Shows
Talking TokensHow Vaults Become the Next Stablecoin Narrative | Sun RaghupathiIn this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Sun Raghupathi, CEO of Veda, about how DeFi evolved from speculation to a robust financial backend for users, fintechs and asset managers. Sun explains why degens were essential beta testers for early DeFi systems, how vault infrastructure bridges the gap between onchain complexity and traditional finance, and why idle balances should automatically generate yield for users instead of enriching banks.He walks through Veda's growth from serving DeFi projects like Ether.fi to powering yield products for centralized exchanges like Kraken and Coinbase. He also explains why...
2026-02-1034 minTalking TokensWhy Onchain Vaults Are Following Stablecoins Everywhere | Hunter HorsleyIn this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Hunter Horsley, co-founder and CEO of Bitwise Asset Management, about the firm’s launch of onchain vault strategies wiith Morpho and latest Q4 2025 corporate adoption report of bitcoin and ethereum as well as his outlook on digital asset treasuries. Hunter explains what vaults are, why they're following the adoption curve of stablecoins, and how they enable 4-6% yields, while investors maintain custody.He walks through Bitwise's expansion beyond ETFs into staking, options strategies, and DeFi vault curation, why institutions are going from "0 to 500 miles per hour" on cr...
2026-02-0528 minTalking TokensHow ReserveOne Plans to Shake Up the Crowded DAT Market | Jaime LevertonIn this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Jaime Leverton, CEO of ReserveOne, about building a publicly-traded diversified digital asset reserve inspired by the U.S. Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile. Jaime explains why she left traditional tech and her role as CEO of Hut 8 to build ReserveOne from the ground up, how the company's 80% Bitcoin and 20% alternative assets strategy differs from single-asset treasury models, and why bridging crypto jargon to traditional finance language is critical for institutional adoption.She walks through why Bitcoin's historical four-year cycle may have ended, what 2025's surprising sideways...
2026-02-0341 minTalking TokensInside Securitize's $1.25B Nasdaq SPAC and Pacific Stock Transfer Acquisition | Billy MillerIn this episode of Talking Tokenization, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Billy Miller, COO of Securitize, about how transfer agents evolved from background infrastructure to critical onchain infrastructure and why blockchain technology gave this traditionally overlooked sector a chance to reemerge. Billy explains what transfer agents do, how Securitize acquired Pacific Stock Transfer in 2022, and why its Exodus tokenization was a pivotal moment proving regulated tokenization could work at scale.He walks through why early tokenization efforts focused on the wrong assets, how the market shifted from speculative ICOs to institutional-grade products like BlackRock's BUIDL fund, and why...
2026-01-2938 minTalking TokensBuilding Payment Rails That Banks & Fintech Actually Want to Use | Marc BoironIn this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Marc Boiron, CEO of Polygon Labs, about the company's expansion into payments through its new Open Money Stack and why connecting onchain systems to real world finance is critical for keeping capital onchain. Marc explains why blockchains, stablecoins, and wallets are converging to make payments easier than traditional correspondent banking networks, and how Polygon's acquisitions of Coinme and Sequence can create a unified API for enterprises.He walks through why general purpose blockchains can't excel at everything, how Polygon is doubling down on its payments reputation, and...
2026-01-2741 minTalking TokensWhy AI and Crypto Are Two Halves of the Same Coin | Nikil ViswanathanIn this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Nikil Viswanathan, Co-Founder & CEO of Alchemy, the infrastructure platform powering over 70% of top crypto applications and more than $150B in annual transaction volume. Nikil explains how Alchemy abstracted away the complexity of building onchain for millions of developers to create crypto products similar to mobile apps on iOS and web apps on AWS.Nikil breaks down why developer adoption, not price action, is the true signal for crypto’s long-term trajectory, and why the next major wave will come from banks, fintechs, and global consumer apps integrating st...
2026-01-2256 minTalking TokensWhy 50% of DeFi Projects Are Just TradFi Backdoors | Ben NadareskiIn this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek sits down with Ben Nadareski, Co-Founder and CEO of Solstice Labs, to break down how Solstice brings institutional-grade delta-neutral trading strategies to everyday users through a permissionless, onchain structure. Ben explains how Solstice can give a $5 retail depositor access to the exact same real yield that hedge funds, trading firms, and major institutions receive with no backroom deals, no preferential terms, and fully transparent onchain proof of reserves.They discuss how Solstice scales yield to billions through delta-neutral funding-rate arbitrage, why its strategy is sustainable in crypto but nearly...
2026-01-2033 minTalking TokensMaking Ethereum 240x Faster: From 12 Seconds to 50ms | Kevin LepsoeIn this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Kevin Lepsoe, Founder of ETHGas, about blockspace and how a transparent blockspace futures marketplace could redefine Ethereum’s core economic engine. Kevin explains why Ethereum’s 12-second block time creates fragmentation, poor UX, failed transactions, and institutional reluctance and how slicing blocks into millisecond-resolution windows unlocks a completely new operating model for L1s.He walks through his background as a trader during the 2008 crisis, why MEV behavior can mirror predatory high-frequency trading tactics, and why institutions won’t put billion-dollar balance sheets onchain in the current enviro...
2026-01-1546 minTalking TokensWhy a Team of Seasoned Finance Veterans Launched a Hyperliquid DAT | David SchamisIn this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek sits down with David Schamis, CEO of Hyperliquid Strategies and Atlas Merchant Capital Founding Partner and CIO. He breaks down the rapid rise of Hyperliquid, the decentralized exchange powering billions in annual free cash flow without raising a dollar of outside capital. David explains how perps became crypto’s dominant trading product, why Hyperliquid’s architecture prevents FTX-style failures, and how real token buybacks created an equity-like model for protocol growth.He also shares what US-based investors misunderstand about access, the role of Hyperliquid Strategies as a publicly listed vehi...
2026-01-1352 minTalking TokensHow Private Credit Comes Onchain | Mary GooneratneIn this episode of Talking Tokenization, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Mary Gooneratne, Co-Founder of Loopscale, about how tokenization, credit markets and asset mobility are converging into the next major wave of onchain finance. Mary explains why only a tiny fraction of the financial system exists onchain today, why future assets will look nothing like governance tokens or digital gold, and what traits are required for the “next 99 percent” of assets to become composable in DeFi.They discuss tokenized private credit, payment streams, real world lending, and why credit not trading is where crypto offers the biggest step-function impr...
2026-01-0835 minTalking TokensHow DATs Could Become The New Banks | DFDV’s Parker WhiteIn this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Parker White, Chief Investment Officer at DeFi Development Corp, about how digital asset treasuries (DATs) can evolve into onchain equivalents of banks inside the Solana economy. Parker explains why non-sovereign money is foundational to his worldview, how Austrian economics shaped his conviction in Bitcoin, and why the collapse of centralized lenders solidified his belief that DeFi is structurally more resilient.They walk through his path from working in traditional finance to Kraken, as well as the “Kraken cabal” that later formed DeFi Dev Corp, and how their shar...
2026-01-0622 minTalking TokensHow ChooseRich Nick Masters Going Viral | Nick O’NeillIn this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Nick O’Neill, Co-Founder and CEO of BoDoggos. Nick shares how years of running The Nifty, one of the largest NFT media companies, shaped his understanding of community behavior, storytelling and internet culture and how that experience ultimately led to BoDoggos.Nick reflects on the psychological cost of operating as a character, how satire bleeds into reality, the tension between being informative and being entertaining, and why mixing humor with truth is harder (and more effective) than playing either side cleanly. Nick also shares stories behind his mos...
2026-01-0157 minTalking TokensMert Explains How Solana Becomes the Internet Capital Markets ChainIn this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Mert Mumtaz, Co-Founder and CEO of Helius. He shares his take on Solana evolving from earlier years with its NFT boom to the memecoin era and where it’s heading, as well as why better infrastructure, indexing and data readability were essential for scaling the network. Mert breaks down how Helius built the tools that make Solana legible, why transparency actually reinforces the need for privacy, and how its new Orb aims to become a first-principles block explorer designed for internet capital markets.They discuss Solana’s perf...
2025-12-3038 minTalking TokensWhy DeFi Needs Onchain Prime Brokerage | MacBrennan PeetIn this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with MacBrennan Peet, Founder of Project 0, about why DeFi has reached a point where unified margin, solvency guarantees and onchain prime brokerage are finally possible. MacBrennan explains why risk systems and smart contract securities have matured, how Project 0 unifies margin across multiple venues, and why serious DeFi users inevitably create fragmented risk when they trade across swaps, perps, lending platforms and prediction markets.They also discuss the evolution of Solana market microstructure, the shift toward institutional capital using onchain strategies, and how Project 0’s credit engine works under th...
2025-12-2535 min
Talking TokensTalking Tokenization: Why Every Internet Company Must Tokenize in 2026 | Yat SiuIn this episode of Talking Tokenization, Jacquelyn Melinek sits down with Yat Siu, Co-Founder and Chairman of Animoca Brands, to discuss why he believes altcoins will outperform bitcoin, how tokenization will reshape global markets, and why Animoca is preparing to go public through a reverse merger.Yat explains why he thinks utility tokens are entering a new era, how regulatory clarity will unlock mass tokenization, and why memecoins emerged from regulatory arbitrage. He also breaks down Animoca’s strategy as one of the largest investors in web3, the logic behind owning liquid tokens, why gaming hasn’t yet...
2025-12-2352 minTalking TokensHow Solmate Is Merging Treasury Scale with Real Infrastructure | Marco SantoriIn this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Marco Santori, CEO of Solmate, about the company’s shift from a pure digital asset treasury model into an infrastructure business. Marco explains why Solmate decided to build bare metal validators in the UAE, how geography affects production, and why the region is becoming strategically important for Solana’s global footprint.They also discuss Solmate’s planned acquisition of RockawayX, how it intends to integrate the firm’s liquidity, asset management and infrastructure, and why tokenization represents the biggest near term opportunity on Solana. Marco shares insights from his...
2025-12-1834 minTalking TokensHow Solana Becomes the Home for Kalshi | Nitesh NathIn this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Nitesh Nath, Founder and CEO of DFlow, about building trading infrastructure for Solana and enabling native access to prediction markets, starting with Kalshi, through DFlow’s new API.Nitesh explains why expanding market access matters for Solana’s trading community, how tokenizing these positions unlocks new DeFi composability, and why every prediction can become an SPL token that plugs into borrowing, trading, and liquidity protocols. They also discuss DFlow’s concurrent liquidity programs, bridging off-chain liquidity onchain, its recent integration with Phantom, and how these systems set the fo...
2025-12-1623 minTalking TokensWhy Bitcoin Collateral Is Going Mainstream | Matt Luongo & Nathan McCauleyIn this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Matt Luongo, Founder of Thesis and Co-Founder of Mezo, and Nathan McCauley, Co-Founder and CEO of Anchorage Digital. They discuss how Bitcoin collateral, institutional borrowing, and onchain lending are becoming core parts of modern finance.They dive into why institutions increasingly want to borrow against Bitcoin, how regulatory clarity and qualified custody make these markets possible, and why products like Mezo’s lending and staking are giving BTC holders new ways to access yield, without selling their assets. The conversation also explores the recent Fannie Mae and Fr...
2025-12-1139 min
Talking TokensTalking Tokenization: Why the Media Loves Stablecoins (Should We Be Worried?) | Greg Di PriscoIn this episode of Talking Tokenization, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Greg Di Prisco, Co-Founder of M0, about how stablecoins are reshaping global finance, why banks are losing their grip on deposits, and how the next monetary layer will be built directly into applications instead of traditional banking rails.Greg explains why stablecoins may ultimately fulfill parts of Satoshi’s original vision, how M0 enables companies to launch their own branded stablecoins, and why the “vertically integrated issuer” model of USDC and USDT will give way to a broader, more decentralized ecosystem. He also breaks down tokenized treasuries, regula...
2025-12-0940 minTalking TokensWhat Most People Get Wrong About Web3 | Amanda CassattIn this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Amanda Cassatt, founder of Serotonin and the former CMO of Consensys, who played a foundational role in bringing Ethereum to market. Amanda shares how she entered the early Ethereum ecosystem, what it was like working alongside early builders, and how those experiences shaped her thinking on storytelling, distribution, and product-market fit for crypto projects today.They discuss the evolution of L1s, why a general-purpose chain like Ethereum would struggle to launch in today’s market, and how new L1s must differentiate through niches or built-in di...
2025-12-0439 minTalking TokensHow Public Are Blockchains Really? | Azeem KhanIn this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Azeem Khan, Co-Founder of Miden, a new privacy-focused blockchain designed to bring configurable, institution-ready privacy to onchain activity.Azeem breaks down why public blockchains are far more open than people realize, how institutions think about visibility and copy-trading risk, and why privacy has become a prerequisite for real global adoption. He also discusses his founder journey from biotech and the entertainment industry to early crypto startups and how those experiences shape his approach to building trust, credibility, and long-term adoption. He also dives into his unexpected path...
2025-12-0248 minTalking TokensWhy Your Crypto Tokens Keep Dumping | David PhelpsIn this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with David Phelps, Co-Founder of JokeRace, an onchain platform that wants to turn governance, incentives, and community engagement into lightweight, fun, and highly participatory experiences. David breaks down why governance has failed in most crypto communities, how JokeRace simplifies participation, and why real utility often comes from small, low-friction interactions rather than complex systems.They also discuss how communities can design better incentives, what JokeRace has learned from thousands of contests, and why the future of onchain engagement depends on experimentation, humor, and user-driven creativity. David also walks...
2025-11-2750 minTalking TokensMonad’s Airdrop Strategy Explained | Eunice GiartaIn this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Eunice Giarta, Co-Founder of Monad, a new blockchain that just launched on mainnet. Eunice explains Monad’s design philosophy, the team’s focus on distribution and decentralization, and why the public token sale with Coinbase represents a new approach to retail access.They also discuss Monad’s viral airdrop campaign, the team’s long-term vision for performance on EVM, and what the launch means for developers building DeFi, gaming, consumer apps, and new real-time experiences onchain.This episode is sponsored by Forgd. Thousands of Web3 projects leverage Forgd’s...
2025-11-2532 minTalking TokensHow Avalanche Approaches Scaling, Tokenization & Institutional Growth | John NahasIn this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with John Nahas, Chief Business Officer at Ava Labs. John discusses Avalanche’s approach to scaling through purpose-built L1s, how dedicated infrastructure supports institutional and enterprise adoption, and why many organizations are shifting toward onchain-first products.The conversation explores Avalanche’s burn-based token model, the role of instant finality in real-world asset tokenization, and how stablecoin clarity is shaping global strategies heading into 2026. John also breaks down regional differences across Asia, the Middle East, and the U.S., and shares insights on Avalanche’s priorities for users, transa...
2025-11-2040 minTalking TokensHow Harmonic Solved Solana's Biggest Problem | Ben CoverstonIn this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Ben Coverston, Founding Engineer at Temporal, a Solana-based R&D firm focused on blockchain performance, and cofounder of Harmonic.The conversation explores Harmonic, a new open block-building system designed to make Solana’s transaction sequencing more efficient, decentralized, and transparent. Ben discusses how the system creates a competitive marketplace for block builders, improves inclusion latency, and could help Solana reach 1 million transactions per second while maintaining decentralization.They also talk about the lessons he learned from Solana’s early struggles, the evolution of validator coordination, and...
2025-11-1832 min
Talking TokensTalking Tokenization: How Robinhood Plans to Bring Stocks Onchain | Johann Kerbrat & AJ WarnerIn this episode of Talking Tokenization, Jacquelyn Melinek sits down with Johann Kerbrat, SVP and GM of Crypto at Robinhood, and AJ Warner, Chief Strategy Officer at Offchain Labs, the team behind Arbitrum.The conversation explores how Robinhood is bringing U.S. equities onchain through tokenization, starting in Europe, and what that means for global investors. Johann explains how the initiative grew from Robinhood’s crypto division into a larger effort to make stocks, ETFs, and other financial assets tradeable onchain 24/7, while AJ discusses the infrastructure powering it on Arbitrum and how it connects to Ethereum for se...
2025-11-1329 minTalking TokensHow Movement Plans to Move on From Market Maker Token MishapIn this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek sits down with Torab Torabi, CEO of Move Industries, the team behind Move Network, a new blockchain ecosystem built on the Move language.Torab opens up about the challenges of rebuilding after Movement Labs’ internal fallout, how the company restructured, and why the new chapter is focused on transparency, community, and global accessibility. He shares insights into how Move Industries handled its market-maker incident, is working on regaining developer trust, and how it retained over 90% of its team through the transition.The discussion also explores how Move Ne...
2025-11-1148 minTalking TokensWhy 70% of Token Launches Fail and How Forgd Is Changing That | Shane MolidorIn this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Shane Molidor, founder and CEO of Forgd, an investment banking and advisory platform that helps blockchain projects design sustainable token economies and improve market transparency.The discussion covers why crypto still struggles with low liquidity and poor disclosure standards, how market makers shape price discovery, and what it really takes to build a fair and efficient token launches. Shane explains why many founders misunderstand market-making agreements, what “predatory engagements” look like, and how Forgd is working to introduce transparency and data-driven decision-making across the industry.They...
2025-11-0649 minTalking TokensStablecoins, AI, and Building the Next Generation of Crypto Startups | Qiao WangIn this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek interviews Qiao Wang, founding partner at Alliance DAO, to explore the current state of crypto startups and the broader market landscape.The conversation covers how early-stage builders are approaching stablecoins, payments, and AI-driven tools, and why the next wave of development is shifting toward real-world utility. Qiao discusses its latest ALL15 demo day, the return of U.S. based crypto founders, developers building on Solana and Base, and how macro conditions are shaping startup funding and investor sentiment.They also examine how AI is influencing both market...
2025-11-0449 min
Talking TokensTalking Tokenization: Carlos Domingo on Securitize’s $1.25B IPO & Tokenized Fund with BNYIn this episode of Talking Tokenization, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Carlos Domingo, Co-Founder and CEO of Securitize, following the company’s announcement that it will go public through a SPAC merger valuing it at $1.25 billion and the launch of a tokenized fund with BNY.The conversation explores why Securitize chose to go public now, how the move fits into its broader mission of bringing real-world assets onchain, and what it means for the growing tokenization market. Carlos discusses the regulatory process behind going public, the importance of transparency and governance for institutional partners, and why he believes to...
2025-10-3017 minTalking TokensHow Aerodrome Dominated DeFi on Base: The Zero VC Approach with Alexander CutlerOn this episode of Talking Tokens, host Jacquelyn Melinek sits down with Alexander Cutler, CEO of Dromos Labs and core contributor to Aerodrome, the largest decentralized exchange on Base. Alexander breaks down how Aerodrome launched with zero VC funding and no token sale, with a focus on rewarding users directly by reshaping DeFi incentives and becoming the number one DEX by volume and fees on Base. The episode explores why the team focused on value redistribution and public goods, the hurdles of building for open participation, their unique community launch mechanics, and what it takes to maintain dominance as...
2025-10-2144 min
Talking TokensTalking Tokenization: Why Tokenizing Stock Beats Traditional Shares | Maja VujinovicIn this episode of Talking Tokenization, Jacquelyn Melinek interviews Maja Vujinovic, CEO and co-founder of Digital Assets FG Nexus. Maja unpacks FG Nexus’s recent partnership with Securitize to put both its common and dividend-paying preferred shares fully on Ethereum, making it the first time a Nasdaq-listed company can offer truly onchain equity with programmable features. The conversation covers what “native tokenization” really means, contrasts it with traditional “wrapped” assets, and explores how direct onchain issuance lowers settlement times, improves transparency, and radically rethinks corporate finance. Maja shares lessons from building in regulated markets, the technology and governance challenges in real-wo...
2025-10-1637 minTalking TokensTalking Tokenization: Why Tokenizing Stock Beats Traditional Shares | Maja VujinovicIn this episode of Talking Tokenization, Jacquelyn Melinek interviews Maja Vujinovic, CEO and co-founder of Digital Assets FG Nexus. Maja unpacks FG Nexus’s recent partnership with Securitize to put both its common and dividend-paying preferred shares fully on Ethereum, making it the first time a Nasdaq-listed company can offer truly onchain equity with programmable features. The conversation covers what “native tokenization” really means, contrasts it with traditional “wrapped” assets, and explores how direct onchain issuance lowers settlement times, improves transparency, and radically rethinks corporate finance. Maja shares lessons from building in regulated markets, the technology and governance challenges in real-wo...
2025-10-1637 minTalking TokensHow dYdX’s President is Building the Future of Decentralized TradingOn this episode of Talking Tokens, host Jacquelyn Melinek sits down with Eddie Zhang, President of dYdX. Eddie shares his journey from product building at Meta (Facebook) and founding a Y Combinator-backed social startup to leading at dYdX, one of the world’s largest decentralized perpetuals exchanges. They break down how dYdX integrates social trading and community tools, the launch of Telegram trading bots, and an ambitious roadmap that brings real-world assets and new on-chain products to DeFi. Eddie discusses how smaller group chats drive trust and engagement, why UI/UX is critical for retail growth, and dYdX’s appr...
2025-10-1431 minTalking TokensBitcoin ETFs & The Next Decade of Crypto Investing | Hong KimIn this episode of Talking Tokens, host Jacquelyn Melinek sits down with Hong Kim, co-founder and CTO of Bitwise Asset Management, recorded live at Token2049 in Singapore. Hong shares his journey from an early interest in Ethereum and product development to building one of the first institutional crypto asset management firms. The conversation covers the evolution of crypto asset management from niche and speculative to a maturing industry gaining recognition among major institutions. Hong explains Bitwise’s product strategy focusing on ETFs, staking, and innovative yield strategies aimed at mainstream adoption. He sheds light on reaching global markets, evolving re...
2025-10-0926 minTalking TokensInside World Liberty Financial: USD1, Governance, and Building Trust in CryptoOn this episode of Talking Tokens, we’re sharing Jacquelyn Melinek's fireside chat from Korea Blockchain Week with Zak Folkman, co-founder of World Liberty Financial, a crypto project backed by members of the Trump family. Zak shares his journey from early Ethereum adoption to co-founding World Liberty Financial and launching the USD1 stablecoin and WLFI token. They discuss how USD1 wants to integrate transparency by adopting Chainlink’s real-time proof of reserves, set new compliance standards with KYC and AML, and build community governance unlike other stablecoins. Zak explains the company’s chain-agnostic approach and global expansion efforts, including partne...
2025-10-0726 minTalking TokensWhy Bitcoin Adoption is a Once-in-a-Generation Financial Revolution | American BitcoinIn this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek sits down with Mike Ho, Matt Prusak, and Donald Trump Jr. from American Bitcoin. They discuss Bitcoin as the ultimate scarce asset and compare it to gold, underlining Bitcoin’s fixed supply and growing institutional adoption. The team shares their business model behind American Bitcoin, blending mining and treasury operations to maximize Bitcoin accumulation and shareholder value. They explore how institutions are finally embracing Bitcoin amid evolving regulatory clarity and rising market maturity, including major moves in the US. Don Jr. reflects on Bitcoin’s power for financial democratization and global infl...
2025-10-0228 min
Talking TokensTalking Tokenization: Bringing Wall Street to Ethereum | Vivek Raman In this episode of Talking Tokenization, Jacquelyn Melinek interviews Vivek Raman, CEO of Etherealize and former Wall Street high yield credit trader. Vivek shares his journey from top-tier banks to pioneering Ethereum-based tokenization solutions. He explains why tokenizing existing financial assets on public blockchains is crucial for the future of finance and how Etherealize is tackling the challenges of institutional-grade privacy, compliance, and scalability. The episode covers the shift in institutional sentiment towards blockchains, the importance of public and layer-2 Ethereum networks, and the massive opportunity tokenizing the global capital markets presents. Vivek also highlights why privacy solutions onchain...
2025-09-3042 min
Talking TokensIntroducing Talking Tokenization : The Future of Finance Tokenizing Wall StreetWelcome to Talking Tokenization, a new podcast series unlocking how onchain assets are transforming finance, capital markets, and the way the world trades. Award-nominated journalist Jacquelyn Melinek leads conversations with the people and projects building the real world asset ecosystem, from tokenizing treasuries and private credit to launching the next wave of onchain funds and public equities. This series is supported by Securitize, the industry’s leading platform for tokenizing investments. In the debut episode, Carlos Domingo, co-founder and CEO of Securitize, explains what it takes to move from pilot projects to institutional mainstream, why BlackRock’s onchain fund is a...
2025-09-2346 minTalking TokensLucas Bruder | How Jito Generated $1.1B in Solana RewardsOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn sat down with Lucas Bruder, CEO and co-founder of Jito Labs. Jito Labs is building high-performance MEV infrastructure on Solana. To date, it has generated $1.1B for validators and stakers on Solana, with over 90% of the network’s validators running via its software. In 2024, the company made $650M for the network through fees and revenue. They discuss his founder journey, why Jito decided to build on Solana, the expansion of DeFi onchain and what users and institutions want. This episode is a part of the Solana Sessions campaign that Jacquelyn is doing, divi...
2025-04-1535 minTalking TokensArmani Ferrante | How Backpack Is Revolutionizing Crypto ExchangesOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn sat down with Armani Ferrante, Backpack and Mad Lads cofounder and CEO. They discuss Ferrante’s journey from Apple to Alameda to building multiple startups on Solana. We also dive into his experience operating during the FTX collapse, how that shaped him to operate Backpack’s business, what he’s doing to scale the exchange and more.This episode is a part of the Solana Sessions campaign that Jacquelyn is doing, diving into founders’ journeys and startups building on Solana.Check out the accompanying newsletter via Token Relations here: https://www.token-relations.xyz/s/sola...
2025-03-1852 minTalking TokensTom Schmidt | How Smart Money is Investing in Crypto Right NowOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Tom Schmidt, general partner at Dragonfly Capital. Tom came on the show in August 2024 and has joined us again for a refresher on the state of crypto VCs, how investors are positioned in the market right now, what he’s interested in, investing in, his opinions on the Ethereum Foundation, L2 chains, $TRUMP and more.
======================
Follow Tom: https://x.com/tomhschmidt
Follow Dragonfly: https://x.com/dragonfly_xyz
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: http...
2025-02-0657 minTalking TokensEric Chen & Mirza Uddin | Injective Is Changing The Game For DeFiOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Injective Labs Co-Founder, CEO Eric Chen, and Head of BD Mirza Uddin. They discuss Injective’s plans to democratize finance onchain, bringing DeFi to institutional investors, its progress on the AI front and what the Helix AI Indices means for investors. They also dive into Injective’s new rebrand and plans to integrate EVM support to expand the chain into the Ethereum ecosystem.
========================
Follow Eric: https://x.com/ericinjective
Follow Mirza: https://x.com/mirza_inj
Follow Injective: https://x.com/Injective
Follow Jacquelyn: https...
2025-02-0451 minTalking TokensQiao Wang | How To Build A Great Crypto StartupOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn sat down with Qiao Wang, founding member of Alliance, a web3 accelerator program. Qiao came on the show back in May – but a lot has changed since then. They discuss how Alliance looks for breakout startups, Pump.fun’s journey to hitting $100M revenue in 6 months and what makes a great crypto founder – and investor. Qiao also shared his thoughts on the current crypto x AI landscape, 2025 market predictions and why founders should play the “long game.”
====================
On today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn sat down with Qiao Wang, founding member of Alli...
2025-01-1649 minTalking TokensMichael Heinrich | Why AI Agents Will Change EverythingOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Michael Heinrich, co-founder of Zero Gravity Labs, also known as 0G Labs. Zero Gravity Labs is building a decentralized AI Operating System (dAIOS) and has over 200 investors across its $40 million seed round and $35 million pre-seed round. Jacquelyn and Michael discuss into the importance of creating decentralized AI systems, the popularity of AI Agents and how they can change the way society interacts with the technology, growth opportunities for AI x crypto in 2025 and more.
=======================
Follow Michael: https://x.com/mheinrich
Follow 0G Labs: https://x.com/0G_labs
Fo...
2025-01-0737 minTalking TokensJason Zhao | Story is Building A Blockchain To Monetize Your IPOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn sat down with Jason Zhao, co-founder of Story. They discuss the origin of Story, why IP is so important for content creators, users and businesses to own, how the blockchain plans to play a role in that post-mainnet and more.
=======================
Follow Jason: https://x.com/jasonjzha
Follow Story: https://x.com/storyprotocol
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/0LO...
2024-11-2636 minTalking TokensAntonio Juliano | DYDX Founder: DeFi Will Rule The WorldOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn sat down with Antonio Juliano, the CEO of dYdX. They dive into Antonio’s journey as a founder and CEO, how the DeFi and crypto derivatives market has changed since 2017, what the US election means for traders, his outlook for 2025 and more.
======================
Follow Antonio: https://x.com/AntonioMJuliano
Follow dYdX: https://x.com/dYdX
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com...
2024-11-2148 minTalking TokensAdrian Brink | Building a Blockchain to Survive WWIIIOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn sat down with Adrian Brink, co-founder ofAnoma and Namada. They discuss building decentralized technology that can withstand catostrophic disasters, the importance of privacy through blockchain technology and the impact it has on national defense.
=======================
Follow Adrian: https://x.com/adrianbrink
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ?si=9a9fda1d29224d57&nd=1&dlsi
2024-11-1938 minTalking TokensMert Mumtaz | Why Developers Choose SolanaOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn sat down with Mert Mumtaz, CEO of Helius Labs. They discuss why Mert left Coinbase to start a Solana-focused developer platform, how he looks at Solana compared to other blockchains, the impact of the US Presidential Election on crypto, founder life and more.
=======================
Follow Mert: https://x.com/0xmert_
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ?si...
2024-11-1451 minTalking TokensVijay Chetty | Eclipse Launches Mainnet: The First Ethereum L2 On SolanaOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Vijay Chetty, Eclipse CEO. They talk about Eclipse’s recent mainnet launch, how it’s bringing Solana and Ethereum together, the types of builders coming into its ecosystem, DeFi opportunities and more.
=======================
Follow Vijay: https://x.com/0xLitquidity
Follow Eclipse: https://x.com/EclipseFND
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ?si=9a9fda1d29224d57&nd...
2024-11-1238 minTalking TokensRebecca Rettig | Post Election: Polygon Exec Talks Crypto Policy Outlook After Trump WinOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn sat down with Polygon’s Chief Legal and Policy Officer Rebecca Rettig. They dive into the current state of policymaking in crypto, the impact the US Presidential Election has on the industry, her regulatory and policy outlook after President Trump retakes office, the SEC and more.
=======================
Follow Rebecca: https://x.com/RebeccaRettig1
Follow Polygon: https://x.com/0xPolygon
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:
ht...
2024-11-0733 minTalking TokensHayden Adams & Hart Lambur | Unichain Wants To Unite All of EthereumOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn sat down with Hayden Adams, CEO of Uniswap Labs, and Hart Lambur, co-founder and CEO of Across. They dive into Unichain, Uniswap’s new L2 chain built on the OP stack, Across being a bridging partner for the chain and why it’s important to have easy access for cross-chain swaps, scaling Ethereum, DeFi and more.
=======================
Follow Hayden: https://x.com/haydenzadams
Follow Hart: https://x.com/hal2001
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
...
2024-11-0543 minTalking TokensTristan Frizza | Zeta Markets Wants To Make Solana Even FasterOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Tristan Frizza, founder of Zeta Markets. They talk about what traders want more of on DeFi trading platforms, why Zeta is building a layer-2 on top of Solana, how it will scale the network and more.
=======================
Follow Tristan: https://x.com/tristan0x
Follow Zeta Markets: https://x.com/ZetaMarkets
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0Nn...
2024-10-3138 minTalking TokensStani Kulechov | The Future of Stablecoins and Tokenization of AssetsOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, we're sharing a fireside chat Jacquelyn moderated with Stani Kulechov, founder and CEO of Avara (formerly Aave), in Buenos Aires, Argentina. While on stage at the Avalanche Summit LATAM, they discuss the current state of stablecoins, tokenization of real world assets (RWAs), and opportunities to drive mass adoption through Latin America and other regions.
=======================
Follow Stani: https://x.com/StaniKulechov
Follow Avara: https://x.com/Avara
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Su...
2024-10-2929 minTalking TokensRaza Zaidi & Sandy Peng | A Blockchain For Fast FinalityOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Scroll’s Co-founder Sandy Peng and Head of Growth Raza Zaidi. They talk about building an L2 in a competitive landscape, growth metrics and how the chain has evolved since its mainnet in 2023, ZK technology’s role in the broader ecosystem and more.
=======================
Follow Sandy: https://x.com/sandyzkp
Follow Raza: https://x.com/razacodes
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:
https://open.s...
2024-10-1743 minTalking TokensAsher Genoot | The Future of Bitcoin MiningOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Asher Genoot, CEO of Hut 8.They talk about Hut 8 being publicly traded, IPOs, bitcoin mining needing a new name, data centers and the role AI can play in them, among other topics.
=======================
Follow Asher: https://x.com/ashergenoot
Follow Hut 8: https://x.com/Hut8Corp
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ?si=9a9fda1d2...
2024-10-1538 minTalking TokensDavid Nage | Crypto Investing In 2024 Market and BeyondOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn interviewed David Nage, venture capital PM at Arca and the host of the Base Layer Podcast. They talk about David’s extensive career in the digital asset world, his VC outlook, how he views the market as a long-term investor, whether or not AI is overhyped, how NFTs can be useful in the future and more.
=======================
Follow David: https://x.com/DavidNage
Follow Arca: https://x.com/arca
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
...
2024-10-1052 minTalking TokensAlexei Zamyatin | The Case For Building On BitcoinOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Alexei Zamyatin, cofounder of Build on Bitcoin (BOB). They talk about hybrid layer-2 blockchains, BoB using the OP Stack, what role the chain wants to play in merging Ethereum and Bitcoin ecosystems, the current state of DeFi on Bitcoin and more.
=======================
Follow Alexei: https://x.com/alexeizamyatin
Follow BoB: https://x.com/build_on_bob
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:
https://op...
2024-10-0843 minTalking TokensChiente Hsu | Here's What It's Like To Build a Bitcoin DEXOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Chiente Hsu, co-founder and CEO of Alex, a Bitcoin DeFi-focused platform. They talk about her journey from TradFi to DeFi, building a Bitcoin-focused DEX, how institutions and traditional market players are entering the space and more.
=======================
Follow Chiente: https://x.com/RuleBasedInvest
Follow ALEX: https://x.com/ALEXLabBTC
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ?si...
2024-10-0334 minTalking TokensMichael Sonnenshein | Former Grayscale CEO on Bitcoin ETF, Crypto IPOs & Future OutlookOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, we’re sharing a fireside chat Jacquelyn moderated with Michael Sonnenshein, former CEO of Grayscale and long-time crypto veteran, at Messari Mainnet. They discuss his 10+ years at Grayscale, his outlook on spot bitcoin ETFs, institutional adoption, the IPO market for crypto, and what he’s up to now.
=====================
Follow Michael: https://x.com/sonnenshein
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5...
2024-10-0119 minTalking TokensPhilip Martin | Coinbase Plans To Keep Your Crypto SafeOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Coinbase Chief Security Officer Philip Martin. Jacquelyn and Philip talk about security in crypto, the most common – and uncommon – scams and how to avoid them, what Coinbase is doing to stay safe and more.
=======================
Follow Philip: https://x.com/securityguyphil
Follow Coinbase: https://x.com/coinbase
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuo...
2024-09-2638 minTalking TokensDan Reecer & Robinson Burkey | Wormhole’s Era3 Upgrade & Future RoadmapOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Wormhole Foundation cofounders Dan Reecer and Robinson Burkey. They talk about Wormhole’s focus on interoperability, its latest Era3 upgrade and what it means for developers, enterprise businesses, institutions and DeFi, as well as the team’s long term road map.
=======================
Follow Dan: https://x.com/danreecer_
Follow Robinson: https://x.com/RobinsonBurkey
Follow Wormhole: https://x.com/wormhole
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the po...
2024-09-2451 minTalking TokensAvery Ching on Tips To Scale Blockchains & 2025 Aptos OutlookOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, we’re resharing an in-person fireside chat Jacquelyn Melinek did with Avery Ching, the co-founder and CTO of Aptos Labs. During the Aptos Experience event in Seoul, South Korea, Jacquelyn and Avery talked about what infrastructure is important when building and scaling a blockchain, creating and finding new use cases within the Aptos ecosystem and its future outlook for 2025, among other things.
=======================
Follow Avery: https://x.com/AveryChing
Follow Aptos: https://x.com/Aptos
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: http...
2024-09-1916 minTalking TokensMichael Kong on Sonic Labs’ Big Bet on Airdrop & Mainnet LaunchOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Michael Kong, CEO and CIO of Sonic Labs (previously Fantom). Jacquelyn and Michael talk about Sonic’s rebrand and upcoming chain launch, what developers want, how it plans to bring in more users, its upcoming airdrop and more.
=======================
Follow Michael: https://x.com/michaelfkong
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ?si=9a9fd...
2024-09-1739 minTalking TokensRushi Manche | Movement Labs Wants Facebook's Move Programming In All BlockchainsOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Rushi Manche, the co-founder of Movement Labs.Jacquelyn and Rushi talk about his journey into the crypto space, what it’s like to operate as a younger founder, Movement’s integration into Aptos, the AggLayer and other ecosystems, as well as its future plans.=======================
Follow Rushi: https://x.com/rushimanche
Follow Movement Labs: https://x.com/movementlabsxyz
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:
2024-09-1220 minTalking TokensAlisia Painter | Building on Bitcoin & DeFi EvolutionOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Alisia Painter, Botanix Labs co-founder and COO. Jacquelyn and Alisia talk about building on Bitcoin and the type of users its bringing in, the evolution of DeFi and other sectors on the network, how Bitcoin L2s differ from other blockchains and more.
=======================
- Follow Alisia: https://x.com/alipaints
- Follow Botanix Labs: https://x.com/botanixlabs
- Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
- Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
- Follow Token Re...
2024-09-0543 minTalking TokensPaolo Ardoino on USDT’s EXPLOSIVE Year, Tether, & Stablecoin Use CasesOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether and CTO at Bitfinex. Jacquelyn and Paolo talk about USDT’s explosive growth YTD, Tether and Bitfinex’s growth over the years, stablecoins use cases for retail and institutional users, demand for stablecoins backed by other non-USD currencies and more.
=======================
Follow Paolo: https://x.com/paoloardoino
Follow Tether: https://x.com/tether_to
Follow Bitfinex: https://x.com/bitfinex
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
...
2024-09-0357 minTalking TokensAnthony Scaramucci on Bitcoin, Institutional Adoption, & Crypto RegulationOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Anthony Scaramucci, founder and managing partner of SkyBridge and founder and chairman of SALT. Jacquelyn and Anthony talk about bitcoin, institutional interest in digital assets, SALT’s recent Wyoming Blockchain Symposium, the policy and regulatory situation over the crypto industry and more.
=======================
Follow Anthony: https://x.com/Scaramucci
Follow SkyBridge: https://x.com/SkyBridge
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:
ht...
2024-08-2956 minTalking TokensBen Rubin | The New Digital Town SquareOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Ben Rubin, CEO and co-founder of Here Not There Labs and Towns, an onchain messaging platform. Jacquelyn and Ben talk about building online communities, the launch of Towns, how onchain messaging can change the way people communicate and more.
=======================
Follow Ben: https://x.com/benrbn
Follow Towns: https://x.com/townsxyz
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:
https://open.sp...
2024-08-2745 minTalking TokensSteven Goldfeder | Offchain Labs CEO on Growing Arbitrum & Scaling ETHOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Steven Goldfeder, CEO and co-founder of Offchain Labs (the team building Arbitrum and Prysm). Jacquelyn and Steven talk about the evolution of Arbitrum and its role in scaling Ethereum, the recently launched Tandem incubation program, the proliferation of layer-2 blockchains this market cycle and more.
=======================
- Follow Steven: https://x.com/sgoldfed
- Follow Offchain Labs: https://x.com/OffchainLabs
- Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
- Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
- Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Su...
2024-08-2250 minTalking TokensSuperchain Update | Decentralization, Scaling Ethereum, ZK Tech & Future OutlookOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, we’re sharing the second quarterly Superchain webinar with Token Relations that Jacquelyn Melinek hosted. She was joined by Optimism Co-Founder and OP Labs CEO Karl Floersch and Skeletor, the co-founder of Wonderland, a core development group for web3. They talk about unifying the Superchain, scaling the ecosystem, interoperability, ZK tech, future outlooks for the Optimism Collective and more.
=======================
Follow Karl: https://x.com/karl_dot_tech
Follow Optimism: https://x.com/Optimism
Follow Skeletor: https://x.com/Skeletor_Space
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitt...
2024-08-2045 minTalking TokensAnand Iyer | Investors Outlook on Crypto and AIOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Anand Iyer, founder and managing partner of Canonical Crypto and venture partner at Lightspeed. Jacquelyn and Anand talk a lot about Crypto x AI and opportunities he sees in the sector as well as his view on the overall web3 VC space, the type of founder he likes to invest in, how to scale a company and more.
=======================
Follow Anand: https://x.com/ai
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
...
2024-08-1541 minTalking TokensYat Siu on The Future Of Content OwnershipOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Yat Siu, chairman and co-founder of Animoca Brands. Jacquelyn and Yat talk about intellectual property rights, owning your content online and how social media inhibits that, the future of web3 and how Animoca’s Mocaverse will play a role in that.
=======================
Follow Yat: https://x.com/ysiu
Follow Animoca Brands:
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com...
2024-08-1356 minTalking TokensTom Schmidt | Evaluating & Finding Opportunities in Crypto StartupsOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Tom Schmidt, general partner at Dragonfly Capital. Jacquelyn and Tom talk about the current market cycle’s array of crypto startups, sectors he’s watching and interested in investing in, the state of crypto VC, his best investments, advice and more.
=======================
Follow Tom: https://x.com/tomhschmidt
Follow Dragonfly: https://x.com/dragonfly_xyz
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:
http...
2024-08-0845 minTalking TokensAlena Shmalko | TON’s Betting on Telegram’s 950M UsersOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Alena Shmalko, ecosystem lead at TON Foundation. Jacquelyn and Alena talk about TON’s explosive growth in 2024, ecosystem developments for tap-to-earn, DeFi and gaming sectors as well as Telegram’s partnership with the chain long term.
=======================
Follow Alena: https://x.com/alenka_w3
Follow TON: https://x.com/ton_blockchain
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/sh...
2024-08-0641 minTalking TokensVance Spencer & Michael Anderson | Masterclass on Crypto VC, AI, Blockchains, & ETH ETFsOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Vance Spencer and Michael Anderson, co-founders of Framework Ventures. Jacquelyn, Vance and Michael talk about how the crypto VC landscape has changed, what deals they’re most proud of, the crypto and AI sector, new blockchains this cycle and how the spot ETH ETF can impact the broader ecosystem.
=======================
Follow Michael: https://x.com/im_manderson
Follow Vance: https://x.com/pythianism
Follow Framework: https://x.com/hiFramework
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twit...
2024-08-0145 minTalking TokensJesse Pollak | Base Creator on Bringing Billions of People On-ChainOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Jesse Pollak, creator of Base. Jacquelyn and Jesse talk about Base nearing its one-year anniversary, the chain migrating to decentralization, the role Coinbase and Optimism’s Superchain play in growing Base, his goal to bring billions of people onchain and more.
=======================
Follow Jesse: https://x.com/jessepollak/
Follow Base: https://x.com/base
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:
http...
2024-07-3050 minTalking TokensRich Rines | Core’s Big Bet on Bitcoin YieldOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Rich Rines, initial contributor at Core DAO. Jacquelyn and Rich talk about Core Foundation’s new dual staking model, the growth of BTCfi, scaling the Bitcoin ecosystem and more.
=======================
Follow Rich: https://x.com/richrines
Follow Core DAO: https://x.com/coredao_org
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ?si=9a9fda1...
2024-07-2535 minTalking TokensJohn Linden | Mythical Games CEO Reveals Web3 Gaming StrategyOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by John Linden, CEO of Mythical Games. Jacquelyn and John talk about the state of web3 gaming, how it has evolved over the years, NFL Rivals bringing in millions of traditional gamers and Mythical Games’ partnering with Pudgy Penguins to launch a new game.
=======================
Follow John: https://x.com/johnwastaken
Follow Mythical Games: https://x.com/playmythical
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the podcast on Spot...
2024-07-2337 minTalking TokensDeana Burke | Making Crypto Easy To UnderstandOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Deana Burke, the co-founder of Boys Club. Jacquelyn and Deana talk about the evolution of Boys Club, onboarding non-web3 people, building communities with intention and the vibes at EthCC.
=======================
Follow Deana: https://x.com/medeana
Follow Natasha: https://x.com/natashaghoskins
Follow Boys Club: https://x.com/boysclubworld
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/0LO...
2024-07-1836 minTalking TokensWill Nuelle | Galaxy Investor Taps Into The Blockspace BusinessOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Will Nuelle, general partner at Galaxy Ventures. Jacquelyn and Will talk about the firm’s investment strategy, what he looks for in startups, his blockspace thesis and how he views crypto payments, among other topics.
=======================
Follow Will: https://x.com/willnuelle
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ?si=9a9fda1d29224d57...
2024-07-1656 minTalking TokensMatty Taylor | Building The Best Solana HackathonOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Matty Taylor, co-founder and GP at Colosseum. Jacquelyn and Matty talk about the Solana developer ecosystem, its growth of hackathons, what he looks for in a founder as well as how organizations like his can help non crypto native developers get into web3.
=======================
Follow Matty: https://x.com/mattytay
Follow Colosseum: https://x.com/ColosseumOrg
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:...
2024-07-1140 minTalking TokensKeone Hon | Taking Ethereum To The Next LevelOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Keone Hon, co-founder and CEO of Monad Labs. Jacquelyn and Keone talk about why he co-founded Monad, how to compete in a competitive L1 landscape, why it’s focused on scaling the EVM, the importance of community and more.
=======================
Follow Keone: https://x.com/keoneHD
Follow Monad: https://x.com/monad_xyz
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:
https://open...
2024-07-0941 minTalking TokensMarshall Hayner | Crypto OG talks Dogecoin and Building MetallicusOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Marshall Hayner, CEO and co-founder of Metallicus and board member at The Dogecoin Foundation. Jacquelyn and Marshall talk about his journey into the crypto space over a decade ago, why he launched Metallicus and its banking-focused layer-2 blockchain Metal and his role at the Dogecoin Foundation and the growth of Dogecoin and memecoins in general.
=======================
Follow Marshall: https://x.com/marshallhayner
Follow Metallicus: https://x.com/wearemetallicus
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.co...
2024-07-0449 minTalking TokensGuy Young | Building a BTC, ETH Backed StablecoinOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Guy Young, founder of Ethena Labs. Jacquelyn and Guy talk about how Ethena Labs came to be, the launch of its USDe stablecoin and $ENA token as well as its near-term roadmap and tokenomics for both digital assets.
=======================
Follow Ethena Labs: https://x.com/ethena_labs
Follow Guy: https://x.com/leptokurtic_
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=======================
Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify:
https://op...
2024-06-2734 minTalking TokensAnthony Moro on Building a Blockchain for Financial ServicesOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Anthony Moro, CEO of the Provenance Blockchain Foundation and ProvLabs. Jacquelyn and Anthony talk about his career shift from TradFi to the blockchain world, how institutions are looking at blockchain technology, the launch of its SaaS and blockchain development company ProvLabs and the future of tokenization and use cases onchain.
=====================
Follow Provenance Blockchain: https://x.com/provenancefdn
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
=====================
Subscribe to the podcast on...
2024-06-2545 minTalking TokensMatej Zak | Helping Millions Secure Their CryptoOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Matej Zak, CEO of the hardware crypto wallet Trezor. Jacquelyn and Matej talk about the 10-year evolution of Trezor and its new Safe 5 product, why self custodying is important, how the security space is evolving and where he sees the company going in the future.
========================
- Follow Matej: https://x.com/matej_zak
- Follow Trezor: https://x.com/trezor
- Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
- Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
- Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
========================
Subscribe to the podcast on...
2024-06-2035 minTalking TokensAustin King | Uniting The Ethereum EcosystemOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Austin King, co-founder of Omni Network. Jacquelyn and Austin talk about the Omni Network and the journey to building out the blockchain and its community, how it plans to integrate applications across Ethereum, its plans for scaling the network and its ecosystem and more.
====================
- Follow Austin: https://x.com/0xASK
- Follow Omni Network: https://x.com/OmniFDN
- Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
- Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
- Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
====================
...
2024-06-1841 minTalking TokensHarry Zhang | The Defi Super App For 20 Million UsersOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Harry Zhang, co-founder of Galxe and the podcast’s newest sponsor! Jacquelyn and Harry talk about Galxe’s suite of web3 products, its new layer-1 blockchain Gravity, the importance of user accessibility and the company’s road map ahead.
====================
Today’s episode is brought to you by Gravity, the layer-1 blockchain created by Galxe for mass adoption and an omnichain future. Ready to elevate your web3 journey? Discover how Galxe and Gravity can propel you forward by clicking here.
====================
Follow Harry: https://x.c...
2024-06-1337 minTalking TokensJohann Kerbrat | Robinhood's Crypto StrategyOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Johann Kerbrat, general manager of crypto at Robinhood. Jacquelyn and Johann talk about Robinhood’s $200 million acquisition of crypto exchange Bitstamp, the company’s European expansion and long term plans in the digital asset space.
Links:
- Follow Johann: https://x.com/johannkerbrat
- Follow Robinhood: https://x.com/RobinhoodApp
- Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
- Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
- Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relati...
2024-06-1128 minTalking TokensDermot O’Riordan | Making Crypto Open & DecentralizedOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Dermot O’Riordan, director at the POKT Network Foundation. Jacquelyn and Dermot talk about the evolution of decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN) and what’s needed to expand the sector in web3. They also discuss building demand for DePIN protocols, POKT Network’s long term plan and what types of use cases Dermot is following.
Links:
- Follow Dermot: https://x.com/dermot_oriordan?s=21&t=k-ieQKq46lAvyT8saL8vhg
- POKT Network: https://x.com/poktnetwork?s=21&t=k-ieQKq4...
2024-05-3039 minTalking TokensRobbie Ferguson | Crypto Is Changing Gaming ForeverOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Robbie Ferguson, co-founder and president of Immutable. Jacquelyn and Robbie talk about all things in web3 gaming: how the industry is evolving, what types of games he expects to succeed in the near term and major developments on Immutable’s platform.
Links:
- Follow Robbie: https://x.com/0xferg
- Follow Immutable: https://x.com/immutable
- Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
- Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
- Follow Toke...
2024-05-2832 minTalking TokensAntoni Zolciak | Your Crypto Is Not Private EnoughOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Antoni Zolciak, co-founder of Aleph Zero. Jacquelyn and Antoni dive into the importance of privacy on blockchains, how the sector has evolved over the years, A0’s new private decentralized exchange, Common, and which areas could see the most growth with ZK technology.
Links:
Follow Antoni: https://twitter.com/AntoniZolciak
Follow Aleph Zero: https://twitter.com/aleph__zero
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
Subs...
2024-05-2239 minTalking TokensDenelle Dixon | Making Crypto Accessible To The WorldOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Denelle Dixon, CEO Stellar Development Foundation. Jacquelyn and Denelle dive into Stellar’s 10 year journey, Soroban’s roadmap since launching on mainnet, real world utility for web3-based payments, DeFi and more.
Links:
Follow Denelle: https://twitter.com/DenelleDixon
Follow Stellar: https://twitter.com/stellarorg
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
Subscribe to the podcast on Spo...
2024-05-2142 minTalking TokensScott Shapiro | Coinbase Director On Building The World's Crypto AppOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Scott Shapiro, senior director of product management at Coinbase.
They discuss Coinbase’s suite of products, what advanced traders want more of, how the spot bitcoin ETF impacted the industry and when will crypto get its watershed moment to onboard the masses.
Links:
- Follow Scott: https://twitter.com/scottshapiro
- Follow Coinbase: https://twitter.com/coinbase
- Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
- Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
- Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations
Subscribe to the podc...
2024-05-1643 minTalking TokensNikil Viswanathan | Building A Crypto Platform For 1 Billion UsersOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Nikil Viswanathan, co-founder and CEO of Alchemy. Jacquelyn and Nikil dive into Alchemy’s origin story, what it’s like to scale a business and maintain a culture, which blockchains developers are focused on today and how crypto and blockchain technology can impact all businesses in the long term.
Links:
Follow Nikil: https://twitter.com/nikil
Follow Alchemy: https://twitter.com/alchemyplatform
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relatio...
2024-05-1449 minTalking TokensAlex Felix | Inside The Mind Of A Long-Time Crypto VCOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Alex Felix, the managing partner and chief investment officer of CoinFund. They dive into how Alex entered the crypto space from a TradFi background, how competitive the investor landscape is today, what projects he’s most interested in, Telegram’s deeper dive into the crypto space and the crypto venture capital market heating up.
Episodes air every Tuesday and Thursday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, X and more.
For more updates, subscribe to the Talking Tokens newsletter here: https://talkingtokens.beehiiv.com/
And...
2024-05-0946 minTalking TokensQiao Wang | Alliance DAO Founder Explains Crypto Success Through Bull vs Bear MarketsOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Qiao Wang, founding member of Alliance DAO, a web3 accelerator program. Its most recent cohort All12 had its demo day showcasing its 12 graduates on May 2. Startups that take part in the program receive a $350,000 investment from Alliance as well as introductions to VCs and mentorship from some of the industry’s biggest leaders. Jacquelyn and Qiao dive into how Alliance picks startups for its cohorts, what successful projects have in common, the struggles and successes through bull and bear markets and what he’s following in the market.
...
2024-05-0741 minTalking TokensZedd Yin on Magic Eden's Bitcoin Bet: Runes Platform Hits $56M Volume!On today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Zhuoxun ‘Zedd’ Yin, co-founder of the NFT marketplace Magic Eden. At the time of our podcast recording, Yin shared Magic Eden's Runes platform volume was $12 million, so it has increased 366% in less than a week to $56 million at the time of publication, signaling extremely strong demand for Runes infrastructure through the marketplace. They dive into Magic Eden’s strategy, building out an NFT marketplace in a competitive space, how to manage risk in a volatile NFT market and what he thinks is the next big thing for the sector.
2024-05-0240 minTalking TokensAnthony Pompliano | Launching Token Relations: A Breakdown of Why We Created ThisOn today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn Melinek is joined by Anthony Pompliano, a long-time entrepreneur and investor. The two recently co-founded Token Relations, a firm focused on connecting blockchains and crypto projects with their ecosystems and token holders. They dive into why they created Token Relations, how the business fits into the industry and what blockchains and crypto projects can do to shift their focus and better engage their ecosystems.
Links:
Follow Pomp: https://twitter.com/APompliano
Follow Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek
Follow Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
Follow Token Re...
2024-04-3036 min