Kaledora Fontana Kiernan-Linn is the co-founder of Ostium — a startup that facilitates the trading of digitized commodities perpetual swaps. In this episode, Kaledora discusses Ostium's integration of perpetual swaps with real-world assets, highlighting the maturation of digital asset trading. The conversation also addresses technical and structural challenges in creating perpetual-like instruments, emphasizing the need for robust onchain data systems. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 00:50...

Anton Katz is the co-founder and CEO of Talos — a one-stop shop for institutional digital asset trading. In this episode, Katz shares how large buy-side institutions such as hedge funds and asset managers are entering the crypto market, and why a lack of asset diversity is keeping others sidelined. 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 Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace...

Willem Schroé is the founder of Botanix Labs — a development team building an EVM-compatible Layer 2 on Bitcoin that allows users to deploy Ethereum smart contracts on the Bitcoin network. In this episode, Schroé discusses the development of Bitcoin Layer 2s and the potential for Bitcoin-native ecosystems to become major platforms for decentralized finance (DeFi) applications. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 02:45 Bitcoin L2 Landscape 08:48 Improving Bitcoin L2s 12:16 Bitcoin Applications 15:07...

Avi Zurlo is the chief product officer at the =nil; Foundation — a cryptography firm building a zkEVM Layer 2 on Ethereum. In this episode, Zurlo discusses the importance of horizontal scaling in the crypto space and the need for blockchain technology to solve societal issues of trust and transparency. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 02:15 L2 Competition 04:22 =nil;'s Architecture 06:41 Scaling for Mass Adoption 08:56 Horizontal Scaling 14:34 Scaling Solutions 19:41 Accelerating...

Justin Sun is the founder of Tron and Tron DAO. In this episode, Sun discusses his recent legal victory in the People's Court of China against a media group that published false and defamatory content about him. Sun emphasizes the importance of the court ruling in dispelling rumors and further establishing the legitimacy of cryptocurrency in China. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 00:37 Sun's Legal Victory in China 03:55 Defamation Article 05:19 Sun's Legal Argument 08:12 What's Next? 09:39 Market...

Luke Youngblood is a former Coinbase employee and one of the founding contributors to the onchain finance protocol Moonwell. Recently, Moonwell became one of the first apps to integrate Coinbase's new smart wallet. In this episode, Youngblood explains how smart wallets solve major crypto onboarding pain points — and could be the key to bringing over a billion people onchain. OUTLINE 00:59 Moonwell Overview 02:21 Youngblood's Background 04:56 DeFi Summer 07:42 Smart Wallets 09:54 Smart...

Sidney Powell is the CEO and co-founder of Maple Finance — a decentralized finance platform that facilitates loans. In this episode, Powell discusses the evolution of crypto's decentralized lending market, the challenges faced by centralized exchanges, and the strategic vision behind Maple's new permissionless lending product, Syrup. OUTLINE 00:53 Maple Overview 02:06 Permissionless DeFi 04:00 DeFi 2.0 06:12 Derisking DeFi 09:44 DeFi Creditworthiness 11:19 DeFi Lending Robustness 13:48...

Monica Long is the President at Ripple. In this episode, Long discusses the growth and expansion of Ripple's business, the impact of the SEC's decision on XRP, the upcoming launch of a stablecoin, and more.  OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 00:50 Ripple Updates 02:55 Regulatory Status of XRP 04:46 Ripple Product Offerings 08:14 Ripple & Payments 09:06 Ripple's Stablecoin 19:30 Ripple & RWAs 21:41 Institutional Paradigm Shift 24:52 Closing Thoughts This episode is brought to you by our...

This is the second installment of a miniseries sponsored by Axelar and featuring co-host Sergey Gorbunov, co-founder of Axelar — you can find part 1 with Eigen Layer's Sreeram Kannan here. In this episode, Chaparro and Gorbunov are joined by Mysten Labs co-founder and chief cryptographer Kostas Chalkias to discuss the potential of zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs to revolutionize the blockchain space. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 04:27 ZK-proof overview 08:45 Adoption of zk-proofs 15:33...

Matthew Graham is the founder and managing partner of Ryze Labs — the crypto VC firm formerly known as Sino Global.  In this episode, Chaparro and Graham discuss the state of the stablecoin market and the potential impact of stablecoins on the global financial system. Graham also highlights the importance of stablecoins in emerging markets and the potential for stablecoins to enhance financial inclusion. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 00:47 Ryze Portfolio Positioning 03:25 Stablecoin...

Stani Kulechov is the founder and CEO of Avara — the software development company behind some of web3's biggest projects, including Aave and Lens. In this episode, Kulechov gives an overview of the modular architecture underpinning the recently announced Lens Network and explains how a modular design is essential to helping Web3 social applications scale. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 02:00 Onchain Media 03:40 Lens Scaling Research 07:17 Security Considerations 09:42 Lens Network...

Ric Edelman is the founder of the Digital Assets Council of Financial Professionals (DACFP). In this episode, Edelman discusses the importance of financial advisors in the crypto space and emphasizes the need for advisors to understand and embrace crypto to serve their clients' best interests. OUTLINE 0:00 Introduction 04:46 Financial Advisors & BTC 09:38 Bitcoin Adoption Curve 14:02 Shifting FA Perspectives 22:44 Logistics of BTC Allocation 30:51 Updating Portfolio Thoery 34:30 Ric's BTC...

Jeff Dorman is Arca's Chief Investment Officer. In this episode, Chaparro and Dorman discuss the recent approval of the spot ether ETFs and how it opens the door for institutional investors to engage with the Ethereum ecosystem. The discussion also highlights the importance of regulatory clarity and the shifting sentiment towards crypto in Washington.  OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 02:34 ETH ETF Approval 06:02 Wall Street Onchain? 12:05 ETH ETFs & Market Structure 17:53 ETH Headwinds &...

Kristin Smith is the CEO of Blockchain Association and Anthony Scaramucci is the founder and managing partner of SkyBridge Capital. In this episode, Smith and Scaramucci discuss the impact of crypto policy and politics on recent events, including the ETH ETF win, bipartisan support, and the influence of Trump and Biden. The discussion highlights the significance of the crypto voter, the evolving stance of the White House, and the potential impact on elections. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 00:38...

Kain Warwick is the co-founder of the DeFi protocol Synthetix, and a partner at the crypto VC firm Bodhi Ventures. In this episode, Warwick discusses the brokenness of the traditional venture capital model and how it has led to the emergence of new fundraising mechanisms in the crypto space. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 00:41 Warwick's Crypto Journey 02:37 Synthetix History 04:47 RWA Trends 11:42 Tokenized Commodities 15:15 Crypto VC Trends 25:19 Airdrop Mechanism Design 27:56 Points 31:12...

Paolo Ardoino is the CEO of Tether. In this episode, Ardoino discusses the strategic vision of Tether and its expansion into new business units, including AI and education. The current market cap of Tether's primary product USDT is hovering around $110 billion. OUTLINE 00:00 Tether & Disintermediation 08:12 Tether’s New Strategies 17:44 Macroeconomics & USDT Growth 21:07 Tether’s Reserves 25:00 Tether Gold 27:22 AI Revolution 33:07 Tether’s AI Division 38:30 Tokenized RWAs 43:47...

Jake Brukhman is the founder and CEO of CoinFund. In this episode, Brukhman explores the intersection of AI and blockchain technologies and their impact on consumers, and shares his thoughts on the saturation of the early-stage crypto VC market. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 01:33 CoinFund's Structure & Strategy 05:56 Early vs. Late Stage Crypto Venture 16:37 Crypto AI & DePIN 28:35 Crypto DePIN 32:51 Tokenomics & PMF 37:00 Interoperability Trends 41:14 Shifting LP Expectations 46:50...

Denelle Dixon is the CEO and Executive Director of the Stellar Development Foundation — the primary development team supporting the Stellar blockchain. In this episode, Dixon emphasizes the potential of blockchain technology to transform financial services in low- to medium-income countries, particularly in Africa and South America. She also addresses the need for policymakers to create a supportive environment for the industry and the importance of asset issuance and payments in creating...

Luke Hoersten is the founder and CEO of Bitnomial — a derivatives exchange that aims to replace the underlying rails of the global commodities trading market with crypto. Bitnomial has obtained regulatory approval for an exchange license, a clearinghouse license and a brokerage license, making them the first business to have all three licenses under one roof. In this episode, Hoersten discusses the technical innovation to collateral management and trading offered by crypto and the future of...

Zaheer Ebtikar is the founder and CIO of Split Capital. In this episode, Ebtikar discusses the opportunity of liquid crypto investment strategies and the challenges faced by crypto venture firms, including crowded markets and longer lock-up periods. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 05:14 Evolution of Crypto Venture 08:12 Nuances of Liquid Crypto Funds 10:58 Liquid Fund Capital Allocators 13:59 Crypto Market Inefficiencies 17:38 Shifting Fundamentals 20:38 Impact of ETFs 22:49 Market...

Max Boonen is the founder of PV01 — a platform that allows issuers to access capital and for investors to purchase debt using blockchain. In this episode, Boonen discusses the challenges of accessing debt capital markets and the potential of tokenization in the crypto space, including the paradigm shift from provider-based markets to token-based markets in DeFi. PV01 uses a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to buy one bond and issue a token that represents the bond. This token is both a...

Mike Cagney is the co-founder and CEO of Figure Markets. In this episode, Cagney discusses the need for a 'marketplace of everything,' the potential for equity trading on the blockchain, and more. OUTLINE 00:00 Intro 07:21 The 'Everything' Platform 12:16 Onchain Equities Trading 17:50 Institutionalization of Crypto 27:12 DeFi Lending 29:59 Rebuilding Crypto's Credit Markets 33:51 Wall Street Appetite for ATS 36:28 Regulatory Considerations 38:09 Closing Thoughts

Soona Amhaz is the managing parter at Volt Capital. In this episode, Amhaz delves into the evolving crypto venture landscape including: challenges for capital allocators, the rise of meme coins, and controversies in token distributions. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 03:40 New Venture Verticals 10:30 Last Cycle's Winners 14:29 Mainstream Crypto Adoption 21:26 Macro Impact on Crypto VC 25:44 The 'Memecoin Meta' 30:21 Points vs. Tokens 38:09 Tokenomics Best Practices 42:19 Closing Thoughts

Michael Bentley is the co-founder and CEO of Euler Labs. In this episode, Bentley reflects on last year's $200 million Euler hack and the recovery process and walks through the steps taken to enhance security in Euler V2. Euler V2 is a modular and composable lending platform that allows users to create flexible and secure lending pools.

Roshun Patel is a partner at the Web3 venture capital firm HackVC. In this episode, Chaparro and Patel discuss the recent crypto market volatility and the trends shaping crypto's venture capital landscape. OUTLINE 00:00 Intro 08:11 Market Volatility 25:57 Caution in the Funding Market 32:18 The Intersection of AI and Crypto 43:05 The Future of Tokenomics