Episodes
The Power of One Global State Machine with Austin Federa, Head of Str…
In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Austin Federa, Head of Strategy at Solana Foundation, to discuss the resilience and unique features of the Solana ecosystem. He weighs in on the Validator Health Report, Solana’s network performance, and recent partners…
Decentralizing Decentralization: The Evolution of Multi-Chain Infrast…
In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Fig, Co-Founder of Squid, to discuss how cross-chain infrastructure enhances the resiliency of blockchains, the challenges of multi-chain user experience, and Squid's role in connecting different chains seamlessly. The…
Beyond Centralization: How Grove Infrastructure is Changing the Block…
In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Michael O'Rourke, Co-Founder & CEO of Pocket Network and CEO of Grove, to discuss how decentralized infrastructures empower both users and companies. He delves into the intricacies of the Grove infrastructure and RPC no…
The Unstoppable Nature of Blockchain: A Conversation with Bonart Mati…
In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Bonart Mati, Chief Growth Officer of Obligate, to discuss on-chain bonds for regulated DeFi. He also shares his insights on the unstoppable nature of DeFi and the potential for blockchain technology to revolutionize the…
Laying the Groundwork for a Billion-User Blockchain with Rich Rines, …
In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Rich Rines, Contributor at Core DAO, to discuss the mission of Core DAO to onboard the next billion users to the world of blockchain. He highlights the importance of decentralization and the multi-chain thesis in the bl…
Staking the Future: From Blockchain Beginnings to Institutional Innov…
In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Chen Zhuling, CEO and Founder of RockX, to discuss the early days of Bitcoin in Asia, building a delegated proof of stake blockchain network, and the evolving market driven by dApp usage. Zhuling also shares insights in…
Building for the Creator Economy: How Calaxy is Charting a New Future…
In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Rusty Matveev, Chief Strategy Officer at Calaxy, to discuss his entrepreneurial journey, and how Calaxy is building a platform to empower creators. Rusty also shares insights on the rise of Web3 and the resurgence of th…
The Rise of Self-Sovereignty: Reimagining Digital Asset Custody with …
In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Andrew Lawrence, CEO and Co-Founder of Censo, to discuss his background in financial markets, how he recognized the utility of blockchain technology early on, and the challenges of key management. He delves into the imp…
S1E43 - Zac Townsend - Meanwhile | BTC-backed Life Insurance
Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Zac Townsend, CEO and co-founder of Meanwhile, the first and only life insurance company denominated in Bitcoin. Discussion topics include using technology to improve institutional processes, how life insurance can ensure Bit…
S1E42 - Jesper Johansen - Northstake | Onboarding the Institutions
Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Jesper Johansen, CEO and co-founder of Northstake, which builds streamlined and regulatory-compliant staking products for institution-grade investors and clients. Topics include the significance of MiCA legislation in Europe,…
S1E41 - Tama Churchouse - Cumberland Labs | Incubating Web3 Solutions
Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Tama Churchouse, COO of Cumberland Labs, a global blockchain incubator comprised of blockchain developers, product managers, researchers, traders, and former founders. Topics discussed include getting Bitcoin in 2013, lessons…
S1E40 - Holly Wood - Boson Protocol | Big Brands, Phygitals, and NFTs
Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Holly Wood, Director of Business Development at Boson Protocol. Topics discussed include working with grassroots creatives and big brands, how Web3 launches have similar vibes to brand launches for verticals like streetwear, …
S1E39 - Oliver Linch - Bittrex Global | Navigating the Global Regulat…
Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Oliver Linch, CEO of Bittrex Global. Topics discussed include the difference between Bittrex Global and Bittrex, Bittrex Global’s forthcoming conversations with US regulators, and various different regulatory guidelines acros…
S1E38 - Aaron Kaplan - Prometheum | The Path to Becoming the First Se…
Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Aaron Kaplan, founder and co-CEO of Prometheum. Topics of discussion include wanting to build a regulatory-compliant exchange in 2013, how he felt like a crazy person talking about securities laws during the ETH ICO, incubati…
S1E37 - Lars Seier Christensen - Concordium | From Internet to Blockc…
Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Lars Seier Christensen, Chairman at Concordium Foundation. Topics discussed include building an online trading platform in the early days of the internet, new technology and adoption cycles, the importance of digital identifi…
S1E36 - Neo at Consensus 2023: The Premiere of the Non-Fungible Item
Episode Notes In this special episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, Dylan talks to ecosystem representatives at the Neo booth during Consensus 2023. It was Neo’s second consecutive year exhibiting at the event, which is among the premier North American events for the blockchain industry. The main a…
S1E35 - Joseph Ziolkowski - RELM | Creative Insurance for Cutting Edg…
Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Joseph Ziolkowski, CEO and co-founder of RELM Insurance. Topics discussed include the role alternative insurance providers play in cutting edge industries from crypto to psychedelics to eSports to longevity, how regulatory bo…
S1E34 - Gregor Žavcer - Swarm | Distributed Storage: Enabling Freedom…
Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Gregor Žavcer, Executive Director of Swarm. Topics discussed include what the blockchain space was like in 2015, the importance of decentralized storage in Web3, data ownership and privacy, interesting use cases, and how Swar…
S1E33 - ETH Denver 2023: An Outlook on the Blockchain Industry from B…
Episode Notes In this special edition of the Smart Economy Podcast, where we take you on a journey through ETH Denver 2023, held Colorado, USA. For this this episode, we visited the ETH Denver event and spoke with a diverse group of people in the blockchain space. Throughout our conversations, we e…
S1E32 - Jackson Zeng - Caleb & Brown | Crypto Brokerage Firms and Spe…
Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Jackson Zeng, CEO of Caleb & Brown. Topics discussed include getting into crypto through game item marketplaces, starting a company in a blossoming industry without a clear regulatory outlook, how Caleb & Brown offer …
S1E31 - Brendan Sullivan - Alien Worlds | Improving DAOs Through Bloc…
Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Brendan Sullivan, CPO of Dacoco - the creator of Alien Worlds. Topics discussed include how his professional journey through tech and product management led to building DAO technology at Dacoco, the democratization of content…
S1E30 - Sarah Thiam - Protocol Labs | File Storage and Smart Contract…
Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Sarah Thiam, a developer advocate for Filecoin VM at Protocol Labs. Topics discussed include lessons learned from her previous experience in both the government and enterprise, the significance of combining smart contracts wi…
S1E29 - Sakhib Waseem - Astra Protocol | Decentralized Identity Solut…
Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Sakhib Waseem, CTO of Astra Protocol. Topics discussed include how his background in banking impacted his perspective on blockchain, where the financial industry is today with regards to implementing blockchain technology int…
S1E28 - Al Morris - Koii Network | Decentralized Architecture for the…
Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Al Morris, founder of Koii Network. Topics discussed include empowering users by giving them control over their data, building a decentralized internet, rewarding users for contributing resources, the various iterations of th…