Colors of Tech & Entrepreneurship

In Episode 64 of Colors of Web3 and Entrepreneurship, host Lam chats with Sebastien, the co-founder and CEO of Sophon, a consumer-oriented blockchain shaking up the Web3 space. Sebastien shares his fascinating journey—from studying history and philosophy to working in finance and eventually diving deep into crypto during the 2018-2019 boom. He walks us through his time at Rocket Internet, a prestigious bank, Nervos, and Matter Labs (ZK Sync), before founding Sophon with a mission to make crypto accessible to everyone. With a $10M seed round and a $65M node sale, Sophon launched its mainnet in December 2024 and has already processed 50 million transactions in just three months!This episode dives into Sophon’s innovative approach, including its seamless user experience, the Sophon Home platform, and the groundbreaking Sophon Data Hub powered by ZKTLS technology. Sebastien explains how Sophon aims to onboard the next billion users by bridging Web2 and Web3, offering features like account abstraction and gasless transactions. Whether you’re a crypto newbie or a seasoned builder, this conversation offers insights into the future of blockchain and entrepreneurship. Tune in to hear Sebastien’s advice for aspiring Web3 founders and get a sneak peek at Sophon’s exciting ecosystem, from on-chain gaming to ticketing.⌛ Timestamps:00:00:00 Episode trailer00:00:27 Show introduction and quick self-introduction of Sebastien00:01:33 Seb’s professional career before Web300:03:37 How Seb first broke into Web300:07:01 The origin of Sophon 00:09:50 His experience working at a prestigious Web2 bank00:12:53 His time at Nervos blockchain00:15:44 His time at Matter Labs (core contributor of ZKSync)00:16:35 Elastic chain of ZKSync and Interoperability plan00:18:31 Sebastien's hobbies outside of work00:20:48 Deep dive into Sophon, a Layer-2 zk blockchain00:24:30 The features that make Sophon consumer-friendly00:28:22 Sophon portal, the place where users can tap into everything00:29:30 Sophon Data Hub using zkTLS that helps to prove existing (Web2) consumer data onchain 00:32:48 Some example applications on Sophon: games, AI agents, onchain ticketing00:35:42 How Sophon distinguishes from other general-purpose blockchains00:38:04 Challenges facing Sophon team00:39:01 Seb’s advice for aspiring Web3 entrepreneurs00:40:17 Where to follow Sebastien and stay updated on Sophon00:40:48 Episode outro and final thoughtsFollow Sebastien and Sophon: Sebastien's X/Twitter: https://x.com/0xsebastiena Sophon website: https://sophon.xyz/ My social media: Twitter/X: ⁠https://www.twitter.com/LamWeb3⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/lamweb3/⁠Website: ⁠https://lamtrinh.xyz⁠My old article about the 2-3 prevailing narratives of 2024-2025: https://substack.com/home/post/p-143541984 If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe to stay updated on our upcoming episodes with industry experts and innovators in the Web3 and Entrepreneurship spaces. Thank you for listening!

In the 63rd episode of Colors of Web3 and Entrepreneurship, Lam sits down with Marco van den Heuvel, co-founder of Beam Labs, to discuss the evolving landscape of Web3 gaming. Marco shares his fascinating journey—from discovering Bitcoin during college to co-founding Beam Labs—and highlights the incredible innovations driving the future of gaming and blockchain integration.Together, they dive into the challenges and breakthroughs in Web3, including building decentralized gaming infrastructures, fostering vibrant communities, and creating ecosystems that empower developers and gamers alike. Marco also unveils exciting announcements for 2025: Beam Layer 1 upgrades, Beam Ventures, and the role of AI in gaming.Whether you're a Web3 enthusiast, an entrepreneur, or simply curious about the intersection of gaming and blockchain, this episode is packed with insights you won't want to miss!⌛ Timestamps:00:00:00 Episode trailer00:00:28 Introduction and self-introduction of Marco van den Heuvel00:02:00 Marco’s journey into Web3 and early Bitcoin discovery00:03:06 Building communities in Web3 and lessons learned00:09:05 How Marco discovered about Bitcoin00:10:59 Marco's fascination with terrarium00:16:32 Background of Beam Labs from Merit Circle days00:20:00 What Beam does: a 360-degree overview00:23:55 The significance of Beam Nodes and validator rewards00:26:00 Origin of the name Merit Circle and the rebrand to Beam00:31:04 Transition from an Avalanche subnet to Beam’s Layer 1 blockchain00:36:24 Web3 tech requirements for games00:39:05 Beam’s tech stack: NFT marketplace, wallet, and SDK00:40:59 Beam Ventures: $150M gaming and AI investment fund in Abu Dhabi00:44:31 Marco discusses competition and Beam’s unique approach00:46:05 Beam's business models00:50:24 Challenges facing Beam Labs00:52:46 Evolution of Web3 gaming and the need for mainstream adoption00:54:45 The people behind Beam Labs00:59:30 Marco's take on a multi-chain world01:01:30 How Web3 gaming will evolve in the future01:04:16 Marco's favorite Web3 games01:08:02 Marco’s advice for Web3 founders building gaming infrastructure01:09:57 Where to follow Marco and stay updated on Beam Labs01:11:01 Episode outro and final thoughtsFollow Marco and Beam: Beam Labs X/Twitter: https://x.com/buildonbeam Beam Foundation X/Twitter: https://x.com/BeamFDN Marco's X/Twitter: https://x.com/Marco_Beam Beam website: https://onbeam.com/ Beam telegram: t.dot/buildonbeam My social media: Twitter/X: ⁠https://www.twitter.com/LamWeb3⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/lamweb3/⁠Website: ⁠https://lamtrinh.xyz⁠My old article about the 2-3 prevailing narratives of 2024-2025: https://substack.com/home/post/p-143541984 If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe to stay updated on our upcoming episodes with industry experts and innovators in the Web3 and Entrepreneurship spaces. Thank you for listening!

In the 62nd episode of Colors of Web3 & Entrepreneurship, Lam chats with Charlie Feng, co-founder of Agora.xyz, an end-to-end governance platform for leading Ethereum protocols like Optimism, Uniswap, and ENS. Charlie shares his journey from early coding projects and FinTech ventures to building a platform that helps internet-first businesses coordinate and make decisions.Charlie dives into the world of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), explaining how they function as organizations with governance mechanisms that are becoming increasingly programmatic. He discusses the lifecycle of a DAO governance proposal, from ideation and discussion to temperature checks, voting, and execution. Charlie also touches on the challenges and opportunities DAOs face, including the importance of progressive decentralization and the potential impact of AI on governance.⌛ Timestamps:00:00:00 Episode trailer00:00:28 Introduction and self-introduction of Charlie Feng00:01:43 Charlie’s background: From finance to Web300:02:39 Building AI chatbots before modern AI advancements00:03:36 Charlie’s first fintech startup and scaling to $100M revenue00:08:54 Charlie shares how he first learned about Web300:10:16 Charlie shares his hobbies and what he enjoys outside of work00:13:46 Building Agora for Web3 Governance00:15:31 Understanding DAOs and decentralized governance00:15:59 Why Web3 governance matters for decentralized ecosystems00:18:38 Charlie explains Agora’s on-chain voting system00:19:55 The role of smart contracts in automating decisions00:21:15 Lifecycle of a DAO proposal00:28:03 Role of Agora in DAO Governance00:30:26 Competition of Agora in the DAO Governance landspace00:33:05 How many people are working in Agora00:37:03 Charlie's Take on DAO Governance Participation00:40:57 Charlie explains the benefits of decentralization00:43:14 Challenges Charlie’s team faces in building Agora00:52:16 Charlie’s take on AI's Impact on Work and DAO Governance01:01:11 Upcoming innovations and roadmap for Agora01:02:09 Advice for Web3 founders looking to build governance solutions01:04:25 Where to follow Charlie and learn more about Agora01:05:26 Episode outro and closing remarksFollow Charlie and Agora: Charlie's Twitter: https://x.com/charliecfeng Charlie's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliecf/ Agora platform: https://agora.xyz My social media: Twitter/X: ⁠https://www.twitter.com/LamWeb3⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/lamweb3/⁠Website: ⁠https://lamtrinh.xyz⁠My old article about the 2-3 prevailing narratives of 2024-2025: https://substack.com/home/post/p-143541984 If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe to stay updated on our upcoming episodes with industry experts and innovators in the Web3 and Entrepreneurship spaces. Thank you for listening!

In this 61st episode, Jean Herelle, CEO of Crunch Lab, shares his journey into Web3 and machine learning. Jean discusses the challenges of applying machine learning to financial markets and how it led to the creation of Crunch, a machine learning DePIN with thousands of engineers and PhDs. Crunch enables companies to build better models at a lower cost by using an obfuscated version of their data. The platform also allows individuals to contribute by building new kinds of time series, generating trading signals using LLMs.The conversation explores the potential of Web3 to create trust and ownership, as well as new coordination mechanisms. Jean shares his insights on the evolving landscape of Web3 and machine learning, including the importance of privacy and community-driven innovation. He also touches on the future of work, where AI agents and robots may play a significant role.⌛ Timestamps:00:00:00 Episode trailer00:00:28 Introduction and self-introduction of Jean @ Crunch00:01:36 Jean’s background in econometrics and entry into crypto00:03:29 Shifting from computer science to machine learning00:04:18 First ML hackathon and risk modeling for insurance00:09:50 Jean's 1st exposure to Bitcoin and early trading experience 00:20:51 Jean shares his hobbies and how he spends time outside of work00:23:56 Crunch: A machine learning DePIN powering decentralized intelligence00:37:53 Crunch's collective intelligence model00:56:44 Using differential privacy for secure data sharing01:00:41 Jean explains Crunch’s incentive and reward system01:03:55 Crunch is building on Solana01:05:46 The team behind Crunch01:07:10 Challenges that Crunch team faces01:10:03 What is the future of Web3 and machine learning? 01:14:07 Will robots outnumber human workers in the future?01:19:43 Advice for aspiring Web3 and ML entrepreneurs01:22:11 Where to follow Jean and Crunch01:23:20 Closing remarks and next episode previewFollow Jean and Crunch: Crunch website: https://www.crunchdao.com/Crunch Twitter: https://x.com/crunchDAOCrunch Discord: https://discord.gg/y2Re2hKu9nMy social media: Twitter/X: ⁠https://www.twitter.com/LamWeb3⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/lamweb3/⁠Website: ⁠https://lamtrinh.xyz⁠My old article about the 2-3 prevailing narratives of 2024-2025: https://substack.com/home/post/p-143541984 If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe to stay updated on our upcoming episodes with industry experts and innovators in the Web3 and Entrepreneurship spaces. Thank you for listening!

In this 60th episode of Colors of Web3 & Entrepreneurship, we dive deep into the journey of Sergey Kuzmin, co-founder of Zombie Train, a groundbreaking 3D game built within Telegram. Sergey shares his unique path from an engineer with a 3D printing business producing personalized light shades, to a Web3 entrepreneur navigating the world of NFTs, and now a game developer. He discusses his experiences with building NFT collections and marketplaces, and how those experiences shaped his perspective on community building within Web3.Sergey also gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the development of Zombie Train, highlighting the technical challenges of optimizing a Unity game for Telegram. He discusses the game's unique features, including its leaderboard and in-game economy, as well as the importance of creating a fun and engaging experience to retain users. Sergey also touches upon the future of Web3 gaming and how it will evolve. He also shares his thoughts on the importance of AI and utilizing AI tools for growth and learning.Finally, he shares the future plans for Zombie Train and how the game intends to address the common problem of post-TGE user disengagement. Sergey's insights provide a valuable perspective on the current state of Web3, emphasizing community building, user experience and product utility and not just hype.⌛ Timestamps:00:00:00 Episode trailer00:00:28 Intro to the show and Sergey's self-introduction00:01:56 Sergey's 3D printing business00:03:35 Sergey's education in robotics and 3D printing00:05:54 Products made in 3D printing business00:06:50 Customer retention in the 3D printing business00:09:28 Launch of an NFT collection on Theta Network00:14:50 NFT marketplace development and a setback00:17:13 Sergey's hobbies: American football00:22:42 Introduction to Telegram mini apps and Zombie Train00:27:03 Technical challenges of Unity games in Telegram00:28:33 Demo of Zombie Train00:33:42 Game play, how to progress in the game and rewards00:37:26 The problem of TGE (Token Generation Event) in Telegram games and Sergey's plan to build a Zombie world hub00:40:00 In-game business model and product placement00:42:18 Bot farming and AI agents00:47:09 Future of Web3 gaming00:50:40 Telegram as a platform and why Sergey chose Telegram00:51:45 Sergey's general advice on learning AI00:56:09 Where to follow Sergey and Zombie Train00:57:12 Disclaimer: Not financial advice00:57:42 Episode outro and next episode previewFollow Sergey and play Zombie Train: Sergey's Telegram handle: @sergeykuzminZombie Train game (on Telegram): https://t.me/zombietrainbotZombie train website: https://zombietra.in/Zombie Train Twitter/X: https://x.com/zombietraingameMy social media: Twitter/X: ⁠https://www.twitter.com/LamWeb3⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/lamweb3/⁠Website: ⁠https://lamtrinh.xyz⁠My old article about the 2-3 prevailing narratives of 2024-2025: https://substack.com/home/post/p-143541984 If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe to stay updated on our upcoming episodes with industry experts and innovators in the Web3 and Entrepreneurship spaces. Thank you for listening!

Join us in this 59th episode of Colors of Web3 & Entrepreneurship as we delve into the fascinating journeys of Shukhrat Shadibekov, CEO, and Alex Topal, CTO of Cyber Bee and Ultron Foundation, as they share their experiences in the Web3 and blockchain space. From their early days in IT development to leading two companies in the cutting-edge world of blockchain, they offer a wealth of insights into the industry. They discuss their initial foray into Web3, driven by a client request for a gaming platform, and how they navigated the complexities of blockchain development despite their lack of experience. Their story is one of adapting, learning, and innovating at a rapid pace in an industry that never stands still.

In this 58th episode of Colors of Web3 and Entrepreneurship, we sit down with Miguel de Vega, co-founder and Chief Scientist of Nillion, to explore the groundbreaking concept of a blind computer and its implications for Web3 privacy.

Kim D Chai, co-founder and CEO of AmphiSpace, joins the Colors of Web3 & Entrepreneurship show to share her journey from language expert and localization specialist to Web3 travel disruptor. Kim discusses her early work on anime localization, including popular titles like One Piece and Naruto, and her transition into the world of Web3.

Ilya Orlov aka Underkong, CEO and founder of FireMarket AI, joins us on Colors of Web3 and Entrepreneurship to discuss his journey from Web2 startups to his pivotal role in building FileMarket AI.

In this 55th episode of Colors of Web3 and Entrepreneurship, host Lam welcomes Jay Chrawnna, founder of The Kusamarian, the #1 news resource for the Polkadot ecosystem. Jay shares his journey from a career in live theater to becoming a voice in Web3, and how his platform empowers Polkadot’s global community to navigate its decentralized governance system.