what to innovate on or not; how to move from  idea and vision to business; and the transition overall from traditional finance/ tradfi. Before joining Uniswap Labs (which contributes to Uniswap, a protocol for trading and automated liquidity provision on Ethereum) — Lader was a managing director at BlackRock (and chief operating officer of the firm’s digital wealth business and head of its climate tech business); was formerly a fintech entrepreneur; and began her career as an investment analyst at Goldman Sachs.

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*As a reminder: none of the following should be taken as investment, legal, business, or tax advice; please see a16z.com/disclosures for more important information — including a link to a list of our investments.*

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Source: [Strategy & Operations for web3 (with Uniswap COO)](https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/podcast/strategy-operations-for-web3-with-uniswap-coo) — a16z crypto. Full archive: https://a16zcrypto.com/posts