Celsius’s Founder Alex Mashinsky: Interest Income Is Crypto’s Killer App
The Delphi Podcast19 Helmi 2020

Celsius’s Founder Alex Mashinsky: Interest Income Is Crypto’s Killer App

Host Tom Shaughnessy talks to Alex Mashinsky, CEO of Celsius Network. Alex discusses the impetus for creating MOIP (Money over IP) and Celsius Network, what has prevented blockchain from becoming mainstream thus far, and his predictions for the future of MOIP technology.

Key Points:

  1. There is a high barrier to entry for new users of crypto and blockchain technology.
  2. The shift for crypto becoming mainstream will be generational.
  3. 2020 will be a defining year for crypto adoption.

Quotes

  • “The main thing that I think is the killer app is the idea that you can do something that you could not do any other way with any other platform.” –Alex Mashinsky

  • “We need to grow the crypto community first before there’s enough demand for all of these products to start migrating from the traditional Wall Street and Main Street services to the crypto rails.” –Alex Mashinsky

Support The Show

Episode Highlights:

  • Alex has raised over $1 billion in capital for several startups over the past 30 years and is one of the developers of VOIP technology.
  • It’s easy to get people to use VOIP, but much harder to get people to trust you with their money for new banking technology and MOIP.
  • Celsius Network creates interest-bearing accounts for people who hold crypto and lending with crypto.
  • There’s a high bar for involvement with Celsius Network because you have to understand crypto first.
  • The banking industry will not survive as is if crypto becomes mainstream; they would have to evolve their entire business structure dramatically.
  • When VOIP came about, it massively disrupted phone companies, who made most of their money off long distance call charges.
  • Children today don’t see digital currency as foreign because they already play games that use tokens as currency; what’s foreign to them is their parents writing checks.
  • The blockchain community has thus far failed to convince the average person that it’s something more than just a toy for techies.
  • Celsius has now raised the bar for other crypto and blockchain companies and many of them have started to offer interest on deposits, but none has better rates than Celsius does, on every service they offer.
  • What Celsius does is make services that in the mainstream are only available to the top 1%, available to everybody.
  • Celsius created their own token that they treat essentially as airline miles—something that incentivizes them to continue using the platform.
  • You can choose whether you want to earn interest in your stable currency or in the Cel token.

Resources Mentioned:

Jaksot(475)

Killroy Was Here: Secret Network’s First Feature Film NFT w/ Kevin Smith

Killroy Was Here: Secret Network’s First Feature Film NFT w/ Kevin Smith

In this episode, Tommy Shaughnessy and Nick Steenstra host Kevin Smith (Director of Clerks, Dogma and Tusk) and Guy Zyskind (Co-founder of Secret Network) to discuss Kevin’s new film Killroy Was Here, the first feature film released as an NFT on Secret Network. We cover ownership rights for Killroy NFT holders, Hollywood coming to Web3, bringing up the next generation of filmmakers, and much more. Show Notes: (00:00:00) – Introduction / Kevin’s history in Web3. (00:04:47) – Secret Network’s Unique NFT mechanisms. (00:11:10) – How Web3 clicked for a traditional film director. (00:21:12) – Ownership and rights for Killroy NFT holders. (00:28:45) – Bringing up the next generation of filmmakers. (00:36:45) – On community funding and making Moose Jaws. (00:41:08) – Hollywood coming to Web3. (00:47:05) – Revenue and governance of Web3 films. (00:57:41) – Relating with the audience. (01:11:10) – Privacy with NFTs on Secret Network. (01:16:20) – Separation of funds and creativity. (01:20:14) – Advice for filmmakers starting in Web3. (01:22:12) – How to get a Killroy Was Here NFT. Social links: Kevin Smith's Twitter Guy Zyskind's Twitter Killroy Was Here Twitter Secret Network Twitter Resources: Killroy Was Here Website Secret Network Website Legendao Discord More 📺 Watch Video Interviews 💬 Follow Delphi Podcast on Twitter ✅ Follow Delphi Digital on Twitter 🧠 Access Delphi's Research Disclosures: This podcast is strictly informational and educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any tokens or securities or to make any financial decisions. Do not trade or invest in any project, tokens, or securities based upon this podcast episode. The host and members at Delphi Digital may personally own tokens or art that are mentioned on the podcast. Our current show features paid sponsorships which may be featured at the start, middle, and/or the end of the episode. These sponsorships are for informational purposes only and are not a solicitation to use any product, service or token. Delphi’s transparency page can be viewed here.

12 Heinä 20221h 26min

Ethereum & Celestia: Designing Modular Stacks

Ethereum & Celestia: Designing Modular Stacks

In this episode, Jon Charbonneau hosts John Adler (Co-founder of Celestia) and Dankrad Feist (Researcher at the Ethereum Foundation) for a technical deep dive into designing modular blockchain stacks. The conversation is focused on understanding the subtle differences and design considerations between Celestia and Ethereum, covering fraud proofs versus KZG commitments, the importance of validator sets, Celestiums, and much more. Show Notes: (00:00:00) – Introduction. (00:01:57) – On Data Availability (DA) and settlement. (00:14:36) – Having a base asset that builds economic security from capturing fees. (00:22:00) – Thoughts on L2 settlement & recursive L3 rollups as a strategy. (00:29:10) – Celestia’s fraud proofs vs. Ethereum’s KZG commitments. (00:42:53) – Tendermint vs. Gasper – the importance of validator sets. (00:55:08) – Thoughts on Celestiums. (01:03:48) – Closing thoughts. Social links: Dankrad’s Twitter John’s Twitter Ethereum Foundation Twitter Celestia Twitter Resources: Ethereum Foundation Website Celestia Website Celestia Github Article on Fraud & DA Proofs Our Previous Interview with John Celestia on DISRUPTORS More 📺 Watch Video Interviews 💬 Follow Delphi Podcast on Twitter ✅ Follow Delphi Digital on Twitter 🧠 Access Delphi's Research Disclosures: This podcast is strictly informational and educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any tokens or securities or to make any financial decisions. Do not trade or invest in any project, tokens, or securities based upon this podcast episode. The host and members at Delphi Digital may personally own tokens or art that are mentioned on the podcast. Our current show features paid sponsorships which may be featured at the start, middle, and/or the end of the episode. These sponsorships are for informational purposes only and are not a solicitation to use any product, service or token. Delphi’s transparency page can be viewed here.

11 Heinä 20221h 7min

Navigating the Challenges of Crypto Regulation w/ SEC Commissioner Hestor Peirce

Navigating the Challenges of Crypto Regulation w/ SEC Commissioner Hestor Peirce

In this episode, Tommy Shaughnessy and Sarah Brennan, sit down with Hester M. Peirce, Commissioner of the SEC to dive into the crypto regulatory landscape. We discuss the role of the SEC, defining decentralization, Commissioner Peirce’s Token Safe Harbor proposal, and much more! Show Notes: (00:00:00) – Introduction and disclaimer. (00:01:00) – The role of the SEC in crypto regulation. (00:06:42) – Developers avoiding the United States. (00:11:17) – Thoughts on decentralization and technology. (00:16:26) – The Token Safe Harbor Proposal. (00:21:23) – Accredited investor laws & affecting change. (00:27:31) – Critiques of crypto / Defining decentralization. (00:38:06) – Motivation for being commissioner. (00:44:58) – Balancing the SEC Mandates. (00:50:48) – Other countries' regulations & global coordination. (00:57:59) – Closing. Resources: Commissioner Peirce’s Twitter Commissioner Peirce’s Biography Token Safe Harbor Proposal 2.0 More 📺 Watch Video Interviews 💬 Follow Delphi Podcast on Twitter ✅ Follow Delphi Digital on Twitter 🧠 Access Delphi's Research Disclosures: This podcast is strictly informational and educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any tokens or securities or to make any financial decisions. Do not trade or invest in any project, tokens, or securities based upon this podcast episode. The host and members at Delphi Digital may personally own tokens or art that are mentioned on the podcast. Our current show features paid sponsorships which may be featured at the start, middle, and/or the end of the episode. These sponsorships are for informational purposes only and are not a solicitation to use any product, service or token. Delphi’s transparency page can be viewed here.

7 Heinä 202259min

The State of the NFT Market w/ Andy Chorlian

The State of the NFT Market w/ Andy Chorlian

In this 2-hour special, we sit down with Andy Chorlian, Co-founder and CEO of Fractional, a decentralized protocol that enables collective ownership and governance of one or more NFTs. We discuss all things NFT including Bored Ape Yacht Club’s (BAYC) airdrop strategy, governance with fractionalized NFTs, Nouns and CC0 NFTs, and much more. Show Notes: (00:00:00) – Introduction. (00:03:48) – Andy’s time at MakerDAO. (00:10:36) – Getting into NFTs through NBA Top Shot. (00:18:59) – Diving into Fractional. (00:32:54) – Governance with fractionalized NFTs. (00:37:29) – Nouns and CC0 NFTs. (00:49:53) – Traditional companies in Web3. (00:57:17) – Gaming NFTs. (01:06:47) – BAYC and token airdrops. (01:22:09) – Community building. (01:31:40) – Identities and Web3 Social. (01:42:23) – Effects of the bear market. (01:48:26) – Fractional V2. (01:53:27) – NFT market sentiment. Resources: Andy’s Twitter Fractional Twitter Fractional Discord Fractional Website More 📺 Watch Video Interviews 💬 Follow Delphi Podcast on Twitter ✅ Follow Delphi Digital on Twitter 🧠 Access Delphi's Research Disclosures: This podcast is strictly informational and educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any tokens or securities or to make any financial decisions. Do not trade or invest in any project, tokens, or securities based upon this podcast episode. The host and members at Delphi Digital may personally own tokens or art that are mentioned on the podcast. Our current show features paid sponsorships which may be featured at the start, middle, and/or the end of the episode. These sponsorships are for informational purposes only and are not a solicitation to use any product, service or token. Delphi’s transparency page can be viewed here.

5 Heinä 20221h 56min

Is the Future of Blockchain Interoperability Optimistic? w/ Arjun & Anna

Is the Future of Blockchain Interoperability Optimistic? w/ Arjun & Anna

In this episode, we sit down with Anna Carroll (Protocol Lead at Nomad) and Arjun Bhuptani (Founder of Connext) to discuss the blockchain interoperability trilemma, bridge architectures, Nomad’s optimistic design, and much more. Show Notes: (00:00:00) – Introduction. (00:02:58) – The interoperability trilemma. (00:09:01) – Categories of bridge design architectures. (00:14:18) – Diving into Nomad. (00:31:17) – Optimistic interoperability vs optimistic rollups. (00:44:35) – The relationship between Connext and Nomad. (00:51:05) – Exciting cross-chain applications. (01:07:50) – Are bridges a zero sum market? (01:15:41) – The Ronin hack and security design. (01:23:44) – Closing thoughts. Social links: Arjun’s Twitter Anna’s Twitter Nomad Twitter Nomad Discord Connext Twitter Connext Discord Resources: Nomad Website Nomad Docs Connext Website Connext Docs The Interoperability Trilemma The Nomad Design Philosophy More 📺 Watch Video Interviews 💬 Follow Delphi Podcast on Twitter ✅ Follow Delphi Digital on Twitter 🧠 Access Delphi's Research Disclosures: This podcast is strictly informational and educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any tokens or securities or to make any financial decisions. Do not trade or invest in any project, tokens, or securities based upon this podcast episode. The host and members at Delphi Digital may personally own tokens or art that are mentioned on the podcast. Our current show features paid sponsorships which may be featured at the start, middle, and/or the end of the episode. These sponsorships are for informational purposes only and are not a solicitation to use any product, service or token. Delphi’s transparency page can be viewed here.

28 Kesä 20221h 28min

How NFTs are Transforming Shopify and Commerce | Alex Danco

How NFTs are Transforming Shopify and Commerce | Alex Danco

Alex Danco is the Head of Blockchain at Shopify, a commerce platform that allows anyone to set up an online store and sell their products. We discuss Shopify’s shift into Web3, the importance of wallet UX for crypto adoption, the future of NFT-integrated commerce, and much more. Show Notes: (00:00:00) – Introduction. (00:08:15) – Shopify, wallets, and “Web3”. (00:15:06) – Commerce and ownership. (00:21:04) – NFTs and multiplayer commerce. (00:41:26) – Future channels for commerce. (00:47:10) – Building on Shopify. (00:51:18) – Wallets and adoption. (00:56:45) – Favorite merchants and closing. Social links: Alex’s Twitter Shopify Twitter Resources: Alex's Blog Alex's Newsletter Shopify Website Build on Shopify Article on websites More 📺 Watch Video Interviews 💬 Follow Delphi Podcast on Twitter ✅ Follow Delphi Digital on Twitter 🧠 Access Delphi's Research Disclosures: This podcast is strictly informational and educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any tokens or securities or to make any financial decisions. Do not trade or invest in any project, tokens, or securities based upon this podcast episode. The host and members at Delphi Digital may personally own tokens or art that are mentioned on the podcast. Our current show features paid sponsorships which may be featured at the start, middle, and/or the end of the episode. These sponsorships are for informational purposes only and are not a solicitation to use any product, service or token. Delphi’s transparency page can be viewed here.

14 Kesä 202259min

DISRUPTORS: Demand Destruction and the Exponential Age With Raoul Pal

DISRUPTORS: Demand Destruction and the Exponential Age With Raoul Pal

Our fourth DISRUPTORS guest, Raoul Pal, is the Co-founder and CEO of Real Vision & Global Macro Investor (GMI). Being a foremost thought leader within the global macro space, Raoul shares his outlook on the unprecedented conditions today through the lens of a sound macro framework. What are the implications of money demand destruction? Are we heading into a recession? What does this all mean for crypto? Tune in to find out. Show Notes: (00:00:00) – Introduction. (00:05:51) – Demand destruction. (00:07:02) – The big picture. (00:22:35) – The dollar wrecking ball. (00:24:32) – Rising rates. (00:27:30) – Putting it all together. (00:36:24) – How does it play out for crypto? (00:44:46) – Q&A. Social links: Raoul’s Twitter Raoul's LinkedIn Real Vision Twitter Resources: GMI Website Real Vision Website More 📺 Watch Video Interviews 💬 Follow Delphi Podcast on Twitter ✅ Follow Delphi Digital on Twitter 🧠 Access Delphi's Research Disclosures: This podcast is strictly informational and educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any tokens or securities or to make any financial decisions. Do not trade or invest in any project, tokens, or securities based upon this podcast episode. The host and members at Delphi Digital may personally own tokens or art that are mentioned on the podcast. Our current show features paid sponsorships which may be featured at the start, middle, and/or the end of the episode. These sponsorships are for informational purposes only and are not a solicitation to use any product, service or token. Delphi’s transparency page can be viewed here.

3 Kesä 20221h 13min

My Pet Hooligan: Rebelling Against Zuck Corp with Disney-Style Characters

My Pet Hooligan: Rebelling Against Zuck Corp with Disney-Style Characters

We sit down with Colin Brady (Chief Creative Officer) and Luke Paglia (Chief Operating Officer) from AMGI Studios, the team behind My Pet Hooligan, a desktop PvP video game that takes place in their proprietary Metaverse The Rabbit Hole. We discuss the cultural impact of strong IP, Hooligram technology, Pixar-level expressiveness in-game, and much more. Show Notes: (00:00:00) – Introduction. (00:01:37) – The power of a global brand / strong IP. (00:10:33) – Overview of AMGI Studios. (00:16:30) – User generated content, immi, and Hooligrams. (00:28:26) – Dive into My Pet Hooligan. (00:46:17) – Roadmap and alpha release. (00:52:54) – Closing thoughts. Social links: Colin’s Twitter Luke’s Twitter My Pet Hooligan Twitter AMGI Studios Twitter Resources: My Pet Hooligan Website My Pet Hooligan Orange Paper AMGI Studios Website AMGI Youtube More 📺 Watch Video Interviews 💬 Follow Delphi Podcast on Twitter ✅ Follow Delphi Digital on Twitter 🧠 Access Delphi's Research Disclosures: This podcast is strictly informational and educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any tokens or securities or to make any financial decisions. Do not trade or invest in any project, tokens, or securities based upon this podcast episode. The host and members at Delphi Digital may personally own tokens or art that are mentioned on the podcast. Our current show features paid sponsorships which may be featured at the start, middle, and/or the end of the episode. These sponsorships are for informational purposes only and are not a solicitation to use any product, service or token. Delphi’s transparency page can be viewed here.

1 Kesä 202257min