Alex Scott, head of Solana Middle East: Each week, My Morning Routine looks at how a successful member of the community starts their day — and then throws in a couple of random business questions just for fun. Speaking to us this week is Alex Scott (LinkedIn), head of Solana Middle East. Edited excerpts from our conversation:

I lead growth in the Middle East on behalf of Solana, one of the largest — and currently the most used — blockchains in the world. Founded by Raj Gokal (LinkedIn) and Anatoly Yakovenko (LinkedIn) about four and a half years ago, the vision was to create a globally accessible digital infrastructure, a version of Nasdaq that anyone can use. One of the key pillars around that was scalability — the ability to have massive numbers of transactions for very cheap.

We encourage people to get started and build their first application by helping them access grant money. We think about blockchain as a thriving global city, and we're encouraging people to come and build on top of the technology. We succeed when we see founders succeed, raise money, exit their companies, and build things that matter to people and investors, who find windows to deploy capital on projects that are building on this network.

Today, Solana supports thousands of developers worldwide and is home to some of the most vibrant developer ecosystems. We foster these ecosystems through initiatives like Superteam, our ecosystem development program that is live in 17 countries. We've got a physical presence in most countries.

One trend I find exciting is the intersection of artificial intelligence and blockchain. Our recent AI hackathon, run by the Coliseum team, received 1,300 submissions from all over the world, including 15 from people based in the UAE. We're seeing a pretty substantial amount of talent here in the UAE that is really building at the forefront of technology.

My typical day is pretty unpredictable but generally falls into a few buckets. One focus is community-building. Last week, I hosted a lunch for a mix of founders, investors, and representatives from the Dubai government. Another category is business development in the region — figuring out how to encourage projects and institutions to launch using Solana’s technology. Finally, there’s making content, which involves recording videos or scripting interviews with the wider crypto community in the UAE.

I’m usually up by 6 or 6:30am — thanks to my dog, who ensures I’m awake by licking my face to go for his walk. After that I’ll check in with my four-month-old daughter, trying to get a laugh out of her before heading to my home gym. I’ve recently invested in a proper setup with a squat rack, Olympic bar, freeweights, and a bench. It's very well-documented that staying physically active helps you think clearer and has a lot of benefits. So, four days a week, I lift weights for about an hour before I go back to the desk. After the gym, I have a bit of protein and some caffeine.

Morning for me is deep work, a sacred time where my focus and attention are sharpest, and I can just put on noise-cancelling headphones and get deep into work. That’s why I typically block off this time on my calendar and don’t allow morning meetings.

I stay up to date with industry news primarily through Twitter — it’s where everything in crypto happens. In-person events, hackathons, and demo days are also alpha in the industry for seeing what new things people are working on and getting access to information that’s not yet public.

Striking a work-life balance in crypto is hard because it’s a 24/7 industry, and there’s always something happening. It’s very difficult to unplug. I'm hopelessly addicted to my phone and, you know, answering Twitter DMs and Telegram and WhatsApp messages at all kinds of hours. So, it’s more about trying to figure out the guardrails that you and your personal relationships are comfortable with. I try as much as possible to set boundaries. I like using the built-in notification suppression so that I'm not getting alerts in the middle of the night. That helps me not mess up my sleep. Dinner time is also a no-phone zone — we leave the phones in the other room and just focus and be present with each other.

Unwinding after a workday often involves spending time with my daughter, playing and talking with her, helping with her bedtime routine, and rediscovering nursery rhymes that I haven’t sung for about 30 years. Living in Dubai, I’m also spoiled for choice when it comes to dining and entertainment. There are always new restaurants to try or events to attend. I also ride motorcycles and often take trips to the mountains of the UAE.

Looking ahead, this year will be the biggest for Solana in the UAE yet. We’re hosting our annual Breakpoint Conference in Abu Dhabi in December, bringing more than 7k people from all over the world. Before that, in April, we’re hosting a two-week co-working event featuring a mix of startup pitches, policy discussions around crypto, and cultural activities. It’s an interesting way for people to experience the UAE while learning more about Solana’s ecosystem.

On a personal level, I’m doubling down on content creation, especially video, as a way to reach new audiences. It’s something that’s new to me — previously, I was behind the scenes in product and engineering roles.

A book I recently revisited is The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss. One key insight that resonated with me is the idea that instead of asking what makes you happy, ask what keeps you excited and motivated. It’s a good reminder to myself to reevaluate what truly drives me as I plan for the future and what’s coming up.

The best advice I’ve received is to maintain curiosity and increase your surface area for luck. This means always assuming that you can learn something in every situation — approach everything with this kind of beginner’s mindset — and being open to opportunities that are out of your comfort zone. Whether it’s publishing that piece of content you’ve been hesitant about, stray off the narrow path and explore new things.

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