The Summit Series Episode 2 of The Latest Development (presented by EXO, hosted by Dirt)! Filmed in the Jeep en route to Snowbird for mtnDAO week two in Salt Lake City — raw, real-time builder conversation with mountain views.

Dirt talks with Jerk (@hydex_io), co-founder/CEO of Hydex: a 12+ year crypto veteran sharing his journey from Bitcoin mining in Saskatchewan to ICO wins, NFT projects, DAO governance lessons, and why privacy is now critical for Solana.

Condensed timestamps (minutes:seconds format):

• 0:07 – Intro & cruising up to mtnDAO week two
• 0:24 – Why mtnDAO feels different: high-signal building, integrations, feedback > standard conferences
• 1:05 – Previous guest Beard (mtnDAO co-founder); ideal spot for shipping products, finding users, getting real feedback
• 1:40 – Jerk’s background: 10–12 years in crypto, started with mining to deeply understand Bitcoin
• 2:27 – Lifelong tech tinkerer (hardware/software since childhood)
• 3:13 – 2017 Saskatoon mining farm (400 rigs, custom -40°C overclock cooling)
• 4:18 – ICO successes (ETH, Zilliqa private seed), Tron trading simulator
• 5:23 – Full-time crypto life through bears & bulls
• 6:08 – Psychedelics-themed NFT project (Sideye) originally planned for Solana, built on Polygon
• 7:46 – NFT hype tail-end lessons; utility vs. scams
• 9:45 – NFTs evolving to RWAs; power of bespoke communities & DAO governance challenges (Verbs DAO experience)
• 12:59 – AI tooling to fix DAO decision-making (async, consensus without endless chats)
• 14:28 – Privacy excitement: essential layer as AI profiling rises; right to private transactions
• 15:38 – Privacy isn’t just for dark markets — normal people deserve financial discretion
• 16:42 – Building software (not centralized products) reduces regulatory pressure; true on-chain privacy
• 18:19 – Hydex origin: team bonded through hardship; Cypherpunk hackathon win with Zcash → Solana privacy bridge
• 19:48 – Bridge keeps Zcash shielded privacy intact after landing on Solana
• 20:36 – Roadmap: validator, LST with Zcash rewards, Layer 33 collab, privacy-focused RPC exploration
• 22:55 – Hydentity: encrypted .sol domains via vault (hides full on-chain history) + custom privacy router
• 25:01 – User-first UX: simple app + SDK for seamless wallet integration (Backpack, Solflare, etc.)
• 26:39 – Simulations validate strong privacy; protocol protects users from mistakes
• 27:32 – AI in dev workflows: must-have but needs structure to avoid refactoring chaos
• 29:18 – Arrival at the mountain; Hydex socials & website
• 29:41 – Outro: thanks, Super Team Canada plug, “best time to be building”

Hydex focuses on effortless Solana privacy: encrypted .sol domains (Hydentity), Zcash bridge, shielded tools, and protocol-level routing so users stay private without complexity.

Connect with Jerk / Hydex

• X/Twitter: @hydex_io
• Website: https://hydex.io

On-location mountain-road energy straight from the Solana builder scene at mtnDAO.

Subscribe for more Summit Series and builder conversations on The Latest Development — hosted by Dirt, presented by EXO.

#Solana #mtnDAO #Privacy #Hydex #Crypto #Web3 #SolanaPrivacy #Snowbird #SummitSeries #SaltLakeCity

The Summit Series kicks off with host Dirt chauffeuring Barrett (co-founder of Ranger Finance & mtnDAO) through Salt Lake City for a candid, on-the-go conversation about building in crypto, the power of co-working spaces, AI adoption, and the future of decentralized finance on Solana.

Recorded while driving out of the mtnDAO office, Barrett shares insights into mtnDAO's evolution into a premier builder hub for Solana and beyond, Ranger Finance's roadmap as a unified trading superapp (from perps aggregation to upcoming prediction markets, vaults, mobile, and more), and why now is the perfect time to build amid market dips.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 – Intro & welcome to the Summit Series; Barrett joins from Ranger Finance & mtnDAO (driving out of the office).
• 00:30 – What is mtnDAO? Co-working for Solana/crypto builders, recent expansion to 14,500 sq ft in downtown SLC, attracting AI folks and diverse builders.
• 01:15 – Office upgrades, culture, dream setup for remote workers, provided lunches, networking, and fast user growth/testing.
• 02:20 – Secret teams, workshops, mobile dev handouts; excitement around AI agents as an unlock, not distraction.
• 02:35 – AI as productivity multiplier; advice for founders/teams: just start playing/experimenting with LLMs, like early Google search mastery.
• 03:40 – Optimizing agents like managing humans; iterative learning from one to many agents.
• 04:45 – Diving into Ranger: excitement over pipeline (prediction markets soon, mobile app in progress despite Apple delays, Earn/vaults priority, growing TVL).
• 05:50 – Current ~$24M TVL in vaults; goal to hit nine figures in Q1; need better marketing of products.
• 06:40 – Vision: end-to-end financial management platform (perps, spot, prediction markets, yield optimization).
• 07:30 – Prediction markets details: aqua-hire of Four Markets team, own DEX (auditing), plus aggregation for liquidity/arbitrage.
• 08:20 – Aggregation roots (started with perps due to no aggregators then); belief in app-layer monetization and abstraction for mainstream users.
• 09:20 – Moving beyond chain tribalism; integrating top venues like Hyperliquid; new Solana perps (Bulk Trade, Phoenix, Bullet).
• 10:30 – Importance of perps for DeFi velocity and capital attraction; app layer as the sticky user touchpoint.
• 11:40 – Full future vision: seamless on/off ramps, one app for banking, equities, crypto trading (consumer + prosumer bifurcated experiences).
• 13:20 – Dual front-ends for cohorts; treating them almost as separate apps while sharing backend engine.
• 14:15 – Balancing running Ranger + mtnDAO; mtnDAO now largely self-running with strong culture and ops team.
• 15:00 – mtnDAO as a builder machine; future case study potential; people > place; Solana shipping ethos elevated.
• 16:50 – Talent wins from mtnDAO (e.g., Voltar → vaults/Earn, Forum Markets team).
• 17:50 – Personal story: how attending mtnDAO years ago changed everything from casual listener to deep in the space.
• 19:00 – Shoutouts & closing: Ranger updates coming (more tweets, app overhaul); build through bears, noise is gone—prime time; touch snow, enjoy life, stick around.

Tune in for real talk on crypto building, AI acceleration, and why Ranger is positioning itself as Solana's go-to trading superapp. Peace! 🚗🏔️

The Latest Development – EXO Tech Podcast Hosted by Mike | Guest: Samiar from Gamma (@_gammafi)

In this episode, Mike sits down with Samiar, founder of Gamma to dive deep into the future of accessible DeFi yield on Solana and beyond.

Discover how Gamma uses advanced ML models and proprietary data pipelines to automate delta-neutral stablecoin strategies, delivering hands-off, high-yield portfolios via tokenized agents—no manual rebalancing, no liquidation worries. From building robust data infra for protocols like MarginFi, Jito, and Bonk, to creating "wealth management for the future," Samiar shares the journey, real performance (e.g., ~30% APR in closed beta), and upcoming expansions: SOL agents, RWA strategies, precious metals, and an autonomous hedge fund-style manager that dynamically allocates across agents.

They discuss stablecoin dominance (USDC/USDT vs. native yield-bearing options), why building your own data beats relying on others, token utility plans (revenue sharing, staking perks like priority deposits via cash queue), and why slow, steady DeFi compounding beats chasing pumps—especially in volatile markets.

Perfect for anyone tired of micromanaging positions and ready to let ML-optimized agents make your money work 24/7.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro & Guest Welcome

00:44 Samiar's Journey: Fibonacci to Gamma

03:21 Building Reliable Data Pipelines

07:45 Stablecoin Revenue & Ecosystem Thoughts

12:57 Gamma's Delta-Neutral Agent Explained

15:36 Future Agents: SOL, RWA, Hedge Fund Manager

22:19 GM Token Utility & Revenue Flow

35:04 Customizable Agents & Onboarding Vision

43:14 Final Thoughts & Beta Access

Follow Gamma: @_gammafi

Follow Samiar: @RealSamiar

Subscribe for more cutting-edge DeFi, Solana, and crypto insights!

#DeFi #Solana #YieldFarming #Gamma #CryptoPodcast #DeltaNeutral #MLinDeFi #EXOTech #EXO #Crypto #StableCoins #TheLatestDevelopment #TLD #TLDR #Hype #FYP

The Latest Development – EXO Tech Podcast

Mike sits down with Austin Fedora (formerly Solana Foundation) — co-founder of DoubleZero — to dive deep into one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in crypto.

From leaving Solana to become the man with the plan to build a high-performance, permissionless fiber network designed to make blockchains (starting with Solana) dramatically faster than the public internet — Austin is unlocking real high-frequency trading performance for DeFi and beyond.

Topics covered:

• Why the public internet can’t support 1M TPS blockchains
• Lessons from high-frequency trading & traditional finance networks
• How DoubleZero uses dedicated fiber + multicast to beat internet latency
• The future of validator economics and block production
• Why Solana is the hardest (and best) first use case
• Expansion beyond crypto: AI, hot storage (Shelby), breaking cloud walled gardens
• Hiring & fundraising wisdom from someone who’s lived both Solana and startup life

Whether you’re a validator, trader, builder, or just crypto-curious about what comes after software optimization — this is a must-listen on the physical layer that could accelerate the entire industry by a decade.

Timestamps / Chapters:

0:00 – Intro & why we skipped the countdown

0:50 – From Solana Foundation to building DoubleZero

4:30 – The moment he decided to leave & become a fiber nerd

8:20 – Team & hiring lessons from Solana days

13:00 – Brutally honest advice on hiring & VCs

19:00 – Is Solana ready? Other chains building for DoubleZero

23:00 – Breaking cloud walled gardens (AWS, Google, egress fees)

28:00 – Web2 + Web3 future use cases (AI data movement)

36:00 – Microwave vs fiber – what HFT actually uses today

43:00 – Low-level optimization & why crypto networking lags

49:00 – Spicy take: Should validators even make money?

51:00 – Multicast – the hidden accelerator coming soon

🎙️ Guest: Austin Fedora – Co-founder, DoubleZero 🎙️ Host: Mike – EXO Tech 📺 Subscribe for more deep dives into crypto infrastructure, scaling, and the next wave of performance.

#Solana #DoubleZero #CryptoInfrastructure #BlockchainScaling #DeFi #HighFrequencyTrading #Web3

In this episode of The Latest Development Podcast by EXO Tech, host Mike aka Dirt sits down with Fibonacci aka Fibs, a core member of Superteam Canada (and Lucid Drakes) to dive deep into how they’re fueling the growth of Solana builders across the country.

From busting common founder delusions (like thinking user onboarding is easy) to navigating the shift toward internet capital markets and real-world assets (RWAs), Fibs shares candid insights on builder sentiment, hackathon success, mentorship gaps, fundraising challenges, and why persistence + talking to users is everything.

Key highlights:

- What Superteam Canada actually does: community events, co-working, membership (nearing 100 top Canadian talents), hackathons, and ecosystem partnerships

- How Solana builders keep shipping no matter price action

- The evolving role of Superteam: from grassroots startup support to institutional relationships and bridging fintech traditions with blockchain innovation

- Why 2026 could be the year Solana truly changes the world through accessible finance and global impact projects

- Advice for new builders: Keep asking "why" — talk to users relentlessly

Whether you're a dev, non-technical founder, vibe-coder, or just Solana-curious in Canada, this conversation is packed with real talk on grit, iteration, co-founder matching, runway realities, and the path from idea to impact.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro & Founder Delusions

01:09 - Fibs' own disillusionment entering Superteam

02:18 - Adapting to Solana's "internet capital markets" narrative

06:23 - What is Superteam Canada? Membership, events, & impact

08:33 - Builder sentiment in bear markets

12:48 - Funding model: Solana Foundation, sponsors, no profit pressure

16:31 - Onboarding builders: Ideal traits (grit, growth mindset, insanity)

19:36 - Technical vs non-technical founders + vibe coding rise

24:23 - Common walls: Go-to-market, traction funding gap in Canada

27:40 - Mentorship growth & tapping ecosystem wisdom

32:52 - What Superteams might be missing: Early VC involvement & pathways

39:08 - Final advice: Talk to users & keep asking why

41:18 - The rise of RWAs & fintech on Solana in 2026

Guest: Fibonacci (@fibonacci_sol) – Superteam Canada core member, ex-FinTech founder, Solana believer

Host: Mike

If you're building on Solana or want to join the Canadian wave → Check out Superteam Canada: https://superteam.ca/

Follow Superteam Canada on X: https://x.com/SuperteamCAN

Global Superteam: https://superteam.fun/

Drop a like if you're grinding on Solana, comment your biggest takeaway or delusion you've overcome, and subscribe for more builder stories, ecosystem deep dives, and no-BS crypto convos.

#Solana #SuperteamCanada #SolanaBuilders #CryptoCanada #Web3 #Blockchain #Hackathons #RWAs #InternetCapitalMarkets #SolanaEcosystem #Founders

### YouTube Description

In this episode of the TLD Podcast, host Dirt (aka Mike) sits down with Nicky Scanz, founder of Layer33 – a new coalition of independent Solana validators aimed at preserving and strengthening Solana’s decentralization.

Fresh off their indie SOL pool launch and a standout presence at Breakpoint, Nicky shares his journey into Solana: from minting Degen Ape Academy NFTs on the legendary Sollet mobile web app in 2021, to becoming CEO of DAA, working at Marinade, and now founding Layer33.

They dive deep into:

- Why 33% stake on truly independent validators is the key safety threshold for Solana’s long-term decentralization

- The alarming trend of independent validators shutting down and stake funneling toward institutional operators

- How Layer33 unites top indie validators to build products, pool resources, and compete for institutional stake

- Upcoming Layer33 tools (RPC service, transaction landing, and bigger secret projects)

- The future of staking innovation (shoutout to Pi Finance), institutional adoption, and whether the Solana Foundation should stick around forever

A must-watch for anyone who cares about Solana staying fast, cheap, AND decentralized for decades to come.

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro & Congrats on Layer33 Indie SOL Pool Launch

00:21 - Dirt or Mike? The host’s name transition debate

00:55 - Nicky’s origin story: How he got into Solana

01:10 - Discovering NFTs in 2021 via Degen Ape Academy & Sollet wallet

02:34 - From NFT collector → full-time at DAA → CEO → Marinade → Layer33

04:03 - Nostalgia for Sollet, Phantom, and early Solana wallets

05:27 - Why NFTs were the ultimate crypto onboarding experience

06:56 - The meaning behind the name "Layer33" (33% decentralization threshold)

08:55 - Technical explanation: Why 33% indie stake makes Solana "safe in perpetuity"

11:02 - Responding to the trend of indie validators shutting down

13:00 - Layer33’s vision: Multiple validator coalitions hitting 33% together

14:11 - Criteria for joining Layer33 (performance + resource commitment)

17:03 - Economic incentives, co-ownership, and revenue-sharing for validators

19:13 - Diversifying revenue streams to keep indie validators profitable long-term

21:45 - Early governance: Telegram channels, enthusiastic contributors, and post-Breakpoint momentum

25:32 - Nicky’s day-to-day as a new founder + funding possibilities

28:50 - Thoughts on Pi Finance and on-chain staking innovation vs. backroom deals

31:26 - Attracting institutional stake: Power, influence, and scale matter

34:51 - Current & upcoming Layer33 products (TX landing, global RPC service, secret big bets)

37:03 - Can Solana survive without the Foundation? (Spoiler: Nicky hopes it sticks around)

39:46 - Wrap-up, holiday cheers, and future conversations

🔗 Layer33: www.layer33.com

🔗 Follow Layer 33: https://x.com/layer_33_ on X

🔗 Follow Nicky: @NickyScanz on X

🔗 TLD Podcast: Subscribe for more Solana deep dives

#Solana #Layer33 #Decentralization #Crypto #Blockchain #SolanaValidators

Drop a like if you’re staking with indie validators 🚀

What’s your take on Solana’s decentralization – safe forever or still at risk? Comment below!

Aurimus from Alchemy @ Breakpoint Abu Dhabi | The Latest Development Podcast

In this special on-site episode of The Latest Development, recorded live at Breakpoint 2025 in Abu Dhabi, we sit down with Aurimus from Alchemy to dive deep into Alchemy’s bold entry into Solana infrastructure.

Aurimus shares his journey from building early Solana projects in 2021, founding Dexter Labs (later acquired by Alchemy), and how his team’s bare-metal, open-source innovations are now powering Alchemy’s push to become a top-tier RPC provider on Solana.

We discuss:

- Why Alchemy acquired Dexter Labs

- Key differentiators: sub-millisecond latency, massive scaling, multi-region reliability, and enterprise-grade performance

- How Alchemy stacks up against established players like Helius and Triton

- The future of wallet infrastructure, social logins, and abstracting away blockchain complexity

- Bare metal vs cloud, the exploding data problem on Solana, and the insane race for millisecond-level performance

If you’re building on Solana or just curious about the infrastructure arms race, this one’s for you.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro & Welcome from Breakpoint Abu Dhabi

00:18 - Aurimus’ background and early Solana journey (2021)

01:20 - Building Dexter Labs & the Bigtable problem

02:00 - Alchemy acquires Dexter Labs to enter Solana

03:24 - Size of Alchemy’s Solana team & recent launches

04:08 - Alchemy’s differentiators: speed, scaling, reliability

05:31 - Adoption by larger dApps & being late to the game

06:25 - Why developers use multiple RPC providers

07:27 - Multi-region infrastructure & Cortex routing

07:51 - Beyond RPC: Wallet infrastructure & onboarding tools

09:09 - Abstraction layers, gas sponsorship, and social logins

10:15 - Mobile UX pain points & the future of on-chain access

12:20 - Bare metal vs cloud: the 10x cost difference

13:26 - Competitors & the performance race

14:26 - Advice for founders choosing infrastructure

14:41 - Solana’s massive data growth (1.5PB historical cluster)

16:48 - Hardware vs software scaling debate

17:16 - The millisecond-level RPC arms race

18:45 - Final thoughts & where to find Aurimus

Follow Alchemy on X: @Alchemy (link in bio)

Alchemy on Solana: https://www.alchemy.com/solana

Subscribe for more raw conversations with the builders shaping Solana’s future.

#Solana #Alchemy #RPC #Breakpoint2025 #CryptoInfrastructure #Web3 #SolanaDevs

🔥 Richard Brown (CEO of R3 Labs) on Why Solana is the Future of Institutional Blockchain & Real-World Assets | Breakpoint Abu Dhabi 2025

Live from Solana's Breakpoint conference in Abu Dhabi (December 2025), Richard Brown — CEO of R3 Labs and former CTO — joins us for an in-depth conversation on bridging traditional finance with DeFi.

Richard shares his journey from discovering Bitcoin in 2011 to building enterprise blockchain solutions, and why R3 is now all-in on Solana.

Key highlights:

- How Bitcoin’s permissionless value transfer changed everything for him

- The story behind Corda: R3’s private blockchain powering billions in assets

- Why Solana was the “overwhelmingly obvious” choice for R3’s public chain integration

- The massive pivot: From optimizing TradFi → bringing institutional capital and RWAs into DeFi

- Exclusive reveal: Corda Protocol — a new on-chain RWA marketplace launching early 2026 on Solana

- Partnerships with Kamino, yield vaults, tokenizers, and curators to deliver composable, high-quality real-world yield

- Why Solana’s token extensions are a “secret superpower” for institutional adoption

- Thoughts on clear thinking, writing, and using AI effectively

Richard makes the case that the next trillion dollars of assets will be issued on-chain — and explains why Solana is uniquely positioned to host the unified internet capital markets of the future.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro at Breakpoint Abu Dhabi

00:20 - Richard’s background & Bitcoin origin story

03:35 - The magic of public-key cryptography

06:15 - Writing as thinking + AI advice

07:25 - From enterprise blockchain to Solana

09:40 - TradFi → DeFi: The pivotal shift

12:50 - Connecting private networks to Solana

15:40 - Exclusive: Corda Protocol RWA marketplace announcement

19:30 - Token extensions & Solana’s technical advantages

24:20 - Validators, MEV, and institutional requirements

Follow Richard on X: @gendal

R3 Labs: https://r3.com

Corda Protocol updates: https://corda.xyz

#Solana #Breakpoint2025 #RWA #DeFi #TradFi #Blockchain #AbuDhabi #RealWorldAssets #InstitutionalCrypto #Crypto

Subscribe for more exclusive interviews from Breakpoint and beyond! 🚀

Anna, founder of Perena, joins TLD to talk about building the “stable bank of Solana” and why 2025 is the year to stop holding plain USDC & USDT. In this easy-to-follow episode she explains:

1. What Perena actually does and where the name comes from.

2. Why Solana users are accidentally sending hundreds of millions in yield to competing chains every year.

3.How USDStar gives you 12-18% APY on your stablecoins (and why it’s different from normal stablecoins)

4.The simple truth about risk, black swans, and how the yield is really made.

5. Why more competition in Solana stablecoins is good for everyone.

6. What’s next: tranching, new yield sources, and bringing real-world assets on-chain.

Perfect episode if you’re new to Solana DeFi or just want to understand where to park your stablecoins in 2025.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro & fixing the “Purina” pronunciation

00:41 – The real meaning of “Perena” (perennial = keeps coming back) 01:51 – How Anna discovered crypto in 2017 and chose Solana

03:25 – Why “Internet Capital Markets” confused everyone

06:58 – Creating the term “stable banking”

09:02 – The big pivot that changed everything in the last year

09:53 – Lesson #1: Fail fast, perfection is the enemy

15:03 – Life as a solo founder (and why too much advice hurts)

18:24 – The $500M stablecoin yield leak almost no one talks about

22:33 – Where your USDC interest actually goes (spoiler: not Solana)

27:17 – USDStar explained in simple terms

31:52 – “USDStar is NOT a stablecoin” – Anna clears it up

34:02 – How the vault works + future plans (tranches, governance, RWAs)

36:31 – Risk, black swans, and what keeps her up at night

45:05 – Why Anna wants MORE competitors on Solana

50:19 – Wake-up call for anyone still holding plain USDC/USDT

51:01 – Where to find Anna & Perena

On this episode of The Latest Development, Dirt sits down with the founder and Den Master of Lucid Drakes to unpack what actually happens when a Web3 community cultivates intimacy (65/67 minted) with a talented group of well connected individuals, refuses to dilute, and still keeps building momentum. We go deep on the unsolved problem of self-sustaining communities, the new limited-edition merch drop, why Lucid Ventures is becoming a must-have line on every hot Solana cap table, and what the next phase of Drakes looks like when the mint is finally complete. Only two Drakes remain. If you’ve ever wondered why holders almost never sell… this is the one to watch.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro chaos & restart 00:53 – Lucid Drakes today: 67 supply, only 2 left forever

02:17 – Culturalization of finance – why Drakes flips the normal model

03:10 – Solana hacker-house lessons that shaped everything

06:20 – The unsolved problem: a Web3 community that pays its own way

09:33 – Voshi’s paying meme + new 1-of-100 merch drop

14:26 – Merch details: custom cotton, rubber stamps, Solana Pay

17:17 – Why expanding the collection would be a mistake

19:46 – Future of Drake events: smaller, higher-signal rooms

23:49 – Can premium events ever ditch sponsor dependency?

27:20 – Lucid Ventures: why founders want Drakes on their cap table

31:00 – How the syndicate works + alpha it gives members

32:41 – Quick council shoutout 34:04 – The 5% treasury carry quietly backing every Drake forever

36:39 – Final pitch: the end of the mint is when it gets real

38:08 – Wrap-up and see you in Abu Dhabi

Links:

Lucid Drakes on X: @LucidDrakes

Meta’s X Handle Link: https://x.com/metapsilo?s=21&t=0zc2Wd...