Bro became a billionaire with Ethereum — Now he funds advanced brain research

Hey, welcome to the first episode of Samstack.

First time around is always a bit clunky, so please excuse any formatting issues etc if there are any.

Imperfect action > perfect procrastination.

Feedback more than welcome. Just hit reply.

Happy Monday!

Sam

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James Fickel literally put it all on the line. 

He YOLOed around $400,000 he made through software development and stock trading into Ethereum. 

That in itself isn’t all that special. Lots of people YOLO their life savings into crypto. (Ngl, I’ve also been tempted)

What is special is that he did it in 2016…

When Ethereum was around $0.80. 

Now, it’s around $3,300 (Nov 2024). 

That, along with other crypto plays he made since, gives him billionaire status. 

But James mostly opted out of typical ‘new money’ repertoire. Lambos in Dubai, boats in Malta, etc. 

Instead, you’re more likely to find bro boarding a train from Boston to New Haven, Connecticut — on his way to inspect pig brains stored in nutrient-dense liquids. 

Interesting… How did he get there? 

A few years ago, Croatian scientists Nenad Sestan and Zvonimir Vreselja discovered that they could restore pig brain cell activity for up to four hours after the animal was slaughtered. 

(Reminds me of when I learned that people who are executed via guillotine can technically ‘see’ their separated bodies for a few seconds before their brain shuts off. You’re welcome) 

This research made headlines, and now the project has turned into a startup called Bexorg Inc, which Fickel is a major investor in. 

Bexorg is hopeful that their technology can advance restoration techniques for brains that suffered trauma. 

This is not Fickel’s only gig in philanthropy. He’s already thrown $200 million at startups and research projects that are trying to extend the human health span. 

Fickel’s always been more intellectually-inclined, and is self-taught in the areas in which he invests. He’s even hired a young Ph.D from Stanford to help him find worthy projects to invest in. 

So far, his philanthropy arm Amaranth Foundation is invested in 30 projects. Some examples: 

• Cellular Longevity Inc (helps dogs live longer with drugs) 

• Cyclarity Therapeutics Inc (Research to prevent heart disease) 

• Magic Lifescience (Diagnoses multiple diseases using small samples of urine, saliva and blood). 

You might’ve raised your eyebrows at the last one. 

Sounds uncomfortably similar to Theranos by sister Holmes (currently incarcerated). 

It is a bit of a risk — but as a crypto bro, Fickel is quite comfortable with risk. Plus, just because Holmes decided to take the dark path doesn’t mean that her line of thinking was entirely wrong. 

In an interview, Fickel said “what I’m trying to do is build a higher-level mental model with these top scientists and then push for the world changes I want to see”. 

What a mic-drop statement. 

The fortune he made through crypto allows him to literally change the world, or at least try to.

Now I understand why Fickel is not your typical crypto bro who ‘secured the bag’. 

Saying that, and actually meaning it, must feel better than any Lambo in Dubai or boat in Malta.

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KFC feels violated by competitor Church’s Texas Chicken for using its long-standing trademark ‘Original Recipe’ — and they’re not afraid to square up in court. 

KFC claims that Church’s “abruptly” began using the trademarked language in their ads, and has filed a lawsuit on September 30th. 

I personally would’ve thought that the term ‘Original Recipe’ is a bit too generic to trademark, but in this case it’s contextual to fried chicken, and it also refers to a specific ‘secret blend’ of 11 herbs and spices that is a big part of KFC’s branding. 

But Church’s marketing department acting out of pocket is not KFC’s only concern.

Their sales have been slacking, and have fallen for three consecutive quarters. 

CEO David Gibbs says it’s because of competition. But maybe it’s just a sign that their recipe has been too original for too long. 

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After paying $6.2 million in crypto for the banana, crypto investor Justin Sun dropped this line:

"This is not just an artwork"... (is bro trolling? 😅 he must be)

..."It represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community. I believe this piece will inspire more thought and discussion in the future and will become a part of history".

The 'art work' is titled "Comedian", and was conceived by an Italian artistic troll named Maurizio Cattelan.

First sold at Art Basel 2019 priced at $120.000, it drew massive crowds and made international headlines then -- now, the notorious banana is making another round of headlines after selling for mid-seven figures.

The most ridiculous part is this -- the buyer doesn't even get the actual banana 😭 Instead, Sun will get a roll of duct tape, instructions on how to 'install' the banana and a certificate of authenticity guaranteeing originality.

It's basically resembles a physical NFT, thus the wide-ranging interest from the crypto community in the banana + duct tape combo.

The 'Comedian' was a part of an art auction featuring over $1 billion worth of art for sale. Yes, bill-yun with a B. The rebound in the high-end art market is backed by the recent crypto and equities rally, with the price of a single Bitcoin almost touching a hunned Gs.

If and when Sun manages to follow the provided instructs correctly and tapes a fresh banana to his living room wall, we might hear a war cry from embattled crypto investors across the globe --

"We're so back"