Gm! This week, Joe McCann joins the show to deep dive into his Solana thesis. We discuss whether Solana is still positioned to outperform even after the huge run up in 2024, the election impact on crypto markets, the bullish macro backdrop for risk assets, crypto venture, memes & more. Enjoy! – Follow Joe: https://x.com/joemccann Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe to the Lightspeed Newsletter:...

Gm! This week, we're back with another roundup. We discuss Solana's on chain boom, why economic value reached a new all time high, Stripe's recent acquisition of Bridge & much more. Enjoy! – Follow Mert: https://x.com/0xMert_ Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe to the Lightspeed Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/lightspeed Utilize the Solana Dashboard by Blockworks Research:...

Gm! This week, we’re joined by Daniel Lev from Coinflow! We discussed Stripe’s acquisition of Bridge, challenges faced by crypto payments businesses, and TradFi’s adoption of stablecoins. Additionally, we unpacked the impact of US regulations on the stablecoin sector, and the fees associated with on and off-ramps in crypto. Finally, we covered interesting use cases Coinflow is enabling today. Enjoy! – Follow Coinflow: https://x.com/CoinflowLabs Follow Daniel:...

Gm! this week, Emmett Hollyer joins the show to discuss the next chapter of Solana Mobile ahead of their latest phone release in 2025. We reflect on why the Solana Saga was successful, how to create a great product, crypto UX & how crypto can break the mobile duopoly. Enjoy! -- Follow Emmett: https://x.com/m_it Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe to the Lightspeed Newsletter:...

Gm! this week, we're live at Permissionless with a discussion on crypto's creator economy. We deep dive into capturing attention in crypto, building DRiP, why build on Solana, NFTs, meme coins & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Vibhu: https://x.com/vibhu Follow Steve: https://x.com/solanasteve_ Follow Jake: https://x.com/SolJakey Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe to the Lightspeed Newsletter:...

Gm! this week, we're live from Permissionless with Tristan Frizza & Jayant Krishnamurthy. We discuss the current & future state of DeFi on Solana, the rise of alt L1s, the next evolution of DeFi & what Solana can improve on in the future. Enjoy! -- Follow Tristan: https://x.com/Tristan0x Follow Jayant: https://x.com/jayantkrish Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe to the Lightspeed Newsletter:...

Gm! this week, Leah Wald joins the show to discuss what led Cypherpunk Holdings to go all in on Solana. We deep dive into the Solana ETF outlook, investing in the ecosystem, the role of staking, TradFi demand for Solana & much more! -- Follow Leah: https://x.com/LeahWald Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe to the Lightspeed Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/lightspeed -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (02:25)...

Gm! this week, we begin by discussing Snowden's recent comments that Solana is centralized. We then deep dive into Mert's biggest takeaways from recent conferences, the impact of Firedancer, reasons to be bullish DePin & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Mert: https://x.com/0xMert_ Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe to the Lightspeed Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/lightspeed -- DragonSwap is the DeFi Hub on Sei’s Layer...

Gm! This week Arnold Lee joins the show to discuss how Sphere is accelerating global payments for fintech companies by leveraging Spherenet built on the SVM. We deep dive into what is Spherenet, the problem with global payments, permissioned vs permissionless systems & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Arnold: https://x.com/0xdirichlet Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe to the Lightspeed Newsletter:...

Gm! In this episode, Sean Carey, Partner at Borderless Capital, joined us to discuss all things DePIN! We dove into DePIN selling points, the sustainability of DePIN projects, and what infrastructure makes the most sense for DePIN. Additionally, we spoke about why crypto and DePIN work so well together. Finally, we closed the episode by discussing Solana’s impact on the future of DePIN networks. Enjoy! -- Follow Borderless Capital: https://x.com/borderless_cap Follow Sean:...

Gm! In this episode, we’re joined by Andrea Fortunio, Co-founder of MagicBlock! We discussed the current state of the Solana gaming industry, AAA vs Mobile gaming, and the benefits of Ephemeral Rollups. Additionally, we dove into the security implications of utilizing optimistic rollups in onchain gaming. We ended the episode with coverage of MagicBlock’s current timelines, and their experience in the A16z accelerator. Enjoy! Resources MagicBlock Engine footage:...

Gm! In this episode, Jack and Ian Unsworth from Kairos Research discuss Solana Mobile’s latest device, Seeker, and its potential impact on Solana’s growth. Additionally, they dive into the value proposition for Non-Bitcoin ETFs, and Trump’s upcoming DeFi project. They close out by asking - will Solana restaking be successful? Enjoy! Resources Helius Funding Announcement: https://x.com/0xMert_/status/1836578165977915858 Drift Funding Announcement:...

Gm! In this episode, MacBrennan, Co-founder of MarginFi, joined us to discuss the state of Solana DeFi, crypto founder exhaustion, and crypto’s image problem. We also asked ourselves, where are the new users? Finally, told us how MarginFi has navigated 2024, and what he is optimistic about in crypto today. Enjoy! Resources MacBrennan’s Take on Founder Exhaustion: https://x.com/macbrennan_cc/status/1824203471656194259 -- Follow MacBrennan: https://x.com/macbrennan_cc Follow Mert:...

Gm! In this episode, Jack and Mert discuss the state of SocialFi, the lack of bold bets in crypto, and what it means for crypto to succeed. They also dove into how Proof of Stake systems should work, and how sandwich attacks can be reduced onchain. Finally, they covered new DePIN projects coming to market. Enjoy! -- Follow Mert: https://x.com/0xMert_ Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe to the Lightspeed Newsletter:...

Gm! In this episode, Dan Smith from Blockworks Research joined us to discuss L2 MEV extraction, Blockworks Research’s Solana Dashboard, and Total Economic Value on Solana! Additionally, we discussed how validators earn revenue from MEV, and supporting small validators. Finally, we unpacked Sanctum's recent LST partnerships, and speculated on whether or not NFTs will ever make a comeback. Enjoy! Resources Blockworks Research Solana Dashboard: https://solana.blockworksresearch.com/ Dan Checks...

Gm! In this episode, we’re joined by Emon Motamedi, the Head of Solana Incubator! We discussed Solana Incubator’s selection process, the first cohort of projects, and synergies with Solana Mobile. We also dove into the stories behind Sanctum and Meme Royale! Finally, Emon gave his thoughts on evaluating startups on Solana. Enjoy! Grow your company alongside Solana Labs: https://incubator.solanalabs.com/ -- Follow Emon: https://x.com/EmonMotamedi Follow Mert: https://x.com/0xMert_ Follow...

Gm! In this episode, Jack and Mert discuss the recent arrest of Pavel Durov, and its repercussions. They also ask themselves, who does the responsibility of content moderation fall on? Additionally, they unpack the internal debate heating up within the Ethereum Community. Finally, they talk about how they view narratives, and what Solana’s next narrative might be. Enjoy! -- Follow Mert: https://x.com/0xMert_ Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave Follow Lightspeed:...

Gm! In this episode, Kyle, the CEO of Hedgehog Markets, and Nigel, the CEO of BetHog, joined us to discuss a burning question: will prediction markets survive? We covered the UI improvements prediction markets have made, how these markets are useful for surveying public opinion, and solutions for resolving gray area outcomes. Additionally, we talked about Hedgehog Markets usage of Blinks for prediction markets. Finally, Kyle told us what success looks like for Hedgehog Markets....

Gm! In this episode, Ben Mills, the Co-founder of Meso, joined us to discuss peer-to-peer payments! We looked back on the early days of P2P payment apps, how crypto can improve upon these web2 systems, and building trust with users. Additionally, we discussed his journey from Venmo to Solana, and how Venmo was able to stand out amongst its peers. Finally, we talked about the unique challenges crypto founders face, and how mainstream adoption is a meme. Enjoy! -- Follow Ben:...

Gm! In this episode, Jack and Mert discuss how betting rebranded to prediction markets, and potential SocialFi and prediction market crossovers! They also dove into the EigenLayer airdrop controversy, and the conflicts of interest associated with it. Additionally, they asked - do we need fewer tokens? Are current crypto incentive models broken? Finally, they discussed the pros and cons of crypto payment systems. Enjoy! Resources Unpacking a potential Polymarket ‘ban’:...

Gm! In this episode, Matthew Sigel from VanEck joined us to discuss VanEck’s Solana ETF filing, gauging customer demand for spot crypto ETFs, and an ETFs impact on the Solana network. We also dive into what Solana needs to improve on, determining the value of L1s, and bringing the NASDAQ onchain. Enjoy! Resources Recent Developments With Solana ETF 19b-4s:https://x.com/matthew_sigel/status/1825630561865715912?s=46&t=Bicxk0ccRPkhOv9SfacvBQ -- Follow Matthew:...

Gm! In this episode, Hardhat Chad from Ore joined us to discuss their mission to improve Proof of Work! We discuss Ore’s origin story, differences between Ore v1 vs Ore v2, and how Ore  fits into the Store of Value narrative. Additionally, we dive into how Proof of Work concepts can solve the fair launch problem. Finally, Hardhat Chad gives us insight into the upcoming Ore game being developed. Enjoy! -- Follow Ore: https://x.com/OREsupply Follow Hardhat Chad: https://x.com/HardhatChad Follow...

Gm! In this episode, 0xInfra joined us to discuss all things Raydium! We dove into Raydium’s volume boom, how they deter pool deployment spam, and what led to their rise to the top of the Solana DEX space. Additionally, we looked back on the early days of Raydium, where they are today, and where they are heading next! Finally, discussed Pumpfun’s impact on Solana’s onchain activity. Enjoy! -- Follow Infra: https://x.com/0xINFRA Follow Mert: https://x.com/0xMert_ Follow Jack:...

Gm! In this episode, Jack and Mert discuss the recent Solana patch, and how security issues are handled. Additionally, they dive into the decentralization of Solana’s validator set, why client diversity matters, and separating market movements from underlying fundamentals. Finally, they discuss Ore v2 and Proof of Work on Solana, and provide their thoughts on how rumors develop. Enjoy! -- Follow Mert: https://x.com/0xMert_ Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave Follow Lightspeed:...