Chris Blec (DeFi Watch) on the Pursuit of Transparency in DeFi (EP.220)
Chris Blec is a researcher and the founder of DeFi Watch, a project dedicated to identifying points of centralization and risk factors in DeFi, in particular the presence of admin keys. In this episode: How Chris got interested in DeFi How he first noticed the risk of admin key usage The changing nature of admin […]
Ask Me Anything 2.0 with Matt, Nic, and Ria (EP.222)
In our second OTB AMA, we field questions from Brink Nation. In this episode: What other countries are good candidates to ratify Bitcoin next? What are the prospects for DeFi on Bitcoin? Is price to hashrate a viable ratio to use to value bitcoin? Will other countries follow El Salvador’s lead in light of the […]
Weekly Roundup 06/11/21 (Bitcoinización in LatAm, volcano mining, El Salvador turns orange) (EP.221)
Nic and Matt are back and recovered from an insane Bitcoin 2021 conference in Miami. In this episode: Our lost roundup from last week Our reflections on Bitcoin 2021 Nic reacts to his spaces with President Bukele El Salvador accepts Bitcoin The story behind the 25k attendee Twitter space Does the Salvadorian law change the […]
Weekly Roundup 06/18/21 (Bukele’s Bitcoin ambitions, the World Bank spurns El Salvador, DeFi risks) (EP. 223)
Nic and Matt return for deals and news of the week. In this episode: What’s the biggest story with Bukele that isn’t being covered? Is Bukele motivated by a sanctions threat from the US? Will Salvadorians use the Lightning Network? How Bitcoin elevates heads of state in the popular consciousness Nic’s paper on DeFi protocol […]
Hunter Horsley (Bitwise) on the State of Crypto Asset Management (EP.224)
Hunter Horsley, the co-founder and CEO of Bitwise Asset Management joins the show. In this episode we discuss: Bitwise’s recent $70M Series B fundraise and how he approached building a roster of unique investors Views on what is driving interest in cryptoasset products Decentralized Finance and how Bitwise is approaching constructing products to enable exposure […]
Weekly Roundup 06/25/21 (China’s Hashrate Migration, holding BTC in your bank, Taleb’s bitcoin paper) (EP.225)
Matt and Nic are back for another rocky week in the markets. In this episode: Our thoughts on the Chinese mining situation Is Sichuan being spared the crackdown? Why Bitcoin’s hashrate may not recover for a while Why China is cracking down on mining now How China’s ultra-high voltage transmission is affecting mining policy How […]
Kinjal Shah (Blockchain Capital) and Manasi Vora (Skynet Labs) on DAOs as a New Investing Paradigm (EP.226)
Kinjal Shah of Blockchain Capital and Manasi Vora of Skynet Labs join us to discuss their recently launched investment DAO, KomorebiCollective. We discuss: 1) The motivation behind Komorebi and its mission to fund female and non-binary founders 2) The decision to structure the collective as a DAO 3) The cost, transparency, and speed benefits DAOs […]
Jeff Kirt and Ted Rogers on the Story Behind the Greenidge Plant (EP.219)
Jeff Kirt and Ted Rogers, CEO and board director of Greenidge Generation LLC respectively, join the show to discuss the Greenidge plant and Bitcoin mining operation in upstate New York. In this episode: The origins of Greenidge Why Ted Rogers chose to join the Greenidge board How Atlas/Greenidge converted their NY plant from coal to […]
Weekly Roundup 07/02/21 (Eyeball based coins, why airdrops don’t work, the Mining Council shares data) (EP.227)
Nic and Matt return for another week of news and deals. In this episode: A new twist in the turkey tale Why airdrops historically haven’t work Sam Altman’s eyeball-based cryptocurrency Brady partners up with FTX The FCA tangles with Binance Nic’s paper on DeFi risks NYDIG deepens their bank partnerships Mexico’s bitcoin rebuke Coinbase’s aggressive […]
Anton Katz and Ethan Feldman on Trading Infrastructure in Cryptoassets (EP.228)
Anton Katz and Ethan Feldman, the cofounders of Talos join the show. In this episode we discuss: Anton and Ethan’s path from roles at AQR and Broadway Technologies and into the world of cryptoassets The problem they are seeking to solve for market participants How the exchange and OTC liquidity landscape is evolving How custodians and exchanges […]