In this episode of Exponential, Oliwer Nastaziak, the chief growth officer at Fren.One, shares what it’s like to build and moderate internet-native communities — and why those communities matter more than ever.
Oliwer has been deep in the trenches of community operations for years, first as a Telegram moderator and now helping lead Fren.One, a firm he describes as “a community operating system.” The FriendOne team works to manage everything from real-time support to scam prevention, all while fostering long-term relationships and infrastructure.
He sees the crypto space maturing: “Previously it was mostly based on speculation,” he says. “Now people are trying to find their place in the ecosystem.” This shift, Oliwer notes, has made engagement deeper and more meaningful, especially when community members step up to educate each other, troubleshoot testnet issues, or build content on their own. “That’s what I find true engagement is — dedicating your time to help the community, without expecting anything in return.”
At Nexus, he points to the testnet phase as a formative moment. “It was hours and hours of traffic. You had to learn alongside the community and build resources at the same time.” But that intensity forged something lasting. “The Nexus community feels like a family. The support we get from people — it’s not something you see everywhere” .
Looking ahead, Oliwer believes community contributors will increasingly become part of the infrastructure layer itself. “The decentralized systems are growing faster than centralized ones. The power of distributed contributors is going to become something major for this space.”
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