The DCo Podcast

We sit down with Androo and Andy from HypurrFi who are building at the intersection of on-chain credit and real-world usability.While most DeFi protocols treat borrowing as a one-time action, HypurrFi is making debt dynamic. Think refinancing, real-time spending, and routing capital across markets—without closing your position.

We cover:

— Why HypurrFi is focused on active debt management

— How they're using USDXL (a synthetic dollar) as a programmable debt rail

— Why their on-chain card integration changes how crypto holders can spend

— How they’re thinking about traders, tax-advantaged holders, and capital efficiency

— Why building on Hyperliquid gives them a unique edge, and what the challenges are

— What “debt servicing” really means (and how it differs from basic lending)

Timestamps —

00:00: Introduction

01:30 Backgrounds

02:00: The Hyperliquid Ecosystem

10:20: "Everyone Is Coming" Thesis

20:00: HyperFi's Core Products & Vision

32:00: The Card & The Philosophy of Debt

46:00: Debt Servicing

58:00: Competition

👥 Guest:

Androo Lloyd – Co-Founder at HypurrFi

Twitter: https://x.com/androolloyd

Andy – Head of Growth at HypurrFi

Twitter: https://x.com/andyhyfi

🎙️ Host: Saurabh Deshpande – DCo Podcast

Twitter: https://x.com/desh_saurabh

📬 Stay Updated:

Subscribe to DCo Newsletter → https://www.decentralised.co/subscribe

Follow DCo on Twitter → https://x.com/Decentralisedco

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.decentralised.co

Kinetiq co-founder and Hyperliquid contributor Omnia joins to unpack how Hyperliquid evolved from a DEX into a liquidity layer, what HIPs unlock, and why apps like Phantom and Kinetiq are treating it as default.

Chapters —

00:00 Podcast Opening & Disclaimer

00:19 Kinetic's Launch & Market Context

03:20 Hyperliquid's Core Thesis

11:33 Hyperliquid Technical Architecture

20:30 Understanding Hyperliquid Improvement Proposals (HIPs)

36:10 Kinetiq's Staking Solutions & Platform Decentralisation

46:06 Custody and Compliant Staking on Hyperliquid

01:01:24 Builder Codes and On-Chain Asset Growth

👥 Guest: Omnia – Co-founder at Kinetiq Twitter: https://x.com/0xOmnia

🎙️ Host: Saurabh Deshpande – DCo Podcast Twitter: https://x.com/desh_saurabh

📬 Stay Updated: Subscribe to DCo Newsletter → https://www.decentralised.co/subscribe

Follow DCo on Twitter → https://x.com/Decentralisedco

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.decentralised.co

While everyone's been copying MicroStrategy's Bitcoin strategy, Sol Strategies took a different approach. CEO Leah Wald and CTO Max Kaplan join me to discuss why they're building actual infrastructure around Solana instead of just holding tokens. Sol Strategies is a publicly listed company (CSE: HODL) - formerly Cypherpunk Holdings - that transformed from one of the first Bitcoin treasury vehicles in North America into a comprehensive Solana infrastructure company.

Sol Strategies now manages more than $500 million worth of SOL through its validators.

🎯 Inside the Episode:

• Why Sol Strategies chose Solana over Bitcoin & Ethereum

• How they generate yield through staking & validators

• Why native yield changes everything for crypto treasury companies

• Why premium to NAV won't last forever (and what comes next)

• The future of tokenised stocks and Solana DeFi

• Why institutional investors are finally paying attention

• Breakdown of Solana's performance vs. Hyperliquid

• What will change with new Solana validator clients like Firedancer & Alpenglow

Timestamps —

0:00  Introduction & The Vision for Solana Investment

5:40  Sol Strategies’ Journey and Investment Thesis

11:58  Market Dynamics and Fundraising

19:16 Why Sol Strategies is Bullish on Solana

27:10 Hyperliquid vs Solana

30:33 How is Solana going to get better?

34:39  The Future of On-Chain Assets & Revenue Diversification

👥 Guest:

Leah Wald – CEO at SOL Strategies Twitter: https://x.com/leahwald

Max Kaplan – CTO at SOL Strategies Twitter: https://x.com/maxekaplan

🎙️ Host: Saurabh Deshpande – DCo Podcast

Twitter: https://x.com/desh_saurabh

📬 Stay Updated: Subscribe to DCo Newsletter → https://www.decentralised.co/subscribe

Follow DCo on Twitter → https://x.com/Decentralisedco

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.decentralised.co

What actually happens after you hit “swap”?

In this episode, Saurabh is joined by Nikita Ovchinnik, founder of BarterSwap, to break down the mechanics of routing, MEV, solvers, and the invisible infrastructure that powers billions in DeFi volume.

They explore:– Why AMMs leak value and how orderbooks are making a comeback– The role of solvers, searchers, and market makers in intent-based trading– How MEV is created, who captures it, and whether it can ever be eradicated– BarterSwap’s new product, Superposition — liquidity without TVL– Why most liquidity providers lose money, and what alternatives could work better– Expansion to Solana, L2s, and building infrastructure that scales across chains

BarterSwap has routed over $11B in trades. But its model isn’t extractive — it’s about giving users more control over execution, pricing, and outcomes. This episode will make you understand how DeFi works behind the scenes.

00:18 Introduction to MEV and BarterSwap

03:52 AMMs vs Order Books

07:15 The Role of Liquidity Providers in DeFi

13:31 Exploring MEV

19:29 Barter's Approach to MEV

27:50 Liquidity Management with Barter's Superposition

31:14 Barter's Multi-Chain Strategy

33:40 MEV - Good or Bad?

33:51 How Barter is Tackling MEV

34:30 How Superposition Allows Users to Provide Liquidity Without Deploying Assets into a Pool

36:18 Future Plans to Integrate Solana?

40:47 Barter's Business Model

👉 Related reading:The Inevitability of MEV

👥 Guest: Nikita Ovchinnik – Co-founder at BarterSwap

Twitter: https://x.com/novaovchinnik

🎙️ Host: Saurabh Deshpande – DCo Podcast

Twitter: https://x.com/desh_saurabh

📬 Stay Updated: Subscribe to DCo Newsletter → https://www.decentralised.co/subscribe

Follow DCo on Twitter → https://x.com/Decentralisedco

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.decentralised.co

Most discussions about crypto UX revolve around decentralisation and ease of use. Mats Olson, co-founder and CTO of Dune, dives deeper into the overlooked importance of real-time data infrastructure. Mats explains why blockchains, built as write-optimised databases, make data retrieval challenging and how Dune is solving this critical problem.

We explore:

• Why Dune’s community-driven approach to analytics succeeded without incentives

• The pragmatic trade-offs between decentralisation and usability

• How their latest product, SIM, provides real-time cross-chain data

• What separates crypto teams that thrive from those that struggle with data strategyChapters —

00:00 Introduction to Dune and Its Evolution

02:56 User-Generated Content and Community Engagement

05:59 Expanding Beyond Analytics

08:58 The Role of Data in Crypto (Retail vs. Institutional Usage)

11:58 Challenges of On-Chain Data and Infrastructure

15:03 Acquisitions and Future Directions for Dune

17:47 The Future of AI in Data Analytics

21:12 Decentralisation vs. Pragmatism in Crypto Applications

👥 Guest: Mats Olsen – Co-founder & CTO at Dune

Twitter: https://x.com/mewwts

🎙️ Host: Saurabh Deshpande – DCo Podcast

Twitter: https://x.com/desh_saurabh

📬 Stay Updated:

Subscribe to DCo Newsletter → https://www.decentralised.co/subscribe

Follow DCo on Twitter → https://x.com/Decentralisedco

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.decentralised.co

Forecasting and prediction tools are missing links in DeFi and Mode Network is trying to fill that gap.

In this episode, James Ross (co-founder of Mode and Synthdata) talks about building smarter forecasting systems for DeFi. We dig into how Mode is using BitTensor’s decentralised AI network to power real-time risk analysis, how agents could drive most on-chain activity in the future, and why better decision-making tools are critical for DeFi’s next evolution.

We also cover:

• Why forecasting short-term volatility matters

• How Synthdata's subnet incentivises accurate predictions

• The behavioural challenge of trusting agents with capital

• What still needs to be proven before these systems can scale👥 Guest: James Ross – Founder, Mode Network and SynthTower

Twitter: https://x.com/jrosstreacher

🎙️ Host: Saurabh Deshpande – DCo Podcast

Twitter: https://x.com/desh_saurabh

📬 Stay Updated:

Subscribe to DCo Newsletter → https://www.decentralised.co/subscribe

Follow DCo on Twitter → https://x.com/Decentralisedco

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.decentralised.co

Stablecoins are crypto’s biggest product-market fit—$230B and growing. But the pipes that move them? Broken.

In this episode, Saurabh speaks with Jay Kurahashi-Sofue (CMO) and Ryne Sachs (CEO) of Eco, who are building something surprisingly rare in crypto: infrastructure that actually works. Not another stablecoin—but a liquidity layer that coordinates capital intelligently across chains.

We dive into:

• Fragmented across venues and pools

• How Eco’s “crowd liquidity” model lets users earn yield without impermanent loss

• Eco's GTM and incentive mechanisms

🎙️ Guests:

Ryne Saxe – CEO, Eco Inc.

Twitter: https://x.com/rynesaxe

Jay Kurahashi-Sofue – CMO, Eco Inc.

Twitter: https://x.com/jayks

🎧 Host:

Saurabh Deshpande – DCo Podcast

Twitter: https://x.com/desh_saurabh

📬 Stay Updated:

Subscribe to DCo Newsletter → https://www.decentralised.co/subscribe

Follow DCo on Twitter → https://x.com/Decentralisedco

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.decentralised.co

From regulatory battles that forced him out of DeFi, to the conviction that drew him back, Andre opens up about the unseen cost of innovation in a space that now rewards safety over experimentation.

This isn’t a retrospective of Yearn or a breakdown of his past projects. It’s a look at why composability collapsed, how decentralisation became a UX burden, and why most builders today are creating walled gardens instead of primitives.

We explore:

• The psychological and legal toll of building in public

• Why upgradability killed trust and composability in DeFi

• Ethereum’s missed opportunity: 2% utilisation and a path to 8x throughput

• The paradox of building secure, decentralised systems for users who don’t want to deal with either

• Why Andre thinks you shouldn’t build in crypto and what to do if you still want to

This episode isn’t about nostalgia. It’s about reckoning with the systems we’ve created, and the incentives we’ve chosen.

If you’ve ever asked yourself whether it’s still worth building in this space, this is the episode to watch.Timestamps — 00:00 Introduction 

01:34 Navigating Regulatory Challenges in Crypto

03:09 Legal Battles and SEC Interactions

09:23 The Shift in Market Participants and Decentralization

13:59 Innovation Stagnation in DeFi

18:00 Balancing User Experience and Decentralization

34:00 Scalability and the Limitations of Ethereum

41:17 Innovations in DeFi Primitives

44:10 Advice for Builders

👥 Guest: Andre Cronje – CTO, Sonic Labs

Twitter: https://x.com/andrecronjetech

🎙️ Host: Saurabh Deshpande – DCo Podcast

Twitter: https://x.com/desh_saurabh

📬 Stay Updated:

Subscribe to DCo Newsletter → https://www.decentralised.co/subscribe

Follow DCo on Twitter → https://x.com/Decentralisedco

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.decentralised.co

Recorded just before the market was hit by tariff chaos, this episode captures a rare quiet moment—and uses it to unpack the deeper mechanics of how crypto actually works.

From the Hyperliquid–JELLY saga to the evolving reality of intents, solvers, and Ethereum’s fragmentation, Jose brings sharp, grounded perspective without the fluff.

This isn’t a polished panel or pitch deck walkthrough. It’s a low-pressure, free-flowing conversation that cuts through the noise—from Solana’s competitive shift to stablecoin strategies and the quiet rise of Pendle.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.decentralised.co

In this episode, Ejaaz joins Saurabh to explore what it really takes to build usable, decentralized AI tools on crypto rails.

We break down the AI x Crypto stack from first principles: – Why fragmented compute networks haven’t worked (and what might change that) – How AI agents are reshaping crypto UX – Why open-sourcing everything could backfire in an alpha-driven world – Who the actual users of crypto-AI might be—and why they’re likely not crypto-native

We also discuss why product-led growth beats token-first strategies in the long run, and how to think clearly when everything—from apps to infrastructure—is bleeding into each other.

If you're a founder, crypto builder, AI researcher, or just trying to make sense of where this industry is heading, this conversation is for you.

Key Moments —00:00 Introduction 

01:10 Understanding the AI Stack

10:04 Business Models in the AI Stack

18:41 AI's Role in DeFi

27:58 The Future of Trading Agents

33:27 The Case for Proprietary Strategies

35:10 Opportunities for AI in Crypto

39:10 Bridging Web2 and Web3 with AI

43:16 The Role of Agents in Supply Chain and Enterprise

47:56 Identifying Blind Spots in AI and Crypto

49:39 Accelerate DAO

👥 Guest:

Ejaaz Ahamadeen – Co-Founder, Aiccelerate DAO

Twitter: https://x.com/cryptopunk7213

🎙️ Host: Saurabh Deshpande – DCo Podcast

Twitter: https://x.com/desh_saurabh

📬 Stay Updated:

Subscribe to DCo Newsletter → https://www.decentralised.co/subscribe

Follow DCo on Twitter → https://x.com/Decentralisedco

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.decentralised.co