Episodes

April 12, 2023

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…

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April 5, 2023

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…

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March 29, 2023

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 …

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March 15, 2023

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…

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March 8, 2023

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…

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March 1, 2023

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…

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Feb. 22, 2023

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…

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Feb. 8, 2023

S1E27 - Sid Powell - Maple Finance | Blockchain Networks and Debt Cap…

Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Sid Powell, CEO and co-founder of Maple Finance. Topics discussed include his background in debt capital markets at a bank and conversely on the client side at a lending business, the conceptualization of Maple Finance to its…

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Feb. 1, 2023

S1E26 - Seamus Donoghue - METACO | Preparing for the Next Wave of Ins…

Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Seamus Donoghue, Chief Growth Officer at METACO. Topics discussed include lessons learned working for an exchange in 2017 and 2018 during the ICO craze, how well-defined regulations positively impact crypto companies, how ban…

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Jan. 11, 2023

S1E25 - Willy Ogorzaly - Fox Foundation | Managing DeFi Platforms, Fr…

Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Willy Ogorzaly, Head of Decentralization at Fox Foundation. Topics discussed include his first startup and how that parlayed into getting acquihired by the then centralized ShapeShift, what it was like working through a bear …

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Jan. 4, 2023

S1E24 - Chad Barraford - THORChain | Empowering Users Through Decentr…

Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Chad Barraford, a core developer at THORChain. Discussion topics include the importance of a decentralized multi-chain swapping protocol, the risks associated with blockchain-to-blockchain bridges, THORChain’s synthetic asset…

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Dec. 21, 2022

S1E23 - Graven Prest - GeoWeb | Bridging the Digital and Real World T…

Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Graven Prest, a co-founder of GeoWeb. Discussion topics include non-technical roles in tech-oriented startups, how local blockchain communities can empower new industry entrants, GitCoin grants rounds, the melding of informat…

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Dec. 14, 2022

S1E22 - Neo's "Decoding Web3" US Campus Tour: Tomorrow's Leaders, Inn…

Episode Notes In this special episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we have compiled student thoughts from Neo's recent "Decoding Web3" US campus tour. Topics include the importance of blockchain clubs, what the students found particularly interesting about Neo, what they took away from presentatio…

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Dec. 7, 2022

S1E21 - Derrek Coleman - ETH Denver | Opportunities to BUIDL

Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Derrek Coleman, a Community Steward at ETH Denver. Topics discussed include finding work in Web3, the types of positions that DAOs most often need to fill, the history of ETH Denver and the types of projects that have arisen …

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Nov. 23, 2022

S1E20 - Len Sir - MEXC M-Ventures and Labs | Web3: Today and Tomorrow

Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Len Sir, Investment Lead at MEXC M-Ventures and Labs. Topics discussed include the vast roles a VC plays in the incubation of ideas and projects, the focus areas of M-Ventures and Labs, his insights into Neo's recent "Decodin…

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Nov. 16, 2022

S1E19 - Chase Devens - Messari | First Principles of a Censorship-Res…

Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Chase Devens, a Research Analyst at Messari. Topics include his philosophy on garnering the next wave of Web3 businesses, how the ethos of decentralization shapes Messari's principles, the process of creating content and info…

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Oct. 19, 2022

S1E18 - James Weybourne - COZ | Transformative Knowledge - Part Two

Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with James Weybourne, Chief Design Officer of COZ. Topics include his background and industry awards for design in the health technology space, the psychology behind good UX design, how collaborative processes with various stakeho…

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Oct. 12, 2022

S1E17 - Chris Sowers - Writing Coach | Transformative Knowledge - Par…

Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Writing Coach Chris Sowers. Topics include how his side hustle has evolved and grown to coaching more than a dozen writers, how blockchain can be used to reduce friction in remote working and traditional industry, how people …

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Oct. 5, 2022

S1E16 - Joshua McDougall - Structs | The Gaming Series - Part Four

Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, Dylan speaks with Joshua McDougall, President of Slow Ninja. Topics include his journey developing across blockchains, the philosophy of building fun games and how they can unknowingly onboard new users to Web3, building a gaming protocol …

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Sept. 28, 2022

S1E15 - Andrew Jekimochev - Blockchain Cuties Universe | The Gaming S…

Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, Dylan speaks with Andrew Jekimochev, Community Lead of Blockchain Cuties Universe. Topics include the nuances between traditional and blockchain-based game development, the origin of BCU, how the community shapes the project, how the block…

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Sept. 21, 2022

S1E14 - Nicolas Choukroun - Metaisland | The Gaming Series - Part Two

Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, Dylan speaks with Nicolas Choukroun, CEO of Metaisland. Topics include the various ways blockchain will be implemented in the game, his extensive background in the gaming space, what it was like to stumble upon cryptocurrency in the early …

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Sept. 14, 2022

S1E13 - Ace - UFO Gaming | The Gaming Series - Part One

Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, Dylan speaks with Ace, co-founder of UFO Gaming. Topics include the role UFO Gaming's community has with the direction of the project, airdrop events for NFTs and utility tokens, how UFO Gaming seeks to become the Steam platform for blockc…

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July 27, 2022

S1E12 - Grace Gui | Women in Blockchain - Part Four

Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, Dylan speaks with Grace Gui, CMO of Jsquare. Topics include her background in the legal field, the international appeal cryptocurrency offers, how broader macro trends impact cryptocurrency markets, the differences between market cycles, c…

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July 20, 2022

S1E11 - Jessica Levesque | Women in Blockchain - Part Three

Episode Notes In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, Dylan speaks with Jessica Levesque, Executive Director of C4. Topics include her background in education, where blockchain education gets it right and improvements that can be made, the community development aspects of blockchain ecosystem…

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