The Smart Economy Podcast: Real-World Blockchain Applications with Crypto, DeFi, NFTs, and DAOs

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Anthony Day, head of strategy and marketing at Midnight, a Layer 1 protocol developed by Input Output (IOHK).

Join them as they discuss:

• The importance of data protection and privacy more broadly and on-chain
• Why Web3 needs to be professionalized for mass adoption
• The value of blockchain for enterprise and large-scale entities
• How Midnight is building itself to be a fourth-generation blockchain network
• The multi-asset model for Midnight
• How the team is creating tools to onboard traditional and Web2 developers
  
  

And much more!

With a rich background in blockchain and Web3 technologies since 2016, Anthony has helped spearhead digital transformations across large organizations and startups. His extensive leadership experience in companies like Deloitte, IBM, and Parity Technologies has given him a unique perspective on integrating decentralized technologies into commercial and scalable business models.

Episode Highlights:

• [00:00] Intro
• [02:17] The hidden cost of data sharing
• [07:58] Web3’s dark side
• [10:30] How blockchain won over Anthony
• [15:28] Why some companies won’t go on-chain
• [20:16] Why Web3 needs to professionalize for mass adoption
• [29:38] How crypto is changing finance
• [34:18] Betting big on Midnight and Web3
• [38:52] Building the fourth-generation blockchain network
• [47:35] Why building privacy tech in the U.S. is a regulatory tightrope
• [51:07] The night & dust dual-token model
• [53:54] Countdown to Midnight launch
  
  

Previous guests include: Rusty Matveev, Chief Strategy Officer at Calaxy; Andrew Lawrence, CEO and Co-Founder of Censo; Zac Townsend, CEO and Co-Founder of Meanwhile; Jesper Johansen, CEO and Co-Founder of Northstake; Tama Churchouse, COO of Cumberland Labs; Holly Wood of Boson Protocol; Sid Powell of Maple Finance; Chad Barraford of THORChain; and many others.

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• Laying the Groundwork for a Billion-User Blockchain with Rich Rines, Contributor at Core DAO
• Staking the Future: From Blockchain Beginnings to Institutional Innovations with Chen Zhuling of RockX
• The Unstoppable Nature of Blockchain: A Conversation with Bonart Mati of Obligate

Attention all blockchain, crypto, and Web3 professionals! If you're a founder, CEO, or expert doing something innovative in this space, we're interested in speaking to you! Apply to be a guest on our platform and connect with our vibrant community of blockchain professionals:  https://fame.so/nnt-guest
The Smart Economy Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Ganesh Swami, CEO and co-founder of Covalent.

Join them as they:

• Explore the three facets of AI in blockchain: decentralized training, inference, and data
• Analyze Covalent's role in bridging Web2 and Web3 technologies
• Discuss the evolution of blockchain data needs from 2017 to the present
• Examine the development and importance of the Ethereum Wayback Machine
• Unpack the challenges and opportunities in blockchain infrastructure
• Delve into the future of AI and blockchain integration

And much more!

Ganesh Swami is the CEO and co-founder of Covalent, a company that started as a data analytics provider and has evolved into a comprehensive infrastructure services provider. With a background in physics and pharmaceutical research, Ganesh brings a unique perspective to blockchain technology and its potential for creating transparent, verifiable systems.

Episode Highlights:
[00:01:11] The three facets of AI in blockchain[00:06:09] Ganesh's journey into crypto and blockchain[00:10:07] Evolution of blockchain data needs[00:31:22] Covalent's clients and use cases[00:36:45] Supporting multiple blockchain networks[00:46:38] The Ethereum Wayback Machine and blockchain resilience[00:57:27] Future outlook and reasons for optimism

Previous guests include: Rusty Matveev, Chief Strategy Officer at Calaxy; Andrew Lawrence, CEO and Co-Founder of Censo; Zac Townsend, CEO and Co-Founder of Meanwhile; Jesper Johansen, CEO and Co-Founder of Northstake; Tama Churchouse, COO of Cumberland Labs; Holly Wood of Boson Protocol; Sid Powell of Maple Finance; Chad Barraford of THORChain; and many others.

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• Laying the Groundwork for a Billion-User Blockchain with Rich Rines, Contributor at Core DAO
• Staking the Future: From Blockchain Beginnings to Institutional Innovations with Chen Zhuling of RockX
• The Unstoppable Nature of Blockchain: A Conversation with Bonart Mati of Obligate

Attention all blockchain, crypto, and Web3 professionals! If you're a founder, CEO, or expert doing something innovative in this space, we're interested in speaking to you! Apply to be a guest on our platform and connect with our vibrant community of blockchain professionals:  https://fame.so/nnt-guest
The Smart Economy Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by JP Thor, Founder of THORChain, a network that facilitates native asset settlement between Bitcoin, Ethereum, BNB Chain, Avalanche, Cosmos Hub, Dogecoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Litecoin.

Join them as they discuss:

• How THORChain is building a more interconnected DeFi ecosystem
• The possibilities of cross-chain liquidity
• Why SwapKit could be the key to decentralized wallet integration
• The role of RUNE in facilitating more secure and efficient cross-chain transactions
• And much more!
  
  

JP is a founder, engineer, entrepreneur, and explorer. He was part of the Air Force and studied Aeronautical Engineering, graduating at the top of his year in 2009 with First Class Honors. After finishing his pilot training, he began Fighter training in 2012. In 2013, JP transitioned to crypto. In 2018, he began building THORChain under the pseudonym “Leena” along with a team of 5 engineers. Within 18 months of launching, THORChain reached a market value of $1 billion.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts; instructions on how to do this are here.


Episode Highlights:

• [00:00:00] Introduction
• [00:00:28] How close are we to mainstream crypto adoption?
• [00:02:56] From fighter jets to Bitcoin
• [00:17:40] Why liquidity is the answer
• [00:23:07] How THORChain approaches cross-chain swaps
• [00:29:40] How THORChain keeps your crypto safe
• [00:31:17] Is RUNE the secret ETF of crypto?
• [00:33:07] Why SwapKit could be the key to decentralized wallet integration
• [00:36:56] Censorship in decentralized networks
• [00:41:18] The secrets behind THORChain's resilient codebase
• [00:45:04] What the Kujira Alliance means for THORChain's app layer
• [00:50:41] The future of secure crypto transactions
• [00:55:11] Where can you find JP?

Previous guests include: Rusty Matveev, Chief Strategy Officer at Calaxy; Andrew Lawrence, CEO and Co-Founder of Censo; Zac Townsend, CEO and Co-Founder of Meanwhile; Jesper Johansen, CEO and Co-Founder of Northstake; Tama Churchouse, COO of Cumberland Labs; Holly Wood of Boson Protocol; Sid Powell of Maple Finance; Chad Barraford of THORChain; and many others.

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• Laying the Groundwork for a Billion-User Blockchain with Rich Rines, Contributor at Core DAO
• Staking the Future: From Blockchain Beginnings to Institutional Innovations with Chen Zhuling of RockX
• The Unstoppable Nature of Blockchain: A Conversation with Bonart Mati of Obligate

Attention all blockchain, crypto, and Web3 professionals! If you're a founder, CEO, or expert doing something innovative in this space, we're interested in speaking to you! Apply to be a guest on our platform and connect with our vibrant community of blockchain professionals:  https://fame.so/nnt-guest
The Smart Economy Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Fabian Gompf, Chief Executive Officer of the Web3 Foundation, created to nurture and steward technologies and applications in the field of decentralized web software protocols, particularly those that utilize modern cryptographic methods to safeguard decentralization for the benefit and stability of the Web3 ecosystem.

Join them as they discuss:

• Polkadot's early days
• Practical and impractical uses for blockchain technologies
• Modular versus monolithic blockchains
• Why enterprise giants are eyeing Polkadot
• How Polkadot empowers its community
• The recent uproar about the Polkadot ecosystem’s treasury spending
• And much more!
  
  

Fabian brings vast experience in blockchain and decentralized technologies, having been VP at Parity Technologies before leading the Web3 Foundation. With degrees in electrical engineering and business administration, he is dedicated to advancing Web3 technologies and empowering users to own their data and control their digital lives. His efforts aim to develop innovative applications and support a fair, decentralized internet, aligning with the foundation's mission to enable the next billion users to embrace self-custody in Web3.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts; instructions on how to do this are here.


Episode Highlights:

• [00:00:00] Introduction
• [00:00:18] From Oxford to Ethereum
• [00:05:38] Blockchain's evolution from cyberpunk dream to mainstream revolution
• [00:13:26] How Parity drives Polkadot's ecosystem forward
• [00:16:19] Modular versus monolithic blockchains
• [00:22:01] Why enterprise giants are eyeing Polkadot
• [00:26:52] Is blockchain gaming finally ready to go mainstream?
• [00:35:02] How Polkadot empowers its community
• [00:42:55] The Polkadot's treasury experiment that shook up the crypto world
• [00:48:38] What’s next for Polkadot’s future funding?
• [00:57:32] Why smaller, nimble teams succeed in Polkadot and Ethereum

Previous guests include: Rusty Matveev, Chief Strategy Officer at Calaxy; Andrew Lawrence, CEO and Co-Founder of Censo; Zac Townsend, CEO and Co-Founder of Meanwhile; Jesper Johansen, CEO and Co-Founder of Northstake; Tama Churchouse, COO of Cumberland Labs; Holly Wood of Boson Protocol; Sid Powell of Maple Finance; Chad Barraford of THORChain; and many others.

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• Laying the Groundwork for a Billion-User Blockchain with Rich Rines, Contributor at Core DAO
• Staking the Future: From Blockchain Beginnings to Institutional Innovations with Chen Zhuling of RockX
• The Unstoppable Nature of Blockchain: A Conversation with Bonart Mati of Obligate

Attention all blockchain, crypto, and Web3 professionals! If you're a founder, CEO, or expert doing something innovative in this space, we're interested in speaking to you! Apply to be a guest on our platform and connect with our vibrant community of blockchain professionals:  https://fame.so/nnt-guest
The Smart Economy Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Ken Timsit, head of Cronos Labs, a Web3 startup accelerator focusing on decentralized finance and blockchain games, and on developing the Cronos chain ecosystem.


Join them as they discuss:

• Crypto as a viable solution to modern banking
• The relationships between centralized exchanges and their blockchain ecosystem counterparts
• How politics influences the regulatory crypto environment
• Cronos’ tri-blockchain ecosystem
• Lessons learned from building on the zkEVM and Cosmos tech stacks
• The forthcoming Cronos triple yield-bearing thesis for the zkCRO token
• And much more!
  
  

Ken Timsit is a seasoned professional with vast experience in the blockchain and Web3 industries. He previously served as Chief Revenue Officer at Consensys, a Management Committee Member at the EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum, and Managing Director at ECKT.


If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts; instructions on how to do this are here.




Previous guests include: Rusty Matveev, Chief Strategy Officer at Calaxy; Andrew Lawrence, CEO and Co-Founder of Censo; Zac Townsend, CEO and Co-Founder of Meanwhile; Jesper Johansen, CEO and Co-Founder of Northstake; Tama Churchouse, COO of Cumberland Labs; Holly Wood of Boson Protocol; Sid Powell of Maple Finance; Chad Barraford of THORChain; and many others.

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• Laying the Groundwork for a Billion-User Blockchain with Rich Rines, Contributor at Core DAO
• Staking the Future: From Blockchain Beginnings to Institutional Innovations with Chen Zhuling of RockX
• The Unstoppable Nature of Blockchain: A Conversation with Bonart Mati of Obligate

Attention all blockchain, crypto, and Web3 professionals! If you're a founder, CEO, or expert doing something innovative in this space, we're interested in speaking to you! Apply to be a guest on our platform and connect with our vibrant community of blockchain professionals:  https://fame.so/nnt-guest
The Smart Economy Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Rebecca Liao, co-founder and CEO of Saga, a protocol designed to simplify blockchain integration for game developers. 


Join them as they discuss:

• The challenges of onboarding Web2 indie game developers into the Web3 space
• How Saga's 'Indie Summer' initiative supports game developers in building and launching Web3 games
• The concept of cross-game economies and the benefits they offer to developers and players
• Saga's approach to intellectual property collaborations and ensuring scalability
• Alternative monetization strategies for indie games on Saga that don't rely heavily on tokens or NFTs
• The transformative potential of Web3 technologies in redefining gaming experiences
• Saga's goals for Gamescom and the long-term impacts of the 'Indie Summer' initiative
• The future of Web3 gaming and how Saga is preparing to lead and adapt to changes
• And much more!

Rebecca's diverse background in law, politics, and blockchain technology provides unique insights into the evolving landscape of Web3 gaming. Her passion for empowering individuals through technological innovation and democratizing financial services shines through in her leadership at Saga.


If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts; instructions on how to do this are here.




Previous guests include: Rusty Matveev, Chief Strategy Officer at Calaxy; Andrew Lawrence, CEO and Co-Founder of Censo; Zac Townsend, CEO and Co-Founder of Meanwhile; Jesper Johansen, CEO and Co-Founder of Northstake; Tama Churchouse, COO of Cumberland Labs; Holly Wood of Boson Protocol; Sid Powell of Maple Finance; Chad Barraford of THORChain; and many others.

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• Laying the Groundwork for a Billion-User Blockchain with Rich Rines, Contributor at Core DAO
• Staking the Future: From Blockchain Beginnings to Institutional Innovations with Chen Zhuling of RockX
• The Unstoppable Nature of Blockchain: A Conversation with Bonart Mati of Obligate

Attention all blockchain, crypto, and Web3 professionals! If you're a founder, CEO, or expert doing something innovative in this space, we're interested in speaking to you! Apply to be a guest on our platform and connect with our vibrant community of blockchain professionals:  https://fame.so/nnt-guest
The Smart Economy Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Laurent Benayoun, CEO of Acheron Trading, a financial services company that builds liquid markets for digital assets.


Join them as they discuss:

• The rise of crypto-backed ETFs and their impact on the market
• The shift from trading pairs against Bitcoin to stablecoins like USDT and USDC
• Acheron Trading's role in providing essential liquidity to the crypto market
• The importance of staying ahead of evolving blockchain technologies and liquidity models
• Emerging trends in decentralized finance, including EVM-based models and Layer 2 solutions
• The uncertain future of crypto regulations and their potential implications
• And much more!

Laurent joined Acheron Trading after the acquisition of HedgeTech. He is passionate about algorithmic trading strategies and market microstructure. In addition, Laurent serves as a peer reviewer for the Journal of Quantitative Finance, an expert for Alumni Ventures, an interviewer for the Master of Finance at Princeton, and a mentor for the Harvard Blockchain Incubator.


If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts; instructions on how to do this are here.




Previous guests include: Rusty Matveev, Chief Strategy Officer at Calaxy; Andrew Lawrence, CEO and Co-Founder of Censo; Zac Townsend, CEO and Co-Founder of Meanwhile; Jesper Johansen, CEO and Co-Founder of Northstake; Tama Churchouse, COO of Cumberland Labs; Holly Wood of Boson Protocol; Sid Powell of Maple Finance; Chad Barraford of THORChain; and many others.

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• Laying the Groundwork for a Billion-User Blockchain with Rich Rines, Contributor at Core DAO
• Staking the Future: From Blockchain Beginnings to Institutional Innovations with Chen Zhuling of RockX
• The Unstoppable Nature of Blockchain: A Conversation with Bonart Mati of Obligate

Attention all blockchain, crypto, and Web3 professionals! If you're a founder, CEO, or expert doing something innovative in this space, we're interested in speaking to you! Apply to be a guest on our platform and connect with our vibrant community of blockchain professionals:  https://fame.so/nnt-guest
The Smart Economy Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Kurt Hemecker, CEO of the Mina Foundation, the entity tasked with growing the ecosystem of the “world's lightest ZK blockchain.”

 
Join them as they:

• Discuss the evolution of information and money-sharing protocols from Web0 to Web3
• Explore Kurt's journey through the tech industry
• Delve into the importance of ZK technology for privacy, identity, and scaling solutions
• Analyze the growth of the Mina ecosystem and opportunities for builders
• Examine interoperability solutions offered by Mina's ZK technology
• Unpack the significance of having a programmable ZK Layer 1 blockchain
• And much more!

Kurt Hemecker is the CEO of the Mina Foundation. With a background that spans from the pre-internet era to the current Web3 landscape, Kurt has experience across significant roles in telecom, payments, and blockchain. He was part of the initial team of the Libra Association (later renamed DM), where he played a pivotal role in navigating regulatory challenges and advocating for stablecoins. Kurt's extensive knowledge and innovative vision in blockchain and zero-knowledge technology position him as a respected leader in the sector.


If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts; instructions on how to do this are here.




Previous guests include: Rusty Matveev, Chief Strategy Officer at Calaxy; Andrew Lawrence, CEO and Co-Founder of Censo; Zac Townsend, CEO and Co-Founder of Meanwhile; Jesper Johansen, CEO and Co-Founder of Northstake; Tama Churchouse, COO of Cumberland Labs; Holly Wood of Boson Protocol; Sid Powell of Maple Finance; Chad Barraford of THORChain; and many others.

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• Laying the Groundwork for a Billion-User Blockchain with Rich Rines, Contributor at Core DAO
• Staking the Future: From Blockchain Beginnings to Institutional Innovations with Chen Zhuling of RockX
• The Unstoppable Nature of Blockchain: A Conversation with Bonart Mati of Obligate

Attention all blockchain, crypto, and Web3 professionals! If you're a founder, CEO, or expert doing something innovative in this space, we're interested in speaking to you! Apply to be a guest on our platform and connect with our vibrant community of blockchain professionals:  https://fame.so/nnt-guest
The Smart Economy Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Max Hillebrand, CEO of zkSNACKs, a development team dedicated to building and implementing privacy solutions in the Bitcoin ecosystem.
 

Join them as they:

• Shine a light on the importance of privacy in Bitcoin
• Unpack the cypherpunk ethos
• Delve into why and how cypherpunks continue to thrive amid regulatory challenges
• Analyze how Bitcoin is embracing the evolution of open-source innovations
• Discuss the historical context of money and the need for a stable digital currency
• Speculate on the road ahead for privacy and innovation
• And much more!

Max Hillebrand is the CEO of zkSNACKs. With a deep understanding of Austrian economics and the cypherpunk ethos, Max has been actively involved in advancing technologies that foster financial privacy and security. Under his leadership, zkSNACKs has worked on creating cutting-edge tools like the Wasabi Wallet, emphasizing the importance of open-source software and freedom of information in the digital age.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts; instructions on how to do this are here.




Previous guests include: Rusty Matveev, Chief Strategy Officer at Calaxy; Andrew Lawrence, CEO and Co-Founder of Censo; Zac Townsend, CEO and Co-Founder of Meanwhile; Jesper Johansen, CEO and Co-Founder of Northstake; Tama Churchouse, COO of Cumberland Labs; Holly Wood of Boson Protocol; Sid Powell of Maple Finance; Chad Barraford of THORChain; and many others.

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• Laying the Groundwork for a Billion-User Blockchain with Rich Rines, Contributor at Core DAO
• Staking the Future: From Blockchain Beginnings to Institutional Innovations with Chen Zhuling of RockX
• The Unstoppable Nature of Blockchain: A Conversation with Bonart Mati of Obligate

Attention all blockchain, crypto, and Web3 professionals! If you're a founder, CEO, or expert doing something innovative in this space, we're interested in speaking to you! Apply to be a guest on our platform and connect with our vibrant community of blockchain professionals:  https://fame.so/nnt-guest
The Smart Economy Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Matt Leising, Co-founder of DeCential Media, a publication committed to telling the stories of founders, builders, and visionaries in the decentralized economy.


 
Join them as they:

• Shine a light on the power of personal narratives in blockchain innovation
• Explore Matt’s journey from Bloomberg to DeCential Media
• Unpack the DAO Hack and the birth of Ethereum's resilience
• Analyze the challenges of traditional journalism in crypto media
• Delve into the future of blockchain innovation from a storyteller’s perspective
• Discuss Matt’s book, 'Out of the Ether'
• Examine DeCential Media's approach to blockchain storytelling and independence
• And much more!

Matt Leising is the co-founder of DeCential Media. With a background in journalism, specifically at Bloomberg News, Matt has extensive experience in reporting on Wall Street and financial markets. He began covering crypto in 2015 as one of the first mainstream journalists to understand what the breakthrough of blockchain technology could mean for finance, culture, and industry in general. His expertise lies in the Ethereum blockchain world, where he knows the people who invented and then built the world’s most-used blockchain. He’s written extensively on the intersection of Wall Street and decentralized finance and how new peer-to-peer systems can change the way the current internet works. He’s one of the foremost experts on the Ethereum DAO hack and is the author of ‘Out of the Ether, the Amazing Story of Ethereum and the $55 Million Heist That Almost Destroyed It All’.



If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts; instructions on how to do this are here.





Previous guests include: Rusty Matveev, Chief Strategy Officer at Calaxy; Andrew Lawrence, CEO and Co-Founder of Censo; Zac Townsend, CEO and Co-Founder of Meanwhile; Jesper Johansen, CEO and Co-Founder of Northstake; Tama Churchouse, COO of Cumberland Labs; Holly Wood of Boson Protocol; Sid Powell of Maple Finance; Chad Barraford of THORChain; and many others.

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• Laying the Groundwork for a Billion-User Blockchain with Rich Rines, Contributor at Core DAO
• Staking the Future: From Blockchain Beginnings to Institutional Innovations with Chen Zhuling of RockX
• The Unstoppable Nature of Blockchain: A Conversation with Bonart Mati of Obligate

Attention all blockchain, crypto, and Web3 professionals! If you're a founder, CEO, or expert doing something innovative in this space, we're interested in speaking to you! Apply to be a guest on our platform and connect with our vibrant community of blockchain professionals:  https://fame.so/nnt-guest
The Smart Economy Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so