Dan Conway, Author of Confessions of a Crypto Millionaire: Betting his Savings, his Marriage, and his Future on Crypto

— Dan Conway's escape from corporate America and his journey into cryptocurrency after feeling professionally unfulfilled despite executive-level compensation.

— His $100,000 initial investment in Ether in June 2016, subsequent losses from emotional trading (including the DAO hack aftermath), and decision to double down with an additional $250,000 from his home equity line.

— The explosive 2017 bull run that saw his stack grow to $15+ million, driven by a combination of market euphoria and his addictive personality that made him an effective evangelist for the space.

— His decision to sell 70% of his holdings (~$13 million) in early January 2018 based on advice from his financial advisor, narrowly exiting near the peak before the subsequent crash.

— Lessons on risk tolerance, the dangers of emotional trading in volatile markets, and his current long-term approach to crypto holdings alongside conventional index-based investments.

— The role of memoir writing and scene selection in telling his story, and his belief in Gemini's importance for bringing legitimacy and mainstream adoption to crypto.

— Ether traded around $3–$4 when Conway first learned about it in 2015, then remained at $5–$10 through early 2016.

— In March 2017, Ether surged from $10 to $30 to $100 by late May, coinciding with Conway's position beginning to compound significantly.

— During the peak bull run in late 2017–early January 2018, Ether reached $1,400; Conway sold at approximately $915–$920 over January 9–15, 2018, just six days before the peak.

— After his January 2018 exit, Ether fell to $400 within months and eventually dropped to $80 during the subsequent bear market.

— Conway highlighted the December 2018 low of $3,200 for Bitcoin and its subsequent rally past $10,000 as a significant psychological recovery moment.

— Assess your genuine risk tolerance before investing in volatile assets like cryptocurrency; only allocate capital you can afford to lose completely, and consider limiting exposure to 5–10% of a diversified portfolio if you have high risk appetite but want to preserve overall wealth.

— Recognize emotional decision-making triggers in volatile markets—panic selling and euphoric buying are common pitfalls; consider working with a trusted financial advisor or mentor to provide rational counterbalance to your instincts.

— Develop a long-term conviction thesis rather than trading on short-term price swings; Conway's biggest gains came from holding through volatility, while his emotional trades (like the DAO hack dip-buying mistake) consistently cost him 25–35% in losses.