In this episode, Daria sits down with Mashal Waqar, CMO at Octant, Forbes 30 Under 30 Middle East honoree, and co-author of the State of Web3 Grants Report.

Mashal shares her unconventional journey — from cybersecurity and co-founding a media platform with millions of readers, to launching the first femtech startup in the Middle East, and ultimately becoming a leading voice in Ethereum public goods funding.

They unpack what it means to be Ethereum-aligned in 2026, how Octant's DeFi Vaults are redefining sustainable Web3 funding, and why the definition of a "public good" matters more than ever when allocating grants.

Mashal also opens up about being an introvert in a loud crypto space, the cultural gap between women founders in the Global South vs. Western markets, and why she refuses to let AI write for her.

Highlights:

🔸 What Octant does and how its new DeFi Vaults model funds Ethereum's ecosystem without depleting treasury

🔸 How to define "public good" in a grants context, and why vagueness kills impact

🔸 The AI + blockchain convergence thesis

🔸 The culture of failure: Middle East vs. American entrepreneurship

🔸 Why less than 3% of VC capital reaches women-led startups in the Middle East

Enjoy this episode and share it with your friends who want to learn about Ethereum public goods, women founders, and staying human in the AI era

🔔 Subscribe to Decentralized Voices for more insights about people shipping in web3 and AI tech.

• Mashal Waqar, Octant CMO: https://x.com/arlery
• Daria Strategy, podcast host and DecentWealth co-founder: https://x.com/DariaStrategy
• Podcast website: https://decentralizedvoices.xyz

Don't come to Web3 unless you're from the US: ~70% of jobs are US-based. Builders in Africa, Latam, and SE Asia are locked out. Meet Solene Daviaud, founder of Dev3pack, who is changing that: 500+ active builders, 25+ countries, local chapters launching across 3 continents.

In this episode, she breaks down the hard truth behind the Web3 job market, why big blockchain companies pay for onboarding new developers in Africa and Latam, and what separates hackathon winners from everyone else.

Highlights:
🔸 How to get a job in Web3 if you're based in LATAM, Africa, or Southeast Asia
🔸 Mastering the art of partnership with Alchemy, ENS, Base, and Lisk
🔸 Web2 devs need to ditch LinkedIn-first thinking and build in public on X and GitHub
🔸 Vibe coding and AI in Web3. What can't be replaced by AI?
🔸 Hosting a hacker house for 70 female developers in Buenos Aires

Enjoy this episode and share it with your friends who want to find a developer job in web3 and tech. Like this video and subscribe to Decentralized Voices for more insights about people shipping in web3 and AI tech.

Guest, Solene Daviaud: https://x.com/_SDAV
Host, Daria Strategy: https://x.com/DariaStrategy
Podcast website: https://decentralizedvoices.xyz

Ivan Maltsev, co-founder of Nomadz, built a Solana-based travel aggregator. In this episode, Ivan breaks down how traditional platforms pocket roughly 30% on every booking while returning expired coupons as "loyalty rewards", and how Nomadz replaces that with an onchain travel identity.

Daria and Ivan are also get into what it took to win the Solana Mobile hackathon, launch on the Seeker phone, and why his lean team of five, building from Kyiv and Dubai, treats resource constraints as a competitive edge rather than a handicap.

Highlights:
🔸 Nomadz - the first Ukrainian startup to receive Solana Foundation investment
🔸 The benefits of Solana Superteam, and why everyone try to copy-paste them
🔸 AI agents that book travel autonomously
🔸 Why people travel more to find the human connection
🔸 The best places on Earth to be a digital nomad

Enjoy this episode and share it with your friends!

Guest, Ivan Maltsev: https://x.com/ivan_nomadz
Host, Daria Strategy: https://x.com/DariaStrategy
Podcast website: https://decentralizedvoices.xyz

Would you trust AI with your money? 🤖💸

In this episode, Daria welcomes Dariia Porechna, a cryptographer, former Wolfram Research engineer, and co-founder of EternaX, for a rapid-fire "Bullish or Bullshit" session on the hottest takes in AgentFi, DeFi, and startup culture.

Key Takeaways:
🔸 80% of blockchain transactions are already bots
🔸 Only 1% of crypto holders use DeFi
🔸 2026 is the best time ever to start a startup with AI as your superpower
🔸 Altcoin season may never return the same way

🔗 Links:
Dariia Porechna on X: https://x.com/FutureDies
Daria Volkova on X: https://x.com/dariastrategy
Decentralized Voices: https://decentralizedvoices.xyz

In this episode of Decentralized Voices, Daria interviews Erica Kang, founder of KryptoPlanet (formerly KryptoSeoul), organizer of BUIDL Asia and ETHSeoul, and GP at Black Dragon Capital, about what works in web3 community building:

🔸 building trust in a low-trust market

🔸 making events sustainable without turning into a shill-fest

🔸 scaling from a local scene (Seoul) to global presence (Lisbon, Dubai, Vietnam, Paris)

Erica also shares candidly how motherhood reshaped her decision-making, why “quick money” is the wrong motive for event businesses, and how mentorship and women-led spaces can meaningfully improve gender inclusion.

Enjoy this episode and share it with your friends!

❤️‍🔥 Guest: Erica Kang, Founder of KryptoPlanet and GP at Black Dragon Capital

X: https://x.com/ekang426

🎙️ Host: Daria Volkova, Brand & Communications Strategist for tech products

X: https://x.com/dariastrategy

Ethereum L2s are exploding, enterprises are finally paying attention, and DAOs are going through an identity crisis. In this episode, Daria talks with Krzysztof Urbański, blockchain researcher and head of governance & partnerships at L2BEAT, about what’s happening across the Ethereum scaling and governance landscape.

Drawing on 20+ years in IT and deep experience with financial infrastructure, Krzysztof breaks down how Ethereum L2s work, what real security guarantees look like, and why decentralization isn’t a vibe – it’s a risk model.

He explains L2BEAT’s role as an onchain transparency project, how they stay neutral while being delegates in multiple DAOs, and why Ethereum should be the settlement layer for the world’s financial system.

Enjoy this episode and share it with your friends who're interested in Ethereum and its culture!

❤️‍🔥 Guest: Krzysztof Urbański, governance and partnerships at L2BEAT

X: https://x.com/kaereste

🎙️ Host: Daria Volkova

X: https://x.com/dariastrategy

Farcaster: https://farcaster.xyz/dariastrategy

Dima Buterin — entrepreneur, philosopher, and lifelong learner. Many know him as the father of Ethereum’s co-creator, Vitalik Buterin, but Dima’s story stands powerfully on its own. From his early ventures in software to deep reflections on freedom and human potential, Dima brings a rare combination of tech curiosity and personal growth.

In this episode, we’ll discuss the challenges of modern society and the evolution of technology, Dima’s support for Ukraine, and his vision of freedom and responsibility.

Key highlights:

🔸 Why support of Ukraine is so important to former Russian citizen

🔸 Bitcoin is about fear, Ethereum is about creation

🔸 Why some Ethereum builders can feel unheard or disconnected

🔸 What does progress mean to Dima

🔸 What does the next generation needs to learn or unlearn to thrive in a world with decentralization and AI

Enjoy this episode and share it with your friends who're interested in Ethereum and its culture!

❤️‍🔥 Guest: Dima Buterin, entrepreneur and Vitalik Buterin's father

X: https://x.com/dimabuterin

🎙️ Host: Daria Volkova

X: https://x.com/dariastrategy

Farcaster: https://farcaster.xyz/dariastrategy

Ethereum’s Devconnect 2025 in Buenos Aires could become the Web3 event of the year, maybe even the decade.

It will take place November 17-22 in a hybrid, city-scale format: a central venue at La Rural featuring 10 stages and 40+ independently programmed events, plus the inaugural Ethereum World’s Fair -- eight districts where Web3 newcomers can set up a wallet, on-ramp into crypto, and even buy food with it.

Nathan Sexer, Event Lead at the Ethereum Foundation, breaks down the mission, the local impact on LATAM, and shares advice on how to get the most out of this Ethereum festival.

Key highlights:

🔸 The difference between Devcon and Devconnect

🔸 Why Argentina and LATAM?

🔸 The idea of Ethereum World’s Fair

🔸 How to become a host of the Ethereum event

Enjoy this episode and share it with your friends who're interested in Ethereum and its events!

❤️‍🔥 Guest: Nathan Sexer, Event Lead at the Ethereum Foundation

X: https://x.com/nethan_eth

Devcon: https://x.com/EFDevcon

🎙️ Host: Daria Volkova

X: https://x.com/dariastrategy

Farcaster: https://farcaster.xyz/dariastrategy

Meet Kevin Jones, a Developer Relations Engineer at Edge & Node and The Graph, and a long-time advocate for Ethereum. His journey from photographer to web3 evangelist is anything but conventional.

In the new episode on Decentralized Voices, Daria and Kevin discuss:

🔸 How to create authentic developer relationships in the Ethereum ecosystem

🔸 The evolution of DevRel and the power of mentorship in web3

🔸 The role of BuidlGuidl in developer education

🔸 The meaning of "true decentralization" beyond the buzzword

🔸 Why local communities often have the biggest impact

Kevin also shares his optimism for zero-knowledge tech and privacy-first innovation, and how developer empowerment can bridge global divides.

Enjoy this episode and share it with your friends who're interested in the Ethereum ecosystem!

❤️‍🔥 Guest: Kevin Jones, DevRel Engineer at Edge & Node and The Graph, Founder of Genesys

X: https://x.com/cryptomastery_

BuidlGuidl: https://x.com/buidlguidl

The Graph: https://x.com/graphprotocol

🎙️ Host: Daria Volkova

X: https://x.com/dariastrategy

Farcaster: https://farcaster.xyz/dariastrategy

How much do you know about the biggest crypto heists that changed the industry forever? How did an 18-year-old hacker steal millions, and who were the people who protected the funds? The “Code Is Law” movie brings to light what was hidden for years!

This episode with Daniel Luca, Tech Partner at Eden Block VC and film contributor, gives a raw look at the biggest crypto heists in history and the hackers who claim they broke no laws.

Daniel shares his journey from early Ethereum developer to security auditor, reveals behind-the-scenes stories from The DAO and Indexed Finance hacks, and explores how smart contracts redefine justice, ethics, and accountability in the digital age.

Highlights:

• Behind the making of Code Is Law and its premiere in Cannes
• How did James Craig, the film director, convince Ethereum OGs to share their stories?
• When does code become law?
• What web3 founders must learn from past hacks
• The future of decentralized AI and the ethics of permissionless innovation

This is a deep conversation about code as governance, decentralization as a philosophy, and why security is the invisible art form of web3.

Subscribe to Decentralized Voices on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts for more Web3 deep dives!

❤️‍🔥 Guest: Daniel Luca, Tech Partner at Eden Block VC

X: https://x.com/cleanunicorn

Code Is Law on X: https://x.com/CodeIsLawFilm

🎙️ Host: Daria Volkova

X: https://x.com/dariastrategy

Farcaster: https://farcaster.xyz/dariastrategy

Podcast website: https://decentralizedvoices.xyz