Coolest 3 Ethereum Protocols I just learned about

I’ve been a dabbling a long time in crypto, but I still feel like a Perpetual Newbie. However, I have been excited about Ethereum for a long time (yeah, BTC is cool, but have you tried reinventing the internet?), but I didn’t really understand what all it could do until I learned about these three protocols.

Here’s 3 Projects on Ethereum everyone should know, imo:

(Not financial advice, etc etc, I have just felt lost for a long time, hoping these starting places help others as it has me)

1) Polygon - Ethereum’s “internet of things” sidechain. Polygon started as an Ethereum scaling solution but is also its own system on which people can build dApps that leverage Ethereum’s security but which are not limited by gas fees or transaction rates. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34wQaNSvi10

2) Aave - I’ve seen this around, but didn’t understand how much potential it has. It’s one of the oldest lending platforms, meaning you can deposit crypto in Aave, and then borrow 75% of that value to leverage elsewhere. It is also branching out into insurance and protection. Definitely worth learning more about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOk6OTFTsvw

3) Sifchain - Not exactly ~built~ on Ethereum, Sifchain is an interchain Dex using Cosmos that is linking many parts of Ethereum to the broader world of DeFi. They have, for the moment, extremely high APYs on their liquidity pools. To enjoy those and stake coins, get their native token, eRowan, by using AscendEx, getting tether, and swapping those for Rowan.