
Recapping 2023
In today's episode of Empire Santi and Jason reflect on crypto's 2023 landscape and beyond. They revisit their 2023 predictions and the best products, founders, stars, and companies from the year. They also share their perspectives on their best and worst investments of the year. The episode further delves into sectors to watch and concludes with a debate on the most overhyped sectors of 2024 offering a critical look at market expectations versus reality. We hope you have a happy holidays! - - Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use EMPIRE20 to get 20% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there! Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home - - Timestamps (00:51) Beards & Ending 2023 (04:39) 2023 Predictions Reviewed (08:38) Best Product (12:00) Best Founder (15:00) Breakout Stars (18:18) Break out Companies (25:00) Best Investment (28:51) DAS 2024 (30:08) Worst Investment (35:29) Sectors to Watch in Crypto (40:37) Most Overhyped Sector of 2024 - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.
27 Des 202345min

How to Make an NFT Market for Traders | Richard Wu & Ilja Moisejevs
In today's episode of Empire Santi is joined by Ilya and Richard, the Founders of Solana's leading NFT Marketplace Tensor. They detail Tensor's origin story, from meeting online during COVID to building Solana's leading NFT marketplace amidst the FTX fallout. They discuss critical issues like enhancing Solana's developer experience, decentralizing their protocol in 2024, evolving user behavior and adoption trends on Solana, and their grand vision for NFTs as the fundamental building blocks underpinning blockchain's adoption. Thanks for tuning in! - - Follow Ilja: https://twitter.com/_ilmoi Follow Richard: https://twitter.com/0xrwu Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use EMPIRE20 to get 20% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there! Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home - - Timestamps: (00:00) Origin Story of Tensor (07:10) The NFT Marketplace for Traders (18:12) The Grand Vision of Tensor (27:09) Tensor Usecase (32:45) DAS 2024 (34:02) Challenges of Initial Prodict Features (39:38) Rethinking Standards (45:47) Evolving Solana User Chains (53:16) How does Solana Grow from here? - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.
22 Des 20231h 11min

How Much Money Do You Need To Retire? | 1000x
Follow 1000x On Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3NiKjm6 Follow 1000x On Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3TcDNks Follow 1000x On YouTube: https://bit.ly/3DNc5C6 -- On today's episode of 1000x, Jonah and Avi discuss recent market price action as Bitcoin hovers just below $45,000. Ahead of expected Bitcoin ETF approvals in January 2024, we deep dive into the meme coin mania, crypto's most hated trade & defining success as a trader. To hear all this & more, you'll have to tune in! -- Follow Avi: https://twitter.com/AviFelman Follow Jonah: https://twitter.com/jvb_xyz Follow 1000x: https://twitter.com/1000xPod Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- Referenced In The Show: How Much Crypto Should You Own?: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-much-crypto-should-you-own-1000x/id1554930038?i=1000637803024 -- Timestamps (0:00) Introduction (3:29) Crypto Feels Frothy (7:19) Meme Coins (13:26) The Bitcoin ETF (18:25) Ethereum (23:43) Layer-1s: Ethereum, Solana & Avalanche (30:00) How To Trade 2024's Crypto Cycle (36:19) What Is Success In Trading? -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on 1000x is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Avi, Jonah and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.
21 Des 202350min

Avalanche: What are Subnets and What's Wrong With Appchains | Kevin Sekniqi & Patrick O'Grady
In today's episode of Empire, Kevin Sekniqi, Co-Founder of Avalanche, and Patrick O'Grady, VP of Engineering at Avalanche, join the show to discuss the past, present, and future of Avalanche. They start by explaining the core thesis behind Avalanche - that the future will consist of thousands of highly optimized, specialized blockchains rather than one chain to rule them all. Kevin and Patrick provide an overview of Avalanche's architecture, clarifying common misconceptions around P-Chain, C-Chain, and subnets. They then do a deep dive into the rationale and economics behind subnets, contrasting them to solutions like rollups and how Warp and Hyper SDK fit in the overall strategy. For all of this and much more stay tuned! - - Follow Kevin: https://twitter.com/kevinsekniqi Follow Patrick: https://twitter.com/_patrickogrady Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santiago: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Planning to grant token awards for your team? Toku makes implementing global token compensation and incentive awards simple. With Toku, you get unmatched legal and tax support to grant and administer your global team’s tokens. Toku navigates it across the lifecycle — from easy to use token grant award templates through tracking vesting to managing tax withholdings. Make it simple today, at https://www.toku.com/empire - - Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use EMPIRE20 to get 20% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there! Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home - - Timestamps: (00:59) Why does Avalanche exist? (09:38) Creating Optimized Chains (16:30) Economics of Subnets (25:56) Endgame Vision of Subnets (34:05) DAS 2024 (35:10) Toku Ad (36:40) Next Gen L1s (40:20) Warp: Cross Subnet Messages (48:02) HyperSDK: Launch your own Blockchain (51:37) Dev Adoption & dApp Layer Innovation (01:03:06) Future of Value Accrual to AVAX (01:12:57) Decentralization & Performance for Blockchains - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.
19 Des 20231h 17min

How FASB Ruling Paves The Way for Bitcoin Corporate Treasuries | Roundup
In today's episode of Empire Jason and Santi dive into the latest crypto news, including the FASB fair value ruling for Bitcoin, the Ledger exploit, and the controversy around Rainbow's new points system. They debate the pros and cons of new yield generating protocols like Manta and BLAST, make 2024 predictions about the proliferation of L2 platforms with native yield, and discuss whether investing in early DeFi protocols still makes sense. Tune in for all this and much more! - - Northstake simplifies the way institutional investors own a stake in Web3 by offering regulatory-compliant staking products. By ensuring institutional investors can participate in the burgeoning crypto market while adhering to the necessary legal and regulatory requirements. To learn how Northstake is bridging the gap between crypto and institutions go to: https://www.northstake.dk/tokenized-eth-staking - - Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use EMPIRE20 to get 20% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there! Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home - - Timestamps (00:02) Introduction (06:26) FASB Confirms 'Fair Value' Approach (14:37) Ledger Connect Kit Exploit (31:27) Point System Hate (41:38) Layer0 Launch Video (45:26) 2024 Predictions (55:06) Are OG DeFi Protocols Investments? - - Resources Layer0 Research Report & Video https://app.blockworksresearch.com/research/layer-zero-v2-the-decoupling-of-security-and-execution https://x.com/LayerZero_Labs/status/1735317463032893946 Ledger Exploit https://blockworks.co/news/ledger-statement-on-phishing-hack - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.
15 Des 20231h 5min

Solving Crypto's Oracle Problem | Mike Cahill
In this episode Jason and Santi are joined by Mike Cahill, CEO of Douro Labs and contributor at Pyth Network, an oracle that publishes financial market data to multiple blockchains. The conversation delves into how Pyth Network addresses failings in both the current Oracle system in crypto and the traditional capital markets. Cahill discusses how the network has evolved, its present accomplishments, the benefits of their governance token, and their approach to rewards. To close out Mike outlines potential future developments and the network's greater aim of inviting widespread participation in its open-source projects. - - Follow Mike Cahill: https://twitter.com/mdomcahill Follow Santiago: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Planning to grant token awards for your team? Toku makes implementing global token compensation and incentive awards simple. With Toku, you get unmatched legal and tax support to grant and administer your global team’s tokens. Toku navigates it across the lifecycle — from easy to use token grant award templates through tracking vesting to managing tax withholdings. Make it simple today, at https://www.toku.com/empire - - Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use EMPIRE20 to get 20% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there! Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home - - Timestamps: 00:00 The Market Data Monopoly 09:13 The Oracle Problem 21:19 Origins of Pyth 30:40 The Business Model & Revenue 40:21 DAS 2024 41:36 Toku Ad 41:56 The Role of PYTH Token 55:21 Reward Mechanism for Pyth Network - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.
12 Des 20231h

Is Crypto Really Back? | Roundup
From across the globe, today's episode of Empire brings Santi and Jason together to discuss Societe Generale's first-ever Euro stablecoin launch, Santi's reaction to feedback, and whether we truly are back. They also explore the implications of meme coin culture and if it damages the perception of the industry as whole. They also discuss Coinbase's recent easy crypto payments feature launch and the striking convenience it offers. They close out by deliberating on the future of gaming in the crypto space and upcoming content. Enjoy! - - Northstake simplifies the way institutional investors own a stake in Web3 by offering regulatory-compliant staking products. By ensuring institutional investors can participate in the burgeoning crypto market while adhering to the necessary legal and regulatory requirements. To learn how Northstake is bridging the gap between crypto and institutions go to: https://www.northstake.dk/tokenized-eth-staking - - Chronicle Protocol is a novel Oracle solution that has exclusively secured over $10B in assets for MakerDAO and its ecosystem since 2017. With a history of innovation, including the invention of the first Oracle on Ethereum, Chronicle Protocol continues to redefine Oracles. A blockchain-agnostic protocol, Chronicle overcomes the current limitations of transferring data on-chain by developing the first truly scalable, cost-efficient, decentralized, and verifiable Oracles, rewriting the rulebook on data transparency and accessibility. Learn more about Chronicle Protocol: https://chroniclelabs.org/ Join the Chronicle Labs team: https://chroniclelabs.org/careers#open_roles - - Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use EMPIRE20 to get 20% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there! Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home - - Timestamps (00:13) The London DeFi and Crypto Scene (10:24) Santi's Reaction to the Reaction (17:06) Is the Bull Market here? (24:53) Why does crypto exist if it's meme coin meta? (31:24) DAS 2024 (32:39) Chronicle Ad (33:54) Northstake Ad (34:54) Where are we in this cycle? (38:16) Euro-pegged Stablecoin (50:13) Coinbase Wallet Payments (54:27) Upcoming Content - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.
8 Des 202358min

How Much Crypto Should You Own? | 1000x
Follow 1000x On Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3sJOsIJ Follow 1000x On Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/47MEsxe Follow 1000x On YouTube: https://bit.ly/3DNc5C6 -- In today's episode of 1000x Jonah and Avi discuss the recent bullish price action in crypto markets. As Bitcoin broke out above $44,000, we dive into the best way to play the BTC/Alt rotation trade, crypto's cycle top & the most hated trade in crypto right now... Ethereum. To hear all this & more, you'll have to tune in! -- Follow Avi: https://twitter.com/AviFelman Follow Jonah: https://twitter.com/jvb_xyz Follow 1000x: https://twitter.com/1000xPod Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- Referenced In The Show: Solana's End Game with Anatoly Yakovenko: https://apple.co/3QuF7NZ -- Timestamps (0:00) Introduction (1:19) Allocating To Crypto (5:30) The BTC/Alt Rotation (11:19) Ethereum (15:10) Solana NFT's (19:01) Crypto's Cycle Top (27:46) Crypto's Biggest Mover's (31:17) Why Own Crypto? -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on 1000x is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Avi, Jonah and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.
7 Des 202348min