The DCo Podcast

Fed up with missed opportunities because your crypto is scattered across different chains? In this episode, Vaibhav Chellani, co-founder of Socket, shares his vision for a future where blockchain fragmentation is no longer a barrier.

From pioneering ZK rollups before they were mainstream to building Socket, Vaibhav tackles the big issues facing crypto today. We discuss why bridge aggregation isn't the solution, how AI agents could soon make on-chain trades seamless, and why the real conversation isn’t about appchains vs general-purpose chains, but about who controls the state.

Socket is on a mission to make crypto as easy as using a credit card—forget about which chain you’re on or how to bridge assets. Hear why 400+ projects, including Coinbase Wallet, MetaMask, and Synthetix, are already using Socket's infrastructure.

Tap into this episode to imagine a world where crypto feels intuitive, unified, and hassle-free.Key Moments: 00:00 - The Future of Front-Ends and AI Agents 03:02 - Chain Abstraction: A User-Centric Approach 05:55 - Scaling Ethereum: The Role of Rollups 09:10 - Building Socket Protocol and Chain Abstraction 12:04 - Bungee: A Marketplace for Cross-Chain Swaps 14:57 - The Mechanics of Bungee and Socket 17:46 - The Value Chain in Cross-Chain Transactions 21:06 - Permissionless Solutions and Market Dynamics 30:09 - Market Structure and Counterparty Dynamics 34:21 - Understanding Chain Abstraction and Its Implications 36:47 - Exploring Modular Auto Flow Auctions (MOFA) 40:15 - AI Agents and User Experience in Crypto Transactions 45:06 - The Future of Cross-Chain Interactions and Magic Accounts 52:23 - Solana vs. Ethereum: Perspectives on Blockchain Diversity 59:08 - The Shift Towards Chain Abstraction and User-Centric Solutions

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

Larry Cermak, CEO of The Block, joined us for a frank conversation about crypto's evolution. He played around with BTC to buy NBA accounts to watch basketball and got hooked on understanding how it all worked. Later, he turned down Binance and missed ~300x gains on BNB. Fast forward to 2023, and he was handling layoffs and M&A as the CEO of the leading research and news company in the industry. Larry's journey mirrors crypto's maturation.

In this episode, we get real about:

- Why running a crypto project in 2024 is "pure suffering"

- The death of 100x opportunities (unless you're gambling on memecoins)

- How Ethereum maxis are repeating Bitcoin maxis' mistakes with Solana

- The real problem with the "50M Americans in crypto" stat

- Why UI/UX still matters more than elegant technology

- The brutal reality of private market valuations

- Predictions for crypto under different presidencies

- Essential advice for analysts: become obsessed, find your niche, master SQL

- Tips for developers entering crypto in 2024

Larry lays it all out—how crypto has become more corporate, how DeFi and Layer 1s are facing tougher competition, and what it takes to get noticed and funded. He also shares practical advice for aspiring analysts, emphasising the importance of building a strong Twitter presence to grow professionally and open doors in the industry.

If you've ever wondered what it's like to navigate the trenches, this episode is packed with real talk and a glimpse into why Larry keeps building despite the challenges. Don't miss it!

Follow Larry Cermak on Twitter: @lawmaster Follow the host on Twitter: @desh_saurabh

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

Fresh from hitting $18M in daily volume, Chainflip CEO Simon Harman delivers a masterclass in building crypto infrastructure. In this raw, technical conversation, he dismantles popular narratives around Bitcoin L2s and reveals what it actually takes to move BTC across chains.

After spending 4 years solving complex cryptographic challenges while others made millions from JPEGs, Simon shares hard-earned insights about building real utility in crypto. From battling with validator communications to reimagining market design, this episode is a deep dive into the unglamorous work of building cross-chain infrastructure.

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

Mika Honkasalo's path from basketball analytics to crypto is anything but ordinary. During DeFi summer, his liquidity mining calculator became a yield farmer's essential tool, kickstarting his deep dive into DeFi's intricacies.

Our conversation revisits Mika's insights on Solana's transaction dynamics, sparking an Ethereum vs Solana debate. While Ethereum's L2s focus on boosting throughput, Solana aims to slash latency, potentially revolutionizing finance.

Mika challenges us to rethink Ethereum: Is it money or a business? This perspective shift dramatically impacts how we view L2 fragmentation and fee capture.

Introducing the concept of "concentric circles" of growth, Mika argues that real progress in crypto comes from steady advances across multiple fronts, challenging the boom-and-bust narrative.

Mika also highlights crypto's often-overlooked strength: global hardware distribution. From Bitcoin miners to Solana's phone project, this could be the industry's game-changer.

Echoing Jon Charbonneau, Mika suggests we're all building towards the same endgame, despite different approaches.

For those looking beyond the hype to understand crypto's future, this episode offers invaluable insights that could reshape your perspective on this dynamic industry.

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

Sreeram Kannan from EigenLayer joins us to discuss the evolution of human coordination mechanisms and the role blockchains play in their transformation. In this first episode since the token’s release, he discusses what attracted him to the industry, the challenges in bootstrapping trust and how AVSs play a role within it. According to Sreeram, societies evolve with their systems of forming commitments. Gold, legislation and economic policy in global monetary systems are built around commitments. But how do you scale that to the size of the internet? This is what Sreeram discusses in today’s episode. Tune in for a simple, distilled explanation of the EigenLayer ecosystem.

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 of the DCO Podcast, we sit down with Arthur Cheong, founder of Defiance Capital. We explore the concept explore the contrast between liquid and venture investments in crypto. With venture capitalists fiercely competing for private deals and driving up valuations before projects go public, the less crowded liquid markets often offer a smarter and more flexible option. Arthur shares how he navigates these opportunities and touches on the unique advantages of investing in Asia.

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

Before we begin…Sid and I are sorting out our schedules for Token2049 in Singapore. I’ll also be on a panel at Breakpoint. We’re excited to connect with researchers and founders working on the cutting edge. If you’re around, respond to this email and drop us a line. We’d love to meet up in person. Joel

Hello! In this episode of the DCO Podcast, Rand Hindi, CEO and co-founder of Zama, presents a thought-provoking discussion on the transformative power of Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) and its potential to revolutionise the future of privacy, blockchain, and the internet itself.

Rand’s first company was Snips, an AI company for voice processing. Sonos, a listed audio equipment company, acquired it. He advised the French government on AI policy and co-authored a paper analysing AI's impact. His prediction from 2017 that AI would replace 10% of jobs, leave 50% unchanged, and augment 40% of jobs by increasing productivity seems accurate in today’s AI-dominated landscape.

A major focus of the episode is the groundbreaking potential of FHE, a technology that allows computations on encrypted data without exposing it. By encrypting transaction details end-to-end, FHE eliminates the opportunity for front-running and other manipulative behaviours, thus paving the way for truly private and secure financial systems.

Rand explains how Zama has addressed the major challenges traditionally associated with FHE: speed, usability, and scale. Zama’s technological advances have made FHE 100 times faster and integrated it into existing developer tools, making it accessible to developers without needing a deep understanding of cryptography. 

A key breakthrough discussed in this episode is Zama’s work in reducing the size of FHE-encrypted data. What used to expand data sizes by 20,000x has now been compressed to just 50x. With more improvements coming, this can be brought down to 10x, making it viable for use on Ethereum and other blockchain platforms.

Tune in for the latest on privacy, a fully encrypted internet and a breakdown of FHE.Recovering from fever,Saurabh Deshpande

Related Reading:

- Ep 30- The Encrypted Supercomputer with Yannik from Arcium

- Trusted Enclaves

- The End of 'Just Trust Us'

- Ep 27- Infrastructure, Empathy, and Grit

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, Pacman, founder of Blur and Blast, explores the evolution of NFT marketplaces and Layer 2 solutions in crypto. He begins by reflecting on his startup journey, including his early days at Teespring and launching Namebase.

Pacman shares how Blur, launched in 2022, quickly rose to prominence by catering to high-volume traders. It filled a gap left by platforms like OpenSea, which focused more on retail consumers. We also discuss the current state of the market and how lessons from Blur are shaping the development of Blast. Despite the market's quieter phase, Pacman suggests that the foundation is being laid for the next wave of innovation.

Curious about NFTs, L2s, and strategies to disrupt incumbents? This episode is for you!

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

Hello!

In the latest episode, we dive deep into the mind of Tomasz Tunguz. He is a venture capitalist who’s been in the game for over 15 years. As a General Partner at Theory Ventures and former Managing Director at Redpoint Ventures, Tomasz has witnessed the evolution of venture capital firsthand. From his early days at Google trying to monetise social media to his current focus on data-driven investments - Tomasz offers a zoomed-out and nuanced perspective on the industry.

He shared insights that resonated deeply with me over our conversation. His key idea? That the only enduring moat is brand!

He draws parallels between the growth of private equity, venture capital, and Web3. Tomasz predicts that Web3 will follow a similar path. For instance, sources of capital like PE funds and hedge funds ballooned from 8% to 81% of raises during the mania in 2021. VCs played a small, but crucial role in terms of amount of capital deployed.

A key highlight of our conversation is Theory Ventures' investment in Allium. It is a company that provides Web3 data solutions for financial institutions. As the venture capital ecosystem in the U.S. expands from $8 billion to $175 billion deployed annually, the demand for Web3-compatible financial infrastructure has never been greater. Allium serves that gap today.

Today’s episode with Tomasz Tunguz offers a masterclass in the evolution of venture capital and makes a compelling case for why the future of finance might be built on blockchain. Enjoy listening!

Signing out,Saurabh Deshpande

Related Reading:

- Ep 21 - On Navigating Crypto Cynicism, Liquid Ventures, and DeFi’s Evolution

- The Data Wars

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

We are joined by Matt Luongo from Thesis for today’s issue. Thesis is a Bitcoin oriented venture studio that is behind the likes of Fold, Acre and tBTC. Our episode, recorded last week, is an unfiltered look into the world of Bitcoin from someone who’s seen it all from the ground up.

We explore the projects that Matt’s team at Thesis is spearheading, like tBTC or Threshold Network, Mezo, and Acre—all designed to expand Bitcoin’s utility while staying true to its core principles. Matt’s laser focus on user needs over technical jargon offers a grounded perspective that many in the crypto space overlook.

So, if you are looking to gain a nuanced understanding of the challenges and opportunities in building on Bitcoin—and get a sneak peek into what’s next for Mezzo and Acre—tune in to this episode. It’s one you won’t want to miss.

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