In this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Eunice Giarta, Co-Founder of Monad, a new blockchain that just launched on mainnet. Eunice explains Monad’s design philosophy, the team’s focus on distribution and decentralization, and why the public token sale with Coinbase represents a new approach to retail access.

They also discuss Monad’s viral airdrop campaign, the team’s long-term vision for performance on EVM, and what the launch means for developers building DeFi, gaming, consumer apps, and new real-time experiences onchain.This episode is sponsored by Forgd. Thousands of Web3 projects leverage Forgd’s free tools to design smarter tokenomics, engage market makers on fair terms, plan listings strategically, and monitor liquidity after launch. Start using the Forgd platform for free, or sign up for white-glove advisory services, at Forgd.com

Timestamps

(00:00) - Why distribution and decentralization matter for Monad

(00:17) - Introduction to Eunice Giarta & Monad’s launch week

(01:42) - How the team prepared for mainnet and the Coinbase public sale

(02:36) - Why Monad chose a public token sale model

(03:10) - Day-1 validator distribution and network participation

(04:18) - Rethinking token sales and reaching new audiences

(05:39) - The viral airdrop: design, gamification, and community reaction

(08:22) - Keeping new users engaged & building long-term community value

(11:02) - Why launch another L1? Eunice’s differentiation argument

(12:38) - Monad’s origin story and the idea of “Solana speed on EVM”

(14:45) - How performance engineering shaped Monad’s architecture

(17:21) - Competing or coexisting with Ethereum and Solana

(19:47) - What will launch on Monad: DeFi, order books, gaming, betting

(22:19) - Expected number of apps live at mainnet

(22:57) - The roadmap for Monad

(25:28) - How Monad changes design constraints for developers

(27:11) - Expanding into payments, remittances & stablecoin infrastructure

(29:57) - What healthy long-term ecosystem growth looks like

(31:00) - Real-time settlement & long-term vision for blockchain

(32:04) - Final advice from Eunice

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