Crypto Gloss

Messari

Messari is a crypto research, data, and intelligence company founded in 2018 by Ryan Selkis (known on crypto Twitter as “@twobitidiot”). The platform provides institutional research reports, on-chain protocol metrics, governance tracking, token vesting schedules, and market intelligence tools used by analysts, fund managers, and protocol teams. Messari’s annual Crypto Theses report — a comprehensive outlook on the state of the crypto market, typically 150+ pages — has become one of the most widely read annual publications in the industry.

Background

Ryan Selkis previously worked at Digital Currency Group (DCG) and ran the Unqualified Opinions newsletter, which became influential in institutional crypto circles. He founded Messari with the thesis that crypto markets needed better data infrastructure — standardized, auditable asset metrics that investors could rely on, similar to SEC filings in traditional markets. Messari’s name is a portmanteau of “message” and “Satoshi.”

Products

Product Description
Messari Research Deep-dive protocol reports, sector analyses, and macro crypto outlooks
Messari Pro Advanced screening, charting, and data tools for professional users
Crypto Theses Annual 150+ page macro outlook report (free)
Governor On-chain governance tracking for DAO proposals and votes
Intel Real-time intelligence feed for institutional teams
Asset Profiles Standardized public database of crypto asset fundamentals

Crypto Theses

The Messari Crypto Theses for YYYY report (published annually in January) covers:

  • Macro outlook for crypto by sector (DeFi, L1s, L2s, NFTs, AI, RWA)
  • Top projects to watch in the coming year
  • Ryan Selkis’s personal editorial takes on industry controversies
  • Historical performance review of prior year’s predictions

It is broadly considered one of the most valuable and honest annual crypto publications, read by tens of thousands of institutional investors.

Governor

Messari’s Governor product tracks on-chain governance across major DAOs and protocols — logging proposals, voting results, quorum data, and delegate activity. It serves governance researchers and investors who need to monitor how decentralized protocols are actually being governed.

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