Epicenter - Learn about Crypto, Blockchain, Ethereum, Bitcoin and Distributed Technologies

When it comes to top-tier VCs, very few equal Andreessen Horowitz' (a16z) impressive portfolio, which stretches over both Web2 and Web3. Their crypto venture arm includes investments in most industry verticals, from infrastructure projects to NFTs and blockchain gaming. Constructing such a solid investment thesis requires conviction in the long-term prospects of the industry, as well as an influential network.

We were joined by Ali Yahya, GP at Andreessen Horowitz, to discuss about a16z structure, operations and investment thesis, as well as the broader crypto landscape and value proposition.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Ali’s background
• Why Google didn’t embrace crypto
• a16z’s team structure
• The role of a GP in a VC
• a16z’s thesis when it comes to crypto investing
• Which crypto niches Ali is most bullish on
• Governance vs. platform risk
• Valuation-based investments
• Protocol revenue and monetary premium for L1s
• Token vs. Equity
• How to prevent banking crisis contagion for crypto projects

Episode links:

• Ali Yahya on Twitter
• a16z crypto
• a16z

This episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/494

The end of 2022 and beginning of 2023 were marked by centralised institutions failing: from CEXes to CeFi itself, contagion spread quickly in over-leveraged and opaque entities. Amidst this chaos, (crypto)people turned their hopes, once again, to DeFi. However, in lack of traditional enforcing mechanisms, not even battle-tested decentralised lending protocols could find a solution to provide under-collateralised loans, aka credit. Mars Protocol, with its unique hub & outposts architecture, aims to answer this need in the Cosmos ecosystem, by deploying on Osmosis and tapping into its deep liquidity. From manual leverage to credit and yield farming, Mars will feature a wide suite of DeFi products.

We were joined by Jose Macedo, founder of Delphi Labs, to discuss the history of Delphi Digital, their learnings from incubating projects and the vision behind Mars’ ‘Red Bank’ DeFi products.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Jose’s background
• Delphi Digital’s history
• Incubating projects on Solana and Terra
• Learning from Terra
• The vision behind Mars Protocol
• Mars’ DeFi suite
• Different risk parameters and collaterals
• Mars’ module architecture (outposts) in the Cosmos ecosystem
• How Mars Protocol differs from Osmosis
• Mars Protocol roadmap & Mars v.2
• Ecosystem accelerator

Episode links:

• Jose Macedo on Twitter
• Delphi Labs on Twitter
• Delphi Digital on Twitter
• Mars Protocol on Twitter
• Astroport on Twitter
• Osmosis on Twitter

This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain & Felix Lutsch. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/493

We often take data storage for granted, but the rise of centralised storing facilities (i.e. AWS, GCP, Azure, etc.) hangs over like Damocles’ sword. When it comes to blockchains, full nodes store that network’s complete data history. Even if storage costs are set to decrease as technology evolves, so do blockchains accumulate more data over time. An interesting solution would be to create a decentralised backup for blockchain data and Arweave is a prime candidate for it. There is but a missing link represented by uploading and validating different blockchains’ data. This is where KYVE steps in, offering a decentralised validating solution to verify uploaded blockchain data and even retrieve it from Arweave, on demand. This also extends to off-chain data, opening new possibilities for data availability and scalability.

We were joined by John Letey, founder and CTO of KYVE Network, to discuss the challenges and use cases of decentralised data storage and how blockchain interoperability could benefit from it.

Topics covered in this episode:

• John’s background
• Why KYVE migrated to a Cosmos app-chain
• High-level explanation of KYVE
• KYVE’s data pools and data streams
• How KYVE connects to Arweave
• Validating uploaded blockchain data
• How Arweave works
• KYVE v.2
• How slashing is handled
• KYVE use cases
• Future roadmap

Episode links:

• John Letey on Twitter
• KYVE Network on Twitter
• KYVE Network
• Arweave

This episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Felix Lutsch. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/492

Building a truly decentralised, peer-to-peer network, based on a built-in identity system, limits the ecosystem’s interoperability with the outside world. Onboarding developers and users to Urbit was only the first hurdle. On-ramping crypto was a whole different & daunting task. Uqbar set out to build an execution layer on top of Urbit, enabling smart contracts, which would ultimately settle, via a ZK rollup, on Starknet.

We were joined by Tim Galebach, founder of Uqbar, to discuss the different design choices involved, from Hoon programming DevEx to a hybrid ZK-optimistic rollup.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Tim’s background
• Urbit explained
• How Uqbar took shape
• Integrating crypto in the Urbit stack
• Hoon’s usability and DevEx
• AI-enabled Uqbar
• Uqbar interoperability
• Rollup vs. L1 approach for Uqbar
• Hybrid ZK-optimistic rollup
• Getting from programming in Hoon to ZK proofs
• Use cases for Uqbar & Urbit

Episode links:

• Tim Galebach on Twitter
• Uqbar on Twitter
• Urbit on Twitter
• Uqbar

This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain & Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/491

Considering the abundance of cryto projects launching constantly, making sound investment decisions requires both ample experience in the space, as well as a reliable network. Predicting future trends in such a volatile industry is a skill very few possess, especially since narratives evolve at a rapid pace. Ryan Zurrer is one of the OG participants and investors in the blockchain industry, with an experience of more than 10 years and an impressive portfolio of investments. From BTC mining to ICOs, DeFi and more recently NFTs & play-to-earn gaming (P2E), Ryan has witnessed all the major cycles in crypto.

We were joined by Ryan Zurrer, founder of Dialectic AG, to discuss about the crypto investment landscape and the evolution of the industry from BTC to P2E gaming.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Ryan’s background, from BTC mining to ICOs and P2E gaming
• Keepers in blockchain networks explained
• Axie Infinity and the evolution of play-to-earn gaming
• Web2 vs. Web3 gaming and the importance of communities
• NFTs in art, culture and blockchain gaming
• Traditional vs. digital fine art
• Dialectic’s investment strategies
• MEV & market efficiency
• Geopolitical climate and crypto investments
• Psychedelics & MAPS

Episode links:

• Ryan Zurrer
• Dialectic AG
• Vine Ventures
• MAPS

This episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst & Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/490

When it comes to scaling blockchains, there are 2 main types of off-chain solutions: sidechains and L2s (i.e. rollups, state channels). These are all intended to scale monolithic L1 blockchains. However, the core functional layers of a blockchain could also be reinvisioned as customisable building blocks. This idea led to the creation of modular blockchains, which handle execution, consensus and data availability separately from one another, thus considerably increasing throughput.
Dymension is a Cosmos modular blockchain hub that acts as settlement layer for RollApps (app-specific chains).

Sebastien was joined by Barry, Head of Product at Dymension, to discuss the advantages of developing modular blockchains, their scalability and how RollApps integrate in this environment.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Barry’s background
• The evolution of scaling solutions & Dymension’s RollApps
• The nuances of different types of rollups (L1 vs. L2, Ethereum vs. Cosmos)
• The scalability trilemma and modular blockchains
• Cosmos’ ICS scaling
• The architecture of Dymension and its RDK
• How RollApps choose the data availability layer
• RollApp interoperability
• Incentivising sequencer neutrality
• Network roles in Dymension and differences between SDK & RDK
• Use cases & limitations of RollApps
• Future roadmap

Episode links:

• Barry on Twitter
• Dymension on Twitter
• Dymension's website
• The Interop Podcast on Twitter
• Celestia on Twitter

This episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/489

Scientific research & publishing are gruelling tasks that extend outside the scope of science itself. Centralised publications abound in archaic practices that span from submitting a paper to getting it peer-reviewed and finally published, process which may take even up to years. In addition, research requires funding from very early stages of pursuing an idea, all the way to its finality (i.e. clinical trial or real-life applications). In TradSci (traditional science), funding is usually obtained once progress has already been achieved or when a startup has been formed.
DeSci (decentralised science) sets out to change this paradigm by funding early stage research via DAOs. When it comes to scientific publications, peer reviewing is also decentralised and incentivised, considerably speeding up the process. Moreover, contributions can be clearly retraced, avoiding false claims over IP, and the research itself becomes much more easily accessible and disseminated.

We were joined by Vincent Weisser & Laurence Ion, stewards of Vita DAO, to discuss the advantages of DeSci in general, and the progress of longevity research in particular.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Vincent’s background and his interest in longevity
• Laurence’s background and his interest in biotech
• The purpose of DeSci
• Which science branch is better suited for DeSci
• How DeSci fixes contribution acknowledgement & incentive misalignment
• From research idea to startup via DeSci funding
• $VITA token utility
• Accelerating scientific publishing via DeSci
• How IP is attributed in a DeSci setting
• Project review and governance in Vita DAO

Episode links:

• Vincent Weisser
• Laurence Ion
• Vita DAO
• Molecule DAO
• Vita DAO projects
• Molecule
• Bio DAO launchpad
• The Longevity Prize
• The Longevity Decentralized Review

This episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst & Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/488

While Part 1 (#486) focused on the technological advancements that allowed proofs to be generated in a practical manner, lowering both the time and the hardware requirements, in this episode, we take a closer look at the use cases of different types of zk rollups and how they could promote blockchain mass adoption. Polygon's zk EVM equivalence, coupled with low transaction fees, promise a frictionless user experience. As with all L2 rollups, sequencer decentralisation remains a pressing issue that needs to be solved.

We were joined by Jordi Baylina (tech lead) & David Schwartz (CTO) from Polygon's zkEVM, to discuss the relationship between Polygon's multiple zk rollups, their use cases, as well as network statistics for zk-EVM.

Topics covered in this episode:

• The relationship between Polygon and zkEVM
• The differences between Polygon’s multiple zk rollups
• Network participant roles in zkEVM
• Transaction submission stages
• Sequencer decentralisation
• Transaction costs
• Use cases for different zk rollups
• Open-sourceness, decentralisation and the licensing of zkEVM’s prover
• The decentralised identity project (DID)
• Roadmap after main-net launch

Episode links:

• Polygon zkEVM – From Circuits to Mainnet – Part 1
• Jordi Baylina on Twitter
• David Schwartz on Twitter
• Polygon zkEVM on Twitter

Sponsors:

• Omni: Access all of Web3 in one easy-to-use wallet! Earn and manage assets at once with Omni's built-in staking, yield vaults, bridges, swaps and NFT support.
  https://omni.app/ -

This episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst & Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/487

With the upcoming launch of Polygon's zkEVM mainnet, L2s are undoubtedly a huge narrative that is unfolding in 2023. It is time to take a step back and recognise the incredible amount of effort that has gone into researching and building L2 scaling solutions in general and zk rollups in particular. Tech-wise, we barely scratched the surface of general purpose processors that can handle zk circuits, so there is still tremendous room to grow. As layer 2s become more efficient, so will the applications that are dependent on blockchain throughput.

We were joined by Jordi Baylina (tech lead) & David Schwartz (CTO) from Polygon's zkEVM, to discuss the different milestones & challenges they had to overcome in designing a zk rollup, from circuits to mainnet.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Jordi’s & David’s backgrounds
• The idea behind Hermez Network
• zkEVM scaling & validity proofs
• How different ZK rollup models function
• What challenges zkEVM encountered during development
• Evolutionary pathways in the realm of ZKPs
• Auditing zkEVM
• Trusted setup requirement for zkEVM

Episode links:

• Jordi Baylina on Twitter
• David Schwartz on Twitter
• Polygon zkEVM on Twitter

Sponsors:

• Omni: Access all of Web3 in one easy-to-use wallet! Earn and manage assets at once with Omni's built-in staking, yield vaults, bridges, swaps and NFT support.
  https://omni.app/ -

This episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst & Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/486

Layer 2 scaling solutions are widely regarded as the next step forward in the mainstream adoption of crypto as they enable higher throughput and lower transaction fees. Coinbase’s recent announcement of building an optimistic rollup solution called Base is proof (no pun intended) that major centralized actors view this as an opportunity to onboard new users in a decentralized crypto economy. The following years will abound in innovation as both optimistic and zero-knowledge rollup solutions still have plenty of room to grow, but the involvement of centralized entities will act as a catalyst from a technological, as well as a regulatory standpoint.

We were joined by Jesse Pollak, Head of Protocol at Coinbase, to discuss the thesis & business model behind Base and how it will act as an interoperable bridge to onboard the next billion users on-chain.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Jesse’s background and his role as Head of Protocol at Coinbase
• Base’s business model & thesis
• Building on the Optimism stack
• Permissionlessness
• How regulations are going to influence users of Base (vs. Coinbase)
• Learning from the competition (BSC)
• Different fee markets to offset transaction costs
• Why Base chose the Optimism stack
• Base’s upgradeability
• Tackling Optimism’s withdrawal period
• Bootstrapping Base
• Future roadmap and mainnet timeline

Episode links:

• Jesse Pollak on Twitter
• Base on Twitter
• Coinbase on Twitter
• Optimism on Twitter

Sponsors:

• Omni: Access all of Web3 in one easy-to-use wallet! Earn and manage assets at once with Omni's built-in staking, yield vaults, bridges, swaps and NFT support.
  https://omni.app/ -

This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain & Friederike Ernst. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/485