dYdX founder Antonio Juliano discusses the evolution of dYdX and the broader DeFi landscape, highlighting the need for DeFi to move beyond copying tradfi products and build truly innovative applications made possible by decentralization. OUTLINE 00:00 Intro 01:33 DeFi's Development 04:24 dYdX Mega Vault AMM 05:32 dYdX Prediction Markets 08:47 High-Performance Blockchain Development 10:35 Appchain Drawbacks 12:47 dYdX vs. Hyperliquid 14:36 New dYdX Markets 17:11 Onchain RWA...

Syncracy Capital co-founder Ryan Watkins sheds light on Ethereum, Solana and finding the next "generational winners" in the crypto market. OUTLINE 00:00 Intro 01:47 Watkins' Crypto Journey 05:22 Syncracy's Liquid Strategy 06:51 Crypto Market Analysis 08:52 Ethereum's Underperformance 13:14 Long-Only 15:34 Picking Winners 20:38 SOL Trade 28:27 Bitcoin vs. Crypto 34:16 Market Cycle Analysis This episode is brought to you by our sponsor...

Ripple Head of Product Jasmine Cooper and Axelar Co-Founder Sergey Gorbunov discuss advancements in Real World Assets (RWAs), tokenization, and interoperability. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 01:12 Interoperable RWAs 04:18 Regulatory Clarity 08:09 RWA Tech Stack 11:37 White Labeling RWAs 13:05 Choosing a Chain 14:43 XRP Ledger RWA Experience 20:35 Asset Issuance 101 22:49 Global Accessibility of RWAs 26:05 Corporate Admin Crypto Adoption 27:26 Advancements...

Justin Slaughter is the vice president of regulatory affairs at Paradigm. In this episode, Slaughter and Chaparro discuss the Democratic Party's performance leading up to and during the recent election, particularly in relation to the crypto industry. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 03:19 2024 Election Recap 04:47 Harris Campaign 07:50 Single-Issue Crypto Voters 11:13 Democratic Party Policy 22:48 Policy Flip-Flopping 26:49 Split Ticket Voters 36:37 New SEC Regime 43:01 Pro-Crypto...

Alex Gluchowski is the Co-Founder CEO of Matter Labs, a company focused on scaling Ethereum using zero-knowledge proofs, and Matthias Broner is their Head of Growth for Latin America. In this episode, Gluchowski and Broner discuss the QuarkID project in Buenos Aires, which uses zero-knowledge proofs to give citizens control over their digital identity and serve as a model for decentralized digital identity systems. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 04:25 Blockchain Scaling 07:19 Buenos Ares...

Robert Leshner is the CEO of Superstate, an asset management firm that tokenizes traditional financial assets like U.S. Treasuries and brings them onchain. In this episode, Leshner explains the advantages of tokenized assets, such as the ability to operate 24/7 and the increased composability with DeFi protocols. He also discusses the regulatory and macroeconomic tailwinds that have made this an opportune time to launch tokenized products. OUTLINE 00:00 Health & Routines 07:03 Superstate...

Erik Voorhees and Teana Baker-Taylor are co-founders of Venice, an open-source and uncensored AI chatbot and content generation platform. In this episode, the Venice co-founders discuss the vision and approach of their product in contrast to more restrictive and centralized AI models like ChatGPT. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 00:43 Origin of Venice AI 02:37 'AI is like Bitcoin but scarier' 07:29 Proprietary AI Models 09:12 Regulatory Inefficiencies 11:16 Global AI Regulatory Regimes 16:46 AI...

Michael Shaulov is the Co-Founder & CEO of Fireblocks. In this episode, Shaulov discusses how Fireblocks' core business has evolved over the past few years, particularly in the area of stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 00:56 Business at Fireblocks 06:15 Fireblocks & Stablecoins 09:59 RWA TVL Growth 15:36 Institutional Stablecoin Adoption 25:22 TradFi's Adoption of Crypto Infrastructure 29:27 Onchain Identity Systems 38:10 Closing...

Sam Hallene and Aryan Sheikhalian are analysts at CMT Digital, a subsidiary of the CMT Group. In this episode, Hallene and Sheikhalian unpack the key trends they are observing in crypto's VC market, including the intersection of blockchain and AI and its implication for improving user data ownership, verified inference, and the use of blockchain to govern non-deterministic models. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 05:31 Current VC Landscape 07:02 VC Market Decoupling 12:11 PMF in Crypto 15:58...

Sandy Peng is the co-founder of Scroll. In this episode, Peng discusses scaling Ethereum and particularly emphasizes the importance of business insight and experience outside of crypto in driving application-level innovation. OUTLINE 00:00 Intro 01:07 Peng's Journey to Scroll 04:27 Peng's Regulatory Background 07:52 Industry Headwinds 10:31 Ethereum Scaling Competition 15:00 Consumer Crypto Apps 16:49 Improving Crypto UX 23:06 Stepn's Success 26:11 ZK Advantages 29:45 Scroll's Roadmap...

This episode of The Scoop features Bitget Wallet COO Alvin Kan, and two builders from the TON ecosystem — Catizen co-founder Ricky Wong and Miles, a core team member of Tomarket. The conversation explores how Telegram's large user base is enabling rapid adoption and growth of Telegram 'Mini Apps' on top of the TON blockchain. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 01:29 TON Overview 03:06 TON's Advantages 06:21 TON's Future 08:29 Catizen's Hyper Adoption 10:30 Tomarket Overview 12:34 Ton Ecosystem...

Vishal Gupta is the co-founder and CEO of TrueX — a new stablecoin-native trading platform. In this episode, Gupta unpacks how TrueX aims to provide a "stablecoin-native" trading experience with segregated custody, primarily targeted at institutional clients in the United States. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 04:50 TrueX Overview 11:13 Exchange Innovation 14:42 Institutional Client Trading Needs 17:52 Stablecoin Collateral 19:21 TrueX Matching Engine 23:11 Segregated Service Offerings 25:52...

Steve Kurz is the Global Digital Head of Asset Management at Galaxy Digital. In this episode, Kurz and Chaparro discuss the current state and future of crypto asset management, including the challenges and opportunities in the industry. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 01:53 Refining Market Structure 03:36 Galaxy Strategy 06:31 TradFi Capital Allocators 09:17 Future Products 13:26 Galaxy PMF 15:05 Crypto Lending 17:11 Regulatory Climate 19:40 Closing Thoughts This episode is brought to...

David Ripley is the CEO of Kraken. In this episode, Ripley discusses Kraken's strategic expansion into institutional services, including custody and lending. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 03:57 Institutional Crypto Services 07:22 FTX Fallout 11:02 Institutional Adoption 15:25 Crypto Credit Crisis 17:10 Crypto Banking 19:14 Regulatory Environment 22:39 Closing Thoughts This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To...

This episode of The Scoop was recorded with former chairperson of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Jay Clayton. Chaparro and Clayton discuss how the crypto industry has evolved since Clayton's tenure as head of the SEC. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 00:54 Crypto's Evolution 03:42 Crypto Securities & Crypto Commodities 07:02 Token Fundraising 09:57 US Crypto Exchanges 11:12 2022 Crypto Credit Crisis 12:47 The Future of Finance 15:05 Short Selling 16:08 Closing...

This episode of The Scoop was recorded with US Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) and Falcon X Global's Head of Revenue and Business Austin Reid live at the SALT Conference in Jackson Hole. Senator Scott and Reid discuss the growing political interest in crypto and digital assets in the United States, and the need for better education that clearly conveys the value proposition of this new form of technology. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 00:40 Crypto's Political 03:05 Trump's Crypto Shift 04:23 US...

Carlos Domingo is the founder and CEO at Securitize. Earlier this year, Securitize partnered with BlackRock to launch the BlackRock USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL). In this episode recorded live at last week's SALT Conference, Domingo discusses the successful launch of BUIDL and highlights the growing institutional adoption of tokenized treasuries over stablecoins. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 01:03 Blackrock & BUIDL 02:13 Strengthening Crypto Collateral 05:50...

Anthony Scaramucci serves as both the founder and managing partner of Skybridge Capital, as well as the founder and chairman of SALT Conferences.  In this episode recorded live at last week's SALT Conference in Jackson Hole, Chaparro and Scaramucci discuss the upcoming 2024 U.S. presidential election and the rising importance of the 'crypto vote.' OUTLINE 00:00 Intro 04:16 2024 Election 14:19 Presidential Crypto Policy 15:58 Donald Trump 19:59 China Policy 25:05 Closing Thoughts This...

Caitlin Cook is the director of growth at the onchain fitness platform Moonwalk Fitness. In this episode, Cook shares how Moonwalk is attempting to build a consumer crypto app that helps people hit their health goals through daily step competitions. Moonwalk plans to tap into fitness communities, influencers, and corporate wellness programs to attract a broader non-crypto audience. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 02:12 Moonwalk Overview 02:56 Consumer Crypto Apps 21:44 Moonwalk's GTM Strategy...

Diogo Mónica is the founder and executive chairman of Anchorage Digital, and a general partner at Haun Ventures. In this episode, Chaparro and Diogo discuss how culture and intensity are crucial in building successful teams and companies in the crypto industry. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 03:44 Macro & Geopolitical Risks 04:39 Buying the Dip 06:20 VC Conviction 09:20 Mónica's Background 18:19 Startup Culture 23:58 Building Crypto Companies 26:13 Advice for Founders 33:44 2024 VC...

Smokey the Bera is the pseudonymous co-founder of Berachain — a Layer 1 network that raised $100 million in a Series B back in April. In this episode, Chaparro and Smokey discuss how memetics influences community building, and unpack Berachain's innovative 'proof of liquidity' consensus, where users earn governance tokens by contributing liquidity to the ecosystem. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 04:42 Berachain Conception 14:08 Ecosystem 'Politics' 15:58 The Power of Memetics 20:31 Tri-Token...

Nick van Eck is the co-founder and CEO of Agora — a stablecoin issuer that raised a $12 million seed round led by Dragonfly in April.  In this episode, Van Eck explains how Agora's AUSD is attempting to innovate the centralized stablecoin using a neutral, customer-first perspective. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 02:29 Bootstrapping a Stablecoin 06:09 Stablecoin Issuers 09:24 Agora's Strategy 10:43 Market Structure Changes 16:10 'Tokenization' Taxonomy 20:12 Stablecoins & Instant...

Jeff Lunglhofer is Coinbase's Chief Information Security Officer. In this episode, Lunglhofer highlights common techniques used by malicious actors in the crypto space and offers suggestions on how to avoid these threats. The crypto industry lost $336 million in the first quarter of 2024 due to hacks and fraud, according to blockchain bug bounty platform Immunefi. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 01:22 Malicious Actors 03:32 Data Leaks 09:30 Scammer Psychology 10:19 Red Flags 12:57 Phising...

Wesley Pryor is the founder of Acheron Trading — a crypto market maker operating in the space since 2018. In this episode, Pryor discusses the role of market makers in the context of token market debuts, and explains the nuances of market making in the crypto space, where assets are highly volatile and lack established processes. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 04:40 Institutional Trading 11:19 Institutional Adoption 17:02 Market Opportunities This episode is brought to you by our sponsor...