Blockchain for Beginners
You’ve waited long enough. Blockchain and Crypto are reshaping money and the Internet. Discover how to go from user to owner.
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Course overview
From consumer to creator: own the next web before it owns you
The Big Idea: The next web won’t be owned by corporations alone — it’ll be co-owned by creators and communities, via crypto currencies and tokenized digital assets. Learn how to claim your share — before the rest catch up.
Two unstoppable trends are colliding now: AI and crypto.
You already have a mental model for AI because it comes from the tech world you know; inside-out.
Crypto is different. Outside-in, weird, messy. Shaped by mavericks for 15 years. The establishment fought it until now. 2025 is the year crypto goes mainstream, and AI accelerates the shift from Web 2.0 to web3: Read. Write. Own.
Why listen to me
I’ve been here for 5 years, through scams, crashes, breakthroughs. I’ve also facilitated change in businesses for 30 years. That makes me your bridge: I can cut through the noise and show you what problems blockchain actually solves.
Here’s my bet: in the next 12 months, crypto shifts from risky side-bet to rocket fuel. Futures will be made (and lost) on how fast people move. Your CEO or clients might not get it yet. But you can.
I know because I’ve seen this movie before. In 1996, I was one of "the Crazy Ones” helping executives get the internet who then said, “I’ll never pay with a credit card online.” You already know how that ended.
What you’ll learn
This course is your shortcut to web3 — the shift from users to owners.
No hype, no tech-bro noise, just memorable frameworks and hands-on practice to build the internet that actually works for you.
Three big “aha” moments that will permanently change how you see crypto and its future role in your life:
1. Bitcoin restores trust in a world running out of it.
2. Ethereum makes finance open and fair for everyone.
3. Tokenization turns the internet into something we can finally own.
Note: This isn’t a trading course. It’s a doing course. You’ll earn crypto by using crypto — hands-on, practical, and grounded in real experience.
This Course Is for the Early Ones...
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Change Agents: Be the catalyst in your org. Translate blockchain into strategy and action that shift culture from dependency to more agency
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Biz Execs: See what’s coming before your CEO does. Understand how crypto and AI converge to reshape growth, value, org design and leadership
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Founders & Solopreneurs: Turn curiosity into leverage. Learn how web3’s ownership model can fund, grow, and future-proof your next venture
Prerequisites
An open mind:
ready to question old assumptions about money, work, business and the internet.
A bias for action:
you learn by doing and know that action creates better knowing.
A sense of urgency:
you understand that being early isn’t about luck, it’s about owning the upside before the crowd arrives.
The 6-Week Journey from Bystander to Builder: what you'll get out of this course
Strategic Clarity: See the Shift Before It Hits
Understand how blockchain, finance, and decentralised AI, are converging to reshape markets, institutions, and power structures. See why crypto is essential for a more open and fairer internet.
The Architecture of Crypto: What’s Really Being Built
Learn the key layers of the crypto stack: why Bitcoin is becoming digital gold, Ethereum the world computer, and Solana the Wall Street on-chain. Explore how stablecoins are becoming the Trojan Horse for mass adoption and institutional entry.
Consumer Crypto & Decentralised Social: The New Playground
Go beyond finance. Discover how everyday apps, creator platforms, and networks like Farcaster are powering a new generation of open, permissionless innovation. Experience how this “bottom-up” revolution mirrors the early internet.
Actionable Skills: Turn Insight into Onchain Experience
Set up your wallet, hold cryptos, send and swap tokens, mint your first NFT. Learn how digital ownership and peer-to-peer value flows transform how you think about work, assets, and collaboration.
Ownership Mindset: From Bystander to Builder
If you’ve lost faith in institutions or grown tired of Big Tech's max extraction platforms, this is your moment to co-create the alternative. Learn by doing, exploring, and contributing onchain — because ownership is the antidote to permission.
What’s included
Live sessions
Learn directly from Marcus Druen: Change Maker bridging Web 2.0 & web3 in a real-time, interactive format.
Pre-course Learning Library (lifetime access)
Get 8 videos & core slides on blockchain metaphors so you arrive ready for hands-on experiments during the live weekend.
Post-Course Onchain Organization Lab (4 weeks, recommended)
Join a safe, no-obligation DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) sandbox. Propose, vote, and co-create real outcomes.
Funded Cohort Wallet
I fund $50 for each participant to a shared wallet. We’ll test DAO principles by deciding how to use real money with low stakes.
Hands-on Onboarding
Get step-by-step guidance joining Farcaster & exploring Base ecosystem (by Coinbase). I'll introduce you to great communities.
1:1 Coaching (free bonus worth $200)
45 Min 1:1. Go deeper into mindset shifts that help you thrive in collaborative onchain systems.
Office Hours (optional)
Follow your curiosity down the rabbit hole — discover what excites you most about this new onchain world.
Access to my Farcaster Channel (become part of my community)
AMA forever. Stay connected also with alumni from other cohorts for tips and shared progress. Find your future co-creator even...?
Certificate of completion
Show your new blockchain and onchain collaboration skills on LinkedIn or to your employer.
Maven Guarantee
This course is backed by the Maven Guarantee. Students are eligible for a full refund up until the halfway point of the course.
Course syllabus
Week 1
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Blockchains as Ritual Magic
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Blockchain as Infrastructure
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Blockchain as Ledger
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Blockchain as World Computer
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Blockchain as Permissionless Commons Culture
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Blockchain as Anarcho-Capitalist Utopia
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Blockchain as Dark Forest
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Blockchain as Ponzi Scheme (Critique)
- 📄
Setting Up Your Non-Custodial Wallet – Your Gateway to Financial Freedom
- 📄
Connecting Your Wallet to Smart Contracts – Unlocking the Power of DeFi
- 📄
Sending Crypto Instantly – Peer-to-Peer Transactions in Action
- 📄
Minting NFTs – Create Your First Digital Artefact Onchain
Metaphor #1: Blockchains as Ritual Magic
Discover blockchain as a "trust machine" that replaces human trust with cryptographic certainty. Learn how it creates immutable records that ensure transparency and eliminate corruption. Explore real-world applications like Bitcoin, which enables trustless transactions globally. This module reveals how blockchain solves trust issues in centralized systems, empowering individuals to transact securely.
Metaphor #2: Blockchains as Infrastructure
Understand blockchain as the backbone of a new digital economy—secure, efficient, and interoperable. See how platforms like Ethereum power smart contracts and decentralized finance (DeFi), automating processes without middlemen. Learn how this "plumbing" of Web3 solves inefficiencies in global systems like finance and supply chains, enabling seamless cross-border transactions and tokenized assets.
Metaphor #3: Blockchain as Ledger
Explore blockchain as a universal ledger that ensures transparency and accountability. Discover how it solves fragmented recordkeeping problems with tamper-proof data accessible to all parties. Real-world examples like Walmart’s blockchain-powered supply chain show its impact on industries. This module equips you to see blockchain’s potential for healthcare, property rights, and identity management.
Metaphor #4: Blockchain as World Computer
Learn how blockchain acts as a decentralized global computer where anyone can build censorship-resistant applications. Understand its role in creating a read-write-own internet where users control their data. Real-world examples like Uniswap demonstrate its power to eliminate gatekeepers. This module shows how blockchain empowers individuals to innovate freely in a decentralized ecosystem.
Metaphor #5: Blockchain as Permissionless Commons Culture
Discover how blockchain democratizes access to resources through tokenized ownership, fostering collaboration and innovation. Learn how NFTs empower creators to monetize directly without intermediaries. Real-world applications include tokenized commons for shared resources like energy grids. This module highlights blockchain’s ability to create equitable ownership models for communities.
Metaphor #6: Blockchain as Anarcho-Capitalist Utopia
Explore how blockchain decentralizes power, enabling individuals to become sovereign in a post-nation-state world. Learn about Bitcoin’s role as a hedge against inflation in unstable economies like Venezuela. This module reveals how blockchain shifts control from governments to individuals, creating opportunities for network states and self-organized communities driven by shared values.
Metaphor #7: Blockchain as Dark Forest
Understand how blockchain protects privacy and security in an increasingly surveilled world by creating encrypted safe zones for transactions and communication. Explore tools like Zcash for private financial transactions. This module addresses privacy vulnerabilities while showing how blockchain empowers individuals to operate securely in digital spaces free from surveillance capitalism.
Metaphor #8: Blockchain as Ponzi Scheme (Critique)
Critically examine the risks of scams and speculation in the crypto space while uncovering blockchain’s true potential for solving real-world problems. Learn about Ethereum’s energy-efficient Proof of Stake transition as an example of sustainable innovation. This module equips you with a balanced perspective on blockchain’s challenges and its transformative power for equitable economies.
Setting Up Your Non-Custodial Wallet – Your Gateway to Financial Freedom
Take control of your finances by setting up a non-custodial wallet like MetaMask or Trust Wallet. Learn how to back up your seed phrase securely and explore your wallet’s interface. Discover how owning your wallet keys means owning your money, free from banks or restrictions. Experience true financial freedom, just like people in hyperinflation-hit countries who use wallets to protect their savings.
Connecting Your Wallet to Smart Contracts – Unlocking the Power of DeFi
Step into the world of DeFi by connecting your wallet to decentralized exchanges like Uniswap. Swap cryptocurrencies and explore smart contracts that eliminate middlemen, giving you direct access to financial tools. Gain hands-on experience with lending platforms and yield farming while discovering how DeFi empowers billions excluded from traditional finance systems.
Sending Crypto Instantly – Peer-to-Peer Transactions in Action
Experience the speed and simplicity of crypto transactions by sending funds directly to another participant’s wallet. See how blockchain explorers like Etherscan provide transparency into every transaction. Learn why crypto is revolutionizing remittances worldwide, offering instant, borderless, and low-cost transfers without relying on banks or payment processors.
Minting NFTs – Create Your First Digital Artefact Onchain
Unleash your creativity by minting your first NFT on platforms like OpenSea. Transform a simple digital artefact into a blockchain-verified asset that’s yours forever—visible globally and tradable without intermediaries. Learn how NFTs empower creators to monetize their work directly, bypassing traditional gatekeepers, and unlock your own creative potential.
What students are saying
Meet your Guide: Marcus Druen
Marcus Druen: Change Maker bridging Web 2.0 & web3
Marcus has changed 1000 clients' lives & discovered crypto’s potential in 2020.
Having spent over 10,000 hours researching blockchain and experimenting onchain, Marcus translates complex ideas into clear, actionable insight. He’s worked at the intersection of technology adoption, skill development, and behavior change for over two decades — guiding leaders and teams through disruption long before crypto arrived.
Trusted globally by clients up to board level, Marcus helps professionals rethink how they work, learn, and lead in a decentralizing world. His mission is to empower participants to move from passive consumers to proactive creators of the next web.
His onchain pseudonymous persona, antaur, actively experiments on Farcaster, a decentralsied crypto-native social network — exploring what it means to build with transparency, ownership, and win-win attitude at the core.
A Transformational Learning Experience
The 4-Ps of Knowing
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Why this is essential for learning blockchain
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How to max your learning curve?
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Stories of Transformation from Past Cohorts
Susanne Ratzenberger
Dr. Alexander Bogner
8 Metaphors for Blockchain: How We Make the Complex Simple
Most holistic model
Most blockchain courses are either deeply technical or focused on making money. This seminar is different. Drawing on Venkatesh Rao’s thinking and supported by the Ethereum Foundation, I offer a comprehensive framework that goes far beyond the basics — giving you both clarity and depth, whether you’re a beginner or already onchain.
Structure for the seminar
These 8 metaphors (see visual) reveal the full spectrum of what blockchains are, why they matter, and how they’re reshaping the internet and society. You’ll explore blockchains as ledgers, infrastructure, world computers, commons cultures, and more-gaining insight into decentralization, financial freedom, digital governance, and creative innovation.
Deep Dive Guide
This is a truly multi-disciplinary, big-picture approach. By diving into all 8 metaphors, you’ll build a mental map that connects technology, economics, culture, and ethics-so you can see both the forest and the trees. It’s the starting point for anyone who wants to move beyond hype and headlines, and develop real expertise in a rapidly evolving field.
Before You Enrol: this course is NOT right for you if you...
01
want to dip in & out during the weekend; I do live app demos (and you do on your end) which are stacked over 2x4 hours.
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mainly want to learn how to trade, do TA for cryptos or get rich quick (99% don't but ping me for recommendations)
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want to understand technical details on blockchain speeds or DeFi yield farming; this won't matter for most use cases soon.
Seminar Details & Schedule
8h on weekend + 2-4h per week after
Saturday & Sunday
4 hours live course each day
Mix of teaching incl. Q&A and onchain practice and experimentation
Next cohort: 25-26 Oct 2025
15.00 to 19.00 GMT
2 Live Zoom Calls with step-by-step onchain onboarding
IT Kit
Laptop & Mobile + stable internet
Mix of slide presentation and on-screen showcase of onchain transactions for easy participant replication
Crypto Wallet
None for the seminar
I'll fund you a few $ to set-up a non-custodial wallet for the purpose of this seminar. I will show you setting various wallet types in the live session; the UX is luckily rapidly improving - no need for 12 word seed phrases anymore (at least for daily use with small budgets)