Empire

In today's episode Jason and Santi are joined by Solana Labs founder and CEO Anatoly Yakovenko and Ben Sparango, the Head of Strategic Business Development. The duo has returned to discuss Solana's progress beyond the FTX fallout. They dive into Solana's priorities around scaling, fees, and alignment incentives between builders and validators. Anatoly elaborates on the network effects of open-sourcing core technology like the SVM, while Ben highlights mobile adoption and NFTs as driving new crypto demand. They debate the trajectory for permissionless finance to run mainstream markets on Solana, and whether the Saga phone can make a dent in Apple and Google's distribution monopolies. We hope you enjoy!

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Follow Anatoly: https://twitter.com/aeyakovenko

Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz

Follow Santiago: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel

Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod

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Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/

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Arbitrum is a game-changer for daily Ethereum's users and developers, offering top applications and lower fees. As the leading scaling solution with 600+ apps, explore Arbitrum’s Portal to find your perfect fit. Interact with the home of DeFi, a flourishing NFT and creator ecosystem, and a rapidly growing Web3 gaming hub – Arbitrum has it all. 

Get started at:

portal.arbitrum.io 

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Harpie is the most advanced on-chain security solution for monitoring and protecting your crypto wallet from theft in real time. Harpie detects, blocks, and recovers compromised assets from malicious transactions before they execute, and is the only security tool to also protect users from off-chain signature attacks like the recent Ledger Connect Kit exploit.

Secure your wallet for free at harpie.io.

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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 EMPIRE10 to get 10% 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

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Timestamps

(02:00) The Solana Recovery Post SBF

(10:30) Priorities for Solana Development

(22:14) The Next Gen L1 Case for Builders

(24:56) Economics of the SVM

(34:17) State of Solana Fee Market

(48:18) Inflation & Staking Dynamics

(51:17) DAS 2024

(52:32) Arbitrum Ad

(53:18) Harpie Ad

(54:32) Open Source & Security Approach

(01:02:02) Governance & Alignment

(01:12:25) The Value of Permisionless Systems

(01:19:04) Saga Mobile Strategy & Potential

(01:25:14) Remaining Moonshot Ideas

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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.

In today's episode of Empire Santi and Jason dive into recent crypto market volatility triggered by an analyst report forecasting SEC rejection of a spot Bitcoin ETF. They discuss the risks of overleveraging during bull runs, debate the usefulness of "economic security," and managing greed in seek of high yields. The conversation then turns to an in-depth analysis of the emerging trend of "restaking" protocols and discuss concerns about adding fragility and centralization risks. To close out they discuss the pending SEC decisions around several Bitcoin ETF filings . Thanks for tuning in!

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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 EMPIRE10 to get 10% 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

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Resources

Andrew Kang Post

https://x.com/Rewkang/status/1742011188609712263

Marginal Revolution: Automatic Tax Filing?

https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2022/05/automatic-tax-filing.html

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Timestamps

(00:00) Buying Nike Sneakers & Meeting Fashion

(02:51) The Market Nuke

(10:51) Using Leverage vs Holding Spot

(27:32) ETF Updates

(34:07) Crypto Tax Reporting Obligations

(42:12) Restaking: A Risk?

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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.

In today's episode of Empire Santi and Jason reveal their 2024 crypto predictions across Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, DeFi, NFTs, gaming, and more. They debate whether Solana can flip Ethereum, if restaking products and NFTs will explode, if Coinbase becomes a bank, and if prediction markets finally go mainstream. They also discuss macro trends, regulatory risks, social fi, and end with price targets. Don't miss their unfiltered predictions for 2024.

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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/

- -

Harpie is the most advanced on-chain security solution for monitoring and protecting your crypto wallet from theft in real time. Harpie detects, blocks, and recovers compromised assets from malicious transactions before they execute, and is the only security tool to also protect users from off-chain signature attacks like the recent Ledger Connect Kit exploit. Secure your wallet for free at harpie.io.

- -

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

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Resources

https://www.helius.dev/blog/what-is-firedancer

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:20) 2024: The Risk On Year

(03:39) Solana Closes in on MC of Eth

(10:00) Growth of NFTs

(13:13) Unicorns made in Solana

(15:55) Bitcoin Wakes Up

(18:58) A Restaking Bug & Hottest Narrative

(22:19) AI Peak Mania

(25:19) Does OG DeFi Comeback?

(33:00) DAS 2024

(34:17) Harpie Ad

(35:32) L2 Predictions

(40:32) Coinbase Becomes a Bank

(48:13) Biggest Catalyst in Crypto

(57:49) NFA Price Predictions

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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.

In this episode, host Santi dives into AI and it's intersection with Crypto. Joined by Casey and Daniel, they investigate AI's key innovations, centralizing tendency, and the importance of zero-knowledge proofs in merging AI and crypto. They address the potential challenges and opportunities presented by decentralized networks and GPUs. The chat extends to AI regulation, non-deterministic AI's issues in production, and AI model insurance. Stay tuned for all of this and much more!

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Follow Casey: https://twitter.com/caseykcaruso

Follow Daniel: https://twitter.com/realDanielShorr

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/

- -

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

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Timestamps

(00:02) Evolution and State of AI

(18:03) Model Specialization

(30:37) Productization of AI

(34:46) Crypto & AI Intersection

(49:34) DAS 2024

(50:51) How Real is AI & Crypto

(01:00:08) Performant Blockchains vs Ethereum

(01:09:32) Decentralized Compute & Equitable GPU Access

(01:17:18) First Crypto & AI Unlocks

(01:32:18) AI & Crypto Debate

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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.

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!

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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

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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

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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.

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!

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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

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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?

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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.

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

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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!

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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/

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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

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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?

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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.

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!

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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!

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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

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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

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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?

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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

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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.

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.

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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

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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

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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.