Congratulations! If you have stuck around during this bear market, you're officially part of the next crypto survivor class. Remember, for every bull market mountain you climb there will inevitably be a bear waiting at the top.

When the sun rises again, and the bears return to hibernation while the bulls roam free, you will appreciate it all the more for what you've been through.

Here at the Amp Foundation core team (more details to come soon!), we have a range of bear market experience. Former Flexa CEO Tyler Spalding is the most veteran member of the group and has been in crypto since 2011. He has lived through the most cycles, fueled by his conviction in the novel utility that crypto technology enables. I've (Eli Noto) been around since 2013 but didn't truly gain conviction about the future of crypto until the 2017 cycle.

One of the things that shook my confidence in previous cycles was not having visibility into whether the projects I was involved in were continuing to make progress or had maybe even silently given up as bear markets shook out both market participants and entrepreneurs. This cycle, in many ways, has been much easier for me because I see the progress that Flexa, the Amp Foundation, and the broader crypto industry have already made. The products that exists now were previously just the seeds of ideas last cycle and the impact of crypto is now felt globally. In previous bear markets, I had existential questions about crypto’s survival. This time, it’s clear to me that crypto is here to stay. So, if you share any those same concerns about the future of crypto, fret not, for many teams across the industry are hard at work!

For new community members, check out previous issues on Substack and subscribe to stay up to date.

For additional, more frequent updates, make sure to join the Amp community on Discord and Twitter.

In case you missed it…

• The Amp Foundation (“AF”) side has spun off from Flexa. We're looking forward to sharing more information in the coming weeks.

• Chipotle launched a 99.95% off campaign with Flexa to celebrate The Merge.

Chipotle @ChipotleTweets

Sooo get 99.95% off a new Garlic Guajillo Steak entrée when you spend your ETH using @FlexaHQ at Chipotle. Exp 10/4 or $20K in total redemp. In-restaurant only; no digital orders. Subj. to avail. 1/acct (max. discount $20/purch). Terms: chip.tl/flexa. Offered by Flexa.

chip.tlCelebrate the Merge with 99.95% off Chipotle’s new Garlic Guajillo SteakProof of stake? More like “proof of steak”...

5:31 PM ∙ Sep 27, 2022

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• Roberto Beltramini joined Flexa’s merchant sales team to help grow merchant adoption.

• Flexa co-founder and Head of Product, Trevor Filter, spoke about payments at Messari Mainnet 2022.

Amp @amptoken

Great discussion on adopting digital payments and making it easy for everyone! @trev spoke on the panel at @MessariCrypto’s #Mainnet2022.

8:58 PM ∙ Sep 23, 2022

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Since the last issue of this newsletter, the Amp Foundation team has been connecting with the community IRL and online. In August, Tyler appeared on the Paul Barron Network. During the interview, he discussed why the Amp Foundation was created, what it means for Flexa, and what initiatives the Foundation will help push forward.

In September, the Amp Foundation, along with several community members, attended Messari Mainnet and took the opportunity to throw a community meetup. The turnout was incredible, and the excitement was palpable.

Amp @amptoken

NYC we love you! Thank you to the passionate Amp community for coming out!! What a turnout at @TorchandCrown! See you at the next one!

1:41 AM ∙ Sep 21, 2022

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While in New York, Developer Advocat (😺) Bubby spoke at City College NY for the ECC's Crypto In Context Program, helping to educate the next generation of entrepreneurs on crypto payments.

Amp @amptoken

We had the opportunity to speak to students at @CityCollegeNY. @bubby_io presented on crypto payments and took the entire class to go spend crypto afterwards!

9:25 PM ∙ Sep 24, 2022

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After New York, the Amp community gathered at Token 2049 in Singapore. Token 2049 also coincided with a gathering of entrepreneurs put on by Pantera, one of Amp's earliest supporters. These events provided an opportunity to share the latest with other teams in the community and hear feedback on some products the AF is building.

Coming up…

• Contributors to the Amp Foundation will be in (Amp)sterdam for the Legends4Legends conference, where Tyler will present.

• November community meetup in Chicago. More details to come.

Thanks for tuning in! Remember to look for more frequent updates of all things Amp on Discord and Twitter.