In Episode 50 of Chain Reactions, Blake sits down with Nadia Sergujuk, Co-Founder of Lagoon, the permissionless vault management infrastructure that wants to become the State Street of digital assets. With a background spanning Danish law schools, PWC Legal in London, hedge funds managing $10B+ in AUM, and VC investing in deep tech, Nadia brings a rare cross-disciplinary lens to one of the fastest-growing categories in DeFi.

We cover:– How Nadia went from law school in Copenhagen to hedge funds in London to co-founding an on-chain vault protocol– What vault management infrastructure actually is and why every stablecoin dollar eventually needs one– Why Lagoon's team put their own capital in first and how word of mouth drove early traction– The stablecoin explosion, neo banks in emerging markets, and why the digital dollar is eating the world– Privacy on-chain, the rise of institutional chains, and what keeps Nadia up at night (hint: quantum computing and the triple bubble)

We also get into regulation as a tailwind, why Japan is the most slept-on institutional market in crypto, the innovator's dilemma facing Western Union and Visa, and why founder-led marketing beats KOLs every time.

Timestamps

• 00:00 – Going live and Nadia joins from the Swiss Alps
• 04:00 – From law school in Denmark to hedge funds in London
• 06:30 – First exposure to Bitcoin in 2016 (and not buying it)
• 08:20 – COVID, DeFi summer, and going all in on crypto
• 09:30 – Meeting co-founder Remy at a conference in Bogota
• 11:27 – What is Lagoon? Vault management infrastructure explained
• 13:30 – Why permissionless and open source matters for trust
• 16:26 – Business model: 10% of vault fees plus SaaS services
• 18:00 – Go-to-market: putting your own money in the vaults first
• 20:45 – BlackRock, Fidelity, and the TradFi wave coming on-chain faster than expected
• 22:23 – Why regulation is actually a tailwind for Lagoon
• 25:36 – Japan as the most slept-on institutional crypto market
• 28:00 – Neo banks, stablecoin yield, and serving emerging markets
• 30:30 – Why the digital dollar is irresistible in LatAm, Africa, and Southeast Asia
• 37:00 – Conference circuit: DAF London, DAS New York, and founder-led presence
• 40:06 – What keeps Nadia up at night: quantum compute and the triple bubble
• 45:23 – Chain landscape: Solana's DeFi renaissance and BTCFi's comeback
• 48:04 – Privacy on-chain: why institutions need it and how Lagoon will enable it
• 51:35 – Rapid fire: founder-led marketing, KOLs, Merkl, and the power of people

Show Notes & Mentions

• 🔗 Lagoon – Permissionless vault management infrastructure for digital assets
• 🧵 Nadia on X
• 🧵 Lagoon on X
• 🏔️ DAS (Digital Asset Summit) – Upcoming in March in New York

In Episode 49 of Chain Reactions, we sit down with Mashal Waqar, Head of Marketing at Octant, and get a surprise drop-in from Griff Green, Founder of Giveth, to dig into how public goods funding actually works on Ethereum and why it matters more now than ever.

We cover:– How Octant's model works: lock GLM, earn ETH, and choose to fund public goods or keep the yield– The surprisingly heated debate over what counts as a "public good" (yes, Pizza DAO came up)– Why blockchain unlocks speed, transparency, and community-driven capital allocation that traditional grants can't match– Griff's wild story of The DAO hack, how edge case funds turned into $200M+, and the launch of the new DAO Security Fund– The case for an Ethereum security coalition and why L2s need to fund shared infrastructure

Mashal shares her journey from running a media company with tens of millions of readers to burning out, discovering crypto through NFTs and Gitcoin, and co-authoring the first State of Web3 Grants report.

We also get into real-world impact stories, from funding water filters in Gaza to helping doctors in Syria get paid through crypto, and why sustainable funding through DeFi yield beats depleting treasuries. Plus, a great riff on AI in public goods, the Zakat use case for crypto, and why execution beats everything.

Timestamps

00:00 – Intro and what's on everyone's timeline right now02:08 – Welcome to Chain Reactions and introducing Mashal from Octant03:54 – Mashal's journey from media founder to crypto marketer06:28 – How NFTs and Crypto Covens pulled her back into Web308:53 – Co-authoring the first State of Web3 Grants report and discovering Octant10:25 – What Octant is and how the GLM staking model works13:15 – What actually counts as a public good (and the Pizza DAO debate)16:49 – The $1M Ethereum creator round and lessons from vetting 1,000+ applications18:30 – DeFi vaults, sustainable funding, and the new StreamVote experiment23:30 – Why blockchain unlocks faster, more transparent funding than traditional grants26:34 – Remittances, financial access, and the personal case for crypto in emerging markets33:24 – Griff joins: founding Giveth, The DAO hack, and rescuing $200M+ in edge case funds39:21 – The multiplier effect and why matching makes it hard not to donate44:18 – Launching the DAO Security Fund inspired by Octant's model48:45 – AI experiments at Octant, building with AI, and the case for AI in public goods56:29 – Vitalik's L2 tax tweet, Ethereum sustainability, and the need for a security coalition1:00:00 – Rapid fire: execution beats everything and don't count your chickens

Show Notes & Mentions

• 🧠 Octant – Public goods funding platform on Ethereum
• 🎁 Giveth – Donation platform and public goods movement since 2016
• 🧵 Mashal on X
• 🧵 Griff on X
• 🧵 Octant on X
• 🧵 Giveth on X
• 🏗️ DAO Security Fund – Griff's new project to secure DAO funds and fund Ethereum security
• 🪙 Golem / GLM – Token powering Octant's staking and funding model
• 🌱 Gitcoin – Grants platform for open source and public goods
• 🍕 Pizza DAO – Community funding pizza parties worldwide (public good or not?)
• 🤖 Virtuals / 60days.ai – AI agent launchpad mentioned by Griff
• ⭐ Stellar – Referenced for crypto-powered aid to doctors in Syria
• 📊 [Blockchain for Good Report](https://docsend.com/v/9dm2p/myosin-blockchainsforgood](https://docsend.com/v/9dm2p/myosin-blockchainsforgood)) – Myosin's collaborative research report on blockchain impact

In Episode 48 of Chain Reactions, we sit down with Ben Sanders, Chief Growth Officer at [Rootstock Labs](https://rootstock.io/), to unpack what it takes to grow the oldest Bitcoin sidechain in an industry obsessed with short-term wins.Ben came into crypto with zero degen credentials. His background spans management consulting at Bain, go-to-market at WorldPay ahead of their IPO, and executive roles at fintech startups like Chipper Cash. He joined Rootstock for an interim role and ended up staying to lead growth for a chain that's been quietly building Bitcoin programmability for nearly a decade.**We cover:**- How Ben learned Bitcoin, crypto, and Rootstock all at once (with no prior Web3 experience)- The origin of Rootstock: Argentinian Bitcoiners building EVM compatibility on Bitcoin before it was cool- Why Rootstock is the "next best thing to Bitcoin" with 90% of Bitcoin's hash rate- The 3 A's framework for growth: Awareness, Attractiveness, Accessibility- Market entry strategies for Korea (retail, CEX listings) vs Japan (institutional, relationship-driven)- Rootstock Institutional and the $260B opportunity in dormant Bitcoin- Why long-term brand building is the most underrated tactic in Web3We also get into TradFi-DeFi convergence, why airdrops are overrated, and what it means to "run your own race" when every project around you is chasing flavor-of-the-month narratives.---**Timestamps**00:00 – Intro and getting started02:00 – Ben's path: Bain, WorldPay, fintech startups, zero crypto background05:30 – Learning Bitcoin, crypto, and Rootstock all at once07:30 – The shift back to utility and self-sovereignty of money09:30 – What is Rootstock: Argentinian Bitcoiners and programmable Bitcoin11:30 – Rootstock vs Rootstock Labs vs RIF token explained14:00 – First priority as CGO: interoperability and on-ramps17:00 – Why Rootstock over other Bitcoin L2s (safety, security, hash rate)20:00 – Bitcoin holders vs retail degens: different audiences, different approaches24:00 – The 3 A's framework: Awareness, Attractiveness, Accessibility26:00 – Market entry into Korea and Japan with Myosin28:30 – Korea Blockchain Week and the Korbit listing31:00 – 2026 focus: consolidation over expansion32:30 – Rootstock Institutional and unlocking $260B in dormant Bitcoin40:00 – TradFi and DeFi convergence: the industry is finally catching up44:00 – Where Rootstock fits as the space matures47:00 – Alpha for Bitcoin holders: what's coming in the next 6-9 months51:00 – Rapid fire: most underrated marketing tactic (long-term brand building)53:30 – Rapid fire: most overrated tactic (airdrops, renting TVL)55:30 – Projects doing it right: Morpho, Midas, Wheeler57:30 – Biggest learning: stay focused, run your own race---**Show Notes & Mentions**- 🔗 [Rootstock](https://rootstock.io/) – The longest-running Bitcoin sidechain with EVM compatibility- 🧵 [Rootstock on X](https://x.com/rootaboratory)- 🪙 [RIF Token](https://rif.technology/) – Governance and utility token for the Rootstock ecosystem- 🏦 [Rootstock Institutional](https://www.rootstocklabs.com/institutional/) – Institutional Bitcoin deployment solutions- 🇰🇷 [Korbit](https://korbit.co.kr/) – Korean centralized exchange where RIF is now listed- 🌉 [LayerZero](https://layerzero.network/) – Cross-chain interoperability protocol- 💵 [USDT Zero](https://tether.to/) – Stablecoin integration for Rootstock- 🏛️ [Morpho](https://morpho.org/) – Lending protocol- 🪙 [Midas](https://midas.app/) – Real world assets protocol- 📊 [Wheeler](https://wheeler.fi/) – Lending protocol- 🥩 [Steakhouse Finance](https://steakhouse.financial/) – DeFi analytics and strategy

In Episode 47 of Chain Reactions, we sit down with Pontus, GTM Lead at Corbits and longtime Solana ecosystem builder, to break down what x402 actually is, why it matters, and how agents are about to reshape commerce as we know it.

Pontus has been deep in Web3 since 2016, helped build one of the original NFT marketplaces on Solana (Holoplex), spent time with the Bonk ecosystem team, and is now building open source infrastructure for agentic payments.In this episode, we get into:

• The history of HTTP 402 and why crypto finally makes it viable
• How Corbits and the FairMeter framework are positioning for a multi-chain, multi-standard future
• Why agents need wallets, not bank accounts, and what that unlocks
• The real state of x402 adoption (spoiler: half of it is wash trading)
• How to think about marketing to agents, not just humans
• Why expertise becomes more valuable when data access is universal

Whether you're a founder exploring agentic infrastructure or a marketer trying to understand where attention is headed, this one is packed with signal.

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro and New Year vibes

02:00 - Pontus's Web3 origin story: from university crypto club to Solana NFTs

05:00 - Building Holoplex and the pivot to enterprise digital asset infrastructure

07:00 - Time at Bonk and the pivot to agents

09:00 - What is Corbits and the FairMeter framework?

12:00 - The HTTP 402 history lesson: why payments were baked into the internet from day one

15:00 - What X402 actually is and how it works

18:00 - Current adoption numbers: what's real vs. wash trading

21:00 - Why crypto solves three critical problems for agents: microtransactions, wallets, and instant finality

25:00 - Will Claude, ChatGPT, and Grok integrate X402?

28:00 - Why betting on one standard is risky

32:00 - Developer GTM: how Corbits is approaching adoption

36:00 - Marketing to agents, not just humans

40:00 - The one-click API deploy tool and what's coming next

45:00 - Why expertise becomes more valuable when data is commoditized

50:00 - Subscriptions, credits, and new payment schemas for agents

55:00 - Rapid Fire: underrated tactics, overrated trends, and leaving group chats

Show Notes & Mentions

• 🔗 Corbits - Agentic commerce infrastructure
• 🧵 Pontus on X
• 🧵 Corbits on X
• 📦 FareMeter - Open source framework for agentic commerce
• 📊 Artemis - x402 metrics and reports
• 🔍 x402 Scan - x402 resource discovery
• 🐕 Bonk - Solana's favorite meme coin
• 💸 Decentralised - Payments in the Agentic Economy

In Episode 46 of Chain Reactions, we’re joined by Maky, the community architect behind Solflare, to unpack what it actually means to build a long-term, values-driven crypto community, and why Solflare is quietly becoming the most trusted wallet in Solana.

We cover:

• The origin story of Solflare and how it’s been building since Genesis block
• How Maky went from gamer to Reddit mod to leading one of the strongest Web3 communities
• The launch of Solflare Shield, a credit card–sized hardware wallet
• The secret behind G4G (Guardian for Guardian) and why most companies fake community while Solflare builds it
• Why ROI in community is often invisible, and why that’s the point

We also talk about Discord, scaling, social-fi fatigue, community tooling, and how to architect a program that actually empowers humans, not just users.

In Episode 45 of Chain Reactions, we sit down with Adrienne (aka Adz), CMO of [Gnosis](https://www.gnosis.io/), to explore what it really means to “fork banks,” and why now is the moment to fight for crypto’s original values.We get into how Gnosis is uniquely positioned to push the space forward: a fully operational Layer 1 with no downtime in 7 years, deeply values-aligned founders, and a full suite of infra (Gnosis Chain, Pay, Card, Safe, Circles, CowSwap, and more) built for a new kind of financial system, one where profits and power flow to users, not from them.**We also talk about:**- The brand reboot behind “Bank on Gnosis”- Why Gnosis is launching its own consumer app in Ireland (and what students really think about money)- What Web3 gets wrong about ownership, rewards, and trust- And how streetwear, co-creation, and cooperative finance might onboard the next million usersIf you’re tired of rebuilding TradFi with new branding, or trying to build something better with real-world adoption in mind — this is the blueprint.

In Episode 44 of Chain Reactions, we’re joined by Sebastian Bea, Olympic medalist, former BlackRock and Coinbase exec, and now Chief Investment Officer at Reserve One, a soon-to-launch Digital Asset Treasury (DAT) designed to give institutions diversified, long-term exposure to the crypto ecosystem.**We go deep on:**- How digital asset treasuries differ from ETFs and traditional funds- Why Reserve One is betting on a multi-asset strategy across BTC, ETH, SOL, and more- What institutions *really* need before entering crypto- Why stablecoins are the Trojan horse for mass adoption- The role of tokenized assets, onchain capital markets, and how sovereign funds are already enteringSebastian also shares what he learned from his time at BlackRock, the moment he got orange-pilled on a Thanksgiving dog walk, and why “time is not linear in markets.”**🎧 Listen + mint the episode: [pods.media/myosinxyz](https://pods.media/myosinxyz)**

In Episode 43 of Chain Reactions, we sit down with Michelle So (aka Miso), CMO at Provenance, to talk about the future of real world assets (RWAs), the evolution of tokenized finance, and how Provenance is one of the most under-the-radar giants in the space.

We dig into how Miso made the leap from Activision, Sony, Meta, and TikTok to crypto, and what she’s learned bringing institutional-grade infrastructure into a world driven by memes, volatility, and community. We also talk through the relationship between Provenance and Figure, the recent IPO, and why the team believes not ALL assets should be tokenized.

If you care about the future of stablecoins, onchain capital markets, or building Web3 brands with intention, this one’s for you.

🎧 Listen + mint the episode: pods.media/myosinxyz

In Episode 42 of Chain Reactions, we sit down with Nicole Liu, Director of Product Marketing at MetaMask, to explore how the wallet is evolving from a utility into a full-stack onchain finance platform.

Nicole walks us through recent launches, from MetaMask Card to trading perps to the new Polymarket integration, and how her team balances trust, education, and emotional resonance while marketing a product used by millions.

We also get into the lessons she's bringing from AmEx and Mastercard, how she thinks about segmentation in crypto, and why product marketing in crypto is still being written in real time.

If you care about growth, wallets, or what comes after rewards, don’t miss this one.

Listen and mint the episode at pods.media/myosinxyz

In Episode 41 of Chain Reactions, we’re joined by Reka, Director of Marketing at Boundless, to unpack how she helped turn one of the most complex concepts in crypto, zero knowledge proofs, into a cultural movement powered by memes, design, and deeply intentional storytelling.

We dive into her unconventional path to crypto (via meditation retreats and digital products), the early days of building Boundless from scratch, and how the team pulled off a record-breaking TGE by combining community campaigns, team-led marketing, and a clear narrative around verifiable compute, aka “berrifiable compute.”

We also dig into:• Why Boundless skipped the “hype then disappear” model in favor of building lasting trust• The multi-phase campaign journey from Proof of Berry to Signal• How to win over technical teams who don’t believe in marketing (yet)• Why conviction and positioning are the only two levers that matter• And how a “Berry” meme became the most recognizable brand in zero knowledge

This one’s a masterclass in crypto storytelling, community design, and how to make highly technical infrastructure feel both delightful and inevitable.

Mint the episode at pods.media/myosinxyz