Joint Venture Workshops
Over the next two weeks, Phoenix Fund's conference rooms were a flurry of diagrams, legal reviews, streaming mock-ups, and immersive tech demos. Valen Cross and Carmen DeLuca worked in tandem, their energy complementary: his futurist polish matched by her logistical grit.
Zoya Lin collaborated closely with Valen's Iron Signal developers to outline a blockchain-based rights management system for entertainment IPs. Leah managed scheduling, aligning internal teams with joint venture benchmarks while navigating early HR concerns about cross-division staffing.
Ryan stayed in strategy sessions, sketching a master plan on the whiteboard: how the entertainment ecosystem would blend into Phoenix's crypto holdings, physical developments, and long-term equity growth.
Ryan (to the team): "This is the convergence. Not just real estate. Not just content. We're building a parallel economy with its own gravity."
Dylan: "And we're doing it with a 10-year head start."
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A Moment for Two
One evening, after back-to-back meetings, Ryan and Leah escaped to the courtyard behind their HQ, away from the noise. A firepit glowed low in the corner.
Leah: "We're building something that touches everything. You ever wonder if it's too much too fast?"
Ryan (after a pause): "Sometimes. But I've also never been this sure of the people building it with me. You, Dylan, Zoya... and now Valen and Carmen."
She reached for his hand.
Leah: "I just want to make sure we don't lose ourselves while we create all of this."
Ryan: "We won't. Because we're not building around it—we're building through it. Together."
They stood in silence, hand in hand, letting the moment settle.
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Land Acquisitions and the Strip Venue
By the end of September, Phoenix had locked in:
A deal to acquire 84 acres of desert just outside Las Vegas for festival development
An LOI to purchase and restore the historic Golden Mirage Theater, a former 1960s show venue
Blockchain token partnership agreements to offer fractional ownership of select entertainment assets
Carmen (during a board update): "The Golden Mirage gives us legacy. The desert grounds give us future. The festivals become our heartbeat."
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Leah's Early-Stage Pipeline
Late one evening, Leah gathered Ryan and Dylan into the executive conference room for a short strategy huddle.
Leah: "Over the past month, I've been approached by several startups seeking seed-stage funding. A few are early, but two in particular are showing serious traction. Think Uber meets logistics, and Airbnb meets creative travel."
She passed forward two decks:
RideLoop — A decentralized ride-hailing platform with crypto-enabled driver payouts, focused on underserved metros and college towns.
NestHop — A peer-to-peer hospitality app targeting artists and musicians seeking affordable, short-term stays with cultural exchange built into the user experience.
Leah: "These are small bets now, but they match our ethos: empower people, disrupt legacy systems, and own a scalable tech edge. I propose we fund both modestly and support them through our in-house advisory model."
Ryan (reviewing the decks): "I like it. Dylan?"
Dylan: "They're risk-heavy, but not reckless. If Leah's instinct says they're worth backing, we give them our sandbox."
Approval was granted. Another vertical quietly took root.
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Phoenix Rising
October opened with momentum. Barrow Chain District signed two more tenants. The first music-tech crossover event was confirmed for spring. Zoya's digital asset reports now included projected ROI from immersive licensing deals.
On the top floor of Phoenix HQ, the leadership team gathered to review quarterly growth—coffee cups in hand, data glowing from wall screens.
Leah: "Real estate. Finance. Culture. Tech."
Dylan: "And a team that actually likes working together."
Ryan (smiling): "Then let's keep building."
Outside, the skyline stretched wide, the first scaffolds of the Golden Mirage renovations already rising.
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Phoenix Fund Snapshot – October 2010
Total Active Divisions:
Real Estate Development
Digital Assets & Cryptocurrency
Entertainment & Live Events
Venture Capital (Seed & Growth)
Blockchain Infrastructure & Web3
Portfolio Value by Sector:
Real Estate: $163M (projects + land)
Crypto Holdings: $11.2M (BTC + diversified assets)
Entertainment Ventures: $28M committed
Seed Tech Investments: $3M
Cash & Liquid Assets: $47M
Staff: 248 Full-Time Employees Valuation: Estimated at $324M (private market)
Phoenix was no longer just a fund.
It was becoming a future.
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