☕️ Coffee Chat With Web3 Digest: Issue #2: Betting Big on Crypto: Strategies for Long Term Success

Interview With Gilbert Joekpata, Founder of the Smart Investors Lodge

Feb 10, 2025

Gm Web3 Digesters,

In this edition of Coffee Web3 Digest, we sat down with Gilbert Joekpata, a seasoned crypto research analyst and founder of the Smart Investors Lodge who called the last market bottom and positioned early for this bull run. He breaks down the key indicators behind his predictions, shares insights on the next big trends, and gives practical advice for investors looking to stay ahead.

From navigating market cycles to managing risk and avoiding hype, this conversation is packed with real, no-nonsense strategies.

You successfully called the bottom of the last bear market and positioned yourself for the start of this bull run. This is an achievement that many traders only dream of. What key indicators led you to that conviction, and what is your next big prediction for this cycle?

I’ve been making successful price forecasts for a long time, but calling the bottom at $16,000–$17,000 and predicting the bull run had begun at $24,000 caught the attention of many this time.

Markets move in cycles—boom, bust, recovery, and repeat. Three key factors gave me conviction:

The Fed had stopped aggressive rate hikes. When the Fed shifted from tightening to a pause, it signaled that the worst was behind us. This also reflected technically on the charts, which I shared multiple times to support my views.
On-chain data confirmed capitulation. Panic selling had stopped, and long-term investors were quietly accumulating. These were classic signs of a market bottom.
The Bitcoin halving was approaching. Every cycle follows the same pattern: a bear market, accumulation, and a rally post-halving. 2023 fit the script perfectly.

What’s Next?

U.S.-based cryptos will capture a fair share of the market.
RWAs and AI blockchain projects are the next big thing.
Altcoin season will be sustained and parabolic.

Smart money always accumulates early and exits when retail FOMO kicks in. The market rewards those who position early, not those who chase prices late.

You regularly appear on Channels TV, analyzing the intersection of global macroeconomics and crypto markets. How have recent economic shifts—such as inflation trends, interest rate changes, and geopolitical events like the Trump-led U.S. administration—impacted investor sentiment, and what key factors should traders be watching closely?

Inflation is like a silent thief, slowly eroding our purchasing power and diminishing the value of saved money. On the other hand, interest rates act as the police sent to arrest this thief. But when the police become too aggressive, they end up detaining even the innocent—our investments in risk-on assets.

Recent economic shifts have created a risk-on/risk-off dynamic in the crypto market. Inflation numbers and interest rate decisions dictate liquidity flows in and out of crypto. When rates are high, Bitcoin faces downward pressure as investors seek safer yields in traditional assets like government bonds. However, since the rate-cutting cycle began last year, we’ve seen capital rotate back into crypto, reflected in Bitcoin’s impressive 2024 price performance.

As for geopolitics, history teaches us that uncertainty is Bitcoin’s best friend. Wars, trade conflicts, and political instability drive people toward assets that governments cannot print, freeze, or inflate into oblivion. If global tensions persist, I expect Bitcoin to shine even brighter.

Regarding President Trump’s potential return to the White House—love him or hate him, markets react when he speaks. A pro-crypto administration, coupled with his recent executive orders on crypto, could drive even greater institutional adoption.

Traders must keep an eye on these three key factors:

Central Bank monetary policies
Regulatory decisions and landscape
Institutional capital flows

Miss them, and you’ll be like someone chasing a bus after it has already left.

Sectors like DeFi, AI, memes, and Real World Assets (RWAs) are gaining momentum. Which sectors do you believe hold the most promise for long-term investors, and why?

Not all that glitters is gold, and not every crypto trend will stand the test of time. Memecoins are exciting, but statistics show that 97% of them fail. Whatever is happening in the meme ecosystem will be short-lived.

DeFi isn’t dead; it’s evolving. AI and blockchain integration are here to stay, and RWAs are the next big thing, bringing real estate, stocks, and bonds on-chain. Big players like BlackRock and Goldman Sachs are paying attention. Why shouldn’t you?

The next bear market will separate the wheat from the chaff. If you want to invest smartly, don’t follow viral hype—follow utility, adoption, and innovation.

With increasing institutional adoption like ETFs and regulatory shifts, how do you see the crypto landscape evolving in the next five years? What should investors be paying close attention to?

Haha! Five years is a lifetime in crypto. In 2017, Ethereum was $10. By 2021, it was over $4,000.

What changed? Adoption. Infrastructure. Institutional money.

In the next five years, we’ll see:

Bitcoin ETFs going mainstream. Pension funds and wealth funds will flow in.
On-chain finance replacing traditional banking. Why pay high transaction fees when DeFi settles in seconds with little to no cost?
Regulatory clarity bringing legitimacy. This will weed out bad actors and attract more institutional players.
AI-driven trading and automation. The trader of the future might not even be human.

Every retail investor must arm themselves with:

TradingView: For technical analysis—Fibonacci retracements, moving averages, and more.
Glassnode free reports: For on-chain analytics—because whales move first, and profits follow.
The Federal Reserve’s decisions: To track macroeconomic trends and global liquidity shifts.
SmartInvestorsLodge.ai: To access the most promising crypto investment opportunities and trading setups.

Above all, think independently. When everyone is shouting “buy,” ask yourself, “who will sell?”

Ignorant investors pay tuition in losses. Smart investors invest in knowledge first, before assets.

The Smart Investor’s Lodge has grown into a well-regarded community for investment information. What inspired you to create it, and how do you see its impact on retail and institutional investors?

It started as a passion—sharing market updates. Then I realized the bigger issue: investor education was lacking in Nigeria. Too many people were falling for hype, losing money, and blaming the market.

But the problem isn’t the market. The problem is ignorance.

So, I created a course to introduce people to crypto, investing, and trading—teaching them to think like investors, not gamblers. As success stories started pouring in, my students demanded investment research and trading setups. I listened and built a community that provided exactly that.

I wanted a space where both retail and institutional investors could access profitable investment research opportunities. Today, we are not just a community; we are a crypto research and analysis firm. We are a movement. We are building AI-driven trading models and asset aggregators and changing lives financially.

The psychological aspect of investing is often overlooked. How do you stay disciplined and avoid emotional decision-making, especially in moments of extreme market movement?

I start each trading and investing day with a good shot of coffee. You’d be surprised what good coffee does for your mental clarity.

I follow my investment plan, not my emotions. If I plan to take profit at 5x, I take it. I don’t wait for 1,000x dreams.

I don’t chase hype. The moment the crowd is shouting “BUY! BUY!!,” I’m selling. When the crowd is silent, I’m buying.

With events like exchange collapses, regulatory shifts, security breaches, and market downturns, how can investors safeguard their portfolios beyond just asset allocation?

Don’t leave your assets on exchanges. If your crypto is on an exchange, it’s not your crypto. Own your keys. Use decentralized wallets like Ledger or Trezor. Not your keys, not your coin.

If you can’t protect your wealth, you’ll never keep your wealth.

For someone looking to build a solid crypto portfolio in 2025, what key factors should they consider when selecting assets and managing risk?

Crypto is a game of cycles and conviction. If you build a solid investment portfolio in a bear market, you’ll reap massive profits in the bull market.

2025 will favor RWAs, AI, and DeFi narratives. Here’s how I’d structure a winning portfolio:

40% Bitcoin: The god of the market. If Bitcoin falls, everything falls. Start here.
25% Ethereum & Layer-2s: The infrastructure powering the future of finance.
15% RWAs, AI, and DeFi: The next big sectors with major growth potential.
10% High-Conviction Altcoins: High risk, high reward—only for those who do deep research.
10% Stablecoins & Cash Reserves: Opportunities can come at any time, and only those with cash reserves can take advantage.

Risk management, discipline, and knowledge are key.

📚 Learn Web3

Rise In - Begin your journey into Web3 with free courses and bootcamps.
Updraft - Free Web3 education to learn blockchain and smart contract development.

💼 Web3/Crypto Jobs

Blockspace is hiring a UI/UX Product Designer Intern, Backend Software Engineer Intern, & Frontend Engineer Intern (React Native & Expo Framework).
Quidax is hiring a Research Analyst & Web3 UI Designer.
Gelato Network is hiring Senior Web3 Backend Engineer (Typscript/Node.js)

💰 Work-To-Earn

Superteam Earn - Discover high-paying crypto bounties, projects and grants from the best Solana companies.

🛠 Hackathons

CoreDAO Global Gaming Hackathon

Create the next-gen Web3 game on Core, win amazing prizes and connect with a vibrant community of creators.

Prize Pool: $380,000
Submission Deadline: March 10, 2025

Injective AI Agent Hackathon

The fusion of AI and blockchain is reshaping industries, and the Injective AI Agent Hackathon is your chance to be at the forefront of this groundbreaking evolution.

Prize Pool: $100,000
Submission Deadline: March 4, 2025

Web3 Digest

Discussion about this post

Ready for more?