The Latest Development

In this episode of Latest Development, Dirt sits down with Robin (@Degenroot), founder of Raiku, to unpack how Raiku is solving blockchain bottlenecks and advancing Solana.

They dive into Raiku’s ahead-of-time (AOT) block auctions, validator-side upgrades, edge compute, and what it takes to bring enterprise-grade reliability to Solana. From coordinating blockspace to enabling new marketplace dynamics, Robin breaks down how Raiku is building the rails for a new generation of performant, scalable Solana-native applications.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Intro: Who is Robin & what is Raiku? 02:16 – What Raikou does in one sentence 03:30 – Robin’s fintech & Ethereum R&D background 06:17 – Why crypto infra needs new primitives 07:37 – Why Solana: leadership, architecture, and alignment 10:37 – Is Raiku the final infra puzzle piece? 14:32 – Unlocking new DeFi market volumes through execution guarantees 17:32 – Custom “highways” for different transaction types 20:15 – AOT block auctions explained 22:51 – Pre-confirmation receipts & programmatic blockspace 26:27 – Validator-side integration & sidecar adoption 34:05 – Guaranteed limit orders in high-volatility trading 37:13 – L1-native vs edge compute architecture 39:22 – Validator revenue streams & decentralization 41:14 – How apps integrate: endpoints, SDKs, or edge compute 44:17 – Raiku’s economic model: specialized blockspace & marketplaces 46:49 – The Raiku token: more than governance 47:19 – What is “proof streaming”? 50:24 – When mainnet? Early 2026 51:08 – Hiring & builder chats: join the Discord

🔗 Links

Raiku: https://www.raiku.com/Discord: https://discord.com/invite/raikucomRobin / Founder:https://x.com/degenroot

In this episode of Latest Development, Dirt sits down with Caitlin Cook (aka @DeadCaitBounce), Head of Growth at Moonwalk Fitness. They dive into the story behind Moonwalk, Solana-powered step challenges, habit formation, real-world activations, and building a sticky fitness product without sacrificing crypto principles.

From Seeker phone activations to walking with grandmas in Venezuela, this one’s a feel-good must-listen.

⏱ Timestamps 00:00 – Intro & Caitlin's crypto journey: Deutsche Bank → Hero → Moonwalk 04:35 – What is Moonwalk? A fitness habit engine built on Solana 06:33 – How step challenges work: money in, goals hit, rewards out 08:42 – The roadmap: beyond steps into cycling, swimming, & more 10:56 – Healthy degen bets: social psychology & personal accountability 13:32 – Target audience: beyond crypto, into global wellness 17:46 – Local activations: Nigeria, Vietnam, Venezuela, and Solana All-Stars 21:30 – Open platform strategy & future monetization flywheels 26:42 – Seeker launch impact: DAU doubled, 15K+ new signups 28:26 – Engagement rate: 45%+ players return for second games 31:03 – Why being offline boosts focus (and how Moonwalk helps) 34:13 – Dream job: Caitlin’s journey from finance to purpose-driven work

https://x.com/moonwalkfitness

https://x.com/DeadCaitBounce

Dirt and Brandon dive deep into the GOLFN mobile app, a revolutionary blend of crypto and golf that rewards you for playing in the real world. From NFTs boosting your points to partnerships with top golf brands like L.A.B., Cleveland, and Strixon, discover how GOLFN is changing the game for golf lovers and crypto enthusiasts alike. Learn about its user-friendly interface, membership tiers, and exciting future features like official handicap integration and cross-platform smartwatch compatibility. Whether you’re a casual player or a hardcore golfer, this episode shows why golf is a timeless, multi-generational sport enriched by technology and community.

Timestamps: 00:01 - Introduction and Brandon's background 01:32 - Ideas for Monke-themed golf merch 02:00 - Golf’s universal appeal and crypto golf community 03:54 - GOLFN’s user adoption since launch 05:01 - Global rounds played and redeemable golf gear rewards 07:18 - Points system and membership tiers explained 10:19 - Garmin smartwatch integration possibilities 13:16 - Using the app actively vs passively 15:06 - Why GOLFN free GPS and scoring compete well 17:07 - Targeted offers and future official handicap feature 19:05 - Revenue streams: memberships, Pro Shop crypto payments 22:30 - NFTs, marketplace, and user experience strategy 25:36 - Roadmap highlights including Seeker Phone 29:01 - Signing professional golfers and brand partnerships 32:01 - Why everyone should golf—multi-generational and social benefits 34:34 - Golf as great exercise and social activity 35:14 - Closing thoughts and gratitude

In this episode of Latest Development, Dirt is joined by Jemmy, co-founder of MonkeDAO, to explore how one of Solana’s earliest NFT communities has grown into a powerhouse for builders, investors, and local chapters worldwide. Jemmy shares the origin story of MonkeDAO, from Discord chats during the SMB mint to forming Monke Ventures, the Foundry incubator, and Banana Stand.

They discuss how the DAO scaled beyond community roots, why social + human capital are as valuable as financial backing, and how MonkeDAO is building a long-term flywheel for projects, members, and the wider Solana ecosystem. Jemmy also talks about navigating decentralized venture structures, supporting builders through grants and incubation, and the growth of 25+ local chapters across the globe.

⏱ Timestamps:
 00:00 – Intro: Meet Jemmy & the origins of MonkeDAO
 02:00 – Early SMB days: Discord chats and the first community nucleus
 06:00 – From collectors to builders: why MonkeDAO spun off new initiatives
 09:15 – Launching Monke Ventures: decentralized syndicate investing
 14:00 – Structure & governance: keeping the model sustainable
 19:15 – Build with MonkeDAO → Foundry: evolving into an incubator
 23:00 – Banana Stand: powering community flywheels & user testing
 27:30 – Local chapters: 25+ cities building real-world presence
 30:15 – Long-term vision: NFTs as membership to a Web3 country club
 34:25 – Closing thoughts & reflections on four years of MonkeDAO

In this episode of Latest Development, Dirt talks to Moty, founder of DeFi Tuna, about building one of the most innovative DeFi protocols on Solana. Moty shares his journey from 100x leverage trading on BitMEX, to gaming and NFTs, and ultimately to creating Fusion AMM—a new automated market maker that combines concentrated liquidity, limit orders, and lending into one powerful system. They dive into why AMMs have stagnated, how DeFi Tuna is bringing real capital efficiency to spot markets, and what makes Fusion AMM revolutionary for traders, liquidity providers, and projects alike. Moty also explains the importance of clean UI/UX, why revenue-sharing tokens matter, and how DeFi Tuna is positioning itself as the go-to spot market in crypto.

⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro: Meet Moty & his start in crypto trading 02:00 – Early Solana days: NFTs, games, and pivoting to DeFi 06:00 – From leverage on Orca to launching Fusion AMM 09:15 – Limit orders + concentrated liquidity: a breakthrough in AMMs 14:00 – Building intuitive UI/UX for complex DeFi tools 19:15 – Features that make LPing more transparent and profitable 23:00 – Spot markets vs perpetuals: why DeFi Tuna is betting big on spot 27:30 – On-chain trade history, mobile potential, and future roadmap 30:15 – Upcoming features: leveraged spot trading (5x–10x) 34:25 – Closing thoughts & audit updates

In this episode of Latest Development, Dirt talks to Chase Barker, former Solana Foundation dev advocate and now part of the Solana Mobile team, about Seeker, the new crypto-native phone. They dive deep into why mobile is the next frontier for Web3, what makes Seeker different, and how the DApp Store could open up new distribution paths for developers.

From hackathons and hardware to mentorship and Solana’s future, this is a wide-ranging convo on zero-to-one building, product design, crypto UX, and why crypto is finally breaking into your pocket.

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro: Podcasting, sabbaticals & joining Solana Mobile 02:10 – Why Seeker is different from Saga (150k users, real traction) 06:30 – The case for crypto-specific mobile devices 11:35 – Apple/Google restrictions vs Seeker's open ecosystem 14:55 – Seed Vault, device security & how to store funds safely 18:30 – Solana Mobile’s DApp Store as a new distribution channel 24:45 – Crypto + mobile media: gaming, creators & monetization 34:05 – Hackathon insights: what apps are needed, what’s coming 40:50 – Developer support, hiring mobile talent, & what’s next

In this episode of Latest Development, Dirt welcomes back OG builder Kollan from MetaDAO to explore a new era of trustless fundraising and governance. From futarchy to unruggable ICOs, they break down why most token models are broken—and how MetaDAO is trying to fix them.

Whether you’re launching a token or designing governance systems, this one’s packed with insight.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Intro & Kollan’s early crypto journey

03:12 – MetaDAO & futarchy-based governance

04:47 – OmniPair raise: $300K via futarchy

09:16 – Trustless token launches & redemption mechanics

15:04 – Token issuance without upfront team allocations

22:11 – Lessons from mtnCapital’s proposal structure

26:29 – Is failure a feature? MetaDAO’s take

32:21 – Conditional markets & on-chain funding paths

🔗 Links

MetaDAO: https://metadao.fi

Twitter: @metadaoproject Kollan: @metanallok

In this episode of Latest Development, Dirt chats with Edgar, founder of Dark Research, to unpack Scout—an AI-native trading terminal built for Solana power users. From his time at MarginFi and mtnDAO to launching Dark as a public, no-VC lab, Edgar shares how applied AI is reshaping trading, startup building, and individual workflows.

This isn’t just about tools—it’s about unlocking focus, speed, and community-powered progress.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Intro & Edgar's crypto journey

04:54 – The birth of Dark Research

06:33 – From AI models to workflow tools

11:13 – Building before raising: seedstrapping

15:30 – AI that thinks like you

20:04 – Dark’s fair-launch roots & tokenomics

33:45 – Luck, preparation, and staying power

41:26 – Scout’s AI edge for proprietary workflows

🔗 Links:

Dark Research: x.com/darkresearchai

Scout: scout.darkresearch.ai

Edgar: x.com/edgarpavlovsky

mtnDAO: mtndao.com

In this episode of Latest Development, Dirt sits down with Nick Pennie, co-founder of Helius, to break down their newest release: LaserStream—a game-changing streaming infrastructure for Solana.

LaserStream solves one of the most frustrating problems for developers: how to reliably stream account and transaction state in real time—without disconnects, missed blocks, or manual recovery. Nick explains how it works, why it matters, and how Helius is setting the bar for developer tooling in the Solana ecosystem.

⏱ Timestamps:

00:50 – What is Helius?

02:30 – RPCs, data access & global node optimization

04:45 – Developer tooling beyond RPC: APIs, indexers, & token data

06:10 – Streaming data on Solana: limitations of WebSockets

07:42 – What is LaserStream? 09:20 – Account state replay: why it’s critical and how LaserStream handles it

11:00 – How LaserStream improves latency and reliability

13:45 – Difference between LaserStream and Fumarole

18:35 – Who is LaserStream for? All teams, not just traders

19:23 – Potential new use cases: simulation, trading bots, micro replays

21:02 – Building the shovel store during the Solana gold rush

21:49 – What’s next for Helius: Historical data querying, optimized transaction sending

In this episode, Dirt sits down with Diego, co-founder and CEO of Pyra, to discuss how they're building a mobile-first neobank on Solana. Pyra is designed for DeFi natives and everyday users alike, allowing you to invest your paycheck in on-chain assets, access DeFi protocols, and still use a card to spend—all without compromising self-custody.

⏱ Timestamps

00:44 – What is Pyra? New kind of bank powered by DeFi

01:50 – Why crypto UX is broken & how Pyra fixes it

02:50 – Mobile-first: user expectations & shift from web

05:38 – Why they chose Solana over other chains

08:30 – Gasless transactions & abstracting complexity

10:00 – Smart wallets & seamless onboarding flow

12:07 – Bridging TradFi and DeFi: Visa on one side, protocols on the other

14:00 – How Pyra picks DeFi integrations (Drift, Jupiter, Sanctum)

15:55 – Risk management & audits

17:06 – Who’s using Pyra? Global DeFi natives, not just U.S.

19:33 – Strategy for mass market & future targeting

20:12 – Competitive advantage: self-custody + active yield

21:54 – Founding team mindset & the long game