I recently went one-on-one with Marco van den Heuvel, co-founder of Beam.
Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first — I’m sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks, or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?
Marco: My journey into crypto began in 2017, not from a trading desk or venture capital background, but from genuine curiosity. I stumbled upon Bitcoin and Ethereum, and what started as a personal fascination turned into late-night deep dives into the different ways these technologies could be applied to businesses. I joined Telegram communities, discussed ideas, and tried to understand token economics; before I knew it, I was helping others do the same.
That curiosity quickly turned into community building, and that’s really been the common thread throughout everything since. I co-founded my first agency, focusing on managing online communities for early Web3 startups. It wasn’t the plan from the start; it was a response to what was happening in real-time. The entire space was moving fast, but what stood out to me even back then was how communities shaped the success or failure of projects.
If I look back now, most of my growth came from being forced to learn by doing. I didn’t have a blueprint for entrepreneurship, and I made every mistake possible in those early years: overcommitting, scaling too fast, hiring quickly rather than smart. But each setback forced me to think more structurally. I realized that good ideas are common; execution and timing are what separate noise from lasting impact.
Adam: How did you come up with your business idea and know it was worth pursuing? What advice do you have for others on how to come up with and test business ideas?
Marco: I’ve never been the type to sit down and write a business plan and then build around it. Everything I’ve done has started from being in the trenches, spotting money flows, gaps, and momentum as they happen. That’s how Beam started, too.
In the early days of Merit Circle, which later evolved into Beam, it was never about chasing a single idea; it was about surrounding myself with the right people. When Mark Borsten and Tommy Quite joined, things really took off. They came from a venture background and brought a level of structure, network, and ambition that perfectly complemented the builder mindset I had. Suddenly, what started as a gaming guild began evolving into something far bigger.
I still had another business running at the time, but Merit Circle’s revenue quickly surpassed it. Timing was just incredibly right, and as someone who’s always been a gamer, it felt like two worlds colliding in the best possible way: passion and business aligning for the first time. That’s why I pursued the idea.
A large part of my success has come from having the right people around me, go-getters who see opportunity where others see risk. It offered insights, expertise, and connections in areas that were new to me, and that combination is what turns a good idea into a lasting company.
As we prepare for our fund launch, Beam Ventures is the natural continuation of that same story. We didn’t pivot away from building; we expanded the builder mentality, now applied globally, through other founders.
When it comes to testing ideas, I would tell other founders: don’t over-engineer validation. Build, ship, gather feedback, and adapt. The market will tell you quickly whether you’re onto something real or just convincing yourself. You can’t rely permanently on new capital influx. In a fast-moving industry, you have to know when to double down and when to pivot.
Adam: What are the key steps you have taken to grow your business? What advice do you have for others on how to take their businesses to the next level?
Marco: The most important step has been learning how to grow with structure without losing momentum. In the early Beam years, everything was about speed: getting to market, building community, creating brand awareness. Having new ideas is great, but you cannot execute on them all. That’s where structure matters more than speed.
For Beam Ventures, structure emerged through partnership and a clear vision. Our collaboration with WWVentures brought institutional discipline to the creative, community-driven DNA we already had. That balance, between entrepreneurial energy and regulated oversight, is what we are seeking through our ongoing application with the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) in the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), to operate as a Qualified Investor Fund.
Growth for us meant adding depth: establishing an accelerator (Booster), building a regulatory foundation, and expanding our network globally while staying grounded in execution. My advice to other founders is simple: you outgrow your own instincts faster than you think. Learn when to hand off, when to formalize, and when to slow down enough to actually build sustainable systems.
Adam: What are your best sales and marketing tips?
Marco: For me, sales and marketing always come down to authenticity. The Web3 world, especially, has seen every kind of over-promise imaginable, “disruptive” products that never shipped, token launches without utility. The only marketing that endures is proof of work.
I don’t believe in “hype marketing.” I believe in clarity: tell people what you’re building, why it matters, and show consistent progress. Don’t take shortcuts purely for hype. People respect transparency. The strongest communities aren’t built on giveaways or trends; they’re built on trust, repetition, and shared wins.
Also, know who you’re talking to. Founders often forget that not everyone speaks the same language; what resonates with developers doesn’t necessarily resonate with institutional investors. Work on your narrative, but don’t bend your principles. At Beam Ventures, we lead with clarity, not complexity. That’s how we attract both the right founders and the right partners.
Adam: What are the most important trends in technology that leaders should be aware of and understand? What should they understand about them?
Marco: We can speak of an “infrastructure decade.” For a long time, Web3 was about experimentation and testing ideas. Now, it’s about scaling the systems that actually work. Web3 is facilitating new potentials and capabilities in areas such as AI, Gaming, and Finance, and they are converging to create new forms of digital infrastructure.
AI is changing what productivity looks like. Gaming is shaping new economic systems around digital ownership. And Web3 provides the underlying architecture for both: verifiable, transparent, and interoperable.
Leaders need to understand that “frontier technology” isn’t a buzzword. It’s a lens. It means investing in technologies that transition from experimentation to real-world adoption. Those are the projects that reshape industries at the production scale.
At Beam Ventures, we view things through the lens of web3 with a particular focus on AI, Gaming, and Finance
Adam: In your experience, what are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?
Marco: Self-awareness, consistency, and empathy. Those are the first three traits that come to mind.
Leadership isn’t about being the loudest voice in the room; it’s about clarity. People follow clarity. When you communicate clearly, even if the news isn’t great, people trust you. When you shift your message every few months, they stop listening.
Empathy matters more than most founders realize. Especially in high-growth environments where burnout is real, empathy isn’t softness; it’s sustainability. It’s understanding when to push, when to step back, and when to give people ownership of their work.
And finally, self-awareness. The ability to recognize your own blind spots and build around them. You hire other people for a reason: trust their expertise and enable them to contribute to the company’s success.
Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading, and managing teams?
Marco: Build teams that reflect the type of company you want to run, not just the one you have today. If you’re going to operate globally, hire people who think globally from day one.
At Beam Ventures, our team spans multiple time zones and disciplines, from community builders to institutional investors. That diversity is what gives us range.
The other thing I’ve learned is that process matters, but culture matters more. You can teach process; you can’t teach ownership. We’ve always looked for people who act like founders, not employees. That doesn’t mean they start companies; it means they think in terms of outcomes, not checklists.
Lastly, lead by doing. Especially in early-stage environments, people mirror your behavior. If you respond fast, stay accountable, and own mistakes, that energy cascades through the team.
Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives, and civic leaders?
Marco:
- Play the long game. Building anything meaningful takes time. Ignore the overnight success stories; they’re rarely real.
- Lead with clarity, not jargon. Whether you’re raising capital or building a team, simplicity wins.
- Stay close to your community. That applies to users, investors, or founders, whichever group you serve. The moment you drift too far from the people your decisions affect, you lose touch with reality.
Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?
Marco: “Don’t confuse motion with progress.” That one stuck with me. Especially in crypto, there’s always (a community asking for) noise: announcements, partnerships, hype cycles. However, activity doesn’t always equate to impact.
We try to measure everything we do by whether it moves the needle toward something sustainable: for our founders, our community, and the ecosystem we’re part of. That’s what I mean when I say we care more about execution and timing than buzzwords.
Adam: Is there anything else you would like to share?
Marco: Maybe just this: you don’t have to be in Silicon Valley anymore to build something global. The next generation of frontier technology is being built in places like Abu Dhabi, where ambition and vision are aligning with a network of support and clear regulation.
Beam Ventures exists because we believe in that convergence: the intersection of innovation, capital, and structure. Our mission is simple: to empower the next generation of builders in Web3 and help Abu Dhabi become the next global tech hub.
And personally, what keeps me motivated after all these years is the same thing that started it all: curiosity. I still wake up every day wanting to learn something new, build something better, and help others do the same.
