the un# podcast

What if you own nothing you create online, and the platforms extracting $800 billion annually from your content owe you zero? Yat Siu, Co-Founder and Chairman of Animoca Brands, reveals why digital property rights are the foundation of Web3's future and how his company's 400+ portfolio investments are building the gateway to the altcoin economy.Yat Siu didn't set out to become one of Web3's most influential voices, but when Apple deplatformed his entire business in 2012, he discovered firsthand why decentralization matters. Today, as Chairman of Animoca Brands, a multi-billion dollar Web3 conglomerate operating The Sandbox metaverse and Mocaverse identity platform, Yat is on a mission to establish digital property rights as fundamental human rights in the digital age.In this episode, he shares his contrarian thesis on why altcoins will eventually surpass Bitcoin, how reputation is becoming the most valuable asset class, and why everyone must become an investor to survive the AI era. From Abu Dhabi's regulated fund approval to Animoca's upcoming 2026 IPO plans, Yat reveals the strategy behind investing in 628 Web3 companies and building stakeholder capitalism through tokenization. He shared this transformative journey in a candid conversation with host Srikumar Misra, exploring everything from on-chain credit markets to why anonymity is killing crypto's mainstream adoption. This episode offers rare insights into the intersection of gaming, identity, institutional adoption, and the geopolitical shift making Asia and MENA the new Web3 power centers.Key Highlights:👉How Yat Siu built Animoca Brands into a Web3 empire with 400+ portfolio investments valued at billions, creating the most comprehensive altcoin economy index👉Why digital property rights matter more than physical assets in an economy where intellectual property ($80 trillion) already dwarfs gold ($27 trillion)👉Animoca's strategy for the 2026 IPO via reverse merger and why public markets enable long-term crypto holdings better than traditional VC funds👉The path from 500 million crypto owners today to 1 billion users in 12-24 months, reaching the escape velocity needed for mass Web3 adoption👉How Mocaverse is building portable reputation infrastructure to unlock trillion-dollar on-chain credit markets and solve crypto's trust problem👉Why "tokenize or die" is becoming the new business imperative as AI agents prefer decentralized assets and everyone must become investors to survive labor displacementIf you found value in this conversation, subscribe to alpha un# for more deep dives with Web3's most visionary builders. Follow Sri on LinkedIn and X for curated insights from the frontier of decentralized technology and digital economics.
#YatSiu #AnimocaBrands #Web3 #DigitalPropertyRights #Metaverse #TheSandbox #Mocaverse #Altcoins #BitcoinVsAltcoins #CryptoIPO #Web3Gaming #NFTGaming #BlockchainGaming #OnChainCredit #DecentralizedIdentity #Web3Adoption #CryptoInvestment #StakeholderCapitalism #Tokenization #TokenizeOrDie #AIandBlockchain #CryptoRegulation #AbuDhabiCrypto #HongKongWeb3 #Web3Funding #VentureCapital #CryptoPortfolio #AltcoinEconomy #DigitalOwnership #PlatformEconomy #CreatorEconomy #ReputationSystems #DeFiCredit #Web3Infrastructure #CryptoUnicorn #AnimocaIPO #Web3Investors #BlockchainAdoption #CryptoFuture #DigitalAssets #NFTUtility #MetaverseEconomy #Web3Identity #CryptoMassAdoption #institutionalcrypto Disclaimer: The information presented is for educational purposes only. Views expressed are those of the speakers, not necessarily the channel. You are responsible for your own research and decisions.Copyright: © 2024 Aarna AI Pte Ltd, Singapore. All rights reserved.

In this episode, host Srikumar Misra speaks with Vivek Raman of Etherealize about why public blockchains haven’t seen real institutional adoption yet - and why that’s changing now. Vivek argues the blocker wasn’t just regulation, it was privacy. With ZK and “programmable privacy,” institutions can finally use public rails without recreating the old financial system off-chain.Full episode at: unhashed.co/vivek

Is the future really multi-chain or just multi-execution on one secure settlement layer?In this episode, host Sri Misra and Vivek Raman of Etherealize unpack why Ethereum plus its L2s is the only path for tokenized assets, RWAs, and institutional finance - and why spreading finance across 15 chains breaks composability and shared security.

Full episode at: unhashed.co/vivek

ETH as a global reserve asset. The flippening. Multi-trillion valuation.

Host Srikumar Misra talks to Vivek Raman about why he believes Ethereum will become the financial settlement layer and why that makes ETH fundamentally underpriced. We get into store-of-value attributes, yield vs supply caps, and what “adoption” actually means for ETH holders over 1 and 5 years.

Full episode at: unhashed.co/vivek

In this episode, Vivek Raman reveals why 2025 was the breakthrough year for tokenizing Wall Street's $16 trillion mortgage market.After 11 years trading distressed credit and high-yield bonds at Morgan Stanley, UBS, and Deutsche Bank, Vivek Raman discovered that the financial system still runs on faxes and Excel files. Now as CEO of Etherealize, he's building zero-knowledge privacy infrastructure to onboard institutions onto Ethereum. Fresh off a $40M Series A from Paradigm and Electric Capital, Vivek shares why he testified before Congress, why he believes Ethereum will eat Wall Street, and why ETH is the most mispriced asset in crypto. From the GENIUS Act unlocking stablecoin regulation to his controversial take on why multi-chain is dead, Vivek makes the definitive case for why all roads lead back to Ethereum. He shared this candid journey with host Sri Misra, unpacking everything from enterprise privacy solutions to the $18.9 trillion tokenization wave reshaping global finance.In this episode, you'll learn:👉How Vivek Raman built Etherealize with backing from Vitalik Buterin and raised $40M to bridge Wall Street and Ethereum👉Why institutional adoption requires zero-knowledge privacy infrastructure and what that actually means for DeFi transparency👉The $16 trillion mortgage tokenization opportunity and why Vivek is targeting Wall Street's messiest, most archaic products👉Why Ethereum maximalism isn't ideology but infrastructure strategy, and the technical case against multi-chain futures👉How the GENIUS Act and regulatory tailwinds are creating a narrow window for institutional blockchain adoption👉Vivek's thesis on ETH as "digital oil" and why he's driving for the flippening against BitcoinIf you found this conversation valuable, subscribe to alpha un# for more founder deep dives into crypto, blockchain, and the future of finance. Follow Sri on LinkedIn and X for updates on upcoming episodes and insights from the world's most innovative builders.CHAPTERS00:00 - Vivek Raman's Wall Street to Ethereum Journey 02:02 - Why Institutions Need Blockchain Now 07:19 - Etherealize's Mission: Tokenizing Wall Street 11:56 - Ethereum vs Solana: The Multi-Chain Debate 16:01 - Enterprise Privacy: Zero-Knowledge Infrastructure 22:18 - Tokenizing the $16 Trillion Mortgage Market 28:01 - Is Crypto Too Americanized? 32:45 - Testifying Before Congress on Blockchain 36:30 - Trump 2.0 and Crypto's Regulatory Future 43:35 - Etherealize's Product Roadmap and Strategy 50:31 - From Trading Desks to Blockchain 56:26 - ETH as Digital Oil: The Valuation Case#VivekRaman #Etherealize #EthereumInstitutional #WallStreetTokenization #CryptoFunding #ParadigmVC #ElectricCapital #RWATokenization #BlockchainInfrastructure #DeFiMeetsTradFi #InstitutionalCrypto #MortgageTokenization #ZeroKnowledgePrivacy #EthereumMaximalism #CryptoRegulation #GENIUSAct #StablecoinRegulation #EthereumETF #TokenizedAssets #EthereumVsSolana #Layer2Ethereum #ETHDigitalOil #CryptoCongressTestimony #BlockchainAdoption2025 #WallStreetBlockchain #financialinfrastructure #VitalikButerin #CryptoStartups #InstitutionalDeFiDisclaimer: The information presented is for educational purposes only. Views expressed are those of the speakers, not necessarily the channel. You are responsible for your own research and decisions.Copyright: © 2024 Aarna AI Pte Ltd, Singapore. All rights reserved.

Perp DEXs have become the catalyst pushing crypto volumes on-chain.Host Sri Misra speaks with Jakob Palmstierna, President of GSR, to unpack Hyperliquid’s rise, DEX vs. CEX dynamics, and the challenge of building liquidity on decentralized venues. Why traders are choosing certainty of execution over ideology and what it means for LPs.Actionable insights for builders, traders, and market makers.Full episode at: unhashed.co/jakob

In this episode, host Sri Misra sits down with DFDV’s Joseph Onorati to unpack one of the most misunderstood narratives in crypto: Retail vs Institutions  :  Who drives adoption? Who front-runs whom? And where does Solana fit into all of this?

Joseph breaks down:

• Why retail historically front-runs institutions in every crypto cycle

• Why institutional entry is inevitable  but not the main driver of innovation

• How DFDV, now a publicly listed company, represents “Wall Street on Solana”

• What he means by consumer-grade crypto and why Solana fits that definition

• The long-term adoption thesis:

• Decentralization

• Throughput

• Latency

• Developer focus on performance

• Why Solana’s technical roadmap positions it ahead in the L1 race

• How Solana’s ecosystem is scaling toward both consumer and institutional use cases

Full episode at: unhashed.co/joseph

In this episode of alpha un#, host Sri Misra sits down with Joseph Onorati, CEO, @DFDV to break down the real mechanics behind institutional crypto risk management  far beyond Twitter takes and retail narratives.

Joseph explains:

• Why every serious crypto business must assume an 80% drawdown

• How DFDV models extreme tail-risk (“What if Solana drops another 50%?”)

• Why DATs get cheaper, safer leverage than funds or prop shops

• How DFDV raised $125M in unsecured convertible debt at 5.5% and why this type of leverage is a structural advantage

• How multi-cycle experience shapes decision-making in volatile markets

• Why long-duration planning, not hype cycles, determines who survives.

Subscribe for more deep-builder conversations on DeFi, infra, risk, and the future of digital assets.

Full episode at: unhashed.co/joseph

Joseph Onorati isn't your typical crypto founder. After spending nearly nine years at Kraken as Chief Strategy Officer and building Canada's first Bitcoin exchange (CaVirtex) back in 2013, he saw an opportunity others missed: the end of Operation Choke Point 2.0 and Solana's regulatory clarity created the perfect window to launch DeFi Development Corp (DFDV), the first non-Bitcoin digital asset treasury company in the United States. Now holding 2.2 million SOL worth $293M, DFDV isn't just passively holding crypto like MicroStrategy does with Bitcoin. Instead, they're running validators, generating 11.4% annualized yield, and deploying sophisticated DeFi strategies including stake looping and liquid staking tokens.Joseph shares the complete playbook in this candid conversation with host Srikumar Misra, covering everything from his Ultima Online hyperinflation experience as a teenager to why he believes virtually all financial transactions will eventually happen on-chain. Whether you're a DeFi native, institutional investor, or crypto-curious, this deep dive into digital asset treasuries, public market leverage, and Solana's technical advantages reveals why some of crypto's smartest operators are choosing speed and yield over Bitcoin maximalism.What You'll Learn:👉How Joseph built DFDV into a $293M Solana treasury using convertible debt, preferred equity, and validator operations👉Why 11.4% annualized yield beats MicroStrategy's passive Bitcoin model and what sophisticated treasury strategies make it possible👉The contrarian thesis: Why Solana's consumer-grade speed and 65,000 TPS will win the Layer 1 race👉Inside the financial engineering: How public companies access five-year unsecured loans at 5.5% for crypto accumulation👉Operation Choke Point 2.0's end and why regulatory timing created the DAT opportunityMSCI exclusion risk, NAV compression, and the future of digital asset treasury companiesCHAPTERS:00:00 - Joseph Onorati's Crypto Journey Begins04:23 - Ultima Online: Teenage Hyperinflation Experience08:31 - Building Canada's First Bitcoin Exchange10:09 - Nine Years at Kraken: Lessons12:16 - Why Solana Over Bitcoin: Treasury Strategy17:35 - DFDV's Validator Operations Generate 11% Yield20:46 - Stake Looping: Low-Risk Leverage Explained22:13 - Highest Quarterly Yield Any DAT Ever24:27 - MicroStrategy vs DFDV: Active vs Passive28:02 - Perpetual Preferred Stock Financial Engineering30:34 - Treasury Accelerator: Global Solana DAT Expansion34:06 - MSCI Exclusion Risk January 2026 Decision39:24 - Long-Term Vision: Patient Capital Philosophy41:15 - Managing Leverage During 80% Drawdowns45:49 - Why DATs Must Lever Up47:29 - Retail Front-Runs Institutions in Crypto #JosephOnorati #DeFiDevelopmentCorp #DFDV #SolanaTreasury #DigitalAssetTreasury #DAT #SolanaInvesting #CryptoTreasury #MicroStrategySOL #SolanaYield #StakeLooping #SolanaValidators #LiquidStakingTokens #SolanaDeFi #CryptoLeverage #ConvertibleDebt #PreferredEquity #OperationChokePoint2 #MSCIExclusion #NAVCompression #PublicMarketCrypto #NASDAQCrypto #KrakenCSO #CaVirtex #BitcoinExchange #CryptoOG #SolanaVsBitcoin #SolanaVsEthereum #Layer1Blockchain #SolanaTPS #SolanaTVL #CorporateCryptoStrategy #TreasuryManagement #InstitutionalCrypto #CryptoRegulation #SoundMoney #SolanaPrice #SOLPrediction #CryptoYield #DeFiStrategies #ValidatorEconomics #SolanaAdoption #CryptoPublicCompanies #DigitalAssetInvesting #SolanaETF #CryptoCapitalMarkets #BlockchainTreasury #alphaun# #CryptoFounders #Web3FoundersDisclaimer: The information presented is for educational purposes only. Views expressed are those of the speakers, not necessarily the channel. You are responsible for your own research and decisions.Copyright: © 2024 Aarna AI Pte Ltd, Singapore. All rights reserved.

In this episode, host Srikumar Misra speaks with Oliver Dang of KAIO about what it feels like to move from a decade in traditional finance to the always-on, 24/7 pace of crypto.Oliver shares:👉How crypto-native teams make fundamental decisions in hours, not weeks👉Why that doesn’t mean cutting corners, but learning to zoom into the core issue fast👉Laser Digital’s long-term vision: becoming a leading institutional-grade digital asset broker👉Why tokenization of “almost everything” will force banks like Nomura to adapt to instant settlement, full transparency, and 24/7 markets👉How future pension funds, insurers, family offices and asset managers will have to trade tokenized assets to meet return targetsFull episode at: unhashed.co/olivier