Shows
Unhashed PodcastMichael Heinrich | Founder of 0G Labs : Building The First Modular AI ChainMichael discusses his journey from high school boredom to founding 0G Labs, the first modular AI Chain. Discover how spiritual readings and meditation changed Michael's leadership style helping him achieve success as a founder. He shares the potential of decentralized AI infrastructure and why a community-owned approach is crucial for the future of AI and data. 0G Labs develops a technology blockchain platform. The Company offers an AI blockchain web3 modular platform that delivers advanced tools and applications that connect decentralized networks to unlock data infrastructure storage through machine learning solutions for businesses. We hope...
2026-01-0349 minUnhashed PodcastMichael Heinrich | Founder of 0G Labs : Building The First Modular AI ChainMichael discusses his journey from high school boredom to founding 0G Labs, the first modular AI Chain. Discover how spiritual readings and meditation changed Michael's leadership style helping him achieve success as a founder. He shares the potential of decentralized AI infrastructure and why a community-owned approach is crucial for the future of AI and data. 0G Labs develops a technology blockchain platform. The Company offers an AI blockchain web3 modular platform that delivers advanced tools and applications that connect decentralized networks to unlock data infrastructure storage through machine learning solutions for businesses. We hope...
2026-01-0249 min
Unhashed PodcastCEO and Co-Founder of Theoriq: Understanding Agent Collectives in AIIn this episode, Ron Bodkin explores the intersection of AI and crypto, emphasizing responsibility, governance, and the transformative potential of Web3. He shares his journey from Google to founding Theoric and ChainML, reflecting on the shift from corporate AI leadership to startup innovation. The discussion covers agent collectives, challenges in AI standardization, and metrics for decentralized AI success. Ron also introduces Proof of Contribution and Collaboration as trust-building mechanisms in AI, along with Theoric’s core pillars—interoperability, composability, and decentralized innovation. He delves into token economics, governance, and company culture, conc...
2025-12-3148 minUnhashed PodcastCEO and Co-Founder of Theoriq: Understanding Agent Collectives in AIIn this episode, Ron Bodkin explores the intersection of AI and crypto, emphasizing responsibility, governance, and the transformative potential of Web3. He shares his journey from Google to founding Theoric and ChainML, reflecting on the shift from corporate AI leadership to startup innovation. The discussion covers agent collectives, challenges in AI standardization, and metrics for decentralized AI success. Ron also introduces Proof of Contribution and Collaboration as trust-building mechanisms in AI, along with Theoric’s core pillars—interoperability, composability, and decentralized innovation. He delves into token economics, governance, and company culture, conc...
2025-12-3148 min
Unhashed PodcastUma Roy | Co-Founder of Succinct Labs : Why Zero Knowledge is Key to Scaling CryptoUma Roy delves into her journey in the Web3 space, the motivations behind founding Succinct Labs, and the importance of zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) for the scalability and privacy of crypto projects. She explains the inception and growth of Succinct Labs in San Francisco, emphasizing the team's preference for in-person collaboration. She also discusses the challenges encountered while developing SP1, a ZK virtual machine, and the solutions they devised. We hope you enjoy Uma's conversation with hosts Kenzi Watanabe and Diksha Lyer, where she talks in-depth about her Web3 founder journey.
2025-12-2947 minUnhashed PodcastUma Roy | Co-Founder of Succinct Labs : Why Zero Knowledge is Key to Scaling CryptoUma Roy delves into her journey in the Web3 space, the motivations behind founding Succinct Labs, and the importance of zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) for the scalability and privacy of crypto projects. She explains the inception and growth of Succinct Labs in San Francisco, emphasizing the team's preference for in-person collaboration. She also discusses the challenges encountered while developing SP1, a ZK virtual machine, and the solutions they devised. We hope you enjoy Uma's conversation with hosts Kenzi Watanabe and Diksha Lyer, where she talks in-depth about her Web3 founder journey.
2025-12-2947 min
Unhashed PodcastKaran Sirdesai | Co-Founder and CEO of Mira Network : Building Reliable AI on the BlockchainIn this episode of Unhashed Podcast, we speak with Karan Sirdesai, the Co-Founder of Mira Network, a decentralized AI infrastructure platform that's pioneering a new approach to reliable and safe artificial intelligence. Karan shares how Mira tackles the challenge of AI hallucinations, making intelligent systems more trustworthy for critical use cases in finance, healthcare, and beyond.Karan dives into his non-linear founder journey, from hustling in university and working with Balaji Srinivasan, to founding Mira alongside deep AI and crypto experts. You'll hear how the team discovered their "aha" moment through hands-on experimentation with GPU rentals and AI pipelines—an...
2025-12-2648 min
Unhashed PodcastDavid Minarsch | Co-Founder & CEO of Valory : The Rise of Autonomous Agents and the Future of Web3Join David Minarsch as he explores the concept of autonomy and its impact on human-machine relationships. He shares his journey into the crypto and AI space, including his work with Fetch.ai and the founding of Valory and OLAS. The conversation highlights the rise of autonomous agents, their practical applications, and the challenges within the Web3 AI landscape. David also emphasizes the value of mission-driven teams and the open-source ethos of OLAS, designed to coordinate decentralized autonomous agents effectively.
2025-12-2654 min
Unhashed PodcastNick Emmons | Co-Founder and CEO of Allora Labs : The Synergies Between Web3 and AIIn this conversation, Nick Emmons, Co-Founder of Allora Labs, delves into the synergies between crypto and AI, exploring the potential for decentralized AI to create a collective intelligence network. Emmons outlines Allora Labs' mission, emphasizing their focus on AI-powered DeFi and innovative financial primitives. He also discusses the ongoing debate between open and closed AI systems and highlights the opportunities available for blockchain developers within the AI space. The discussion wraps up with Emmons sharing the milestones and developments at Allora Labs that excite him the most, underscoring the crucial role of markets in problem-solving. We hope...
2025-12-2638 min
Unhashed PodcastGabby Dizon | Co-Founder of Yield Guild Games : Tokenomics and In-Game EconomiesIn this episode, Gabby Dizon, Co-Founder of Yield Guild Games (YGG), shares his journey from PC gamer to Web3 pioneer. He discusses the challenges and future of Web3 gaming, highlighting AI's potential impact and the qualities needed for founders to succeed. Learn about YGG's evolution, their innovative on-chain guilds, and the key to mainstream adoption of Web3 games. Gabby Dizon is a game industry veteran with over 18 years of experience. He co-founded Yield Guild Games, a play-to-earn gaming guild and decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) that provides gamers all over the world an opportunity to access the NFT...
2025-12-2645 min
Unhashed PodcastGreg Osuri | Founder of Akash Network : Liberty, Community, and the Future of Decentralized AIGreg Osuri, Founder of Akash Network, dives into the significance of liberty, sovereignty, and freedom in the decentralized web. Explore Greg's journey, the challenges he faced, and the importance of community in Web3. Learn about building a Web3 product, maintaining work-life balance for founders, and the differences between Web2 and Web3. Greg also shares his insights on open-source technology, decentralized AI, and the role of governments in AI decentralization. As cofounder and CEO of Akash Network, Greg has transformed the future of cloud computing. Prior to Akash, Greg founded AngelHack, the world’s largest hackathon or...
2025-12-261h 18
Unhashed PodcastEthan Sun | Co-Founder of MyShell : Empowering Creators at the Blockchain-AI CrossroadsEthan Sun discusses his journey into the intersection of Blockchain & AI, and the founding story of MyShell. He explains how MyShell aims to make AI models accessible to non-technical creators and foster a new wave of the creator economy. Ethan also shares insights on transitioning from Web2 to Web3, the role of blockchain in MyShell, and the Chinese perspective on crypto and AI. MyShell is building an AI consumer layer that connects users, creators, and open-source AI researchers. We hope you enjoy Ethan’s conversation with hosts Kenzi Watanabe, Sachi Mihara, and Diksha Lyer, where he...
2025-12-2655 min
Unhashed PodcastDC Builder | Research Engineer at Worldcoin Foundation: Proving Personhood In A Digital EraDC Builder, Research Engineer at Worldcoin Foundation, shares the project's approach towards decentralization and its mission to democratize digital identity and finance globally, ensuring fair wealth distribution. He highlights the challenges of the web of trust and biometrics in verifying personhood, shedding light on the Semaphore protocol's innovative use. We also delve into the emerging ZKML space and other crypto-AI projects that are reshaping the landscape. We hope you enjoy DC Builder’s conversation with hosts Kenzi Watanabe, Sachi Mihara, and Diksha Lyer, where he talks in-depth about his Web3 journey.
2025-12-2657 min
Unhashed PodcastRichard Ma | Co-Founder and CEO of Quantstamp : Securing the Future of Web3Richard Ma, Co-founder and CEO of QuantStamp, shares his journey from working in the hedge fund industry to the world of Web3. Detailing the operational mechanics of QuantStamp, he highlights the changing customer base in the Web3 space and what makes Web3 startups successful in the long run.Quantstamp is a global leader in blockchain security, on a mission to secure the future of web3. To date, it has performed more than 500 audits and secured over $200 billion in digital asset risk from hackers. Richard Ma is a former software engineer at Tower Research where he developed software...
2025-12-2650 min
Unhashed PodcastDavid Tse | Co-Founder of BabylonChain : Scaling Bitcoin To Secure A Decentralised WorldDavid Tse, Co-Founder of BablylonChain, shares the future of scaling the Bitcoin ecosystem with staking, the founding story of BabylonChain, and his journey from academia to now being a Web3 founder. With BabylonChain, bitcoin holders can earn yields from their idle bitcoins in a secure way: no third-party trust, no bitcoin bridging to any other chain. Bitcoin holders simply lock their bitcoins in a self-custodial way to gain the rights to validate PoS chains and earn yields as a return. David Tse is a visionary electrical engineering expert who has made groundbreaking contributions to wireless...
2025-12-2645 min
Unhashed PodcastSergey Gorbunov | Co-Founder of Axelar Network : Scaling Interoperability Networks In BlockchainSergey Gorbunov, co-founder of Axelar, shares the future of interoperability in Web3, the founding story of Axelar, and what drives him as a Web3 founder to keep innovating. Axelar is the programmable Web3 interoperability platform, scaling the next generation of internet applications to billions of users. Sergey is the co-founder of Axelar and an Assistant Professor at the University of Waterloo. He was previously a founding team member at Algorand. He received his Ph.D. from MIT, where he was a Microsoft Ph.D. fellow. His Ph.D. dissertation was on designing cryptographic tools for...
2025-12-2642 min
Unhashed PodcastVictor Ji | Co-Founder of Manta Network : Building Real World Use-Cases with Zero KnowledgeVictor Ji, the Co-Founder of Manta Network explains the concept of Zero-Knowledge (ZK) proofs and how Manta is delivering a seamless developer experience for ZK applications. He also shares the milestones and turning points in Manta's journey and the qualities he believes are important for Web3 founders to succeed. Manta Network is building a secure and interoperable future with zero knowledge with a mission to deliver the best developer experience that enables ZK applications. Before his role as the Co-Founder of Manta in 2020, Victor worked as a Research Assistant at Harvard's Belfer Center where he...
2025-12-2647 min
Unhashed PodcastSandy Peng | Co-Founder of Scroll : Building Layer 2 Solutions Intertwined With The Ethereum RoadmapSandy Peng, Co-Founder of Scroll, discusses the Layer 2 scaling solutions in Web3, the founding story of Scroll, and how to create a successful Web3 project by focusing on just building. Scroll is a community-first native zkEVM Layer 2 solution, and an open source project working at the forefront of zero-knowledge research. Sandy has rich experience in research, business development, and project strategy. Having worked as both a startup founder and blockchain investor, she has unique insights into the development, compliance, and application of blockchain technology and open-source technology. We hope you enjoy...
2025-12-2647 min
Unhashed PodcastChris Spadafora | Founder of BadgerDAO : Bringing Bitcoin To DefiChris Spadafora, Founder of BadgerDAO, discusses decentralized governance, crypto tribalism, and his mission of bringing Bitcoin to the Defi ecosystem. BadgerDAO is an open-source, decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) that enables Bitcoin to be used as collateral across decentralized finance (DeFi) applications. The DAO has its native token, BADGER which allows users to vote on proposals put forward by community members. Voting power is determined by the amount of BADGER owned, and proposals that receive enough votes are implemented on the platform. We hope you enjoy Chris’ conversation with hosts Kenzi Watanabe, Sa...
2025-12-2658 min
Unhashed PodcastEli Ben-Sassoon | Founder of StarkWare : Scaling Blockchain With Zero KnowledgeEli Ben-Sasson, co-founder and President of StarkWare, discusses his journey into Web3, building blockchain solutions for scalability, and how StarkWare is working on onboarding the next billion users onto the blockchain. StarkWare develops zero-knowledge proof technology that compresses information to address the blockchain's scalability problem. Before founding StarkWare, Eli was in core academia, earning his Ph.D. under Abel Prize winner Avi Wigderson and completing his postdoc from MIT and Harvard. His research focused on probabilistically checkable proofs (PCPs), and during the 2013 Bitcoin conference, he saw how his technology could address many of blockchain’s is...
2025-12-2647 min
Unhashed PodcastSreeram Kannan | Founder of EigenLayer : Blockchain Brings Trust to Tech InnovationSreeram Kannan, co-founder and CEO of EigenLayer, discusses his journey into Web3, why he left academia to build a blockchain product, and how EigenLayer is solving some of the biggest challenges in the crypto ecosystem. Sreeram's journey into the realm of Web3 began with a deep-seated belief in the power of innovation to drive positive change. He recognized the potential of blockchain technology to democratize innovation and empower individuals to create value without the need for established reputations or access to exclusive resources. This unwavering belief led Sreeram to abandon his...
2025-12-261h 00
Unhashed PodcastAniket Jindal | Co-Founder of Biconomy: Building Tools to Make Web3 Accessible to EveryoneAniket Jindal, Co-founder at Biconomy, delves into the qualities that define successful Web3 founders, the dynamics of bear markets, and the role of community management. He shared his insights into Biconomy's decentralized relay network and tokenomics and the critical significance of user experience (UX) in the blockchain ecosystem.Biconomy is a multi-chain relay infrastructure and transaction network that aims to make Web3 user-friendly, accessible, and affordable. Learn about the challenges of crypto adoption and how Biconomy is simplifying user experiences. Explore the pivotal moments and lessons learned in the startup world, from Polygon adoption to the importance...
2025-12-2656 min
Unhashed PodcastBeryl Li | Co-Founder of Yield Guild Games: From Games to Guilds - Navigating the Web3 JourneyBeryl Li is the Co-Founder of Yield Guild Games (YGG), the largest decentralized network of gaming guilds. During our chat, we discussed Beryl Li's unique journey into the Web3 space and her contributions to the industry. She shared her insights into the role of guilds in shaping the future of Web3, emphasizing Web3 education and driving the adoption of blockchain tech. We also talked about the significance of native tokens in shaping the decentralized gaming landscape and the art of community management within YGG's vast decentralized network.Primarily focusing on Web3 education & blockchain games, YGG has reshaped...
2025-12-2652 min
Unhashed PodcastRyan Kim | Partner at Hashed: Cracking the Code on Web3 Investments in AsiaWe spoke to Ryan Sungho Kim, a Partner at Hashed. He assesses deals from Asia and focuses on applications, corporate finance and enterprise. Previously, Ryan successfully exited his company LOOKET, a mobile solution for SME to Recobell (a Big Data company). Ryan was in charge of the development and planning of recommendation systems in his previous company, and he realized that the data space has many vulnerabilities. This led him to blockchain and ultimately made him co-found Hashed. Founded by a team of serial entrepreneurs and engineers in 2017, Hashed is the preeminent blockchain firm in...
2025-12-2648 min
Unhashed PodcastJeff “Jiho” Zirlin | Co-Founder of Axie Infinity: Turning Your Web3 Community into True EvangelistsIn this episode of Unhashed Podcast, hosts Kenzi Watanabe, Sachi Mihara, and Diksha Lyer speak to Jiho about his early days in Web3, starting Sky Mavis and Axie Infinity with Trung Nguyen, Tu Doan, Aleksander Larsen, and Andy Ho.Jiho talks about building in the bear market, being “small and unrecognized” yet confident in their founding team, vision, and community. The team wanted to build a Web3 community that would reward those with the technical knowledge and those willing to learn about the technology. He perfectly sums up their founding principle: “Something that can play into c...
2025-12-2653 min
Unhashed PodcastYat Siu | Co-Founder of Animoca Brands: The North Star of Web3 is Digital OwnershipYat Siu, Founder of Animoca Brands discusses how he went from learning music to becoming a tech entrepreneur, the ventures he has worked on and launched, his early days in Web3, his advice for Web3 founders, and so much more.Coming from a musician family, Yat Siu was training to be a musician when he wrote software on his Atari ST in the 1980s to read music notations. While his software did not win him any marks with his teachers, he found that others used and appreciated it enough to pay him for it.Soon...
2025-12-261h 20
Unhashed PodcastLily Liu | President of The Solana Foundation: Why Blockchain Ecosystems are More Like Cities than CompaniesLily Liu is the President of the Solana Foundation. She is an entrepreneur and investor focused on the cryptocurrency industry. She has a background as a CFO and operating executive in the US, China, and throughout emerging markets. Lily is the Co-Founder of Anagram, and part of the founding team of Osmosis, and an advisor to Brave. Previously, Lily co-founded Earn.com which was acquired by Coinbase in 2018. She believes that blockchain ecosystems are more like cities than companies. “I think trying to operate a blockchain like a company is where things start and end in terms of being su...
2025-12-261h 05
Unhashed PodcastJaynti Kanani | Co-Founder of Polygon: From Underdog to ChampionPolygon is one of crypto's greatest underdog stories if not all of tech. And it all boils down to what makes one of its co-founders, Jaynti “JD” Kanani, a believer in Web3: that all you need is a laptop and an internet connection to build anything.“You don’t need to be out there; put your name or face anywhere. You don’t have to go to Stanford or any big college. You don’t even have to go to school to be in Web3 because I see people in smaller villages from India building on Web3,” says JD.
2025-12-2653 min
Unhashed PodcastIllia Polosukhin | Co-Founder of NEAR Protocol: Scaling an L1 in a Bear MarketIn this week’s episode of Unhashed Podcast, Kenzi Watanabe, and Diksha Lyer speak to Illia Polosukhin, the Co-Founder of NEAR Protocol. He discusses NEAR’s creation, what it takes to have true scalability in Web3, and building through a bear market.
2025-12-2653 min
Unhashed PodcastAlex Svanevik | Co-Founder of Nansen: From Data Scientist to Web3 FounderIn this epsiode, Alex Svanevik shares his journey from data scientist to Web3 Founder, the business model of Nansen.ai, and how to scale a user-centric product in Web3.
2025-12-2648 min
Unhashed PodcastMatthew Gould | Founder & CEO of Unstoppable Domains: Building a Web3 Unicorn Without a TokenIn this episode of Unhashed Podcast, Kenzi Watanabe, Sachi Mihara, and Diksha Lyer speak to Matthew Gould, the CEO of Unstoppable Domains. He discusses building a digital identity-focused Web3 company, what founders need to focus on for fundraising, and why he thinks token funding may be harmful to protocols.
2025-12-2650 min
Unhashed PodcastHarsh Rajat | Founder of Push Protocol: Web3 Market Sentiment, Raising Funds, & L1 warsIn this episode of Unhashed Podcast, Kenzi Watanabe, Diksha Lyer, and Sachi Mihara speak to Harsh Rajat, Founder of Push Protocol. Push Protocol is the communication protocol of web3. It enables cross-chain notifications and messaging for dapps, wallets, and services tied to wallet addresses. In a chat with us, he discusses how they approached Ethereum Foundation for funding, their learnings in community building, mentors in the crypto ecosystem, and more.
2025-12-261h 22
Unhashed PodcastJack Lu | Co-Founder of Magic Eden: Going Multi-Chain, Building for Web3 and the Future of NFTsIn this episode of Unhashed Podcast, Kenzi Watanabe, Diksha Lyer and Sachi Mihara speak to Jack Lu, CEO and one of the four co-founders of Magic Eden. Before co-founding Magic Eden, Jack worked at FTX, Google, and Boston Consulting Group. Magic Eden is an NFT marketplace launched in September 2021 and serves as a home base for SOL NFT collections. Initially launched on the Solana blockchain, it has since become multi-chain by integrating Ethereum-based NFT collections. In November 2022, Magic Eden added Polygon as their third supported chain, committing steadfastly to their vision of a multi-chain future. Since it was launched...
2025-12-2656 min
Unhashed PodcastChris Gonsalves | CEO of Community Gaming: Web3 Gaming Ecosystems and eSportsIn this week’s episode of Unhashed Podcast, Kenzi Watanabe and Diksha Lyer speak to Chris Gonsalves, the CEO of Community Gaming. He discusses how Community Gaming was created, how the Web3 gaming ecosystem differs from traditional eSports, and how Web3 gaming will change in the future.
2025-12-261h 03
Unhashed PodcastSandeep Nailwal | Co-Founder of Polygon: Setbacks, Community Building and Rebranding PolygonIn this episode of Unhashed Podcast, Kenzi Watanabe and Diksha Lyer speak to Sandeep Nailwal on his entire journey with Polygon so far. He discusses how he got into Crypto, his commitment to the developer community, and what the future looks like for Web3 today.Website: unhashed.fmTwitter: @UnhashedFM
2025-12-2653 min
Unhashed PodcastLucas Vogelsang | Co-Founder of Centrifuge: The Future of DefiIn this episode of Unhashed Podcast, Kenzi Watanabe and Diksha Lyer speak to Lucas Vogelsang, CEO, and Co-Founder of Centrifuge, focusing on bringing Real World Assets to Defi since the early days of Ethereum. During the discussion, Lucas covers the future of Defi, the Polkadot ecosystem, and his experiences of being a founder in the Web3 bear market. Lucas had always been passionate about computers and coding. But, in 2017, after working in the tech space for seven years, he decided that he wanted to revolutionize the finance industry and use blockchain to build the backbone for financial...
2025-12-2654 min
Unhashed PodcastSota Watanabe | Co-Founder of Astar Network : Web3 Valuations and the Future of DecentralizationIn this episode of Unhashed Podcast, Kenzi speaks to Sota Watanabe, Founder of Astar Network, on being a Japanese founder in the crypto world, parameters that affect Web3 company valuations the most, the multichain future and the exciting new projects at Astar. Here are edited excerpts of the episode.Before Sota Watanabe founded Astar Network in Japan in 2018, he studied information technology at the San Francisco State University in the US. He then worked at a blockchain startup, Chronicled, in the San Francisco Bay Area. After returning to Japan, he worked as a blockchain researcher at the...
2025-12-261h 26
Unhashed PodcastNischal Shetty | Founder of Shardeum: Building in Web3 and the Importance of CommunityIn this episode of Unhashed Podcast, Kenzi Watanabe and Diksha Lyer speak to Nischal Shetty, Founder of WazirX and Shardeum, on decentralization, the right way to build communities, and making it in web 3.Before Nischal launched WazirX and Shardeum, he started his entrepreneurial journey by creating a social media company (what began as JustUnfollow is now Crowdfire) in 2010. He was a software developer, and before 2010, he had a day job and worked on his app on the weekends and any free time he had. This social media app was based on the idea that most people needed...
2025-12-261h 27
Unhashed PodcastAndrew Durgee | President of Republic Crypto: Building a Fund and Volatile MarketsIn this episode of Unhashed Podcast, Kenzi Watanabe speaks to Andrew Durgee on the work Republic is doing, its various arms, the current market cycle, the impact of the recent Terra-Luna crash, and why Republic has zero attrition.In terms of structure Republic has four different companies - a holding company, Republic Retail, Republic Capital, and Republic Crypto. Its mission has been to democratize finance and increase access and inclusion. But the regulatory framework makes it very difficult for retail investors to invest in early-stage startups in the US. The framework is based on an accreditation system...
2025-12-261h 14
Unhashed PodcastCiara Sun | Founder and Managing Partner of C² Ventures: Investing in Web3 Founders, Valuations, and Women in CryptoIn this episode of Unhashed Podcast, Kenzi Watanabe and Sachi Mihara speak to Ciara Sun, Founder & Managing Partner at C² Ventures, on being a woman in web3, the challenges she faced, and the road ahead for her investment firm.Before she dived into the world of web3, she was a management consultant with Boston Consulting Group and Deloitte. Her journey to discovering crypto began in New York in 2017 when the city had become a hub for investors and entrepreneurs interested in blockchain. Having spent years working in banking, capital markets, and private equity, she understood how crucial d...
2025-12-261h 00
Unhashed PodcastMiles Anthony | Founder of Decentral Games: Building and Sustaining Play-to-Earn in the MetaverseIn this episode of Unhashed Podcast, Kenzi Watanabe talks to Miles Anthony, Founder of Decentral Games. Decentral Games builds games that give players economic freedom through aligned incentives, self-custody and delegation of yield-bearing metaverse assets.The game first launched its closed beta in September 2019 and currently includes poker, blackjack, roulette, backgammon, and slots. In a candid conversation, Miles shares his journey of building play-and-earn poker in the metaverse, its search for establishing product-market fit, the future of Web3 and more.This episode was supported by Diksha Lyer and Sachi Mihara.
2025-12-261h 17Unhashed PodcastKaran Sirdesai | Co-Founder and CEO of Mira Network : Building Reliable AI on the BlockchainIn this episode of Unhashed Podcast, we speak with Karan Sirdesai, the Co-Founder of Mira Network, a decentralized AI infrastructure platform that's pioneering a new approach to reliable and safe artificial intelligence. Karan shares how Mira tackles the challenge of AI hallucinations, making intelligent systems more trustworthy for critical use cases in finance, healthcare, and beyond.Karan dives into his non-linear founder journey, from hustling in university and working with Balaji Srinivasan, to founding Mira alongside deep AI and crypto experts. You'll hear how the team discovered their "aha" moment through hands-on experimentation with GPU rentals and AI pipelines—an...
2025-11-2648 minUnhashed PodcastDavid Minarsch | Co-Founder & CEO of Valory : The Rise of Autonomous Agents and the Future of Web3Join David Minarsch as he explores the concept of autonomy and its impact on human-machine relationships. He shares his journey into the crypto and AI space, including his work with Fetch.ai and the founding of Valory and OLAS. The conversation highlights the rise of autonomous agents, their practical applications, and the challenges within the Web3 AI landscape. David also emphasizes the value of mission-driven teams and the open-source ethos of OLAS, designed to coordinate decentralized autonomous agents effectively.
2025-10-1854 minUnhashed PodcastNick Emmons | Co-Founder and CEO of Allora Labs : The Synergies Between Web3 and AIIn this conversation, Nick Emmons, Co-Founder of Allora Labs, delves into the synergies between crypto and AI, exploring the potential for decentralized AI to create a collective intelligence network. Emmons outlines Allora Labs' mission, emphasizing their focus on AI-powered DeFi and innovative financial primitives. He also discusses the ongoing debate between open and closed AI systems and highlights the opportunities available for blockchain developers within the AI space. The discussion wraps up with Emmons sharing the milestones and developments at Allora Labs that excite him the most, underscoring the crucial role of markets in problem-solving. We hope...
2025-08-3138 minUnhashed PodcastGabby Dizon | Co-Founder of Yield Guild Games : Tokenomics and In-Game EconomiesIn this episode, Gabby Dizon, Co-Founder of Yield Guild Games (YGG), shares his journey from PC gamer to Web3 pioneer. He discusses the challenges and future of Web3 gaming, highlighting AI's potential impact and the qualities needed for founders to succeed. Learn about YGG's evolution, their innovative on-chain guilds, and the key to mainstream adoption of Web3 games. Gabby Dizon is a game industry veteran with over 18 years of experience. He co-founded Yield Guild Games, a play-to-earn gaming guild and decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) that provides gamers all over the world an opportunity to access the NFT...
2025-06-1445 minUnhashed PodcastGreg Osuri | Founder of Akash Network : Liberty, Community, and the Future of Decentralized AIGreg Osuri, Founder of Akash Network, dives into the significance of liberty, sovereignty, and freedom in the decentralized web. Explore Greg's journey, the challenges he faced, and the importance of community in Web3. Learn about building a Web3 product, maintaining work-life balance for founders, and the differences between Web2 and Web3. Greg also shares his insights on open-source technology, decentralized AI, and the role of governments in AI decentralization. As cofounder and CEO of Akash Network, Greg has transformed the future of cloud computing. Prior to Akash, Greg founded AngelHack, the world’s largest hackathon or...
2025-05-211h 18Unhashed PodcastEthan Sun | Co-Founder of MyShell : Empowering Creators at the Blockchain-AI CrossroadsEthan Sun discusses his journey into the intersection of Blockchain & AI, and the founding story of MyShell. He explains how MyShell aims to make AI models accessible to non-technical creators and foster a new wave of the creator economy. Ethan also shares insights on transitioning from Web2 to Web3, the role of blockchain in MyShell, and the Chinese perspective on crypto and AI. MyShell is building an AI consumer layer that connects users, creators, and open-source AI researchers. We hope you enjoy Ethan’s conversation with hosts Kenzi Watanabe, Sachi Mihara, and Diksha Lyer, where he...
2025-03-2955 minUnhashed PodcastDC Builder | Research Engineer at Worldcoin Foundation: Proving Personhood In A Digital EraDC Builder, Research Engineer at Worldcoin Foundation, shares the project's approach towards decentralization and its mission to democratize digital identity and finance globally, ensuring fair wealth distribution. He highlights the challenges of the web of trust and biometrics in verifying personhood, shedding light on the Semaphore protocol's innovative use. We also delve into the emerging ZKML space and other crypto-AI projects that are reshaping the landscape. We hope you enjoy DC Builder’s conversation with hosts Kenzi Watanabe, Sachi Mihara, and Diksha Lyer, where he talks in-depth about his Web3 journey.
2025-01-0657 minUnhashed PodcastRichard Ma | Co-Founder and CEO of Quantstamp : Securing the Future of Web3Richard Ma, Co-founder and CEO of QuantStamp, shares his journey from working in the hedge fund industry to the world of Web3. Detailing the operational mechanics of QuantStamp, he highlights the changing customer base in the Web3 space and what makes Web3 startups successful in the long run.Quantstamp is a global leader in blockchain security, on a mission to secure the future of web3. To date, it has performed more than 500 audits and secured over $200 billion in digital asset risk from hackers. Richard Ma is a former software engineer at Tower Research where he developed software...
2024-06-0950 minUnhashed PodcastDavid Tse | Co-Founder of BabylonChain : Scaling Bitcoin To Secure A Decentralised WorldDavid Tse, Co-Founder of BablylonChain, shares the future of scaling the Bitcoin ecosystem with staking, the founding story of BabylonChain, and his journey from academia to now being a Web3 founder. With BabylonChain, bitcoin holders can earn yields from their idle bitcoins in a secure way: no third-party trust, no bitcoin bridging to any other chain. Bitcoin holders simply lock their bitcoins in a self-custodial way to gain the rights to validate PoS chains and earn yields as a return. David Tse is a visionary electrical engineering expert who has made groundbreaking contributions to wireless...
2024-05-3045 minUnhashed PodcastSergey Gorbunov | Co-Founder of Axelar Network : Scaling Interoperability Networks In BlockchainSergey Gorbunov, co-founder of Axelar, shares the future of interoperability in Web3, the founding story of Axelar, and what drives him as a Web3 founder to keep innovating. Axelar is the programmable Web3 interoperability platform, scaling the next generation of internet applications to billions of users. Sergey is the co-founder of Axelar and an Assistant Professor at the University of Waterloo. He was previously a founding team member at Algorand. He received his Ph.D. from MIT, where he was a Microsoft Ph.D. fellow. His Ph.D. dissertation was on designing cryptographic tools for...
2024-05-0742 minUnhashed PodcastVictor Ji | Co-Founder of Manta Network : Building Real World Use-Cases with Zero KnowledgeVictor Ji, the Co-Founder of Manta Network explains the concept of Zero-Knowledge (ZK) proofs and how Manta is delivering a seamless developer experience for ZK applications. He also shares the milestones and turning points in Manta's journey and the qualities he believes are important for Web3 founders to succeed. Manta Network is building a secure and interoperable future with zero knowledge with a mission to deliver the best developer experience that enables ZK applications. Before his role as the Co-Founder of Manta in 2020, Victor worked as a Research Assistant at Harvard's Belfer Center where he...
2024-04-2547 minUnhashed PodcastSandy Peng | Co-Founder of Scroll : Building Layer 2 Solutions Intertwined With The Ethereum RoadmapSandy Peng, Co-Founder of Scroll, discusses the Layer 2 scaling solutions in Web3, the founding story of Scroll, and how to create a successful Web3 project by focusing on just building. Scroll is a community-first native zkEVM Layer 2 solution, and an open source project working at the forefront of zero-knowledge research. Sandy has rich experience in research, business development, and project strategy. Having worked as both a startup founder and blockchain investor, she has unique insights into the development, compliance, and application of blockchain technology and open-source technology. We hope you enjoy...
2024-03-1447 minUnhashed PodcastChris Spadafora | Founder of BadgerDAO : Bringing Bitcoin To DefiChris Spadafora, Founder of BadgerDAO, discusses decentralized governance, crypto tribalism, and his mission of bringing Bitcoin to the Defi ecosystem. BadgerDAO is an open-source, decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) that enables Bitcoin to be used as collateral across decentralized finance (DeFi) applications. The DAO has its native token, BADGER which allows users to vote on proposals put forward by community members. Voting power is determined by the amount of BADGER owned, and proposals that receive enough votes are implemented on the platform. We hope you enjoy Chris’ conversation with hosts Kenzi Watanabe, Sa...
2024-02-1958 minUnhashed PodcastEli Ben-Sassoon | Founder of StarkWare : Scaling Blockchain With Zero KnowledgeEli Ben-Sasson, co-founder and President of StarkWare, discusses his journey into Web3, building blockchain solutions for scalability, and how StarkWare is working on onboarding the next billion users onto the blockchain. StarkWare develops zero-knowledge proof technology that compresses information to address the blockchain's scalability problem. Before founding StarkWare, Eli was in core academia, earning his Ph.D. under Abel Prize winner Avi Wigderson and completing his postdoc from MIT and Harvard. His research focused on probabilistically checkable proofs (PCPs), and during the 2013 Bitcoin conference, he saw how his technology could address many of blockchain’s is...
2024-02-0647 minUnhashed PodcastSreeram Kannan | Founder of EigenLayer : Blockchain Brings Trust to Tech InnovationSreeram Kannan, co-founder and CEO of EigenLayer, discusses his journey into Web3, why he left academia to build a blockchain product, and how EigenLayer is solving some of the biggest challenges in the crypto ecosystem. Sreeram's journey into the realm of Web3 began with a deep-seated belief in the power of innovation to drive positive change. He recognized the potential of blockchain technology to democratize innovation and empower individuals to create value without the need for established reputations or access to exclusive resources. This unwavering belief led Sreeram to abandon his...
2024-01-281h 00Unhashed PodcastAniket Jindal | Co-Founder of Biconomy: Building Tools to Make Web3 Accessible to EveryoneAniket Jindal, Co-founder at Biconomy, delves into the qualities that define successful Web3 founders, the dynamics of bear markets, and the role of community management. He shared his insights into Biconomy's decentralized relay network and tokenomics and the critical significance of user experience (UX) in the blockchain ecosystem.Biconomy is a multi-chain relay infrastructure and transaction network that aims to make Web3 user-friendly, accessible, and affordable. Learn about the challenges of crypto adoption and how Biconomy is simplifying user experiences. Explore the pivotal moments and lessons learned in the startup world, from Polygon adoption to the importance...
2023-12-2256 minUnhashed PodcastBeryl Li | Co-Founder of Yield Guild Games: From Games to Guilds - Navigating the Web3 JourneyBeryl Li is the Co-Founder of Yield Guild Games (YGG), the largest decentralized network of gaming guilds. During our chat, we discussed Beryl Li's unique journey into the Web3 space and her contributions to the industry. She shared her insights into the role of guilds in shaping the future of Web3, emphasizing Web3 education and driving the adoption of blockchain tech. We also talked about the significance of native tokens in shaping the decentralized gaming landscape and the art of community management within YGG's vast decentralized network.Primarily focusing on Web3 education & blockchain games, YGG has reshaped...
2023-11-3052 minUnhashed PodcastIllia Polosukhin | Co-Founder of NEAR Protocol: Scaling an L1 in a Bear MarketIn this week’s episode of Unhashed Podcast, Kenzi Watanabe, and Diksha Lyer speak to Illia Polosukhin, the Co-Founder of NEAR Protocol. He discusses NEAR’s creation, what it takes to have true scalability in Web3, and building through a bear market.
2023-11-2853 minUnhashed PodcastRyan Kim | Partner at Hashed: Cracking the Code on Web3 Investments in AsiaWe spoke to Ryan Sungho Kim, a Partner at Hashed. He assesses deals from Asia and focuses on applications, corporate finance and enterprise. Previously, Ryan successfully exited his company LOOKET, a mobile solution for SME to Recobell (a Big Data company). Ryan was in charge of the development and planning of recommendation systems in his previous company, and he realized that the data space has many vulnerabilities. This led him to blockchain and ultimately made him co-found Hashed. Founded by a team of serial entrepreneurs and engineers in 2017, Hashed is the preeminent blockchain firm in...
2023-11-0448 minUnhashed PodcastAlex Svanevik | Co-Founder of Nansen: From Data Scientist to Web3 FounderIn this epsiode, Alex Svanevik shares his journey from data scientist to Web3 Founder, the business model of Nansen.ai, and how to scale a user-centric product in Web3.
2023-10-3148 minUnhashed PodcastJeff “Jiho” Zirlin | Co-Founder of Axie Infinity: Turning Your Web3 Community into True EvangelistsIn this episode of Unhashed Podcast, hosts Kenzi Watanabe, Sachi Mihara, and Diksha Lyer speak to Jiho about his early days in Web3, starting Sky Mavis and Axie Infinity with Trung Nguyen, Tu Doan, Aleksander Larsen, and Andy Ho.Jiho talks about building in the bear market, being “small and unrecognized” yet confident in their founding team, vision, and community. The team wanted to build a Web3 community that would reward those with the technical knowledge and those willing to learn about the technology. He perfectly sums up their founding principle: “Something that can play into c...
2023-10-2153 minUnhashed PodcastYat Siu | Co-Founder of Animoca Brands: The North Star of Web3 is Digital OwnershipYat Siu, Founder of Animoca Brands discusses how he went from learning music to becoming a tech entrepreneur, the ventures he has worked on and launched, his early days in Web3, his advice for Web3 founders, and so much more.Coming from a musician family, Yat Siu was training to be a musician when he wrote software on his Atari ST in the 1980s to read music notations. While his software did not win him any marks with his teachers, he found that others used and appreciated it enough to pay him for it.Soon...
2023-09-221h 20Unhashed PodcastMatthew Gould | Founder & CEO of Unstoppable Domains: Building a Web3 Unicorn Without a TokenIn this episode of Unhashed Podcast, Kenzi Watanabe, Sachi Mihara, and Diksha Lyer speak to Matthew Gould, the CEO of Unstoppable Domains. He discusses building a digital identity-focused Web3 company, what founders need to focus on for fundraising, and why he thinks token funding may be harmful to protocols.
2023-09-1950 minUnhashed PodcastLily Liu | President of The Solana Foundation: Why Blockchain Ecosystems are More Like Cities than CompaniesLily Liu is the President of the Solana Foundation. She is an entrepreneur and investor focused on the cryptocurrency industry. She has a background as a CFO and operating executive in the US, China, and throughout emerging markets. Lily is the Co-Founder of Anagram, and part of the founding team of Osmosis, and an advisor to Brave. Previously, Lily co-founded Earn.com which was acquired by Coinbase in 2018. She believes that blockchain ecosystems are more like cities than companies. “I think trying to operate a blockchain like a company is where things start and end in terms of being su...
2023-09-021h 05Unhashed PodcastHarsh Rajat | Founder of Push Protocol: Web3 Market Sentiment, Raising Funds, & L1 warsIn this episode of Unhashed Podcast, Kenzi Watanabe, Diksha Lyer, and Sachi Mihara speak to Harsh Rajat, Founder of Push Protocol. Push Protocol is the communication protocol of web3. It enables cross-chain notifications and messaging for dapps, wallets, and services tied to wallet addresses. In a chat with us, he discusses how they approached Ethereum Foundation for funding, their learnings in community building, mentors in the crypto ecosystem, and more.
2023-08-191h 22Unhashed PodcastJaynti Kanani | Co-Founder of Polygon: From Underdog to ChampionPolygon is one of crypto's greatest underdog stories if not all of tech. And it all boils down to what makes one of its co-founders, Jaynti “JD” Kanani, a believer in Web3: that all you need is a laptop and an internet connection to build anything.“You don’t need to be out there; put your name or face anywhere. You don’t have to go to Stanford or any big college. You don’t even have to go to school to be in Web3 because I see people in smaller villages from India building on Web3,” says JD.
2023-08-0553 minUnhashed PodcastJack Lu | Co-Founder of Magic Eden: Going Multi-Chain, Building for Web3 and the Future of NFTsIn this episode of Unhashed Podcast, Kenzi Watanabe, Diksha Lyer and Sachi Mihara speak to Jack Lu, CEO and one of the four co-founders of Magic Eden. Before co-founding Magic Eden, Jack worked at FTX, Google, and Boston Consulting Group. Magic Eden is an NFT marketplace launched in September 2021 and serves as a home base for SOL NFT collections. Initially launched on the Solana blockchain, it has since become multi-chain by integrating Ethereum-based NFT collections. In November 2022, Magic Eden added Polygon as their third supported chain, committing steadfastly to their vision of a multi-chain future. Since it was launched...
2023-07-1456 minUnhashed PodcastChris Gonsalves | CEO of Community Gaming: Web3 Gaming Ecosystems and eSportsIn this week’s episode of Unhashed Podcast, Kenzi Watanabe and Diksha Lyer speak to Chris Gonsalves, the CEO of Community Gaming. He discusses how Community Gaming was created, how the Web3 gaming ecosystem differs from traditional eSports, and how Web3 gaming will change in the future.
2023-06-281h 03Unhashed PodcastSandeep Nailwal | Co-Founder of Polygon: Setbacks, Community Building and Rebranding PolygonIn this episode of Unhashed Podcast, Kenzi Watanabe and Diksha Lyer speak to Sandeep Nailwal on his entire journey with Polygon so far. He discusses how he got into Crypto, his commitment to the developer community, and what the future looks like for Web3 today.Website: unhashed.fmTwitter: @UnhashedFM
2023-06-0353 minUnhashed PodcastLucas Vogelsang | Co-Founder of Centrifuge: The Future of DefiIn this episode of Unhashed Podcast, Kenzi Watanabe and Diksha Lyer speak to Lucas Vogelsang, CEO, and Co-Founder of Centrifuge, focusing on bringing Real World Assets to Defi since the early days of Ethereum. During the discussion, Lucas covers the future of Defi, the Polkadot ecosystem, and his experiences of being a founder in the Web3 bear market. Lucas had always been passionate about computers and coding. But, in 2017, after working in the tech space for seven years, he decided that he wanted to revolutionize the finance industry and use blockchain to build the backbone for financial...
2023-05-2054 minUnhashed PodcastSota Watanabe | Co-Founder of Astar Network : Web3 Valuations and the Future of DecentralizationIn this episode of Unhashed Podcast, Kenzi speaks to Sota Watanabe, Founder of Astar Network, on being a Japanese founder in the crypto world, parameters that affect Web3 company valuations the most, the multichain future and the exciting new projects at Astar. Here are edited excerpts of the episode.Before Sota Watanabe founded Astar Network in Japan in 2018, he studied information technology at the San Francisco State University in the US. He then worked at a blockchain startup, Chronicled, in the San Francisco Bay Area. After returning to Japan, he worked as a blockchain researcher at the...
2023-04-171h 26Unhashed PodcastNischal Shetty | Founder of Shardeum: Building in Web3 and the Importance of CommunityIn this episode of Unhashed Podcast, Kenzi Watanabe and Diksha Lyer speak to Nischal Shetty, Founder of WazirX and Shardeum, on decentralization, the right way to build communities, and making it in web 3.Before Nischal launched WazirX and Shardeum, he started his entrepreneurial journey by creating a social media company (what began as JustUnfollow is now Crowdfire) in 2010. He was a software developer, and before 2010, he had a day job and worked on his app on the weekends and any free time he had. This social media app was based on the idea that most people needed...
2023-03-161h 27Unhashed PodcastAndrew Durgee | President of Republic Crypto: Building a Fund and Volatile MarketsIn this episode of Unhashed Podcast, Kenzi Watanabe speaks to Andrew Durgee on the work Republic is doing, its various arms, the current market cycle, the impact of the recent Terra-Luna crash, and why Republic has zero attrition.In terms of structure Republic has four different companies - a holding company, Republic Retail, Republic Capital, and Republic Crypto. Its mission has been to democratize finance and increase access and inclusion. But the regulatory framework makes it very difficult for retail investors to invest in early-stage startups in the US. The framework is based on an accreditation system...
2023-02-111h 14Unhashed PodcastCiara Sun | Founder and Managing Partner of C² Ventures: Investing in Web3 Founders, Valuations, and Women in CryptoIn this episode of Unhashed Podcast, Kenzi Watanabe and Sachi Mihara speak to Ciara Sun, Founder & Managing Partner at C² Ventures, on being a woman in web3, the challenges she faced, and the road ahead for her investment firm.Before she dived into the world of web3, she was a management consultant with Boston Consulting Group and Deloitte. Her journey to discovering crypto began in New York in 2017 when the city had become a hub for investors and entrepreneurs interested in blockchain. Having spent years working in banking, capital markets, and private equity, she understood how crucial d...
2023-01-241h 00Unhashed PodcastMiles Anthony | Founder of Decentral Games: Building and Sustaining Play-to-Earn in the MetaverseIn this episode of Unhashed Podcast, Kenzi Watanabe talks to Miles Anthony, Founder of Decentral Games. Decentral Games builds games that give players economic freedom through aligned incentives, self-custody and delegation of yield-bearing metaverse assets.The game first launched its closed beta in September 2019 and currently includes poker, blackjack, roulette, backgammon, and slots. In a candid conversation, Miles shares his journey of building play-and-earn poker in the metaverse, its search for establishing product-market fit, the future of Web3 and more.This episode was supported by Diksha Lyer and Sachi Mihara.
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