Unchained

Why the Founders of Aave and Sky Are Still Bullish on Ethereum DeFi - Ep. 781

Listen Later

Despite the ups and downs of the Ethereum ecosystem, two of its most influential builders—Aave’s Stani Kulechov and Sky’s Rune Christensen—remain bullish.

In this episode, they discuss whether we’re witnessing a DeFi renaissance, the challenges of building on Ethereum vs. Solana, and why DeFi adoption isn’t growing as fast as some expected. They debate stablecoins, whether Solana is truly innovating, and how AI could transform DeFi by automating governance and risk management.

They also respond to some hot takes—including whether Aave is falling behind Solana-based Kamino, and why Sky deployed its USDS stablecoin on Solana despite Rune’s long-standing Ethereum advocacy.

Show highlights:
  •  02:33 Whether Sky and Aave are experiencing a “DeFi renaissance”
  • 11:49 How Stani and Rune are trying to appeal to a simpler audience
  • 23:00 Whether developers overlook how easy it is to build DeFi on Ethereum
  • 27:40 Why Stani believes there is not a lot of innovation in Solana
  • 32:17 What would need to happen for Aave to be in Solana
  • 33:27 Why Sky deployed USDS on Solana
  • 40:30 Whether the Ethereum ecosystem should be worried about users going to other chains
  • 49:19 Why Rune praises Solana’s culture
  • 51:38 How USDS’s growth on Base happens organically, contrary to Solana
  • 59:35 Why they believe that the combination of AI and DeFi will be so powerful


    • Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com

    Thank you to our sponsors!
    • Mantle
    • RockWallet
    • Kelp DAO 
      Guest:
      • Stani Kulechov, Founder and CEO of Aave
      • Previous appearances on Unchained:
      • Stani Kulechov on Why Aave Is So Successful - Unchained
      • The Chopping Block w/ Stani Kulechov: Operation Chokepoint 2.0, Ethereum Innovation Push, & Polymarket Whales - Unchained

      • Rune Christensen, Co-founder of Sky
      • Previous appearances on Unchained:
      • Can Maker’s Rune Christensen Fix the Sad State of DAO Governance?
      • Rune Christensen of MakerDAO Part 1: How to Keep a Crypto-Collateralized Stablecoin Afloat
      • Rune Christensen of MakerDAO Part 2: How Dai Stayed at $1 While ETH Crashed From $1,400 to $85 
      • The Chopping Block: How to Manage MakerDAO, With Hasu and Rune
      • Rune Christensen of MakerDao on Its $15 Million From Andreessen Horowitz
      • Why It’s so Hard to Keep Stablecoins Stable
        • Links
        • Aave 2030 roadmap
        • Alex Svanevik of Nansen tweeted: “When Aave on Solana?” 
        • Qiao Wang of Alliance DAO commenting on why he recommends people build on Solana 
        • The First Non-EVM Deployment of Aave Protocol: Aave V3 on Aptos - General - Aptos Forum

          • Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

          ...more
          View all episodesView all episodes
          Download on the App Store
          UnchainedBy Laura Shin
          • 4.6
          • 4.6
          • 4.6
          • 4.6
          • 4.6

          4.6

          1,184 ratings

          More shows like Unchained

          View all
          Real Vision: Finance & Investing by Real Vision Podcast Network

          Real Vision: Finance & Investing

          913 Listeners

          CoinDesk Podcast Network by CoinDesk

          CoinDesk Podcast Network

          647 Listeners

          The Breakdown by Blockworks

          The Breakdown

          741 Listeners

          The Pomp Podcast by Anthony Pompliano

          The Pomp Podcast

          1,845 Listeners

          On The Brink with Castle Island by Castle Island Ventures

          On The Brink with Castle Island

          289 Listeners

          What Bitcoin Did by Danny Knowles

          What Bitcoin Did

          268 Listeners

          Markets Outlook by CoinDesk

          Markets Outlook

          136 Listeners

          The Wolf Of All Streets by Scott Melker

          The Wolf Of All Streets

          243 Listeners

          Empire by Blockworks

          Empire

          168 Listeners

          Supply Shock by Blockworks

          Supply Shock

          109 Listeners

          Coin Stories by Natalie Brunell

          Coin Stories

          437 Listeners

          Raoul Pal: The Journey Man by Real Vision Podcast Network

          Raoul Pal: The Journey Man

          136 Listeners

          Forward Guidance by Blockworks

          Forward Guidance

          275 Listeners

          The Milk Road Show by The Milk Road Show

          The Milk Road Show

          50 Listeners

          Limitless Podcast by Limitless by Bankless

          Limitless Podcast

          66 Listeners