The Blacksmith Problem: Why Ideas Beat Expertise Now
500 years ago, you needed a blacksmith to buy a sword. Then came the factory. Now comes AI. The pattern is the same. The stakes are bigger.
Digital & Marketing Leader
I'm Joe Davine. I've spent 14+ years scaling fintech and crypto companies, leading product, marketing, and digital from the ground up. Most recently, I helped take TRES Finance from $500K ARR to a $130M acquisition by Fireblocks in 2.5 years.
Don't settle. Think bigger.
Writing
Thoughts on AI, the future of marketing, and why most of what you've been told about growth is wrong.
500 years ago, you needed a blacksmith to buy a sword. Then came the factory. Now comes AI. The pattern is the same. The stakes are bigger.
Everyone's hiring for specialisms that won't exist in 18 months. Here's what actually matters now.
The tools changed. The playbooks changed. Most teams haven't noticed yet.
Career
Director of Marketing · First marketing hire
Built the marketing function from zero. Grew the company from $500K ARR to acquisition in 2.5 years. Crypto & digital asset financial data lake for accounting, audit, and reporting.
Product Marketing Director
Led product marketing at one of the most recognised names in institutional digital asset custody.
Head of Marketing
Ran marketing for a leading securities digitisation platform, bridging traditional finance and digital infrastructure.
Principal → Head of Digital · First marketing hire
Nearly five years at a London-based VC, embedded into portfolio companies to build and scale their digital and product functions. Led work across Investoo Group, Pure Cover, Rocket X, and others.
Head of Marketing · First marketing hire
Luxury digital marketing agency. Led marketing across high-end lifestyle and fashion brands.
Marketing Executive · First marketing hire
First marketing hire at a device detection tech company. Built the marketing function from scratch.
Side Projects
I can't sit still. Here's what I build when I'm not doing the day job.
Founder
A game studio. Currently building Occulto, because sometimes you need a creative outlet that has nothing to do with quarterly targets.
Co-Founder
A community and resource hub for finance leaders navigating digital transformation.
Founder
A crypto regulatory newsletter with bite and personality. Making sense of the rules nobody reads.
Co-Founder
Built and ran an AI-powered product. Two years of learning what it takes to ship your own thing.
Managing Partner
A digital consultancy I ran for nearly three years alongside my role at Kinetic Investments.