Chuck Bradford, founder and CEO of Dexari, shares his journey from engineering student at UPenn to crypto entrepreneur. After experiencing the inner workings of centralized exchanges at Binance US, Bradford identified a massive opportunity to combine the user experience of traditional fintech with the benefits of decentralization. Dexari is building a mobile-first, self-custodial crypto platform that leverages account abstraction and modern blockchain infrastructure to deliver advanced trading features without the overhead costs of centralized exchanges. Bradford discusses the technical challenges of building in crypto, the importance of product-market fit, and why he believes the future of crypto belongs to self-custodial solutions that don't compromise on user experience.

Key Takeaways:

• Centralized exchanges operate more like traditional banks than decentralized platforms, creating significant overhead costs
• New technologies like account abstraction are finally making self-custodial platforms viable for mainstream users
• The mobile crypto trading experience remains underserved, particularly for advanced traders
• Building in crypto requires a product-first approach rather than starting with marketing and tokens

Bradford's vision extends beyond just replacing centralized exchanges - he sees Dexari as part of a broader convergence between traditional fintech and crypto, where self-custodial solutions become the dominant model for digital asset management.