Episodes

Surviving the Ups and Downs: Building a Resilient Non-Custodial Exchange with Andreas Brekken of SideShift
March 27, 2024

Surviving the Ups and Downs: Building a Resilient Non-Custodial Excha…

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Andreas Brekken, the Founder of SideShift, to discuss his experience in the cryptocurrency space and the evolution of exchanges over the past decade. He also delves into the founding of SideShift and its focus on user p…

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Building a Faster, Cheaper Blockchain: Gnosis Chain Explained with Philippe Schommers of Gnosis
March 13, 2024

Building a Faster, Cheaper Blockchain: Gnosis Chain Explained with Ph…

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Philippe Schommers, the Head of Infrastructure at Gnosis, to discuss the Gnosis ecosystem and what sets the Gnosis Chain apart from the Ethereum chain. Philippe shares insights into building MEV resistance into the core…

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Building Privacy-First Blockchain Solutions: A Conversation with Peyman Momeni of Fairblock
Feb. 28, 2024

Building Privacy-First Blockchain Solutions: A Conversation with Peym…

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, Dylan Grabowski speaks with Peyman Momeni, CEO and Co-Founder of Fairblock, about the crucial need for privacy in decentralized systems. Learn about Fairblock's commitment to user-centric, cross-chain privacy solutions. Discover how these solutions aim …

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Bridging Blockchain Innovation and Real-World Utility with Sunny Lu of VeChain
Feb. 14, 2024

Bridging Blockchain Innovation and Real-World Utility with Sunny Lu o…

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Sunny Lu, Co-Founder and CEO of VeChain Foundation, to discuss Sunny's journey into the blockchain space and his unwavering focus on delivering value to both new and existing enterprise entities. He delves into how Web3…

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Bridging Institutions and Decentralized Networks: Decent's Approach with Parker McCurley
Jan. 31, 2024

Bridging Institutions and Decentralized Networks: Decent's Approach w…

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Parker McCurley, Co-Founder and CEO of DecentDAO, to discuss how Decent aims to develop a suite of tools focused on institutional DeFi and privacy. He delves into lessons learned from running a business through multiple…

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Landslide Network: Bridging the Gap Between Avalanche & Cosmos with Nathan Windsor
Jan. 17, 2024

Landslide Network: Bridging the Gap Between Avalanche & Cosmos with N…

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Nathan Windsor, the CEO and Co-Founder of Landslide Network, to discuss how Landslide aims to bridge the gap between the Avalanche and Cosmos ecosystems. He delves into the differences between Avalanche and Cosmos at a …

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Decentralized Bridges: Nomic's Vision for Connecting Bitcoin and Cosmos with Matt Bell
Jan. 3, 2024

Decentralized Bridges: Nomic's Vision for Connecting Bitcoin and Cosm…

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Matt Bell, the CEO and Co-Founder of Turbofish, to discuss Nomic, a layer one blockchain with a mission to unlock the latent potential of Bitcoin within the DeFi landscape. He delves into the philosophy behind connectin…

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Building a Next-Generation Stablecoin: The Vision of Verified USD Foundation with Matthew Commons
Dec. 20, 2023

Building a Next-Generation Stablecoin: The Vision of Verified USD Fou…

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Matthew Commons, President of the Verified USD Foundation, to discuss the inner workings of the company, its vision of building a next-generation stablecoin with the USDV token, and its mission to establish better conne…

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Arcade: Unlocking Liquidity through NFT Lending with Gabe Frank
Dec. 6, 2023

Arcade: Unlocking Liquidity through NFT Lending with Gabe Frank

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Gabe Frank, the Founder of Arcade.xyz, to discuss the evolving landscape of NFT lending and its implications in the DeFi space. Gabe shares insights into the inner workings of Arcade’s platform, the evolution of Arcade …

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The Power of One Global State Machine with Austin Federa, Head of Strategy at Solana Foundation
Nov. 22, 2023

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…

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Decentralizing Decentralization: The Evolution of Multi-Chain Infrastructure with Fig from Squid
Nov. 8, 2023

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…

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Beyond Centralization: How Grove Infrastructure is Changing the Blockchain Landscape with Michael O'Rourke
Oct. 25, 2023

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…

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The Unstoppable Nature of Blockchain: A Conversation with Bonart Mati of Obligate
Oct. 11, 2023

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…

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Laying the Groundwork for a Billion-User Blockchain with Rich Rines, Contributor at Core DAO
Sept. 27, 2023

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…

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Staking the Future: From Blockchain Beginnings to Institutional Innovations with Chen Zhuling of RockX
Sept. 13, 2023

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…

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Building for the Creator Economy: How Calaxy is Charting a New Future with Rusty Matveev
Aug. 30, 2023

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…

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The Rise of Self-Sovereignty: Reimagining Digital Asset Custody with Andrew Lawrence of Censo
Aug. 16, 2023

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…

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S1E43 - Zac Townsend - Meanwhile | BTC-backed Life Insurance
Aug. 2, 2023

S1E43 - Zac Townsend - Meanwhile | BTC-backed Life Insurance

Episode NotesIn 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…

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S1E42 - Jesper Johansen - Northstake | Onboarding the Institutions
July 26, 2023

S1E42 - Jesper Johansen - Northstake | Onboarding the Institutions

Episode NotesIn 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,…

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S1E41 - Tama Churchouse - Cumberland Labs | Incubating Web3 Solutions
July 19, 2023

S1E41 - Tama Churchouse - Cumberland Labs | Incubating Web3 Solutions

Episode NotesIn 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…

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S1E40 - Holly Wood - Boson Protocol | Big Brands, Phygitals, and NFTs
July 5, 2023

S1E40 - Holly Wood - Boson Protocol | Big Brands, Phygitals, and NFTs

Episode NotesIn 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, …

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S1E39 - Oliver Linch - Bittrex Global | Navigating the Global Regulatory Seas
June 7, 2023

S1E39 - Oliver Linch - Bittrex Global | Navigating the Global Regulat…

Episode NotesIn 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…

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S1E38 - Aaron Kaplan - Prometheum | The Path to Becoming the First Securities-Compliant Exchange in the US
May 24, 2023

S1E38 - Aaron Kaplan - Prometheum | The Path to Becoming the First Se…

Episode NotesIn 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…

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S1E37 - Lars Seier Christensen - Concordium | From Internet to Blockchain: Seeing What Others Couldn't
May 17, 2023

S1E37 - Lars Seier Christensen - Concordium | From Internet to Blockc…

Episode NotesIn 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…

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