PLAY PODCASTS
Lightspeed

Lightspeed

299 episodes — Page 6 of 6

Taproot Wizards: How to Solve Bitcoin's Branding Problem | Udi Wertheimer

Udi Wertheimer joins us to discuss Ordinals, Taproot Wizards and how to solve Bitcoin's branding problem. Udi is the co-founder of Taproot Wizards, a wildly successful Bitcoin NFT project that hopes to change Bitcoin's image and community. In this episode, we discuss the history of Bitcoin NFTs, how ordinals and inscriptions work, why Taproot Wizards has been so successful, Bitcoin L2s, the power of branding and more! - - Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use LIGHTSPEED20 to get 20% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there! Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (01:35) The History of Bitcoin NFTs and Ordinals (07:11) Ordinals vs Inscriptions (11:05) Bitcoin’s Branding Problem (28:07) DAS London Plug (29:04) Bitcoin L2s: Lightning and Stacks (35:54) The Future of Bitcoin (46:05) Crypto Twitter and Bitcoin ETFs (52:09) Rapid Fire - - Follow Udi: https://twitter.com/udiWertheimer Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Taproot Wizards https://twitter.com/TaprootWizards https://taprootwizards.com/ - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Dec 19, 202357 min

Andre Cronje Unfiltered: The Founder of Yearn, Keeper Network and Fantom

Andre Cronje joins us to discuss his drive to build crypt applications with real use cases. Andre has one of the most incredible stories in crypto and is the founder of multiple blue chip projects (Yearn, Keeper Network, Fantom) and a prolific entrepreneur. In this episode, we discuss the ICO era, the launch of Yearn Finance, Andre's f*ck ups (self-proclaimed), why Andre has dedicated his focus to Fantom, Fantom's unique innovations, why airdrops suck, crypto regulation and more! - - Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use LIGHTSPEED20 to get 20% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there! Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (01:24) The ICO Era: Andre's Start in Crypto (13:07) Building Yearn Finance (17:46) DAS London Plug (18:43) F*ck Ups and Testing in Prod (26:36) The Fantom L1: Making Software as Efficient as Possible (53:23) Ethereum’s Scaling Roadmap (58:11) Phantom’s Go-to-Market Strategy (01:04:29) The SVM Is the Best Virtual Machine (01:05:20) Airdrops, Regulation and Bull Market Predictions - - Follow Andre: https://twitter.com/AndreCronjeTech Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Fantom https://twitter.com/FantomFDN https://fantom.foundation/ - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Dec 14, 20231h 20m

A Guide to Solana's New Paradigm | Mert Mumtaz, Garrett Harper

Solana just had one of the craziest weeks in its history. Jito's airdrop has created a wealth (and attention) effect that has captured all of crypto. What a week. In this episode, we cover Jito's token launch, Solana's airdrop season, finding value in the bull market, the integrated chain advantage, the nuances of client diversity and more! - - Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use LIGHTSPEED20 to get 20% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there! Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (00:48) Jito and Solana's Airdrop Season (13:44) Finding Signal in the Bull Market Noise (22:56) DAS London Plug (23:54) The Advantage of Integrated Chains (29:29) Liveness and Client Diversity (42:53) Solana Apps to Explore - - Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Jon Charb's latest research https://dba.xyz/l1s-vs-l2s-rollups-vs-integrated-general-purpose-vs-app-specific/ Jupiter episode https://spoti.fi/3TheHkn BetDEX https://www.betdex.com/ https://twitter.com/BetDEXLabs - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Dec 12, 202351 min

Jupiter: The Aggregator Fueling Solana’s GDP | Meow

Meow, the co-founder of Jupiter, joins us to discuss how Jupiter is building crypto's leading aggregator. Jupiter is a DEX aggregator on Solana that routes over 80% of all DEX trades! It's an absolute killer app that has served as the entry to Solana's vast ecosystem. In this episode, we discuss how Jupiter found PMF, why Meow chose Solana, how Jupiter will onboard millions of users, Jupiter's airdrop, Solana's massive opportunity, multichain strategies and more! - - Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use LIGHTSPEED20 to get 20% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there! Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (01:11) The Secret to Jupiter’s Success (05:33) Why Solana Over Ethereum (14:25) DAS London Plug (15:22) Jupiter’s Massive Opportunity (37:13) Jupiter’s Token Airdrop and Token Philosophy (46:04) Advice for Crypto Founders (50:06) L2s and a Multichain Future (55:12) Routing Airdrops, Integrations and Growing the Pie - - Follow Meow: https://twitter.com/weremeow Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Jupiter https://twitter.com/JupiterExchange https://jup.ag/ - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Dec 7, 20231h 3m

Size Matters: How Meteora Will Multiply Solana's TVL | Ben Chow

Ben Chow joins us to discuss how Meteora will multiply Solana's TVL. Ben is the co-founder of Meteora and a Solana DeFi OG. In this conversation, we discuss Meteora's origin story, why TVL matters, Meteora's 3-pronged plan to increase Solana's TVL, how Meteora prevents cascading risk, Solana's DeFi competition, how to launch a token and more! - - Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use LIGHTSPEED20 to get 20% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there! Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (01:02) The Origin Story: From Mercurial to Meteora (09:16) Building for Sustainable Yield (11:33) Solana Needs TVL (14:51) How to Use Meteora (19:06) DAS LDN Plug (20:04) Meteora’s 3-Pronged Plan to Grow TVL (32:08) Composability and Cascading Risk (40:31) Meteora’s DAO, Goals and Incentives (44:49) Solana DeFi Competition (48:13) Tips for Teams Launching Tokens (51:58) Protocol Fees, Value Capture and POL - - Follow Ben: https://twitter.com/hellochow Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Meteora https://twitter.com/MeteoraAG https://meteora.ag/ Lightspeed's first episode with Ben https://spoti.fi/47EPS6p - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Dec 5, 20231h 2m

How Hivemapper Can Outcompete Google Maps | Ariel Seidman

Ariel Seidman, CEO of Hivemapper, joins us to discuss how Hivemapper has built the most successful DePIN product in crypto. In just twelve months, Hivemapper has mapped over 6M unique road kilometers (10% of the world's roads!) and has over 25,000 contributors. In this episode, we discuss Hivemapper's origin story, how Hivemapper maps the world, Hivemapper's killer feature, what DePIN projects get wrong, founder lessons and more! - - Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use LIGHTSPEED20 to get 20% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there! Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (01:12) Hivemapper’s Origin Story: From Drones to Dash Cams (12:32) How Hivemapper Maps the World (21:25) DAS London Plug (22:23) Where Will Demand Come From? (29:13) Why Solana and the DePIN Network Effect (35:23) Hivemapper’s Main KPI (37:10) The Biggest Challenges (39:33) Costs and Potential Filecoin Integration (42:52) Ariel’s Thoughts On Crypto Today (45:30) Attracting Top Talent and Crypto’s Unlock (51:12) Founder Lessons: Tolerance for Pain (57:28) Rapid Fire - - Follow Ariel: https://twitter.com/aseidman Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Hivemapper https://twitter.com/Hivemapper

Nov 30, 20231h 7m

Micropayments Are Crypto's Untapped Use Case | Ted Livingston (CEO of Code)

Ted Livingston joins us to discuss crypto's micropayments opportunity and Code's big announcement! Ted is a product legend who built the fastest-growing messenger app (Kik) and is now building the best payments experience in crypto. In this episode, we discuss the history of micropayments, how micropayments unlock new use cases, why Code uses Kin, why Code built an L2 on Solana, Ted's Bitcoin thesis and more! - - Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use LIGHTSPEED20 to get 20% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there! Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (00:55) Ted’s Story: Building The #1 Messaging App (05:36) Crypto's Micropayments Opportunity (20:52) DAS London Plug (21:50) Breaking News: Code Is Officially Open Source (30:15) Why Code Uses Kin, Not USDC (40:39) Live Micropayments Demo (43:08) Code’s 2024 Roadmap (45:18) How Developers Leverage Code’s SDK (47:18) Unique Use Cases and Institutional Partnerships (51:26) Solana, Code’s L2 and Appchains (01:03:46) Ted’s Bitcoin Thesis - - Follow Ted: https://twitter.com/ted_livingston Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Code Is Now Fully Open Source https://tedlivingston.substack.com/p/code-is-now-fully-open-source Code https://www.getcode.com/ https://twitter.com/getcode Lightspeed's Previous Episode With Ted https://spoti.fi/3T03NzE https://bit.ly/3SWZ8hE - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Nov 28, 20231h 9m

Airdrop Season: Can Solana Handle The Surging Demand? | Mert Mumtaz, Garrett Harper

Did Pyth's airdrop overwhelm the Solana network? Was the degraded user experience an application fault, the result of a crude fee market or a stability issue? Garrett and Mert answer these questions in today's roundup. We also cover the SEC's attack on crypto, Solana's airdrop season, the changing L2 sentiment, Bonk's meteoric rise and more! - - Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use BLACKROCKLIGHTSPEED to get 20% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month and the discount code expires November 27th! Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (00:23) The SEC vs Kraken, SOL and Airdrops (6:03) Pyth’s Airdrop and Solana’s Network Stability (13:46) Priority Fees, Jito and Out-Of-Network Payments (17:33) The Changing L2 Sentiment (26:08) Coinbase Continues to Ignore Solana (29:31) Will L2s Ever Be Immutable? (33:48) Durable Nonces and Preconfirmations (39:18) Product vs Decentralization (44:20) Bonk’s Meteoric Rise (47:18) Gameable Metrics, Onchain Identity & Competition - - Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Dune's Headmaster https://twitter.com/andrewhong5297 A Guide to Solana for Ethereum Analysts https://read.cryptodatabytes.com/p/a-guide-to-solana-for-ethereum-analysts - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Nov 24, 20231h 7m

Finding Solana's Next Killer App | Emon Motamedi (Solana Labs)

Emon Motamedi joins us to discuss how Solana Labs hopes to find the next killer app. Emon leads product at Solana Labs and is the founder of Reddit's Digital Currency team. In this episode, we discuss Solana Labs' new incubator, finding the next killer app, multichain strategies, what crypto teams get wrong and more! - - Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use BLACKROCKLIGHTSPEED to get 20% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month and the discount code expires November 27th! Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (00:41) What is Solana Labs? (02:16) Solana Labs Product Incubator (23:25) What Teams Often Get Wrong - - Follow Emon: https://twitter.com/EmonMotamedi Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Application for Solana Labs Incubator https://incubator.solanalabs.com/ Solana Labs https://twitter.com/solanalabs https://solanalabs.com/ - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Nov 23, 202327 min

Teleport: Breaking Big Tech's Network Effect | Paul Bohm

Paul Bohm joins us to discuss how decentralized marketplaces, like ride-sharing, can leverage crypto's coordination tools to compete against today's incumbents. Paul is a visionary, crypto OG and founder of Teleport. In this episode, we discuss Paul's core insight, Teleport's design, go-to-market strategies, how to ensure quality in decentralized services, why AirBnB onchain isn't a thing and more! - - Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use BLACKROCKLIGHTSPEED to get 20% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month and the discount code expires November 27th! Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (01:16) Paul’s Core Insight that Lead to Teleport (10:32) How Teleport Works (19:25) Why Build Teleport on Solana? (21:32) DAS LDN Plug (22:17) How Governance Plays a Role (25:02) Go-to-Market and Market Forces (36:08) How Drivers, Users and Dispatchers Get Started on Teleport (41:55) How to Ensure Consistency and Quality of Service (45:34) What Teleport Means for Solana (47:59) Biggest Learnings as a Founder (51:03) Why Not Onchain AirBnB? (57:07) Rapid Fire - - Follow Paul: https://twitter.com/paulbohm Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Teleport https://twitter.com/TeleportXYZ https://www.teleport.xyz/ - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Nov 21, 20231h 3m

The Solana Rally: What Everyone Overlooked | 0xResearch

Today's episode is from our other favorite podcast, 0xResearch. Garrett joins the team to explain this month's Solana rally! We dive into Solana's developer traction and documentation quality, the sustainability of low fees, comparisons to Ethereum L2s, and upcoming major ecosystem upgrades and catalysts like Firedancer. To close out the team touches on governance updates on inflation and incentive programs from Synthetix, Arbitrum, and dYdX. Enjoy! As always remember this podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Subscribe to 0xResearch on: YouTube: https://bit.ly/3foDS38 Apple: https://apple.co/3SNhUEt Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3NlP1hA - - Follow Sam: https://twitter.com/swmartin19 Follow Dan: https://twitter.com/smyyguy Follow Matt: https://twitter.com/MattFiebach Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Blockworks Research: https://twitter.com/blockworksres Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use 0X20 to get 20% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there! Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home - - Timestamps (0:00) Introduction (1:36) The Solana Accusatory Audit (6:25) What is there to do on Solana? (14:38) Does SOL not being money hurt DeFi? (22:01) Hexens Ad (22:48) Lack of Protocol Documentation (26:13) Are there New Users? (30:25) L2 Framework is Overrated (46:24) DAS London Ad (47:20) ACP 13 Reducing Barrier of Subnet Validator Sets (55:38) Arbitrum Governance Updates (1:01:57) 1inch Selling ARB Airdrop - - Check out Blockworks Research today! Research, data, governance, tokenomics, and models – now, all in one place Blockworks Research: https://www.blockworksresearch.com/ Free Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Nov 17, 20231h 7m

Crypto’s Next Cycle: Solana’s Comeback vs Ethereum’s Head Start | Qiao Wang

Qiao Wang from Alliance DAO (a web3 accelerator) joins us to discuss the applications and protocols that are primed to dominate crypto's next cycle. Qiao reviews thousands of crypto startups every year, has an uncanny ability to predict future narratives and is one of my favorite thinkers in the space! In this episode, we discuss why RWAs and payments are crypto's massive opportunity, how speculation is crypto's killer feature, Solana's comeback vs Ethereum's headstart, Coinbase's giant opportunity, where the developers are building and more! - - Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use LIGHTSPEED20 to get 20% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there! Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (00:45) Two Massive Opportunities: RWAs + Payments (18:40) Why DePIN Works (21:01) Speculation is Utility (24:28) DAS LDN Plug (25:26) Where Are Developers Building? (28:57) Why Price Leads Everything (32:13) DeFi Apps and Horizontal Integration (34:53) The SuperApp Thesis (39:32) Coinbase and Onchain Identity (46:56) Cosmos’ Problem (49:46) L2 Competition and Fragmentation (57:29) What it Takes to Be a Great Crypto Founder - - Follow Qiao: https://twitter.com/QwQiao Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Good Game podcast https://spoti.fi/3MKMLRQ Alliance DAO https://alliance.xyz/ https://twitter.com/alliancedao What does it take to be a good crypto founder? https://medium.com/alliancedao/what-does-it-take-to-be-a-good-crypto-founder-6c2600a99770 - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Nov 16, 20231h 6m

The SOL Bull Case: VanEck | Matthew Sigel, Patrick Bush

Matthew Sigel and Patrick Bush join us to discuss their recent report that predicts SOL to hit $335 by 2030. Matthew (head of crypto research) and Patrick (senior investment analysts) lead VanEck's crypto division. VanEck is a prolific TradFi asset management firm founded in 1955, but that hasn't stopped them from building one of the best research teams in crypto. In this episode, we discuss their Solana bull case, how to value L1s, if DCF valuations are a meme, Solana's biggest challenges, Cosmos vs Ethereum vs Solana, macro's impact and more! - - Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use LIGHTSPEED20 to get 20% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there! Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (00:48) VanEck’s Path to Investing in Crypto (03:53) Investing in Smart Contract Platforms (06:39) The Solana Bull Case (17:53) Firedancer Questions (24:18) Integrated vs Modular Ecosystems (31:09) DAS London Plug (32:06) What Metrics Matter? (34:12) ETF Approvals and VanEck’s Philosophy (37:28) How to Value an L1: The DCF Meme (42:16) What About Cosmos? (48:36) Macro and a Multipolar Future (54:02) Favorite Verticals in Crypto (58:00) Rapid Fire - - Follow Matthew: https://twitter.com/matthew_sigel Follow Patrick: https://twitter.com/Patrick_Bush_VE Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources VanEck’s Base, Bear, Bull Case: Solana Valuation by 2030 https://www.vaneck.com/us/en/blogs/digital-assets/matthew-sigel-vanecks-base-bear-bull-case-solana-valuation-by-2030/ - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Nov 14, 20231h 9m

Has Solana Earned The Hype? | Mert Mumtaz, Garrett Harper

Welcome to Lightspeed's third "Roundup" episode, where Mert and Garrett discuss the top stories of the week and trends they are seeing in crypto. In this episode, we discuss why all eyes are on Solana, hype vs reality, Bankless' Ethereum vs Solana episode, the significance of Solana projects launching tokens and our takeaways from Breakpoint. - - Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use LIGHTSPEED20 to get 20% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there! Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (00:35) Why Are Prices Pumping Right Now? (03:15) The Ethereum vs Solana Philosophy (37:37) Focus On Product and Finding PMF (49:33) Solana Projects Launching Tokens (55:38) Horizontal Integration and DeFi Competition (57:53) The Big 3 and Crypto’s Ecosystems - - Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Bankless' Ethereum vs Solana episode https://spoti.fi/3QzTD5K - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Nov 10, 20231h 4m

Why Solana Needs Privacy For Mass Adoption | Elusiv, Light Protocol

Jorrit Palfner and Yannik Schrade join us to discuss why privacy is required for crypto to go mainstream. Jorrit (Light Protocol's co-founder) and Yannik (Elusiv's co-founder) are building Solana's leading privacy protocols. This discussion is more technical than usual, but the insights are incredible. We discuss the implications of private computation, how Light and Elusiv bring privacy onchain, the risks of zero-knowledge proofs, why build privacy on Solana and not an SVM rollup and more! - - Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use LIGHTSPEED20 to get 20% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there! Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (00:44) Privacy is Required for Mass Adoption (04:36) Why Privacy Isn't the Default (12:37) What is a ZK Proof? (14:47) How Light and Elusiv Bring Privacy Onchain (32:17) DAS London Plug (33:14) Will ZK Complexity Increase a Protocol's Risk? (37:21) How Will Privacy Work With Public Applications? (47:44) Homomorphic Encryption and Multiparty Computation (MPC) (53:33) Token2022 and Why Build On Solana - - Follow Jorrit: https://twitter.com/ananas_light Follow Yannik: https://twitter.com/yrschrade Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Light Protocol https://twitter.com/LightProtocol https://shield.lightprotocol.com/ Elusiv https://twitter.com/elusivprivacy https://www.elusiv.io/ - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Nov 9, 20231h 3m

Solana: The Global State Machine | Anatoly, Dan Albert, Amira Valliani, Noah Prince, Mert Mumtaz

This episode is the opening presentation from Breakpoint 2023! You'll hear from Solana's top talent, including Anatoly, Dan Albert, Amira Valliani, Noah Prince and Mert Mumtaz. This is the Solana ecosystem deep dive you won't want to miss! - - Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use LIGHTSPEED20 to get 20% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there! Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (00:52) Anatoly: The Solana Thesis (12:58) DAS 2023 Promo (13:55) Dan Albert: Firedancer Is Live On Testnet! (20:03) Amira Valliani: Client Diversity and Decentralization (27:35) Noah Prince: Only Possible On Solana (35:29) Mert Mumtaz: Now Is The Time to Build (42:18) Austin Federa and Anatoly: What's Next? - - Follow Anatoly: https://twitter.com/aeyakovenko Follow Dan: https://twitter.com/DanPaul000 Follow Amira: https://twitter.com/amiravalliani Follow Noah: https://twitter.com/redacted_noah Follow Austin: https://twitter.com/Austin_Federa Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Link to all Breakpoint panels https://www.youtube.com/@SolanaFndn Breakpoint 2023 https://solana.com/breakpoint - - Disclaimers: Although our guests this week are managing partners of a registered investment adviser, nothing in this podcast should be considered an offer of Multicoin’s investment advisory services or should otherwise be confused for investment, tax, legal or other financial advice. Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Nov 7, 202350 min

What Metrics Matter for Internet Native Money? | Tushar Jain

Tushar Jain joins us to discuss how he identifies crypto applications that both create AND Tushar Jain joins us to discuss how he identifies crypto applications that create AND capture value. Tushar co-founded Multicoin Capital and is one of the most prolific investors in the space, known for his contrarian [and often correct] theses. In this episode, we cover Solana's rise from the ashes, how L1s accrue value, what crypto metrics matter, Solana's consumer chain narrative, the DePIN opportunity and more! - - Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use LIGHTSPEED20 to get 20% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there! Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (01:31) The Solana Thesis (06:37) Internet Native Money and L1 Value Accrual (12:28) Qualities of an Investable Application (18:45) DePIN and New Methods of Token Distribution (25:14) Why TVL is a Harmful Metric (28:44) Solana’s Consumer Chain Narrative (32:09) DAS London Plug (33:18) Metrics That Matter (44:07) Solana’s Decentralization (47:41) Bitcoin's Problem (55:00) Attention is Everything (57:42) What’s Your North Star? (59:51) Rapid Fire - - Follow Tushar: https://twitter.com/TusharJain_ Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Multicoin https://multicoin.capital/ Multicoin Summit 2023 Videos https://multicoin.capital/2023/10/06/discussions-from-the-2023-multicoin-summit/ The Techn-Optimist Manifesto https://a16z.com/the-techno-optimist-manifesto/ - - Disclaimers: Although our guests this week are managing partners of a registered investment adviser, nothing in this podcast should be considered an offer of Multicoin’s investment advisory services or should otherwise be confused for investment, tax, legal or other financial advice. Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Nov 2, 20231h 6m

Is Solana the Consumer Chain? | Kash Dhanda, Brandon Potts

Kash Dhanda and Brandon Potts join us to discuss how builders can leverage Solana's unique value proposition to be the go-to ecosystem for crypto's next wave of users. Kash is a founding member of Superteam, where he helps Solana projects launch and grow their community, and Brandon is a Principal at Framework Ventures. In this conversation, we cover Solana's resurgence and payments narrative, crypto business models, Solana's shortcomings, whether Solana will be the default consumer chain, crypto's emerging market opportunity and more! - - Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use LIGHTSPEED20 to get 20% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there! Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (00:59) Solana’s Resurgence (07:34) The Payments Narrative: Solana’s Schelling Point (14:03) Content Creation + Solana's Value Prop (18:13) Crypto Business Models (23:06) The Importance of Community (27:22) Web2 vs Web3 (32:25) DAS London Plug (33:33) The Most Exciting Things in Solana Right Now (40:16) A Solana Roast: What Needs to Improve? (45:33) Is Solana the Consumer Chain? (50:36) Crypto’s Emerging Market Opportunity (56:49) Abstract the Tech, Focus on Outcomes (01:01:36) Hyperdrive: Solana’s Hackathon - - Follow Kash:https://twitter.com/kashdhanda Follow Brandon: https://twitter.com/b_potts23 Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Superteam https://superteam.fun/ Framework Ventures https://framework.ventures/ Hyperdrive https://solana.com/hyperdrive - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Oct 31, 20231h 6m

Solana's Compounding Advantage | Joel Monegro

Joel Monegro, co-founder of Placeholder, joins us to discuss Solana's compounding advantage. Joel is a crypto OG, a prolific writer (wrote The Fat Protocol Thesis in 2016) and co-founded Placeholder with Chris Burniske. In this episode, we cover Joel's Solana thesis, upcoming infrastructure consolidation, app-specific L2 use cases, Joel's updated thoughts on The Fat Protocol Thesis, finding your investment edge and more! - - Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use LIGHTSPEED20 to get 20% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there! Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (01:20) Ethereum vs Solana: Two Design Approaches (09:45) Solana Pre and Post FTX (15:30) A Consolidation of Infrastructure (23:24) DAS London Plug (24:33) The Fat Protocol Thesis (39:01) Investment Philosophies & Application-Specific L2s (45:07) Joel’s Path to Venture Capital (53:24) How to Improve Your Writing (59:57) Finding Your Investment Edge (01:04:42) Rapid Fire - - Follow Joel: https://twitter.com/jmonegro Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Placeholder https://www.placeholder.vc/ Ethereum and Solana by Joel https://www.placeholder.vc/blog/2023/10/10/ethereum-and-solana The Fat Protocol Thesis by Joel https://www.usv.com/writing/2016/08/fat-protocols/ Joel's Website https://monegro.org/work/2018/2/1/fat-protocols Carlota Perez https://www.amazon.com/Technological-Revolutions-Financial-Capital-Dynamics/dp/1843763311 - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Oct 26, 20231h 11m

Solana vs Ethereum: Two Paths, One Endgame | Jon Charbonneau

Jon Charbonneau joins us to discuss how integrated and modular chains are on an inevitable path toward the same endgame. Jon is an investor and the most prolific researcher in the space who understands the nuances and tradeoffs of the Solana and Ethereum ecosystems. In this episode, we cover what SVM adoption means for Solana, if rollups scale Ethereum, why Jon is spending more time in Solana and the SVM, the convergence of the integrated and modular roadmap, how rollups will leverage Solana and more! - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (01:13) The Rollup Debate (10:31) Modular vs Integrated: The Great Convergence (18:06) The Appchain Thesis (26:31) What SVM Adoption Means for Solana (29:54) DAS London Promo (32:53) Why Solana? (34:02) What Ethereum & Solana Can Learn From Each Other (37:49) The Value of End-User Verification (40:45) Lido’s Dominance, Nakamoto Coefficients & Social Pressure (46:14) Ethereum Aligned (50:07) What Keeps You Here & The State of Crypto (55:35) Solana as a Settlement and Sequencing Layer (58:47) Why You Should Write - - Follow Jon: https://twitter.com/jon_charb Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources DBA's Website https://dba.xyz/ Do Rollups Inherit Security by Jon https://dba.xyz/do-rollups-inherit-security/ Jon's Substack https://joncharbonneau.substack.com/ - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Oct 24, 20231h 2m

The Rise of Crypto's Superapp | Fiskantes, Matti (Zee Prime Capital)

Fisk and Matti, from Zee Prime Capital, join us to discuss the rise of crypto's first superapp. In this episode, we cover the Fappening Thesis (superapp), why everyone invests in middleware, how protocols establish moats, the future of Web3 social, how crypto will impact equality and more! Fisk and Mattie have some of the most eccentric and prescient ideas in crypto - you won't want to miss this one. - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (00:54) The Dev2Dev Thesis (08:13) The Fappening: Rise of the Superapp (15:02) How Apps Establish Moats (18:45) Is Blockspace Commoditized? (30:44) Uniswap’s New Fee: Protocols vs Frontends (36:24) Web3 Social: Status vs Utility (47:31) Equal Opportunity vs Equal Outcomes (55:58) Advice: Think Different - - Follow Fisk: https://twitter.com/Fiskantes Follow Matti:https://twitter.com/mattigags Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Zee Prime https://zeeprime.capital/ The Future of OwnyFans https://zeeprime.capital/the-future-of-owny-fans The Fappening https://zeeprime.capital/the-fappening The Middleware Thesis https://zeeprime.capital/infrastructure-lego-the-middleware-thesis - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Oct 19, 20231h 2m

Ep 28Solana's Path to Mass Adoption: Gradually, Then All At Once | Mert Mumtaz, Garrett Harper

Welcome to Lightspeed's second "Roundup" episode, where Mert and Garrett discuss the top stories of the week and trends they are seeing in crypto. In this episode, we discuss Solana disinformation, the increasing adoption of the SVM, why DePIN could be crypto's next narrative, the ETH vs SOL debate, the power of permissionless frontends and more! - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (00:36) Solana Misinformation (08:26) Why Crypto Needs to Focus on Distribution (21:56) SVM Adoption, Integrated vs Modular Ecosystems & DePIN (31:56) Web3’s Social Opportunity (38:54) ETH vs SOL: Scarcity vs Abundance (45:25) The Permissionless Frontend Thesis (52:54) Today’s Fundraising Environment - - Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Zero to One by Peter Thiel https://www.amazon.com/Zero-One-Notes-Startups-Future/dp/0804139296 Ethereum and Solana by Joel Monegro https://www.placeholder.vc/blog/2023/10/10/ethereum-and-solana Anatoly's episode on Validated https://spoti.fi/3RZqZ0g - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Oct 17, 202358 min

Ep 27How Onchain Attribution Will Catalyze Crypto's Growth | Antonio García Martínez (Spindl)

Antonio García Martínez joins us to discuss why onchain attribution and advertising are crucial to crypto's growth. Antonio is a prolific ad tech entrepreneur, the author of Chaos Monkeys and now the founder of Spindl. In this episode, we discuss the evolution of Web2 advertising, crypto's massive onchain attribution opportunity, data privacy and ownership, potential catalysts for crypto's adoption, how AI will impact advertising and more! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:56) The Evolution of Ad Tech (13:47) How Spindl Brings Attribution to Web3 (22:11) Crypto’s Publisher Problem and Discovery (25:38) The Importance of Being Native to the Medium (33:19) Data Privacy and Ownership (35:55) Antonio’s Web3 Thesis (41:03) Should DAOs Exist? (44:24) What Will Catalyze Crypto's Adoption? (48:09) AI’s Impact on Advertising (51:10) Advice for Startup Founders (54:20) Rapid Fire - - Follow Antonio: https://twitter.com/antoniogm Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Spindl https://www.spindl.xyz/ Chaos Monkeys https://www.amazon.com/Chaos-Monkeys-Obscene-Fortune-Failure/dp/0062458191 Stratechery (Ben Thompson) https://stratechery.com/ Mobile Dev Memo https://mobiledevmemo.com/ - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Oct 12, 20231h 7m

Ep 26The dYdX Appchain Vision: One of Crypto's Boldest Bets | Antonio Juliano

Antonio Juliano, the founder of dYdX, joins us to discuss why dYdX is launching an appchain. dYdX has over $1T in exchange volume, 50%+ market share of onchain perps market, and is one of the few crypto products that's found a semblance of product-market fit. Despite this, dYdX is moving from Starkware (an Ethereum L2) to a Cosmos-based appchain, officially launching this month! In this episode, we cover why dYdX is launching an appchain, finding product-market fit, decentralization vs immutability, branding and distribution, why Antonio is now against horizontal integration and more! - - Timestamps (00:00) introduction (00:57) dYdX: Crypto’s Leading Perpetuals Exchange (04:50) Why dYdX is Launching an Appchain (17:07) Choosing the Right Tech Stack (20:59) The L2 Landscape (24:52) Jito Midroll (25:57) Does Cosmos Have to Succeed for dYdX to Succeed? (28:51) Decentralization and Immutability (33:24) Why Should People Care About DeFi? (39:10) The User-Generated Value Thesis (43:55) What Antonio Has Learned as a Crypto Founder (49:29) Committees Can't Make Big Bold Decisions (55:30) Discovery and Branding (57:09) Horizontal vs Vertical Integration (01:01:13) Rapid Fire - - This episode is brought to you by Jito. Jito is the easiest way to earn MEV rewards on Solana with liquid staking. Stake your SOL with Jito to start earning high yield powered by MEV and access instant liquidity through Jito’s liquid staking token JitoSOL so that you can use your staked assets across Solana DeFi. Visit jito.network to get started today! - - Follow Antonio: https://twitter.com/AntonioMJuliano Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Jito jito.network dYdX https://twitter.com/dYdX https://dydx.exchange/ - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Oct 10, 20231h 18m

Ep 25Solving Crypto's Onboarding Problem | Arianna Simpson, Riyaz & Nass (Bastion's Founders)

Arianna Simpson, Riyaz Faizullabhoy and Nass Eddequiouaq join us to discuss how crypto needs to shift its focus back to the user experience. We cover crypto's friction points, the application vs infrastructure phase, how Bastion can enable simple onboarding and a Web2-like user experience, crypto's misplaced defaults, over-indexing on decentralization and more! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:26) What Problem Is Bastion Solving? (06:57) Have We Over-Indexed on Decentralization? (10:04) Building Infrastructure vs Consumer-Facing Products (14:26) How Transaction Routing Works (18:18) Why Should Consumers Care? (21:49) Unique Use Cases Enabled by Web3 (28:24) The Infrastructure vs Application Phase (30:34) Will Users Self-Custody in the Future? (32:00) How Crypto Can Rebuild Trust (35:54) Interoperability and Bridge Risk (40:38) How Developers Choose Where to Build (44:34) Crypto's Misplaced Defaults (49:36) The Insane Challenge of NFT Projects - - Follow Arianna: https://twitter.com/AriannaSimpson Follow Nass: https://twitter.com/nassyweazy Follow Riyaz: https://twitter.com/riyazdf Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Bastion https://www.bastion.com/ https://twitter.com/BastionPlatform a16z https://a16zcrypto.com/ https://twitter.com/a16zcrypto - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Oct 5, 202352 min

Permissionless Frontends: The Rise of Crypto's Aggregators | Kain Warwick (Infinex)

Kain Warwick, the founder of Synthetix and Infinex, joins us to discuss how permissionless frontends are crypto's next battleground. Crypto has the infrastructure to support the next wave of users, but the user experience is lightyears behind Web2. What can solve this? Permissionless frontends. In this episode, we cover why Kain is building Infinex, the missing piece to get users onchain, crypto's new aggregators, Kain's multichain strategy, where DAOs fail to innovate and more. This might be my favorite episode yet! - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (02:04) A Shift from Infrastructure to the User Experience (05:03) Why Synthetix Chose Optimism (09:11) The Missing Ingredient to Compete with Binance (11:53) L2 Liquidity Fragmentation (14:51) Should Projects Launch on Multiple Chains? (17:18) Why Synthetix Might Launch an Appchain (19:10) How to Build Brand Trust & Bring Users Onchain (32:57) Jito MidRoll Plug (34:02) Crypto’s New Aggregators: Permissionless Frontends (43:06) Taking Speculation Too Far (51:16) L2 Centralization Vectors & Progressive Decentralization (57:06) Will L2s Have a Power Law Outcome? (59:54) Why Kain is Still in Crypto (01:05:26) Where DAOs Succeed and Fail (01:12:44) Rapid Fire - - This episode is brought to you by Jito. Jito is the easiest way to earn MEV rewards on Solana with liquid staking. Stake your SOL with Jito to start earning high yield powered by MEV and access instant liquidity through Jito’s liquid staking token JitoSOL so that you can use your staked assets across Solana DeFi. Visit jito.network to get started today! - - Follow Kain: https://twitter.com/kaiynne Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Synthetix https://twitter.com/synthetix_io https://linktr.ee/synthetix Infinex https://twitter.com/infinex_app https://infinex.io/ Kain's Writings https://mirror.xyz/kain.eth - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Oct 3, 20231h 22m

How Helium Is Leading Crypto's DePIN Revolution | Abhay Kumar

Abhay Kumar, the CEO of the Helium Foundation, joins us to discuss how DePIN and Helium are bringing undeniable utility to crypto. Helium is a DePIN protocol that coordinates and incentivizes the buildout of wireless infrastructure around the world. In this episode, we discuss the secret to Helium's success, why Helium migrated to Solana, DePIN competition and moats, the value of onchain identity and more! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:16) What is DePIN? (02:18) The Secret to Helium’s Success (09:23) Why Helium Migrated to Solana (19:02) Onboarding Users, Hotspots and Oracles (26:39) Helium Mobile and Go-to-Market Strategies (43:41) Nova Labs and the Helium Foundation (46:36) Competition and Moats (49:33) Does Solana Have a DePIN Network Effect? (55:01) Demand Catalysts (57:45) DeFi, Composability and Onchain Identity (01:03:25) Advice for Crypto Founders - - Follow Ahbay: https://twitter.com/abhay Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Helium https://www.helium.com/ - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Sep 28, 20231h 7m

How SVM Adoption Impacts the Solana Thesis | Joe McCann, Mike Dudas

Joe McCann and Mike Dudas join us to discuss their Web3 investment framework. We cover Solana's core advantage and if SVM adoption impacts their thesis, investing in monolithic vs modular infrastructure, the state of crypto venture capital, the key to attracting new developers, crypto's most exciting verticals and more! Joe and Mike are two prolific investors with unique insights you won't want to miss. - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (00:51) Joe and Mike’s “Earned Secret” (14:22) The Solana Thesis (32:04) Jito MidRoll (33:08) Investing in Monolithic vs Modular Protocols (42:08) Eclipse and the SVM Value Accrual Debate (49:17) The State of Crypto Venture Capital (58:56) Applications and Sectors to Watch (01:06:00) The Crypto Media Landscape (01:09:00) Rapid Fire - - This episode is brought to you by Jito. Jito is the easiest way to earn MEV rewards on Solana with liquid staking. Stake your SOL with Jito to start earning high yield powered by MEV and access instant liquidity through Jito’s liquid staking token JitoSOL so that you can use your staked assets across Solana DeFi. Visit jito.network to get started today! - - Follow Mike: https://twitter.com/mdudas Follow Joe: https://twitter.com/joemccann Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Jito jito.network 6th Man Ventures https://6thman.ventures/ Asymmetric https://asymmetric.financial/ - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Sep 26, 20231h 17m

Ep 21Web3 Gaming: A False Hope or Crypto's Path to Mass Adoption? | Ryan Wyatt

Ryan Wyatt is the former Head of YouTube Gaming and President at Polygon Labs. He is a master at business development, strategy and product. In this episode, Ryan explains why crypto gaming is here to stay. We discuss Ryan's time at YouTube and path to Web3, the value of Web2 business development, what crypto unlocks for gaming, the consolidation of crypto's infrastructure layers and more! - - (00:00) Introduction (00:49) How Ryan Became the Head of Gaming at YouTube (11:44) The Jump to Web3 and Polygon Labs (20:12) Web2 vs Crypto-Native Talent (23:08) Business Development Matters (30:28) Why Gamer’s Hate NFTs (35:26) What Crypto Unlocks for Gaming (44:11) How Generative AI Will Impact Gaming (47:22) What Games are Best Positioned to Integrate Crypto (52:56) The Shift From Infrastructure to Apps (57:02) Is Gaming Crypto’s Savior? (59:46) What Ryan Wants to Work on Next (1:02:15) Rapid Fire - - Follow Ryan: https://twitter.com/Fwiz Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Sep 21, 20231h 14m

Ep 20Anatoly Yakovenko: What's Next for Solana? | Permissionless II

Anatoly joins Mert to discuss his 5-year vision for Solana. In this discussion, we cover Solana's changing narrative, Firedancer's performance, Solana's shrinking hardware requirements, why Anatoly wants people to fork the SVM, the key to crypto adoption and why multiple slot leaders will be a huge upgrade for Solana! This was a discussion from last week's Permissionless II conference. - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (03:19) Solana’s Momentum and Big Announcements (07:49) Value Capture and Local Fee Markets (15:18) QUIC and Stake-Weighted QoS (17:23) Firedancer’s Performance & Solana’s Hardware Requirements (25:06) Jito Promo (31:04) Solana’s Most Exciting Applications (32:07) What Can Solana Learn from Ethereum? (34:38) Why Solana Wants Multiple Leaders per Slot - - This episode is brought to you by Jito. Jito is the easiest way to earn MEV rewards on Solana with liquid staking. Stake your SOL with Jito to start earning high yield powered by MEV and access instant liquidity through Jito’s liquid staking token JitoSOL so that you can use your staked assets across Solana DeFi. Visit jito.network to get started today! - - Follow Anatoly: https://twitter.com/aeyakovenko Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Jito jito.network Permissionless https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023 - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Sep 19, 202338 min

Ep 19Legacy vs Next-Gen Chains: What Everyone Gets Wrong About Avalanche | Luigi DeMeo, Patrick O'Grady

Luigi DeMeo and Patrick O'Grady join us to discuss Avalanche's core thesis and roadmap. We cover Avalanche's cored design, why projects will leverage subnets, what's holding Avalanche back, legacy vs next-gen chains, L2 rollups and appchains, the RWA use case and more! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:05) Avalanche’s Design and Core Thesis (10:34) Avalanche's Consensus Mechanism and Validator Requirements (18:54) AVAX and Value Accrual (24:45) Legacy vs Next-Gen Chains and Rune’s SVM Post (32:45) L2 Scaling and Appchains (40:39) Where Will Value Aggregate on Avalanche? (45:38) Avalanche’s Core Focus and Use Case (56:18) How Do You Think About Community? (01:05:17) Rapid Fire - - Follow Luigi: https://twitter.com/luigidemeo Follow Patrick: https://twitter.com/_patrickogrady Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Avalanche https://twitter.com/avax https://www.avax.network/ - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Sep 14, 20231h 14m

Ep 18Finding the Answer to Crypto's Biggest Problem | Ted Livingston, CEO of Code

Ted Livingston joins us to discuss how to build consumer crypto products that solve problems users actually care about. In 2009, Ted founded Kik, which grew to over 300M users and led the way for today's messaging apps. Ted is now working on Code, a Solana-based payments app that makes it easy to pay anyone, anywhere in the world. In this episode, we cover Ted's learnings from building Kik, why Kik launched Kin and built on Solana, why stablecoins aren't crypto's answer, what the crypto industry got wrong, why Code could be crypto's first mainstream app and more! - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (01:01) Building Kik: One of the Fastest Growing Apps in History (08:22) Crypto as a New Business Model (12:03) Why Build on Solana? (19:57) Code’s Design + Live Demo (23:43) Jito Plug (24:46) Kin: Why Stablecoins Aren’t the Answer (30:00) How to Cultivate Unique Ideas (34:43) Focusing on Narratives vs Products (37:05) Crypto's Go-to-Market Failure (40:02) Why Ted’s Still in Crypto (42:15) Thoughts on Social and Stablecoins (46:07) What Crypto Uniquely Enables (51:21) How to Attract New Users (58:06) Rapid Fire - - This episode is brought to you by Jito. Jito is the easiest way to earn MEV rewards on Solana with liquid staking. Stake your SOL with Jito to start earning high yield powered by MEV and access instant liquidity through Jito’s liquid staking token JitoSOL so that you can use your staked assets across Solana DeFi. Visit jito.network to get started today! - - Follow Ted: https://twitter.com/ted_livingston Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Use code LIGHTSPEED30 to get 30% off Permissionless 2023 in Austin: https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023 - - Resources Code https://www.getcode.com/ https://twitter.com/getcode - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Sep 12, 20231h 15m

Ep 17Solana's Emergence as a Payments Hub | Roundup

Could Solana's payments narrative create the schelling point that drives new adoption? Welcome to Lightspeed's first "Roundup" episode, where Mert and Garrett discuss the top stories of the week and trends they are seeing in crypto. In this episode, we cover Visa's Solana announcement, Rune's proposal to fork the SVM, Solana DeFi 2.0, Lido's liquid staking trouble on Solana, how to bring new users to crypto and more! - - Timestamps: (0:00) Introduction (00:18) Visa Announces USDC Settlement on Solana (12:35) Rune's Proposal to Fork the SVM (21:18) Integrated vs Modular & the Appchain Debate (34:30) Why Payments Are Uniquely Suited for Solana (43:31) Solana DeFi 2.0 (46:55) Solana Liquid Staking & Multi-Chain Deployments (51:38) How to Bring New Users to Crypto - - Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Use code LIGHTSPEED30 to get 30% off Permissionless 2023 in Austin: https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023 - - Resources Rune's Post on Exploring Solana's Codebase for NewChain https://forum.makerdao.com/t/explore-a-fork-of-the-solana-codebase-for-newchain/21822 - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Sep 8, 202359 min

Solana's Watershed Moment | Zeta Markets, Meteora, Hubble Protocol

Tristan Frizza, Marius Ciubotariu and Ben Chow join us to debate if Solana has hit an inflection point that will usher in new users and use cases. We discuss the implications of Visa's Solana partnership, how Solana has changed since 2021, why people should care about Solana DeFi 2.0, go-to-market strategies, Rune's SVM fork proposal and more! Tristan, Marius and Ben are prolific Solana DeFi founders with unique insights you won't find anywhere else. - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:31) Solana’s Inflection Point (04:13) Building in Solana: 2021 vs 2023 (21:57) What is Solana DeFi 2.0? (31:15) PERMISSIONLESS PLUG (32:15) G2M: What’s Your Strategy, Who’s Your Customer (50:01) DeFi’s Unique Value Proposition (55:37) Rune’s Proposal to Fork the SVM + Appchains (01:08:08) Rapid Fire - - Follow Marius: https://twitter.com/y2kappa Follow Tristan: https://twitter.com/Tristan0x Follow Ben: https://twitter.com/hellochow Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Use code LIGHTSPEED30 to get 30% off Permissionless 2023 in Austin: https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023 - - Resources Zeta Markets https://twitter.com/ZetaMarkets https://docs.zeta.markets/mad-wars/intro-to-the-mad-wars Meteora https://twitter.com/MeteoraAG https://www.meteora.ag/ Hubble Protocol https://twitter.com/HubbleProtocol https://app.hubbleprotocol.io/ Jupiter Exchange https://twitter.com/JupiterExchange https://jup.ag/ - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Sep 7, 20231h 27m

Ep 15Monad: The EVM at Full Throttle | Keone Hon, Kevin G

Keone Hon and Kevin G join us to discuss how Monad is scaling the EVM. Every project in crypto right now is launching an L2 or marketing how their execution environment is better than the EVM. Monad has taken the opposite approach and is building an L1 that leverages the EVM with new optimizations like parallel execution. In this conversation, we discuss Monad's EVM optimizations, the blockchain trilemma, why Monad chose the EVM, how to launch a new L1, modular vs integrated and more! - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (00:32) Monad: A Parallelized L1 Leveraging the EVM (06:01) The Blockchain Trilemma (17:31) Monad’s Optimizations and Remaining Bottlenecks (26:14) Jito Mid Roll (27:18) Permissionless Plug (28:18)Why Choose the EVM and Not Build an L2? (31:13) The Importance of Community (36:20) L1 Fees and Tokenomics (41:58) Could Ethereum Implement Monad’s Optimizations? (43:15) The Blockchain Design Landscape (46:49) Modular vs Integrated (49:10) Crypto’s Most Exciting Sectors (51:54) High Fidelity DeFi (55:21) Go-To-Market Strategy (59:57) Rapid Fire - - This episode is brought to you by Jito. Jito is the easiest way to earn MEV rewards on Solana with liquid staking. Stake your SOL with Jito to start earning high yield powered by MEV and access instant liquidity through Jito’s liquid staking token JitoSOL so that you can use your staked assets across Solana DeFi. Visit jito.network to get started today! - - Follow Keone: https://twitter.com/keoneHD Follow Kevin: https://twitter.com/zen_llama Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Use code LIGHTSPEED30 to get 30% off Permissionless 2023 in Austin: https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023 - - Resources Jito jito.network Monad https://twitter.com/monad_xyz https://linktr.ee/monad_xyz - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Sep 5, 20231h 12m

Ep 14The Art of Building Products Users Love | Jeff Morris Jr.

Jeff Morris Jr. joins us to discuss how crypto can build products users love. Jeff is a venture capitalist and product genius who previously led Tinder's Revenue team as Tinder went from $20M to $1.2B in ARR and became the #1 grossing app in the App Store. In this conversation, we cover user acquisition and branding, the power of subscription business models, how to find crypto market fit, how to take advantage of platform shifts, learnings from NBA TopShot and more! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:08) Venture Narrative Whiplash (08:20) Protocols as Open-Source Software (11:41) The Power of Subscription Business Models (15:24) Permissionless Plug (22:32) Using Tokens to Incentivize Users (23:32) Does Anything in Crypto Have Product Market Fit? (28:36) How to Make Crypto More Accessible (34:28) Decentralization vs User Experience (42:31) What Verticals Are Underrated in Crypto? (45:20) Learnings from NBA TopShot (47:39) The Difficulty of Building Consumer Products (52:49) A Founder’s “Earned Secret” (58:11) Platform Shifts (01:01:50) Launching on Multiple Chains & Distribution (01:09:19) Writing Tips & Final Takeaways - - Follow Jeff: https://twitter.com/jmj Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Use code LIGHTSPEED30 to get 30% off Permissionless 2023 in Austin: https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023 - - Resources Chapter One https://chapterone.com/ Jeff's Substack https://jeffmorrisjr.substack.com/ - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Aug 31, 20231h 15m

Ep 13The Next Chapter for Stablecoins | Nic Carter

Nic Carter joins us to discuss how digitized dollars are crypto's killer use case. We explore predictions for stablecoins, what people get wrong about Tether, US regulation, why L1 networks over-index on scarcity, crypto's most over/underrated sectors and more! Nic is a crypto OG, prolific writer and investor. You don't want to miss this one! - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (00:34) Stablecoins: Crypto Is All About Moving Dollars (08:58) Terra’s Failed Attempt to Leverage BTC (10:29) Delta-Neutral Stablecoins (14:59) Tether Haters Were Wrong (20:00) The State of US Stablecoin Regulation (27:33) Jito Mid-Roll (28:37) Permissionless Plug (20:00) The State of US Stablecoin Regulation (29:37) How Stables Impact the Value of L1 Tokens (34:42) Why Crypto Has Become a Religion (40:48) We’ve Overindexed on the Scarcity Features of L1 Networks (44:44) The Value of Composability (50:33) Crypto’s Most Overrated/Underrated Sectors (56:33) 4 Stablecoin Predictions (59:34) Rapid Fire - - This episode is brought to you by Jito. Jito is the easiest way to earn MEV rewards on Solana with liquid staking. Stake your SOL with Jito to start earning high yield powered by MEV and access instant liquidity through Jito’s liquid staking token JitoSOL so that you can use your staked assets across Solana DeFi. Visit jito.network to get started today! - - Follow Nic: https://twitter.com/nic__carter Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Use code LIGHTSPEED30 to get 30% off Permissionless 2023 in Austin: https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023 - - Resources Jito jito.network Nic Carter's Website https://niccarter.info/ - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Aug 29, 20231h 7m

Ep 12Magic Eden: Is the 10K PFP Playbook Dead? | Zedd, Tiff and Rex

Today we are joined by the team from Magic Eden to discuss the state of NFTs. We cover what went wrong with the 10K PFP collections, royalty fees and creator monetization, horizontal vs vertical marketplaces, Magic Eden's multichain strategy, the advantages of different L1s and more! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:47) Is the 10K PFP Collection Dead? (05:26) Why Should People Care About NFTs? (08:52) Royalty Fees and Creator Monetization (20:47) Permissionless Plug (21:47) Compressed NFTs on Solana (28:49) Horizontal vs Vertical Marketplaces (33:52) Magic Eden’s Multichain Strategy (01:00:32) Yoot’s Migration to Polygon (01:07:40) Rapid Fire - - Follow Zedd: https://twitter.com/zhuoxunyin Follow Tiff: https://twitter.com/hausoftiffany Follow Rex: https://twitter.com/zhouzhuojie Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Use code LIGHTSPEED30 to get 30% off Permissionless 2023 in Austin: https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023 - - Resources Magic Eden https://magiceden.io/ https://twitter.com/MagicEden - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Aug 24, 20231h 23m

Ep 11The Value of Modular Blockchains | Nick White, Neel Somani

Nick White (COO of Celestia) and Neel Somani (founder of Eclipse) join us to debate the tradeoffs of modular vs integrated blockchains. We cover the modular thesis, how Eclipse is bringing the SVM to Ethereum, the hidden costs of modularity, centralized sequencers and L2s, where value will accrue in a modular paradigm and more! - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (01:17) What are Modular Blockchains? (05:02) Data Availability Explained (08:43) Light Clients and End User Verification (19:13) Eclipse: the SVM Rollup Provider (20:18) Why do Rollups Need Settlement? (25:54) Jito Mid Roll (26:58) Permissionless Plug (27:58) Should Celestia Enshrine a Settlement Layer? (31:02) L2 Training Wheels (35:21) Kyle Samani’s "The Hidden Costs of Modular Systems” (42:30) Appchains vs Rollups (46:11) How Eclipse is Bringing the SVM to Ethereum (47:26) Are Centralized Sequencers Okay? (52:56) Will Crypto Apps Have a Power Law Outcome? (57:31) Network Effects and Value Accrual (01:07:43) Where Will Enterprises Launch Applications? (01:11:36) Rapid Fire - - This episode is brought to you by Jito. Jito is the easiest way to earn MEV rewards on Solana with liquid staking. Stake your SOL with Jito to start earning high yield powered by MEV and access instant liquidity through Jito’s liquid staking token JitoSOL so that you can use your staked assets across Solana DeFi. Visit jito.network to get started today! - - Follow Neel: https://twitter.com/neelsalami Follow Nick: https://twitter.com/nickwh8te Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Use code LIGHTSPEED30 to get 30% off Permissionless 2023 in Austin: https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023 - - Resources Jito jito.network Celestia https://twitter.com/CelestiaOrg https://celestia.org/ Eclipse https://twitter.com/EclipseFND https://www.eclipse.builders/ - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Aug 22, 20231h 25m

Ep 10Why Crypto Governance Sucks | Chase Chapman, David Phelps

Chase Chapman and David Phelps join us to discuss what crypto governance gets wrong. This is the most fun conversation we've had on Lightspeed yet! We cover how to make people care about governance, what's holding crypto back, the importance of onchain identity, where Balaji's network state falls short, why you can't L2 your way to PMF and more! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:46) What Crypto Gets Wrong About Governance (11:56) Jokerace: Turning Governance Into Contests (14:09) Friend.tech and Making Governance Addictive (23:43) What’s Holding Crypto Back? (24:43) Permissionless Plug (30:29) The Importance of Onchain Identity (37:57) Crypto’s Tribalism (44:39) Critiques of Balaji’s Network State (50:00) How Will Crypto’s Topology Play Out? (53:55) Advancing Onchain Literacy (56:01) You Cannot L2 Your Way to PMF (59:23) Rapid Fire - - Follow Chase: https://twitter.com/chaserchapman Follow David: https://twitter.com/divine_economy Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Use code LIGHTSPEED30 to get 30% off Permissionless 2023 in Austin: https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023 - - Resources David's Substack https://davidphelps.substack.com/archive On The Other Side (Network State episode) https://spoti.fi/3QFj1sH Metropolis https://www.metropolis.space/ https://twitter.com/0xMetropolis Jokerace https://jokerace.xyz/ https://twitter.com/jokerace_xyz - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Aug 17, 20231h 8m

Ep 9Drift: Can This Solana DEX Compete With Binance? | Cindy Leow, Chris Heaney

Cindy Leow and Chris Heaney join us to discuss how Drift is building the #1 trading experience on Solana. In this episode, we cover Drift's core design and liquidity layers, the advantages of perps, why Drift built on Solana, vertical vs horizontal integration, Drift's distribution framework, what DeFi got wrong and more! - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (00:48) Drift: Solana’s Perpetual Swaps Exchange (01:55) The Advantages of Perps (04:08) The Liquidity Trifecta: Drift’s 3 Layers of Liquidity (14:19) Drift’s End Game (17:54) Permissionless ad (26:40) Why Build on Solana? (27:40) Vertical and Horizontal Integration (31:27) Abstracting the Underlying Chain (34:58) How Drift Approaches Distribution (40:41) Customer Acquisition (43:52) What DeFi Got Wrong (54:21) Hot Takes: NFTs Fail if DeFi Fails & Mutable Contracts (59:40) Why Are You Building in Crypto? (01:04:47) Regulation and Building in the US (01:07:57) Rapid Fire - - Follow Cindy: https://twitter.com/cindyleowtt Follow Chris: https://twitter.com/crispheaney Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Use code LIGHTSPEED30 to get 30% off Permissionless 2023 in Austin: https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023 - - Resources Drift https://linktr.ee/driftprotocol https://twitter.com/DriftProtocol - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Aug 15, 20231h 15m

Ep 8Solana’s Ultimate Vision | Anatoly Yakovenko

Anatoly joins us to discuss why Solana is uniquely designed to utilize ever-increasing bandwidth and compute. We cover Solana's core thesis, how blockchains benefit from hardware improvements, the fundamental flaws of L2s, Anatoly's favorite applications, decentralization and more! Anatoly is a legend, you don't want to miss this one! - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (01:47) Solana’s Core Thesis (10:29) The Scaling Bottleneck (13:43) Do All Blockchains Equally Benefit From Hardware Improvements? (17:47) Pros and Cons of Parallel Execution (20:56) The Realities of Decentralization (24:32) Solana’s Design Moat (27:57) Jito Mid Roll (29:01) Permissionless Plug (30:01) The Fundamental Tradeoffs of L2s (44:43) How Should Solana Approach Business Development? (48:33) The Role of Solana Labs and the Solana Foundation (50:18) The Compressed NFT Opportunity (53:54) We Need to Fix DAO Governance (55:40) Anatoly’s Metric of Success for Solana (58:21) Why Anatoly Hasn’t Left Crypto (01:00:12) Why an Average Joe Would Use Solana (01:01:58) Rapid Fire - - This episode is brought to you by Jito. Jito is the easiest way to earn MEV rewards on Solana with liquid staking. Stake your SOL with Jito to start earning high yield powered by MEV and access instant liquidity through Jito’s liquid staking token JitoSOL so that you can use your staked assets across Solana DeFi. Visit jito.network to get started today! - - Follow Anatoly: https://twitter.com/aeyakovenko Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Use code LIGHTSPEED30 to get 30% off Permissionless 2023 in Austin: https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023 - - Resources Jito jito.network Endgame: Proof of Governance - Jon Charbonneau https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toPd1vgHjVE - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Aug 10, 20231h 16m

Why Solana DeFi Is Crypto's Biggest Opportunity | Ansem

Ansem joins us to discuss why Solana DeFi is the best opportunity in crypto right now. Ansem is one of the top traders in the space who is a master of finding crypto's next narrative. In this episode, we cover the Solana opportunity, why Ansem is bullish on crypto gaming, how to think about L2s vs appchains, the closing investment opportunity, Ansem's favorite crypto applications and more! - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (01:18) Terminally Online (03:28) DeFi Kingdoms and Crypto Gaming (06:17) Is Speculation a Feature or a Bug? (08:40) Jito ad (09:44) Permissionless ad (10:44) Why Ansem’s Bullish on Solana DeFi (14:04) The Solana Thesis (22:32) Navigating L2s, Modularity and Appchains (25:39) Why People Should Be Watching Cosmos (32:05) Building Great Products for New Users (37:26) Crypto Twitter (45:22) Today's Unique Opportunity (52:15) Rapid Fire - - This episode is brought to you by Jito. Jito is the easiest way to earn MEV rewards on Solana with liquid staking. Stake your SOL with Jito to start earning high yield powered by MEV and access instant liquidity through Jito’s liquid staking token JitoSOL so that you can use your staked assets across Solana DeFi. Visit jito.network to get started today! - - Follow Ansem: https://twitter.com/blknoiz06 Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Use code LIGHTSPEED30 to get 30% off Permissionless 2023 in Austin: https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023 - - Resources Jito jito.network Ansem's Substack https://blknoiz06.substack.com/ - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Aug 8, 20231h 1m

Ep 6Ending the Modular vs Monolithic Debate | Kyle Samani

We're joined by Kyle Samani, the co-founder of Multicoin Capital and one of crypto's most independent thinkers. In this episode, we cover why "monolithic L1s" is a misnomer, the value of global state, how a protocol establishes moats, why DePIN is finding product-market fit, how Kyle synthesizes new ideas and more! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:34) The Modular vs Monolithic Debate (07:43) Bootstrapping Communities (09:17) A Case for Rollups and Appchains (15:33) The Value of Composability and Globally Shared State (22:22) Permissionless Plug (23:22) Crypto’s Moats, Meat Space and the Saga Phone (28:38) Don’t Sleep on DePIN (45:11) Spatial Computing and New Form Factors (53:42) Kyle’s Thinking Process (57:49) Zero Knowledge Proof Use Cases (01:04:21) How Kyle Cultivated His Communication Style (01:06:03) Advice for Founders - - Although our guests this week are managing partners of a registered investment adviser, nothing in this podcast should be considered an offer of Multicoin’s investment advisory services or should otherwise be confused for investment, tax, legal or other financial advice. - - Follow Kyle: https://twitter.com/KyleSamani Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Use code LIGHTSPEED30 to get 30% off Permissionless 2023 in Austin: https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023 - - Resources Multicoin Capital https://multicoin.capital/ Unlocking Payments Over Crypto Rails https://multicoin.capital/2022/12/08/unlocking-payments-over-crypto-rails/ Stratechery (Ben Thompson) https://stratechery.com/ - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Aug 3, 20231h 9m

Ep 5DRiP: Crypto's Best Shot at Mainstream Adoption | Vibhu Norby

We're joined by Vibhu Norby, the founder of DRiP, to discuss why DRiP is crypto's best shot at mainstream adoption. DRiP has already minted 18 million NFTs to 800 thousand wallets. If one crypto app has found product market fit, it's DRiP. In this episode, we cover what makes DRiP unique, what crypto should learn from the gaming industry, how creators can leverage DRiP, the future of NFTs, how DRiP will forever change Solana and more! - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (01:15) What Makes DRiP Unique? (11:34) DRiP’s Insane Growth (14:28) Community Pushback and FUD (17:49) How Gaming Inspired DRiP (22:09) Learnings from Working with Tony Fadell (26:16) Jito Promo (27:16) Permissionless Promo (28:19) Why Vibhu Doesn’t Like Curation (30:54) How Can Lightspeed Leverage DRiP? (33:17) Tracking and Attribution on DRiP (36:46) DRiP’s Business Model (39:19) Predicting the Future of NFTs (42:21) Why DRiP is Only on Solana (44:48) How DRiP Will Onboard Millions of Users to Solana (48:58) Competition, Products vs Distribution & Building in Web3 (01:01:36) Rapid Fire - - This episode is brought to you by Jito. Jito is the easiest way to earn MEV rewards on Solana with liquid staking. Stake your SOL with Jito to start earning high yield powered by MEV and access instant liquidity through Jito’s liquid staking token JitoSOL so that you can use your staked assets across Solana DeFi. Visit jito.network to get started today! - - Follow Vibhu: https://twitter.com/vibhu Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Use code LIGHTSPEED30 to get 30% off Permissionless 2023 in Austin: https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023 - - Resources Jito jito.network DRiP https://linktr.ee/drip.haus https://twitter.com/drip_haus DRiP analytics dashboard https://analytics.topledger.xyz/tl/public/dashboards/7XqwqSZ3r7aYD5EVBwd67VHQ3Y1pXrq0agQptxuU - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Aug 1, 20231h 21m

Ep 4Compressed NFTs: Solana's Secret to Mass Adoption | Tensor's Co-founders

In today's episode, we're joined by Ilja Moisejevs and Richard Wu to discuss how Tensor is building the #1 NFT marketplace in Solana and why compressed NFTs are Solana's new unlock. We cover why Ilja and Richard chose Solana, the advantages of professional vs retail products, compressed NFTs, Tensor's roadmap, crypto's path to mass adoption and more! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:20) Tensor: NFT Trading for Prosumers (04:28) Why Build NFT Infrastructure? (07:57) How Did You Choose to Build on Solana? (12:31) Path Dependency: Expanding From Pros to Retail (15:19) Competition (18:57) Loyalty Points and Hyperscaling (21:07) Compressed NFTs: The Unlocks and Tradeoffs (36:23) Permissionless Ad (37:23) Tensorians: Tensor’s NFT Project (44:20) Tensor’s Roadmap and Owning the User Relationship (50:32) What You’ve Learned as a Founder (01:02:47) Rapid Fire - - Follow Richard: https://twitter.com/0xrwu Follow Ilja: https://twitter.com/_ilmoi Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Use code LIGHTSPEED30 to get 30% off Permissionless 2023 in Austin: https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023 - - Resources Tensor https://twitter.com/tensor_hq https://linktr.ee/tensor_hq - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Jul 27, 20231h 13m

Ep 3Balaji Srinivasan: Crypto Networks, Sovereignty and Decentralization with Akshay BD

In today's episode, we're joined by Balaji Srinivasan and Akshay BD to discuss crypto networks, sovereignty and the practicality of decentralization. If you only tune in to one episode of Lightspeed, this is it. We discuss if crypto is a bet on tech or financial collapse, blockchain infrastructure ideologies, Balaji's Network State, how to build effective communities, the future of open source, combatting tribalism and more! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (03:01) Is Crypto a Bet on Tech or Financial Collapse? (08:04) Appchains vs Monolithic vs Modular Ideology (13:07) Why Akshay Joined the Solana Community (14:49) Jito Promo (15:54) Permissionless Promo (16:54) The Network State (31:21) Market Depth and the Overton Window (37:25) How to Build Effective Communities (43:43) Three Ways to Align People (50:11) How to Combat Tribalism (01:03:54) Crypto has PMF, Regulation is Holding it Back (01:14:57) Will Centralized Companies Embrace Open Source? (01:17:28) Advice for Startup Founders - - This episode is brought to you by Jito. Jito is the easiest way to earn MEV rewards on Solana with liquid staking. Stake your SOL with Jito to start earning high yield powered by MEV and access instant liquidity through Jito’s liquid staking token JitoSOL so that you can use your staked assets across Solana DeFi. Visit jito.network to get started today! - - Follow Balaji: https://twitter.com/balajis Follow Akshay: https://twitter.com/akshaybd Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Use code LIGHTSPEED30 to get 30% off Permissionless 2023 in Austin: https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023 - - Resources Jito jito.network The Network State https://thenetworkstate.com/ The Network State (Balaji, Estonia 2015) https://teleport.org/blog/2015/07/the-network-state/ Software is Reorganizing the World (Balaji, 2011) https://www.wired.com/2013/11/software-is-reorganizing-the-world-and-cloud-formations-could-lead-to-physical-nations/ The Secret Document That Transformed China https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2012/01/20/145360447/the-secret-document-that-transformed-china SuperTeam https://superteam.fun/ https://twitter.com/SuperteamDAO - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Jul 25, 20231h 22m

Ep 2Solana Defi 2.0: The Comeback | Jarry Xiao, Lucas Bruder, MacBrennan Peet

Solana DeFi is having a resurgence, and Solana DeFi Summer is a narrative that's starting to emerge. What's the catalyst behind this resurgence, and is it sustainable? We bring on Jarry Xiao, Lucas Bruder and MacBrennan Peet to find out. We discuss why Solana DeFi is seeing a resurgence, token incentives, CLOBS vs AMMs, metrics that define a healthy ecosystem, what's next for Solana DeFi, liquid staking and more. - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:15) What’s Going on in Solana DeFi? (05:02) Token Incentives and Points (14:24) What Will Spark Solana's DeFi Summer? (15:56) Capital Efficiency: CLOBS vs AMMs (16:13) Is Solana a Consumer or Professional DeFi Chain? (25:46) The Best Metrics to Evaluate a DeFi Ecosystem (34:49) Jito Liquid Staking ad (35:55) Permissionless ad (36:55) Understanding Risk and Avoiding Crazy APYs (41:08) What’s Next for Solana DeFi? (44:10) Building on Solana vs L2s (50:41) Applications vs L1s: Who Owns the User Mindshare? (53:12) Who Will Use DeFi? (56:23) Your Most Controversial Crypto Take (01:09:09) Rapid Fire - - This episode is brought to you by Jito. Jito is the easiest way to earn MEV rewards on Solana with liquid staking. Stake your SOL with Jito to start earning high yield powered by MEV and access instant liquidity through Jito’s liquid staking token JitoSOL so that you can use your staked assets across Solana DeFi. Visit jito.network to get started today! - - Follow Lucas:https://twitter.com/buffalu__ Follow Jarry: https://twitter.com/jarxiao Follow MacBrennan: https://twitter.com/macbrennan Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Use code LIGHTSPEED30 to get 30% off Permissionless 2023 in Austin: https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023 - - Resources Jito jito.network https://bit.ly/3K3TKnC MarginFi https://www.marginfi.com/ https://twitter.com/marginfi Ellipsis Labs https://ellipsislabs.xyz/ https://twitter.com/ellipsis_labs Phoenix https://twitter.com/PhoenixTrade_ - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Jul 20, 20231h 23m

Ep 1What Crypto Wallets Get Wrong | Armani Ferrante

Welcome to the first episode of Lightspeed! Armani Ferrante joins Garrett and Mert to discuss what crypto wallets get wrong. Armani is a product genius and the founder behind Anchor, Backpack, xNFTs and Mad Lads. In this episode, we cover the innovations behind Backpack and xNFTs, why demand generation is everything, if projects should go multichain, how to build a community, why Armani decided to build on Solana, why most apps will launch their own chain and more! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:48) Wallets: The Gateway to Crypto (04:01) Backpack: The Wallet’s iPhone Moment (10:25) A Focus on Product vs Distribution (16:19) Should Projects Go Multichain? (18:52) How Backpack Thinks About Distribution (21:52) Permissionless Ad (23:09) xNFTs vs Native Apps (25:00) Why Choose Solana? (35:38) Metaplex and Why Neutral Standards Matter (39:05) Why Armani Loves the Cosmos Vision (48:47) Work-Life Balance & In-Person vs Remote (55:46) Leadership Lessons from Building Backpack (59:44) Rapid Fire Segment - - Follow Armani: https://twitter.com/armaniferrante Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_ Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Use code LIGHTSPEED30 to get 30% off Permissionless 2023 in Austin: https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023 - - Resources Backpack https://twitter.com/xNFT_Backpack Mad Lads https://www.madlads.com/ https://twitter.com/MadLadsNFT Anchor https://www.anchor-lang.com/ https://twitter.com/anchorlang Coral https://www.coral.community/ https://twitter.com/0xCoral - - Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Jul 18, 20231h 7m