Gm! This week Cosmo Jiang joins the show to discuss Pantera's latest Solana treasury company, Helius. We deep dive into why Pantera is so bullish on Solana—with over $1 billion in disclosed SOL holdings—how to structure a DAT deal, what’s next for Helius, and more. Enjoy!

--

Follow Cosmo: https://x.com/cosmo_jiang

Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave

Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq

Subscribe to the Lightspeed Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/lightspeed

Join the Lightspeed Telegram: https://t.me/+QUl_ZOj2nMJlZTEx

--

Crypto’s premiere institutional conference returns to London in October 2025. Use code LIGHT100 for £100 off at checkout: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2025-london

--

Katana directs chain revenue back to DeFi users for consistently higher yields.

It starts with VaultBridge, which turns bridged assets into yield streams that back a perpetually funded real yield, boosting rewards for DeFi users. Katana is pioneering Productive TVL, assets actually being used in DeFi and reinforces this with Chain-owned Liquidity, permanent liquidity the chain controls. Stop sleeping on your bags: https://app.katana.network/?utm_source=BW-Pod

--

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

--(00:00) Introduction

(06:49) Katana Ad

(07:51) Why Pantera Launched Helius

(21:09) Why Should DATs Trade At A Premium To NAV?

(29:02) Katana Ad

(30:04) The Helius Acquisition Strategy

(32:09) The Role Of DATs On Crypto Foundations

(39:02) What’s Next For Helius?

(43:38) Structuring DAT Deals

(48:07) Final Thoughts

--

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.

Gm! This week Chris Chung joins the show to discuss Titan's recent $7m seed round. We deep dive into what's next for Titan, building on Solana, the future of onchain capital markets, the state of DEX aggregators on Solana & more. Enjoy!

--

Fowllow Chris: https://x.com/realRockyChung

Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave

Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq

Subscribe to the Lightspeed Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/lightspeed

Join the Lightspeed Telegram: https://t.me/+QUl_ZOj2nMJlZTEx

--

Crypto’s premiere institutional conference returns to London in October 2025. Use code LIGHT100 for £100 off at checkout: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2025-london

--

Katana is a DeFi-first chain built for deep liquidity and real yield, by redirecting chain revenue back to active DeFi users.

The 1 billion KAT campaign is live. Bridge and deposit directly into vaults in one simple click and start earning immediately on your ETH, BTC, USDC, and more. Go to app.katana.network to check it out.

--

Katana directs chain revenue back to DeFi users for consistently higher yields.

It starts with VaultBridge, which turns bridged assets into yield streams that back a perpetually funded real yield, boosting rewards for DeFi users. Katana is pioneering Productive TVL, assets actually being used in DeFi and reinforces this with Chain-owned Liquidity, permanent liquidity the chain controls. Stop sleeping on your bags: https://app.katana.network/?utm_source=BW-Pod

--

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

--

(00:00) Introduction

(02:26) What Is Titan?

(04:58) How To Get The Best Price For Users?

(09:49) The Titan Origin Story

(12:10) Katana Ad

(13:12) Onchain Capital Markets Built On Solana

(15:22) The Titan Business Model

(19:43) The State Of DEX Aggregators On Solana

(26:44) The Ultimate Vision For Titan

(28:27) Katana Ad

(29:30) The Rise Of Prop AMMs

(40:04) The Impact Of Alpenglow

(43:14) The Future Of Internet Capital Markets

--

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.

Gm! This week Tuomas Holmberg joins the show to discuss the future of onchain collectibles. We deep dive into what is Collector Crypt, finding product market fit, building on Solana, integrating with DeFi, the future of onchain marketplaces & more. Enjoy!

--

Follow Tuom: https://x.com/TuomHolmberg

Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave

Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq

Subscribe to the Lightspeed Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/lightspeed

Join the Lightspeed Telegram: https://t.me/+QUl_ZOj2nMJlZTEx

--

Crypto’s premiere institutional conference returns to London in October 2025. Use code LIGHT100 for £100 off at checkout: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2025-london

--

Katana is a DeFi-first chain built for deep liquidity and real yield, by redirecting chain revenue back to active DeFi users.

The 1 billion KAT campaign is live. Bridge and deposit directly into vaults in one simple click and start earning immediately on your ETH, BTC, USDC, and more. Go to app.katana.network to check it out.

--

Katana directs chain revenue back to DeFi users for consistently higher yields.

It starts with VaultBridge, which turns bridged assets into yield streams that back a perpetually funded real yield, boosting rewards for DeFi users. Katana is pioneering Productive TVL, assets actually being used in DeFi and reinforces this with Chain-owned Liquidity, permanent liquidity the chain controls. Stop sleeping on your bags: https://app.katana.network/?utm_source=BW-Pod

--

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

--

(00:00) Introduction

(01:43) What Is Collector Crypt?

(13:25) Katana Ad

(14:27) Finding PMF & Building On Solana

(21:24) Integrating With DeFi

(25:00) Creating Accurate Pricing Data

(28:30) Katana Ad

(29:32) Collector Crypt’s Gacha Machine

(42:17) Airdrops

(54:31) Will Collector Crypt Roll Out Livestreaming?

--

Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Gm! This week FP Lee joins the show to discuss the next chapter of Sanctum. We deep dive into the future of liquid staking on Solana, LST market share, how does Sanctum generate revenue, the impact of DATs in DeFi & more. Enjoy!

--

(00:00) Introduction

(03:32) The Sanctum Business Model

(07:22) LST Market Dominance

(11:23) Katana Ad

(12:16) Eigenlayer Ad

(13:15) Sanctum: The Clearing House For Staked SOL

(16:29) Sanctum’s Thesis On LSTs

(19:49) Execution Risk

(23:32) The Future Of Liquid Staking On Solana

(29:32) The Role Of Jito

(33:02) Katana Ad

(33:54) Eigenlayer Ad

(34:55) A New Era For Sanctum

(38:35) How Does Sanctum Generate Revenue?

(41:27) Are DATs A New Catalyst For DeFi?

(44:35) Futarchy

(50:45) Crypto’s Token Incentives

(53:47) Final Thoughts

--

Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Gm! This week Hester Peirce joins the show to discuss the current state of crypto regulation. We deep dive into the SEC's current outlook on regulation, the crypto task force initiative, tokenization, what Hester wants to achieve at the SEC & more. Enjoy!

--

Follow Hester: https://x.com/HesterPeirce

Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave

Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq

Subscribe to the Lightspeed Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/lightspeed

Join the Lightspeed Telegram: https://t.me/+QUl_ZOj2nMJlZTEx

--

Crypto’s premiere institutional conference returns to London in October 2025. Use code LIGHT100 for £100 off at checkout: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2025-london

--

Katana is a DeFi-first chain built for deep liquidity and real yield, by redirecting chain revenue back to active DeFi users.

The 1 billion KAT campaign is live. Bridge and deposit directly into vaults in one simple click and start earning immediately on your ETH, BTC, USDC, and more. Go to app.katana.network to check it out.

--

Is your treasury losing value to inflation? Learn how to make digital assets like ETH and SOL productive with uncorrelated, protocol-driven staking rewards. A new report from Liquid Collective and EigenCloud outlines a practical guide for CFOs to integrate institutional-grade staking and restaking.

Read The Productive Treasury Report: https://liquidcollective.io/corporate-treasury-staking/

--

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

--

(00:00) Introduction

(01:42) Working With The CFTC

(08:06) Is Hester On Crypto Twitter?

(10:57) Katana Ad

(11:48) Eigenlayer Ad

(12:49) Crypto Innovation vs Regulation

(22:12) Regulatory Clarity In 2025

(35:26) Katana Ad

(36:16) Eigenlayer Ad

(37:18) The Crypto Task Force

(43:39) Liquid Staking

(46:06) Tokenized Equities

(50:55) What Hester Wants To Achieve At The SEC

--

Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Gm! This week Brandon Potts joins the show to discuss Solana's next catalyst. We deep dive into the state of Solana, DeFi 2.0, the impact of institutions on crypto markets, are ETFs & DATs underpriced by the market & more. Enjoy!

--

Follow Brandon: https://x.com/b_potts23

Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave

Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq

Subscribe to the Lightspeed Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/lightspeed

Join the Lightspeed Telegram: https://t.me/+QUl_ZOj2nMJlZTEx

--

Crypto’s premiere institutional conference returns to London in October 2025. Use code LIGHT100 for £100 off at checkout: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2025-london

--

Katana is a DeFi-first chain built for deep liquidity and real yield, by redirecting chain revenue back to active DeFi users.

The 1 billion KAT campaign is live. Bridge and deposit directly into vaults in one simple click and start earning immediately on your ETH, BTC, USDC, and more. Go to app.katana.network to check it out.

--

Is your treasury losing value to inflation? Learn how to make digital assets like ETH and SOL productive with uncorrelated, protocol-driven staking rewards. A new report from Liquid Collective and EigenCloud outlines a practical guide for CFOs to integrate institutional-grade staking and restaking.

Read The Productive Treasury Report: https://liquidcollective.io/corporate-treasury-staking/

--

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

--

(00:00) Introduction

(03:47) The State Of Solana

(05:57) Will DATs & ETFs Be SOL’s Next Catalyst?

(19:04) Katana Ad

(19:56) Eigenlayer Ad

(20:57) Does Onchain Activity Matter For Token Price?

(30:21) Stablecoins & DeFi 2.0

(37:43) Katana Ad

(38:34) Eigenlayer Ad

(39:36) Crypto’s Value Proposition

(54:25) How Does Solana Compete With Alt L1’s?

(59:20) The Solana End Game

--

Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Gm! This week Sang Kim joins the show to discuss Fragmetric & the future of Solana DeFi. We deep dive into generating yield, the role of DATs in the SOL ecosystem, the crypto industry in Korea & more. Enjoy!

--

Follow Sang: https://x.com/sangdotsol

Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave

Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq

Subscribe to the Lightspeed Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/lightspeed

Join the Lightspeed Telegram: https://t.me/+QUl_ZOj2nMJlZTEx

--

Crypto’s premiere institutional conference returns to London in October 2025. Use code LIGHT100 for £100 off at checkout: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2025-london

--

Katana is a DeFi-first chain built for deep liquidity and real yield, by redirecting chain revenue back to active DeFi users.

The 1 billion KAT campaign is live. Bridge and deposit directly into vaults in one simple click and start earning immediately on your ETH, BTC, USDC, and more. Go to app.katana.network to check it out.

--

Is your treasury losing value to inflation? Learn how to make digital assets like ETH and SOL productive with uncorrelated, protocol-driven staking rewards. A new report from Liquid Collective and EigenCloud outlines a practical guide for CFOs to integrate institutional-grade staking and restaking.

Read The Productive Treasury Report: https://liquidcollective.io/corporate-treasury-staking/

--

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

--

(00:00) Introduction

(02:19) What Is Fragmetric?

(09:13) How Does Fragmetric Generate Yield?

(14:38) Katana Ad

(15:30) Eigenlayer Ad

(16:31) Are DATs Bullish For Solana DeFi?

(22:20) Which DATs Will Benefit From DeFi Strategies

(29:34) Katana Ad

(30:26) Eigenlayer Ad

(31:27) Crypto In Korea

(42:18) Lessons Post TGE

(50:00) What’s Next For Fragmetric?

--

Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Gm! This week Carlos Gonzalez Campo joins the show to discuss the latest SOL DAT announcements. We deep dive into the impacts of DATs, VanEck's JitoSOL ETF filing, the launchpad wars & more. Enjoy!

--

Follow Carlos: https://x.com/0xcarlosg

Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave

Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq

Subscribe to the Lightspeed Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/lightspeed

Join the Lightspeed Telegram: https://t.me/+QUl_ZOj2nMJlZTEx

--

Blockworks Careers: https://blockworks.co/careers

--

Crypto’s premiere institutional conference returns to London in October 2025. Use code LIGHT100 for £100 off at checkout: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2025-london

--

Katana is a DeFi-first chain built for deep liquidity and real yield, by redirecting chain revenue back to active DeFi users.

The 1 billion KAT campaign is live. Bridge and deposit directly into vaults in one simple click and start earning immediately on your ETH, BTC, USDC, and more. Go to app.katana.network to check it out.

--

Is your treasury losing value to inflation? Learn how to make digital assets like ETH and SOL productive with uncorrelated, protocol-driven staking rewards. A new report from Liquid Collective and EigenCloud outlines a practical guide for CFOs to integrate institutional-grade staking and restaking.

Read The Productive Treasury Report: https://liquidcollective.io/corporate-treasury-staking/

--

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

--

(00:00) Introduction

(04:31) More Solana DATs Are Coming

(12:31) Katana Ad

(13:22) Eigenlayer Ad

(14:23) How To Make A DAT Successful On Solana

(23:09) VanEck Files A JitoSOL ETF

(28:45) Alpenglow: Solana’s 100x Improvement

(37:29) Katana Ad

(38:27) Eigenlayer Ad

(39:22) The Launchpad Wars

(51:09) Prop AMMs

--

Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Gm! This week Chris Hermida joins the show to discuss the rise of prop AMMs & their impact on Solana. We deep dive into what are prop AMMs, how do they actually work, why order flow is so important & more. Enjoy!

--

Follow Chris: https://x.com/hermidao1

Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave

Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq

Subscribe to the Lightspeed Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/lightspeed

Join the Lightspeed Telegram: https://t.me/+QUl_ZOj2nMJlZTEx

--

Crypto’s premiere institutional conference returns to London in October 2025. Use code LIGHT100 for £100 off at checkout: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2025-london

--

Katana is a DeFi-first chain built for deep liquidity and real yield, by redirecting chain revenue back to active DeFi users.

The 1 billion KAT campaign is live. Bridge and deposit directly into vaults in one simple click and start earning immediately on your ETH, BTC, USDC, and more. Go to app.katana.network to check it out.

--

Is your treasury losing value to inflation? Learn how to make digital assets like ETH and SOL productive with uncorrelated, protocol-driven staking rewards. A new report from Liquid Collective and EigenCloud outlines a practical guide for CFOs to integrate institutional-grade staking and restaking.

Read The Productive Treasury Report: https://liquidcollective.io/corporate-treasury-staking/

--

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

--

(00:00) Introduction

(03:07) What Are Prop AMMs?

(09:46) Katana Ad

(10:37) Eigenlayer Ad

(11:32) AMM Adoption On Solana

(23:27) How Do Prop AMMs Actually Work?

(25:50) How Will Prop AMMs Impact Solana DeFi?

(32:55) Katana Ad

(33:47) Eigenlayer Ad

(34:48) Why Order Flow Is So Important

(46:38) Liquidity & Volume Onchain

(51:27) Final Thoughts

--

Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Gm! This week Kash Dhanda & Samyak Jain join the show to discuss the announcment of Jupiter Lend. We deep dive into Jupiter's partnership with Fluid, the future of DeFi, Jupiter's ultimate vision & more. Enjoy!

--

Follow Kash: https://x.com/kashdhanda

Follow Samyak: https://x.com/smykjain

Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave

Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq

Subscribe to the Lightspeed Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/lightspeed

Join the Lightspeed Telegram: https://t.me/+QUl_ZOj2nMJlZTEx

--

Crypto’s premiere institutional conference returns to London in October 2025. Use code LIGHT100 for £100 off at checkout: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2025-london

--

Lightspeed surveyed over 50 crypto pros on what they think about Solana tokens over the next twelve months — are they bullish or bearish - https://lightspeed-4bed7b.beehiiv.com/c/solana-token-survey

--

Katana is a DeFi-first chain built for deep liquidity and real yield, by redirecting chain revenue back to active DeFi users.

The 1 billion KAT campaign is live. Bridge and deposit directly into vaults in one simple click and start earning immediately on your ETH, BTC, USDC, and more. Go to app.katana.network to check it out.

--

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

--

(00:00) Introduction

(02:33) Partnering With Fluid

(08:56) What Is Jupiter Lend?

(11:58) Katana Ad

(12:56) What Is Fluid?

(17:19) Launching Fluid On Solana

(21:39) Partnering vs Acquisition

(26:44) Launching With Liquidity Incentives

(28:02) Katana Ad

(29:00) Jupiter’s Ultimate Vision

(37:31) The Future Of Borrow/Lend

(41:42) The Future Of DeFi

(45:45) The Future Of Perps

(50:49) The Jupiter End Game

(53:33) What’s Next For Fluid?

--

Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.