David Lolaev Interview
In this interview with David Lolaev, Founder of Sal’Ad Labs – The award winning Web3 Marketing agency. Whose journey is from flipping burgers at McDonald’s to leading one of the top Web3 agencies, he shares his unconventional journey into the world of blockchain and crypto. In this exclusive interview, he discusses how structured processes, honest service, and global collaboration fueled the agency’s rapid rise—culminating in a strategic headquarters in Dubai. He also dives into common pitfalls for new crypto projects, the future of AI and blockchain convergence, and the importance of branding, community, and patience in the fast-paced world of Web3.
A Journey into the World of Crypto
We started the interview by asking, “You’ve had a diverse career path. What drew you into the world of crypto and blockchain?”
David Lolaev replied, “I started work quite early when I was around 15, my first place of work was McDonald’s. And I’m still dreaming to have same perfectly working business processes which I saw there. I have worked in very different fields, Horeca, legal, event, marketing, but around 20-22 I began my first attempts at entrepreneurship and by the age of 25 I had fully gone into my own business, where I learned that there was a market for blockchain and digital assets and at that time there was practically no one there yet, but I was attracted by the fact that there were no world borders at all and deals were concluded literally in a couple of hours and the main criterion was trust and faith in the success of the plan. Now after many years Sal’Ad is not just an agency. We have about 5 different web3 businesses, one of a kind Crypto Rally Racing team, and building more companies in the web 3 market.”
From Startup Spark to Strategic Expansion
The Arab Today: Tell us about your path to creating an agency and why your target is Dubai?
David Lolaev replied, “When we created the agency, it was a small team of enthusiasts who quickly learned all the possibilities in the market and began to offer them to everyone who was launching their projects at that time, several good reviews during this time brought us to a leading position in the industry easily. Well, in 2020, after the covid-19 pandemic, we realized that Dubai was becoming the central meeting point of the crypto community, and decided to try to open an additional office, which then became our headquarters.”
Turning Structure into Strength
The Arab Today: Sal’Ad Labs has become a top Web3 agency. What’s been the secret behind your growth and success?
David Lolaev replied, “We have always been an open, honest and clear service provider. Not promisors of pink unicorns, but a service provider with a very clearly defined structure of actions and responsibilities. Over the years, we have trained these skills and turned them into working business processes, which we continue to develop. But our list of partners and cases speaks best about us. We place a very big bet on the high class management, which is aimed at building processes on the client’s side, because obviously we will not work with every company forever, and the processes that were built must be able to work after we leave.”
Thriving Through Collaboration
The Arab Today: With so many players in the Web3 space, how does Sal’Ad Labs stand out from the crowd?
David Lolaev replied, “To be honest I know only a few of our competitors and we are great friends with most of them) The market is big enough for everyone to have room, and I also understand that cooperation stimulates market growth and healthy competition much better than senseless rivalry. Well, there are not many agencies in the market that will soon have a 10-year anniversary))”
Missing the Mark
The Arab Today: What’s one common mistake you see new crypto projects make when entering the market?
David Lolaev replied, “There are not many but I could even name two which are:
The first is that projects are absolutely not prepared for what will happen to their companies after entering the secondary market; this is the reason for 90% of failures. Supply exceeds demand, and unfortunately leads to hyperinflation, which ends in collapse, all of this can be avoided at very early stages.
And the second reason is the community. The founders of the projects are absolutely sure that the audience of their token holders = users of their product, in reality, almost no one is interested in the product and people bought the token only for the purpose of selling it, and as such, there was never any product marketing.”
Global Stages, Local Impact
The Arab Today: You’re active in global Web3 events. How do these experiences influence your vision for Sal’Ad Labs?
David Lolaev replied, “This presence is essential. International events that the web3 industry is known for are a super booster for your business and are where you will find potential deals for the entire year ahead, so attendance is a must, especially if they are held in our cities of presence such as Dubai or Bangkok.”
Beyond the Buzz
The Arab Today: Many still associate crypto with hype and volatility. How do you see the narrative around blockchain evolving in the next 5 years?
David Lolaev replied, “It is difficult for me to answer this question in 5-year intervals, however, the sphere changes every year, but the hype and volatility will not go away for many years. Try to find hype in de-fi markets and you will understand that it is not there, it is not in the mining market either, but they do not get into the news reports. It is precisely because of the news background that the web3 sphere has such an impression on those around it.”
Beyond the Code
The Arab Today: What roles do storytelling and branding play in the success of a Web3 project today?
David Lolaev replied, “We have developed a marketing formula several years ago, which consists of three foundations as BTC – Branding, traffic and community.
Of course, branding is the foundation, but it is also multi-component, at least because the foundation of the brand is the presence of serious partnerships in the industry and the reputation of the team, the rest are smaller details, often less necessary for further growth.”
Evaluating Potential
The Arab Today: Sal’Ad Labs works with both startups and established players. What do you look for before deciding to take on a project?
David Lolaev replied, “The key factor is the status of the project and the potential LTV. We are not very interested in working with companies whose activities will not survive even 6 months, so we try to evaluate the resources of both parties in order to make the partnership profitable for the longest possible period.”
The Future of Tech
The Arab Today: AI and blockchain are two of the biggest tech trends right now. How do you see them converging in the future?
David Lolaev replied, “The world is definitely changing, it is visible in everything, but in my personal opinion the real big change will be the transition of the digital market from web2 to web3. And when we can forget about accounts and get one for everything, then we will truly enter a new era of the Internet without fear of depending on thousands of logins passwords and accounts with which our lives are closely connected today.”
Overcoming New Challenges
The Arab Today: What’s a project or collaboration that truly challenged your team—and what did you learn from it?
David Lolaev replied, “I think the biggest change to the development strategy was our official partnership with all leading exchanges. We were able to see in reality what the scale of secondary trading is and how the market sentiment and its hierarchy are actually structured. It is the exchange market and the secondary trading market that seem to us the most promising in our activities today for a number of factors, and at least because we have practically no competition here.”
The Power of Patience
Lastly we asked, “Finally, for aspiring founders entering the Web3 space—what’s the one piece of advice you wish someone had given you early on?”
“Never rush to make decisions. The market always says that we are late somewhere, but in reality it is not so. A decision made in a hurry often turns out to be wrong and if you have doubts, always completely dispel them before taking the next step. And of course, never give up, the web3 and blockchain market is extremely competitive, cruel and sometimes unfair, but only the strongest achieves the result, so believe in yourself and do not give up! Keep Buidling! Keep Hodling!” David Lolaev Concluded
Connect David Lolaev on LinkedIn
Visit Sal’Ad Labs to learn more about it
Also Read:
Marco Mizzau, Visionary CEO & Investor
Rehan Naeem: Transforming Leadership & Workplace Culture
Juan José Thuemme: Pioneering the Future of Flavor
