The Case for Sovereign Blockchains | Sunny Aggarwal, Dmitriy Berenzon
There's a heated debate in crypto right now around AppChains and the modular vs monolithic paradigm. That's why we released this special episode today from our other favorite podcast, Bell Curve. Sunny Aggarwal and Dmitriy Berenzon discuss how AppChains enable developers and protocols to customize consensus, cryptography, MEV rules, fees and more. But is this customization worth the fragmentation, start-up costs, lack of tooling and other challenges AppChains face? Tune in to find out! And don't worry - we'll be back to the usual roundup with Jason and Santi next week! - - Timestamps (00:00) A Note from Jason (02:45) Intro: Pre-Interview (05:15) The AppChain Thesis (13:34) Reasons to Build an AppChain (30:00) Blockworks Research ad (31:33) The Downsides and Challenges (46:22) What is Permissioned Blockspace? (53:06) Cosmos vs Ethereum (01:06:28) Solving Interoperability (01:12:12) User Lock-in, Wallets (1:18:00) Recap: Post-Interview - - Follow Myles: https://twitter.com/MylesOneil Follow Mike: https://twitter.com/MikeIppolito_ Follow Sunny: https://twitter.com/sunnya97 Follow Dmitriy: https://twitter.com/dberenzon Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3R1D1D9 Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3pQTfmD Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3cpKZXH - - Resources: Bell Curve podcast https://spoti.fi/3JWqLmK Dmitriy's blog https://dberenzon.medium.com/ Osmosis https://osmosis.zone/ 1k(x) https://1kx.network/ - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Bell Curve or 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. Mike, Jason, Michael, Vance and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.
10 Feb 20231h 35min
Frax: Building the DeFi Trinity | Sam Kazemian
In this episode of Empire, Sam Kazemian joins Jason and Dan to discuss Frax's mission to build the most widely used stablecoins in DeFi. Sam starts by explaining how Frax has succeeded while other stable protocols have failed, why Frax is eyeing Fed deposits and the strategy behind the "DeFi Trinity". We then explore Frax's new ETH staking product, the stablecoin trilemma, and Sam drops a new product announcement (alpha leak). Don't miss this conversation with one of the brightest minds in DeFi! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:49) - Frax’s Mission (04:41) - How Frax Thrived When Others Failed (09:00) - Fed Deposits, Escaping Regulation and RWAs (17:03) - Public ad (18:53) - Creating Spot Demand and Monetary Premium (26:00) - frxETH and sfrxETH Explained (44:31) - Is Frax’s Focus too Broad? (49:02) - The Stablecoin Trilemma (54:00) - Alpha Leak (55:46) - Update on Frax’s Multisig - - Follow Sam: https://twitter.com/samkazemian?lang=en Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Dan: https://twitter.com/smyyguy 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/ - - This episode is sponsored by Public.com. Go to https://Public.com/empire to move your cash into a Treasury Account today. - - Resources Frax https://frax.finance/ - - 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.
6 Feb 202357min
Will Companies Survive the Funding Drought? | Roundup
In today’s episode of Empire, we discuss how crypto startups are running out of cash. Will more companies quietly shut down, and how will the survivors navigate the market? One group of people can strongly impact this outcome: Crypto VCs. We explore what decisions these VCs are facing, if they'll be able to raise funds from LPs, their hardest challenges and more! This is a short episode that's packed with insights. - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:57) Nike x Tiffany collab (10:38) Celsius lacks leadership (12:45) Private companies will quietly shut down (15:53) How VCs operate (22:12) Blockworks Research Ad (27:45) Challenges of running a crypto VC fund (32:55) Fundraising terms matter (34:23) Lessons learned from past cycles - - 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/ - - Resources Bell Curve podcast http://bit.ly/3HVuKi1 LVMH story https://www.ft.com/content/c79eccfc-fca1-11e9-a354-36acbbb0d9b6 - - 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.
3 Feb 202342min
Trading Crypto Inflection Points | Hal Press
In this episode of Empire, Hal Press joins Mike and Jason to discuss his investment thesis. It's no secret that Hal is an ETH super bull, and this episode makes it clear why. He explains ETH's unfair advantage, how L2s will serve as free marketing for Ethereum, the liquidity staking derivative trade, the mechanics behind token rallies, token value accrual and the deflationary outlook! Get ready, this is one of my favorite podcasts yet. - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:54) What Caused This Rally? (10:46) The ETH:BTC Ratio (13:14) How Shanghai Will Affect ETH Sell Pressure (18:32) The LSD Trade (20:30) Blockworks Research Ad (30:30) The Real Yield Thesis (32:36) Has ETH Won? (44:28) Aptos’ Rally & Learnings (54:40) The L2 Landscape (59:10) Where Will Value Accrue? (1:07:36) Bullish on dYdX (1:10:34) Macro and Deflation - - Follow Hal: https://twitter.com/NorthRockLP Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Mike: https://twitter.com/MikeIppolito_ 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/ - - Resources North Rock Digital https://northrockdigital.com/ - - 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.
30 Jan 20231h 23min
Bear Market: Stage 3 is upon us | Roundup
In today’s episode of Empire, we discuss how we've just entered the third phase of the bear market. A phase marked by apathy. We explore what this means for builders, investors and the industry. If you're still here (in crypto), you don't want to miss this. We then cover why Aptos' price is pumping, Circles CCTP news, the controversial Doodles announcement and more! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (04:27) Permissionless Speakers (05:30) Phase 3 of the Bear Market (37:00) Regulatory Clarity (41:09) Why is Aptos Ripping? (49:06) Circle’s CCTP (55:29) Doodles 2 Launching on Flow (57:50) Kevin Rose $2M+ NFT “Hack” - - 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/ - - Resources Electric Capital 2022 Developer Report https://www.developerreport.com/developer-report Revoke.Cash https://revoke.cash/ - - 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 Jan 20231h 5min
How EigenLayer Unlocks Infrastructure Innovation | Sreeram Kannan, Calvin Liu
In this episode of Empire, Sreeram Kannan and Calvin Liu explain how EigenLayer creates a market for decentralized trust to enable permissionless infrastructure innovation. We explore EigenLayer's core use cases, slashing mechanics, economic incentives, re-staking risks and more. EigenLayer might be the most underrated project in Ethereum right now. Tune in to find out why! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:08) EigenLayer 101 (18:04) Liquid vs Native Staking (24:24) Why Calvin Joined EigenLayer (28:51) Core Use Cases (49:50) Improper Slashing Risk (1:00:00) EigenLayer’s Flywheel and Business Model (1:05:45) Systemic Risks: Overleveraging Staked ETH - - Follow Sreeram:https://twitter.com/sreeramkannan Follow Calvin: https://twitter.com/cjliu49 Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: 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/ - - Resources EigenLayer https://www.eigenlayer.com/ EigenLayer's Twitter https://twitter.com/eigenlayer - - 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.
23 Jan 20231h 23min
The Wallet Wars: Rise of the SuperApp | Qiao Wang
In this episode of Empire, Qiao explains the upcoming Wallet Wars. Wallets are the decentralized access point for crypto, and the battle for distribution is about to get wild. Listen in to learn about the SuperApp Thesis, account abstraction, the battle for attention, wallet value capture and more! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:50) The Fat Wallet Thesis (04:11) How Wallets Have Evolved (09:06) Wallet Wars, Rise of the SuperApp (24:35) Account Abstraction (27:28) Why Geography Matters (29:16) Wallet Value Capture (41:03) Blue Ocean Opportunities & Centralized Credentials (51:02) Crypto Alfalpha - - Follow Qiao: https://twitter.com/QwQiao Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: 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/ - - Resources Alliance DAO https://alliance.xyz/ Good Game podcast (Qiao's podcast) https://goodgamepod.xyz/ - - More related content by Blockworks: What Are Seed Phrases and Are They Needed? The New Debate https://blockworks.co/news/what-are-seed-phrases - - 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.
20 Jan 20231h 5min
How Avalanche Will Outscale L2s | Emin Gün Sirer, John Wu
In this episode of Empire, Emin Gün Sirer and John Wu explain why Avalanche is the most scalable, decentralized L1. We start with why developers choose Avalanche, then quickly transition into the L2 debate. Emin explains why Subnets are superior and how the L2 vision and L2 reality are miles apart. We also talk about Avalanche's consensus engine, business development, the multichain future and more! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:01) Avalanche’s Core Thesis (04:17) Why Build on Avalanche? (14:19) The Problem with L2s (19:08) Avalanche's Tradeoffs (23:41) The Consensus Engine (30:00) Learnings From Other Networks (33:29) Solana vs Avalanche (40:59) Avalanche’s Security Guarantees (45:00) Business Development Strategy (55:09) Warp: Communication Between Subnets (1:00:01) On-Chain Governance (1:01:41) Avalanche’s Community (1:08:29) A Multichain Future? - - Follow Emin: https://twitter.com/el33th4xor Follow John: https://twitter.com/John1wu Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: 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/ - - Resources Avalanche https://www.avax.network/ Ava Labs https://www.avalabs.org/ - - 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.
16 Jan 20231h 15min
