Shows
BlockLayer PodcastMichael Heinrich | Founder of 0G Labs — Building the First Modular AI ChainIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai sit down with Michael Heinrich, Founder of 0G Labs, to explore a bold thesis: the future of AI infrastructure may need its own modular, crypto-native stack.Michael shares his unconventional journey — from high school boredom to building 0G Labs — and how practices like spiritual reading and meditation reshaped his leadership style as a founder. We talk about the less-discussed side of company-building: clarity, emotional regulation, and staying consistent when the market (and your own head) is volatile.On the product side, we dive...
2026-02-2749 min
BlockLayer PodcastRon Bodkin | CEO & Co-Founder of Theoriq — Understanding Agent Collectives in AIIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi sits down with Ron Bodkin, CEO and Co-Founder of Theoriq, to unpack what “agent collectives” really are — and why the next wave of AI may be coordinated by crypto-native incentives.Ron explores the intersection of AI and Web3 through the lenses of responsibility, governance, and long-term alignment. He shares his journey from Google to founding Theoriq and ChainML, and reflects on what changes when you move from corporate AI leadership to startup execution.The conversation dives into agent collectives, why standardization in AI is still a mess, and wh...
2026-02-2448 min
BlockLayer PodcastAnna Kazlauskas | CEO & Co-Founder of Vana — Solving AI’s Data DilemmaIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai sit down with Anna Kazlauskas, CEO and Co-Founder of Vana, to unpack one of the biggest bottlenecks in AI: data ownership and incentives.Anna shares her path from traditional finance into decentralized AI, and what it’s like building Vana — a platform designed to let people own their data and contribute it to AI models on their terms. We dig into why tokenomics matters in this model (and where it can go wrong), plus the hard parts of starting a Web3 company: hiring mission-aligned team...
2026-02-2256 min
BlockLayer PodcastJay Jog | Co-Founder of Sei Labs — The EVM’s Dominance and Its LimitationsIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai sit down with Jay Jog, Co-Founder of Sei Labs, to unpack why the Ethereum Virtual Machine keeps winning — and where its limits start to show.Jay draws a sharp analogy between legacy cities and virtual machines: once a system becomes the default, it’s incredibly hard to displace because distribution, tooling, and culture compound over time. He shares his journey from traditional finance and his time at Robinhood Markets to building Sei Network, and why user feedback loops matter more than narratives when you’re try...
2026-02-2243 min
BlockLayer PodcastAvery Ching | CTO & Co-Founder of Aptos Labs — Decoding the Aptos EcosystemIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai sit down with Avery Ching, CTO and Co-Founder of Aptos Labs, for a deep dive into the Aptos ecosystem — and what it really takes to build an L1 with mainstream-scale ambitions.Avery shares his outlook on the intersection of crypto and AI, walks through Aptos’ fundraising journey, and breaks down the design differences between Aptos and other Layer 1s like Solana and Ethereum. We dig into where Aptos believes it can win: performance, developer experience, and the kinds of consumer-facing applications that demand speed with...
2026-02-2253 minBlockLayer PodcastMichael Heinrich | Founder of 0G Labs — Building the First Modular AI ChainIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai sit down with Michael Heinrich, Founder of 0G Labs, to explore a bold thesis: the future of AI infrastructure may need its own modular, crypto-native stack.Michael shares his unconventional journey — from high school boredom to building 0G Labs — and how practices like spiritual reading and meditation reshaped his leadership style as a founder. We talk about the less-discussed side of company-building: clarity, emotional regulation, and staying consistent when the market (and your own head) is volatile.On the product side, we dive...
2026-02-2249 minBlockLayer PodcastRon Bodkin | CEO & Co-Founder of Theoriq — Understanding Agent Collectives in AIIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi sits down with Ron Bodkin, CEO and Co-Founder of Theoriq, to unpack what “agent collectives” really are — and why the next wave of AI may be coordinated by crypto-native incentives.Ron explores the intersection of AI and Web3 through the lenses of responsibility, governance, and long-term alignment. He shares his journey from Google to founding Theoriq and ChainML, and reflects on what changes when you move from corporate AI leadership to startup execution.The conversation dives into agent collectives, why standardization in AI is still a mess, and wh...
2026-02-2248 min
BlockLayer PodcastUma Roy | Co-Founder of Succinct Labs — Why Zero-Knowledge Is Key to Scaling CryptoIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi and Diksha Desai sit down with Uma Roy, Co-Founder of Succinct Labs, to unpack why zero-knowledge proofs are becoming one of the most important primitives in crypto — for both scalability and privacy.Uma shares her path into Web3 and the motivations behind building Succinct Labs, including how the team formed and grew in San Francisco with a strong preference for in-person collaboration. We talk about what ZK actually enables beyond “faster chains,” the practical tradeoffs teams face when they adopt proof systems, and why developer tooling is the real unlock...
2026-02-2247 min
BlockLayer PodcastKaran Sirdesai | Co-Founder & CEO of Mira Network — Building Reliable AI on the BlockchainIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi speaks with Karan Sirdesai, Co-Founder and CEO of Mira Network — a decentralized AI infrastructure platform taking aim at one of the biggest blockers to real adoption: hallucinations and reliability.Karan explains how Mira approaches “trustworthy AI” for high-stakes use cases like finance and healthcare — where being mostly right isn’t good enough. We dig into the core idea behind Mira’s architecture: using multiple models and consensus-based verification to catch errors, reduce hallucinations, and make outputs more auditable and dependable.He also shares his non-linear founder journey — from hustling...
2026-02-2248 min
BlockLayer PodcastDavid Minarsch | Co-Founder & CEO of Valory — The Rise of Autonomous Agents and the Future of Web3In this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi sits down with David Minarsch, Co-Founder and CEO of Valory, to explore what “autonomy” really means — and why autonomous agents might become the next major interface layer between humans, software, and markets.David shares his path into crypto and AI, including his work with Fetch.ai, and the founding story behind Valory and OLAS. We dig into the rise of autonomous agents: what they can do today (beyond demos), where they’re already useful, and what breaks when you try to deploy them in the real world — especially inside permission...
2026-02-2254 min
BlockLayer PodcastNick Emmons | Co-Founder & CEO of Allora Labs — The Synergies Between Web3 and AIIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai sit down with Nick Emmons, Co-Founder and CEO of Allora Labs, to explore what crypto actually adds to AI — and where the hype ends.Nick breaks down the synergies between Web3 and AI through a practical lens: how decentralized systems could coordinate models, incentives, and data into something closer to a “collective intelligence” network. He shares Allora’s mission and why they’re focused on AI-powered DeFi — building new financial primitives that use predictive models and markets to make on-chain systems smarter and more adaptive.
2026-02-2238 min
BlockLayer PodcastGabby Dizon | Co-Founder of Yield Guild Games — Tokenomics and In-Game EconomiesIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai sit down with Gabby Dizon, Co-Founder of Yield Guild Games (YGG), to unpack what makes Web3 gaming economies work — and why most of them don’t.Gabby shares his journey from PC gamer to Web3 pioneer, and what he’s learned after years of watching in-game economies succeed, fail, and evolve. We talk about tokenomics that actually sustain player behavior (not just incentives that pump and dump), how guilds change the onboarding equation, and why mainstream adoption won’t happen until the product experience competes...
2026-02-2245 min
BlockLayer PodcastGreg Osuri | Founder of Akash Network — Liberty, Community, and the Future of Decentralized AIIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai sit down with Greg Osuri, Founder and CEO of Akash Network, to explore the ideas powering the decentralized web — liberty, sovereignty, and what “freedom” should mean in an AI-driven internet.Greg shares his founder journey and the real challenges of building a Web3 product: staying grounded through volatility, making hard tradeoffs, and keeping a healthy work-life balance while running at startup speed. We also talk about why community isn’t just a nice-to-have in Web3 — it’s the distribution engine, the governance layer, and the resilien...
2026-02-221h 18
BlockLayer PodcastEthan Sun | Co-Founder of MyShell — Empowering Creators at the Blockchain × AI CrossroadsIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai sit down with Ethan Sun to explore what happens when consumer AI meets crypto rails — and why creators may be the biggest winners.Ethan shares his journey into the blockchain-and-AI intersection and the origin story of MyShell, an “AI consumer layer” designed to connect users, creators, and open-source AI researchers. His core thesis: the next wave of the creator economy won’t require everyone to be technical — it’ll give non-technical creators real leverage to build, remix, and distribute AI-native experiences.We unpack MyShe...
2026-02-2255 min
BlockLayer PodcastDC Builder | Research Engineer at Worldcoin Foundation — Proving Personhood in a Digital EraIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai speak with DC Builder, Research Engineer at Worldcoin Foundation, about one of the hardest problems on the internet: proving you’re a real human — without giving up privacy.DC Builder breaks down the project’s approach to decentralization and its mission to expand access to digital identity and finance globally — with the broader goal of making distribution in the digital economy more fair. We unpack the “web of trust” challenge, why biometrics are both powerful and controversial, and what it actually takes to verify personhood a...
2026-02-2257 min
BlockLayer PodcastDavid Tse | Co-Founder of BabylonChain — Scaling Bitcoin to Secure a Decentralized WorldIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai sit down with David Tse, Co-Founder of BabylonChain, to explore a bold idea: using Bitcoin to help secure a broader decentralized world — without wrapping, bridging, or handing your coins to a third party.David breaks down BabylonChain’s approach to Bitcoin staking and why it matters: enabling bitcoin holders to earn yield on otherwise idle BTC while maintaining self-custody. Instead of bridging BTC to another chain, users lock their bitcoin in a self-custodial way to obtain the rights to help validate Proof-of-Stake chains and earn...
2026-02-2245 min
BlockLayer PodcastSergey Gorbunov | Co-Founder of Axelar Network — Scaling Blockchain InteroperabilityIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai sit down with Sergey Gorbunov, Co-Founder of Axelar Network, to explore the next chapter of Web3: interoperability that actually scales.Sergey shares Axelar’s founding story and why he believes “the internet of blockchains” only works if cross-chain communication becomes as reliable and programmable as anything developers expect in Web2. We dig into what interoperability should look like when the goal is billions of users — not just power users — and how Axelar positions itself as a programmable platform for routing value and messages across ecosystems...
2026-02-2242 min
BlockLayer PodcastVictor Ji | Co-Founder of Manta Network — Building Real-World Use Cases With Zero-KnowledgeIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai sit down with Victor Ji, Co-Founder of Manta Network, to break down what zero-knowledge proofs actually enable — and how Manta is trying to make ZK development feel as seamless as building any other modern app.Victor explains ZK in plain terms, why developer experience is the make-or-break factor for ZK adoption, and how Manta’s mission centers on shipping a secure, interoperable future powered by privacy-preserving computation. He also walks through key milestones and turning points in Manta’s journey, plus the founder qualities he bel...
2026-02-2258 min
BlockLayer PodcastSandy Peng | Co-Founder of Scroll — Building L2 Solutions Aligned With Ethereum’s RoadmapIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai sit down with Sandy Peng, Co-Founder of Scroll, to unpack what it takes to build Layer 2 scaling in a way that’s truly intertwined with Ethereum’s long-term roadmap.Sandy shares the founding story of Scroll, how she thinks about the L2 landscape, and why “just build” is still the most underrated strategy in Web3 — especially when narratives and incentives shift every quarter. We also get into what “community-first” actually means for an open-source zkEVM project, and how Scroll operates at the frontier of zero-knowledge...
2026-02-2247 min
BlockLayer PodcastChris Spadafora | Founder of BadgerDAO — Bringing Bitcoin to DeFiIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai sit down with Chris Spadafora, Founder of BadgerDAO, to talk about one of crypto’s longest-running goals: making Bitcoin a first-class citizen in DeFi.Chris breaks down his mission to bring Bitcoin liquidity into decentralized finance — not as a narrative, but as usable collateral across a growing set of DeFi applications. We get into decentralized governance, crypto tribalism, and the tradeoffs that show up when you try to coordinate a community at scale while still shipping products.BadgerDAO is an open-source DAO with...
2026-02-2258 min
BlockLayer PodcastEli Ben-Sasson | Founder of StarkWare — Scaling Blockchain With Zero-KnowledgeIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai sit down with Eli Ben-Sasson, Co-Founder and President of StarkWare, to unpack the story behind one of the most important breakthroughs in blockchain scaling: zero-knowledge proofs.Eli shares how a career in core theory and academia ultimately led him into Web3 — from earning his Ph.D. under Avi Wigderson to postdoctoral work at MIT and Harvard University. With deep roots in probabilistically checkable proofs (PCPs), Eli explains the moment it clicked: at a 2013 Bitcoin conference, he realized these ideas could compress verification and directly at...
2026-02-2247 min
BlockLayer PodcastSreeram Kannan | Founder of EigenLayer — Blockchain Brings Trust to Tech InnovationIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi speaks with Sreeram Kannan, Founder and CEO of EigenLayer, about the leap from academia to building one of the most talked-about infrastructure layers in crypto — and what problem EigenLayer is actually trying to solve.Sreeram shares how he first got pulled into Web3, why he chose to leave an academic path to ship a real product, and the bigger thesis behind his work: that blockchain can unlock a new kind of innovation economy — where builders can earn trust through transparent, verifiable systems instead of needing legacy credentials, reputation, or insi...
2026-02-221h 00
BlockLayer PodcastAniket Jindal | Co-Founder of Biconomy — Building the Tools That Make Web3 UsableIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi talks with Aniket Jindal, Co-Founder of Biconomy, about what it really takes to build infrastructure that normal users can actually enjoy — not just tolerate.Aniket breaks down the traits he sees in the strongest Web3 founders, how teams can keep momentum during bear markets, and why community management is a core operating system (not a “marketing task”). We get into Biconomy’s multi-chain relay and transaction network, how decentralized relayers change the UX equation, and what tokenomics should look like when the product is a network, not an app.We...
2026-02-2256 min
BlockLayer PodcastBeryl Li | Co-Founder of Yield Guild Games — From Games to Guilds: Navigating the Web3 JourneyIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi sits down with Beryl Li, Co-Founder of Yield Guild Games (YGG) — widely known as one of the largest decentralized networks of gaming guilds.Beryl shares her path into Web3 and what guilds actually do in a tokenized gaming economy: onboarding players, coordinating communities at scale, and bridging the gap between games, education, and ownership. We dig into why Web3 education matters for adoption, how native tokens shape incentives across decentralized gaming ecosystems, and what it really takes to build and manage community in a network as distributed (and fast-moving) as...
2026-02-2252 min
BlockLayer PodcastIllia Polosukhin | Co-Founder of NEAR Protocol — Scaling an L1 in a Bear MarketIn this week’s episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi and Diksha Desai sit down with Illia Polosukhin, Co-Founder of NEAR Protocol.Illia breaks down how NEAR was created, what “real scalability” in Web3 actually requires (beyond marketing claims), and the hard truths of building infrastructure when the market turns. We talk about staying focused during a bear cycle, the tradeoffs behind L1 design decisions, and what NEAR is optimizing for as adoption grows.This episode was supported by Sachi Shiokava
2026-02-2253 min
BlockLayer PodcastRyan Sungho Kim | Partner at Hashed — Cracking the Code on Web3 Investing in AsiaIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi sits down with Ryan Sungho Kim, Partner at Hashed, to unpack how top-tier Web3 deals are evaluated across Asia — and what founders often miss when pitching investors.Ryan shares his path from building and exiting LOOKET to Recobell, to leading product development around recommendation systems — an experience that exposed him to the fragility (and incentives) of the data economy. That wake-up call pulled him into blockchain, and ultimately into helping build Hashed into one of the region’s most influential players.We also get into Hashed’s founding...
2026-02-2248 min
BlockLayer PodcastAlex Svanevik | Co-Founder of Nansen — From Data Scientist to Web3 FounderIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi speaks with Alex Svanevik about the leap from data science into building a Web3 company — and why on-chain data becomes truly valuable only when it’s translated into decisions users can act on.Alex breaks down the business model behind Nansen: turning raw blockchain activity into clear, user-friendly intelligence for traders, teams, and institutions — without losing the nuance that makes on-chain data powerful in the first place. They also talk about what it takes to scale a user-centric product in Web3: choosing the right customer, building workflows (not just dashbo...
2026-02-2248 min
BlockLayer PodcastJeff “Jiho” Zirlin | Co-Founder of Axie Infinity — Turning Your Community into True EvangelistsIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai speak with Jeff Zirlin (“Jiho”) about his early days in Web3, building Sky Mavis, and launching Axie Infinity alongside Trung Nguyen, Tu Doan, Aleksander Larsen, and Andy Ho.Jiho talks about what it’s like building deep in a bear market — being “small and unrecognized,” but still stubbornly confident in the founding team, the long-term vision, and the community they were assembling. A core goal from the beginning was to create a Web3 community that rewards both technical contributors and people willing to learn. His founding...
2026-02-2253 min
BlockLayer PodcastYat Siu | Co-Founder of Animoca Brands — Web3’s North Star is Digital OwnershipIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi speaks with Yat Siu about the idea that has guided Animoca Brands from the start: the “north star” of Web3 is digital ownership — not speculation, not hype, but the ability for people to truly own and control assets online.Yat’s path into tech started unusually early. Coming from a musician family, he was training to be a musician when he began writing software on an Atari ST in the 1980s to read music notation. His teachers didn’t exactly love it — but other people did, enough that they paid him for...
2026-02-221h 20
BlockLayer PodcastMatthew Gould | Founder & CEO of Unstoppable Domains — Building a Web3 Unicorn Without a TokenIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai speak with Matthew Gould, Founder & CEO of Unstoppable Domains, about building a digital-identity company in Web3 without leaning on a token — and why he believes that choice can be a long-term advantage, not a limitation.Matthew unpacks what it takes to turn decentralized naming into a mainstream product: making self-custody feel intuitive, designing identity primitives people actually use, and building trust with users who may not care about crypto at all — they just want a better way to own their online presence.They...
2026-02-2250 min
BlockLayer PodcastLily Liu | President of the Solana Foundation — Why Blockchain Ecosystems Are More Like Cities Than CompaniesIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi speaks with Lily Liu, President of the Solana Foundation, about a framework that changes how you evaluate crypto networks: blockchains aren’t best understood as companies — they behave more like cities.Lily is an entrepreneur and investor focused on crypto, with experience as a CFO and operating executive across the U.S., China, and a range of emerging markets. She’s the co-founder of Anagram, was part of the founding team behind Osmosis, and has advised Brave Software. Previously, she co-founded Earn.com, which was acquired by Coinbase in 2018.I...
2026-02-221h 05
BlockLayer PodcastHarsh Rajat | Founder of Push Protocol — Market Sentiment, Fundraising, and the L1 WarsIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Diksha Desai, and Sachi Shiokava speak with Harsh Rajat about the real mechanics behind building infrastructure in crypto: how market sentiment changes what founders can ship (and what investors will fund), what it takes to raise in noisy cycles, and how the L1 “wars” look when you’re trying to stay chain-agnostic.Push Protocol bills itself as the communication layer of Web3 — enabling cross-chain notifications and messaging for dapps, wallets, and services, all tied directly to wallet addresses. Harsh breaks down why messaging is still one of the most underbui...
2026-02-221h 22
BlockLayer PodcastJaynti “JD” Kanani | Co-Founder of Polygon — From Underdog to ChampionPolygon is one of crypto’s most iconic underdog stories — and a big part of that mindset comes straight from Jaynti Kanani (JD). For him, the promise of Web3 is radically simple: if you’ve got a laptop and an internet connection, you can build something real — without permission, pedigree, or gatekeepers.JD puts it bluntly: you don’t need to be public-facing, you don’t need Stanford University, and you don’t even need a traditional academic path. What matters is access, curiosity, and the will to ship — and he points to builders from small villages across India pro...
2026-02-2253 min
BlockLayer PodcastJack Lu | Co-Founder of Magic Eden — Going Multi-Chain, Building for Web3, and the Future of NFTsIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Diksha Desai, and Sachi Shiokava sit down with Jack Lu, CEO and one of the four co-founders of Magic Eden, to talk through the platform’s evolution from a Solana-native NFT marketplace into a broader multi-chain hub — and what that shift says about where NFTs are actually going.Before co-founding Magic Eden, Jack built experience across FTX, Google, and Boston Consulting Group. Magic Eden launched in September 2021 and quickly became a home base for Solana NFT collections. As the market matured, the team leaned into a multi-chain thesis — integrating Ethere...
2026-02-2256 min
BlockLayer PodcastChris Gonsalves | CEO of Community Gaming — Web3 Gaming Ecosystems and eSportsIn this week’s episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi and Diksha Desai sit down with Chris Gonsalves, CEO of Community Gaming, to explore how modern gaming ecosystems are being rebuilt around ownership, on-chain incentives, and community-led competition — and what that means for the next era of eSports.Chris walks through how Community Gaming came to life, the core problems it set out to solve for tournament organizers and players, and why Web3-native gaming infrastructure is fundamentally different from traditional eSports models. They also discuss what changes when tournaments, rewards, and identity can live on-chain: new mone...
2026-02-221h 03
BlockLayer PodcastSandeep Nailwal | Co-Founder of Polygon — Setbacks, Community, and the Polygon RebrandIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi and Diksha Desai sit down with Sandeep Nailwal to unpack his journey building Polygon — from early setbacks and inflection points to the long, unglamorous work of earning developer trust at scale.Sandeep shares how he first got pulled into crypto, why Polygon has always treated the builder community as the real moat, and what “community building” means when you’re supporting thousands of teams across different chains, tools, and narratives. They also dig into Polygon’s evolution and rebranding journey — what changes externally vs. what actually changes inside the product and...
2026-02-2253 min
BlockLayer PodcastLucas Vogelsang | Co-Founder of Centrifuge — The Future of DeFiIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi and Diksha Desai speak with Lucas Vogelsang, CEO and Co-Founder of Centrifuge, about one of DeFi’s most important frontiers: bringing real-world assets (RWAs) on-chain — a mission Centrifuge has pursued since the early days of Ethereum.Lucas breaks down what “RWA DeFi” looks like in practice, why it matters for scaling DeFi beyond crypto-native use cases, and what needs to change for the next wave of adoption. The conversation also explores the Polkadot ecosystem, how Centrifuge thinks about infrastructure vs. applications, and what it’s really like being a founder bu...
2026-02-2254 min
BlockLayer PodcastSota Watanabe | Co-Founder of Astar Network — Web3 Valuations and the Future of DecentralizationIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi speaks with Sota Watanabe about what it’s like building as a Japanese founder in crypto, the factors that most strongly shape Web3 valuations, and why the multichain future is more practical than it is ideological. They also dig into what’s next at Astar — and how the team thinks about positioning smart contracts in a world where ecosystems are no longer “either/or.”Before co-founding Astar in Japan in 2018, Sota studied information technology at San Francisco State University in the U.S., then worked in the San Francisco Bay Area a...
2026-02-221h 26
BlockLayer PodcastNischal Shetty | Founder of Shardeum — Building in Web3 and Why Community MattersIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi and Diksha Desai speak with Nischal Shetty (Founder of WazirX and Shardeum) about decentralization done right, what real community-building looks like beyond hype, and how to survive long enough in Web3 to actually ship.Before WazirX and Shardeum, Nischal began his entrepreneurial path in 2010 by building a social media product that started as JustUnfollow and later evolved into Crowdfire. At the time, he was still working a day job — coding nights, weekends, and any spare minutes — driven by a simple insight: creators and small teams needed one place to mana...
2026-02-221h 27
BlockLayer PodcastAndrew Durgee | President of Republic Crypto — Building a Fund in Volatile MarketsIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi speaks with Andrew Durgee about how Republic is structured, what each part of the business does, and how the team keeps moving through sharp market swings — including the fallout from the Terra collapse.They break down Republic’s multi-entity setup (a holding company alongside Republic Retail, Republic Capital, and Republic Crypto), and the mission that ties it together: widening access to investing and building a more inclusive financial system.Andrew also explains why that mission runs head-first into U.S. regulation — especially the accreditation framework that restricts early...
2026-02-221h 14
BlockLayer PodcastCiara Sun | Founder & Managing Partner of C² Ventures — Investing in Web3 Founders, Valuations, and Women in CryptoIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi and Sachi Shiokava sit down with Ciara Sun, Founder & Managing Partner of C² Ventures, for a candid conversation about investing through market cycles, how valuations actually get shaped in Web3, and what it means to build and lead in crypto as a woman.Before entering Web3, Ciara built her foundation as a management consultant at Boston Consulting Group and Deloitte, then spent years across banking, capital markets, and private equity. Her crypto journey began in New York City in 2017, when the city was becoming a magnet for blockchain builders a...
2026-02-221h 00
BlockLayer PodcastMiles Anthony | Founder of Decentral Games — Building & Scaling Play-to-Earn in the MetaverseIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi sits down with Miles Anthony, Founder of Decentral Games — a project creating on-chain casino experiences designed around aligned incentives, self-custody, and delegated access to yield-bearing metaverse assets.Originally launched in closed beta in September 2019, Decentral Games has expanded into a full suite of titles including poker, blackjack, roulette, backgammon, and slots. Miles shares the real story behind building play-and-earn poker in the metaverse: what it takes to keep a game fun and sustainable, how the team navigated product-market fit, what they learned along the way, and where he thinks We...
2026-02-221h 17BlockLayer PodcastAnna Kazlauskas | CEO & Co-Founder of Vana — Solving AI’s Data DilemmaIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai sit down with Anna Kazlauskas, CEO and Co-Founder of Vana, to unpack one of the biggest bottlenecks in AI: data ownership and incentives.Anna shares her path from traditional finance into decentralized AI, and what it’s like building Vana — a platform designed to let people own their data and contribute it to AI models on their terms. We dig into why tokenomics matters in this model (and where it can go wrong), plus the hard parts of starting a Web3 company: hiring mission-aligned team...
2026-02-2256 minBlockLayer PodcastKaran Sirdesai | Co-Founder & CEO of Mira Network — Building Reliable AI on the BlockchainIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi speaks with Karan Sirdesai, Co-Founder and CEO of Mira Network — a decentralized AI infrastructure platform taking aim at one of the biggest blockers to real adoption: hallucinations and reliability.Karan explains how Mira approaches “trustworthy AI” for high-stakes use cases like finance and healthcare — where being mostly right isn’t good enough. We dig into the core idea behind Mira’s architecture: using multiple models and consensus-based verification to catch errors, reduce hallucinations, and make outputs more auditable and dependable.He also shares his non-linear founder journey — from hustling...
2025-11-2548 minBlockLayer PodcastDavid Minarsch | Co-Founder & CEO of Valory — The Rise of Autonomous Agents and the Future of Web3In this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi sits down with David Minarsch, Co-Founder and CEO of Valory, to explore what “autonomy” really means — and why autonomous agents might become the next major interface layer between humans, software, and markets.David shares his path into crypto and AI, including his work with Fetch.ai, and the founding story behind Valory and OLAS. We dig into the rise of autonomous agents: what they can do today (beyond demos), where they’re already useful, and what breaks when you try to deploy them in the real world — especially inside permission...
2025-11-0854 minBlockLayer PodcastNick Emmons | Co-Founder & CEO of Allora Labs — The Synergies Between Web3 and AIIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai sit down with Nick Emmons, Co-Founder and CEO of Allora Labs, to explore what crypto actually adds to AI — and where the hype ends.Nick breaks down the synergies between Web3 and AI through a practical lens: how decentralized systems could coordinate models, incentives, and data into something closer to a “collective intelligence” network. He shares Allora’s mission and why they’re focused on AI-powered DeFi — building new financial primitives that use predictive models and markets to make on-chain systems smarter and more adaptive.
2025-10-2438 minBlockLayer PodcastGabby Dizon | Co-Founder of Yield Guild Games — Tokenomics and In-Game EconomiesIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai sit down with Gabby Dizon, Co-Founder of Yield Guild Games (YGG), to unpack what makes Web3 gaming economies work — and why most of them don’t.Gabby shares his journey from PC gamer to Web3 pioneer, and what he’s learned after years of watching in-game economies succeed, fail, and evolve. We talk about tokenomics that actually sustain player behavior (not just incentives that pump and dump), how guilds change the onboarding equation, and why mainstream adoption won’t happen until the product experience competes...
2025-10-0645 minBlockLayer PodcastGreg Osuri | Founder of Akash Network — Liberty, Community, and the Future of Decentralized AIIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai sit down with Greg Osuri, Founder and CEO of Akash Network, to explore the ideas powering the decentralized web — liberty, sovereignty, and what “freedom” should mean in an AI-driven internet.Greg shares his founder journey and the real challenges of building a Web3 product: staying grounded through volatility, making hard tradeoffs, and keeping a healthy work-life balance while running at startup speed. We also talk about why community isn’t just a nice-to-have in Web3 — it’s the distribution engine, the governance layer, and the resilien...
2025-09-231h 18BlockLayer PodcastEthan Sun | Co-Founder of MyShell — Empowering Creators at the Blockchain × AI CrossroadsIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai sit down with Ethan Sun to explore what happens when consumer AI meets crypto rails — and why creators may be the biggest winners.Ethan shares his journey into the blockchain-and-AI intersection and the origin story of MyShell, an “AI consumer layer” designed to connect users, creators, and open-source AI researchers. His core thesis: the next wave of the creator economy won’t require everyone to be technical — it’ll give non-technical creators real leverage to build, remix, and distribute AI-native experiences.We unpack MyShe...
2025-09-0455 minBlockLayer PodcastDC Builder | Research Engineer at Worldcoin Foundation — Proving Personhood in a Digital EraIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai speak with DC Builder, Research Engineer at Worldcoin Foundation, about one of the hardest problems on the internet: proving you’re a real human — without giving up privacy.DC Builder breaks down the project’s approach to decentralization and its mission to expand access to digital identity and finance globally — with the broader goal of making distribution in the digital economy more fair. We unpack the “web of trust” challenge, why biometrics are both powerful and controversial, and what it actually takes to verify personhood a...
2025-08-2257 minBlockLayer PodcastDavid Tse | Co-Founder of BabylonChain — Scaling Bitcoin to Secure a Decentralized WorldIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai sit down with David Tse, Co-Founder of BabylonChain, to explore a bold idea: using Bitcoin to help secure a broader decentralized world — without wrapping, bridging, or handing your coins to a third party.David breaks down BabylonChain’s approach to Bitcoin staking and why it matters: enabling bitcoin holders to earn yield on otherwise idle BTC while maintaining self-custody. Instead of bridging BTC to another chain, users lock their bitcoin in a self-custodial way to obtain the rights to help validate Proof-of-Stake chains and earn...
2025-08-1445 minBlockLayer PodcastSergey Gorbunov | Co-Founder of Axelar Network — Scaling Blockchain InteroperabilityIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai sit down with Sergey Gorbunov, Co-Founder of Axelar Network, to explore the next chapter of Web3: interoperability that actually scales.Sergey shares Axelar’s founding story and why he believes “the internet of blockchains” only works if cross-chain communication becomes as reliable and programmable as anything developers expect in Web2. We dig into what interoperability should look like when the goal is billions of users — not just power users — and how Axelar positions itself as a programmable platform for routing value and messages across ecosystems...
2025-07-2342 minBlockLayer PodcastVictor Ji | Co-Founder of Manta Network — Building Real-World Use Cases With Zero-KnowledgeIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai sit down with Victor Ji, Co-Founder of Manta Network, to break down what zero-knowledge proofs actually enable — and how Manta is trying to make ZK development feel as seamless as building any other modern app.Victor explains ZK in plain terms, why developer experience is the make-or-break factor for ZK adoption, and how Manta’s mission centers on shipping a secure, interoperable future powered by privacy-preserving computation. He also walks through key milestones and turning points in Manta’s journey, plus the founder qualities he bel...
2025-06-1258 minBlockLayer PodcastSandy Peng | Co-Founder of Scroll — Building L2 Solutions Aligned With Ethereum’s RoadmapIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai sit down with Sandy Peng, Co-Founder of Scroll, to unpack what it takes to build Layer 2 scaling in a way that’s truly intertwined with Ethereum’s long-term roadmap.Sandy shares the founding story of Scroll, how she thinks about the L2 landscape, and why “just build” is still the most underrated strategy in Web3 — especially when narratives and incentives shift every quarter. We also get into what “community-first” actually means for an open-source zkEVM project, and how Scroll operates at the frontier of zero-knowledge...
2025-05-2247 minBlockLayer PodcastChris Spadafora | Founder of BadgerDAO — Bringing Bitcoin to DeFiIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai sit down with Chris Spadafora, Founder of BadgerDAO, to talk about one of crypto’s longest-running goals: making Bitcoin a first-class citizen in DeFi.Chris breaks down his mission to bring Bitcoin liquidity into decentralized finance — not as a narrative, but as usable collateral across a growing set of DeFi applications. We get into decentralized governance, crypto tribalism, and the tradeoffs that show up when you try to coordinate a community at scale while still shipping products.BadgerDAO is an open-source DAO with...
2025-05-1058 min
BlockLayer PodcastEli Ben-Sasson | Founder of StarkWare — Scaling Blockchain With Zero-KnowledgeIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai sit down with Eli Ben-Sasson, Co-Founder and President of StarkWare, to unpack the story behind one of the most important breakthroughs in blockchain scaling: zero-knowledge proofs.Eli shares how a career in core theory and academia ultimately led him into Web3 — from earning his Ph.D. under Avi Wigderson to postdoctoral work at MIT and Harvard University. With deep roots in probabilistically checkable proofs (PCPs), Eli explains the moment it clicked: at a 2013 Bitcoin conference, he realized these ideas could compress verification and directly at...
2025-04-2147 minBlockLayer PodcastSreeram Kannan | Founder of EigenLayer — Blockchain Brings Trust to Tech InnovationIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi speaks with Sreeram Kannan, Founder and CEO of EigenLayer, about the leap from academia to building one of the most talked-about infrastructure layers in crypto — and what problem EigenLayer is actually trying to solve.Sreeram shares how he first got pulled into Web3, why he chose to leave an academic path to ship a real product, and the bigger thesis behind his work: that blockchain can unlock a new kind of innovation economy — where builders can earn trust through transparent, verifiable systems instead of needing legacy credentials, reputation, or insi...
2025-03-201h 00BlockLayer PodcastAniket Jindal | Co-Founder of Biconomy — Building the Tools That Make Web3 UsableIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi talks with Aniket Jindal, Co-Founder of Biconomy, about what it really takes to build infrastructure that normal users can actually enjoy — not just tolerate.Aniket breaks down the traits he sees in the strongest Web3 founders, how teams can keep momentum during bear markets, and why community management is a core operating system (not a “marketing task”). We get into Biconomy’s multi-chain relay and transaction network, how decentralized relayers change the UX equation, and what tokenomics should look like when the product is a network, not an app.We...
2025-03-0856 minBlockLayer PodcastBeryl Li | Co-Founder of Yield Guild Games — From Games to Guilds: Navigating the Web3 JourneyIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi sits down with Beryl Li, Co-Founder of Yield Guild Games (YGG) — widely known as one of the largest decentralized networks of gaming guilds.Beryl shares her path into Web3 and what guilds actually do in a tokenized gaming economy: onboarding players, coordinating communities at scale, and bridging the gap between games, education, and ownership. We dig into why Web3 education matters for adoption, how native tokens shape incentives across decentralized gaming ecosystems, and what it really takes to build and manage community in a network as distributed (and fast-moving) as...
2025-02-2552 minBlockLayer PodcastIllia Polosukhin | Co-Founder of NEAR Protocol — Scaling an L1 in a Bear MarketIn this week’s episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi and Diksha Desai sit down with Illia Polosukhin, Co-Founder of NEAR Protocol.Illia breaks down how NEAR was created, what “real scalability” in Web3 actually requires (beyond marketing claims), and the hard truths of building infrastructure when the market turns. We talk about staying focused during a bear cycle, the tradeoffs behind L1 design decisions, and what NEAR is optimizing for as adoption grows.This episode was supported by Sachi Shiokava
2025-02-0653 minBlockLayer PodcastRyan Sungho Kim | Partner at Hashed — Cracking the Code on Web3 Investing in AsiaIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi sits down with Ryan Sungho Kim, Partner at Hashed, to unpack how top-tier Web3 deals are evaluated across Asia — and what founders often miss when pitching investors.Ryan shares his path from building and exiting LOOKET to Recobell, to leading product development around recommendation systems — an experience that exposed him to the fragility (and incentives) of the data economy. That wake-up call pulled him into blockchain, and ultimately into helping build Hashed into one of the region’s most influential players.We also get into Hashed’s founding...
2025-01-2448 minBlockLayer PodcastAlex Svanevik | Co-Founder of Nansen — From Data Scientist to Web3 FounderIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi speaks with Alex Svanevik about the leap from data science into building a Web3 company — and why on-chain data becomes truly valuable only when it’s translated into decisions users can act on.Alex breaks down the business model behind Nansen: turning raw blockchain activity into clear, user-friendly intelligence for traders, teams, and institutions — without losing the nuance that makes on-chain data powerful in the first place. They also talk about what it takes to scale a user-centric product in Web3: choosing the right customer, building workflows (not just dashbo...
2025-01-0448 minBlockLayer PodcastJeff “Jiho” Zirlin | Co-Founder of Axie Infinity — Turning Your Community into True EvangelistsIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai speak with Jeff Zirlin (“Jiho”) about his early days in Web3, building Sky Mavis, and launching Axie Infinity alongside Trung Nguyen, Tu Doan, Aleksander Larsen, and Andy Ho.Jiho talks about what it’s like building deep in a bear market — being “small and unrecognized,” but still stubbornly confident in the founding team, the long-term vision, and the community they were assembling. A core goal from the beginning was to create a Web3 community that rewards both technical contributors and people willing to learn. His founding...
2024-12-2353 minBlockLayer PodcastYat Siu | Co-Founder of Animoca Brands — Web3’s North Star is Digital OwnershipIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi speaks with Yat Siu about the idea that has guided Animoca Brands from the start: the “north star” of Web3 is digital ownership — not speculation, not hype, but the ability for people to truly own and control assets online.Yat’s path into tech started unusually early. Coming from a musician family, he was training to be a musician when he began writing software on an Atari ST in the 1980s to read music notation. His teachers didn’t exactly love it — but other people did, enough that they paid him for...
2024-12-131h 20BlockLayer PodcastMatthew Gould | Founder & CEO of Unstoppable Domains — Building a Web3 Unicorn Without a TokenIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Sachi Shiokava, and Diksha Desai speak with Matthew Gould, Founder & CEO of Unstoppable Domains, about building a digital-identity company in Web3 without leaning on a token — and why he believes that choice can be a long-term advantage, not a limitation.Matthew unpacks what it takes to turn decentralized naming into a mainstream product: making self-custody feel intuitive, designing identity primitives people actually use, and building trust with users who may not care about crypto at all — they just want a better way to own their online presence.They...
2024-11-2250 minBlockLayer PodcastLily Liu | President of the Solana Foundation — Why Blockchain Ecosystems Are More Like Cities Than CompaniesIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi speaks with Lily Liu, President of the Solana Foundation, about a framework that changes how you evaluate crypto networks: blockchains aren’t best understood as companies — they behave more like cities.Lily is an entrepreneur and investor focused on crypto, with experience as a CFO and operating executive across the U.S., China, and a range of emerging markets. She’s the co-founder of Anagram, was part of the founding team behind Osmosis, and has advised Brave Software. Previously, she co-founded Earn.com, which was acquired by Coinbase in 2018.I...
2024-11-111h 05BlockLayer PodcastHarsh Rajat | Founder of Push Protocol — Market Sentiment, Fundraising, and the L1 WarsIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Diksha Desai, and Sachi Shiokava speak with Harsh Rajat about the real mechanics behind building infrastructure in crypto: how market sentiment changes what founders can ship (and what investors will fund), what it takes to raise in noisy cycles, and how the L1 “wars” look when you’re trying to stay chain-agnostic.Push Protocol bills itself as the communication layer of Web3 — enabling cross-chain notifications and messaging for dapps, wallets, and services, all tied directly to wallet addresses. Harsh breaks down why messaging is still one of the most underbui...
2024-10-211h 22BlockLayer PodcastJaynti “JD” Kanani | Co-Founder of Polygon — From Underdog to ChampionPolygon is one of crypto’s most iconic underdog stories — and a big part of that mindset comes straight from Jaynti Kanani (JD). For him, the promise of Web3 is radically simple: if you’ve got a laptop and an internet connection, you can build something real — without permission, pedigree, or gatekeepers.JD puts it bluntly: you don’t need to be public-facing, you don’t need Stanford University, and you don’t even need a traditional academic path. What matters is access, curiosity, and the will to ship — and he points to builders from small villages across India pro...
2024-10-0953 minBlockLayer PodcastJack Lu | Co-Founder of Magic Eden — Going Multi-Chain, Building for Web3, and the Future of NFTsIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi, Diksha Desai, and Sachi Shiokava sit down with Jack Lu, CEO and one of the four co-founders of Magic Eden, to talk through the platform’s evolution from a Solana-native NFT marketplace into a broader multi-chain hub — and what that shift says about where NFTs are actually going.Before co-founding Magic Eden, Jack built experience across FTX, Google, and Boston Consulting Group. Magic Eden launched in September 2021 and quickly became a home base for Solana NFT collections. As the market matured, the team leaned into a multi-chain thesis — integrating Ethere...
2024-09-1156 minBlockLayer PodcastChris Gonsalves | CEO of Community Gaming — Web3 Gaming Ecosystems and eSportsIn this week’s episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi and Diksha Desai sit down with Chris Gonsalves, CEO of Community Gaming, to explore how modern gaming ecosystems are being rebuilt around ownership, on-chain incentives, and community-led competition — and what that means for the next era of eSports.Chris walks through how Community Gaming came to life, the core problems it set out to solve for tournament organizers and players, and why Web3-native gaming infrastructure is fundamentally different from traditional eSports models. They also discuss what changes when tournaments, rewards, and identity can live on-chain: new mone...
2024-08-231h 03BlockLayer PodcastSandeep Nailwal | Co-Founder of Polygon — Setbacks, Community, and the Polygon RebrandIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi and Diksha Desai sit down with Sandeep Nailwal to unpack his journey building Polygon — from early setbacks and inflection points to the long, unglamorous work of earning developer trust at scale.Sandeep shares how he first got pulled into crypto, why Polygon has always treated the builder community as the real moat, and what “community building” means when you’re supporting thousands of teams across different chains, tools, and narratives. They also dig into Polygon’s evolution and rebranding journey — what changes externally vs. what actually changes inside the product and...
2024-07-0953 minBlockLayer PodcastLucas Vogelsang | Co-Founder of Centrifuge — The Future of DeFiIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi and Diksha Desai speak with Lucas Vogelsang, CEO and Co-Founder of Centrifuge, about one of DeFi’s most important frontiers: bringing real-world assets (RWAs) on-chain — a mission Centrifuge has pursued since the early days of Ethereum.Lucas breaks down what “RWA DeFi” looks like in practice, why it matters for scaling DeFi beyond crypto-native use cases, and what needs to change for the next wave of adoption. The conversation also explores the Polkadot ecosystem, how Centrifuge thinks about infrastructure vs. applications, and what it’s really like being a founder bu...
2024-06-2254 minBlockLayer PodcastSota Watanabe | Co-Founder of Astar Network — Web3 Valuations and the Future of DecentralizationIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi speaks with Sota Watanabe about what it’s like building as a Japanese founder in crypto, the factors that most strongly shape Web3 valuations, and why the multichain future is more practical than it is ideological. They also dig into what’s next at Astar — and how the team thinks about positioning smart contracts in a world where ecosystems are no longer “either/or.”Before co-founding Astar in Japan in 2018, Sota studied information technology at San Francisco State University in the U.S., then worked in the San Francisco Bay Area a...
2024-05-071h 26BlockLayer PodcastNischal Shetty | Founder of Shardeum — Building in Web3 and Why Community MattersIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi and Diksha Desai speak with Nischal Shetty (Founder of WazirX and Shardeum) about decentralization done right, what real community-building looks like beyond hype, and how to survive long enough in Web3 to actually ship.Before WazirX and Shardeum, Nischal began his entrepreneurial path in 2010 by building a social media product that started as JustUnfollow and later evolved into Crowdfire. At the time, he was still working a day job — coding nights, weekends, and any spare minutes — driven by a simple insight: creators and small teams needed one place to mana...
2024-04-211h 27BlockLayer PodcastAndrew Durgee | President of Republic Crypto — Building a Fund in Volatile MarketsIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi speaks with Andrew Durgee about how Republic is structured, what each part of the business does, and how the team keeps moving through sharp market swings — including the fallout from the Terra collapse.They break down Republic’s multi-entity setup (a holding company alongside Republic Retail, Republic Capital, and Republic Crypto), and the mission that ties it together: widening access to investing and building a more inclusive financial system.Andrew also explains why that mission runs head-first into U.S. regulation — especially the accreditation framework that restricts early...
2024-03-051h 14BlockLayer PodcastCiara Sun | Founder & Managing Partner of C² Ventures — Investing in Web3 Founders, Valuations, and Women in CryptoIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi and Sachi Shiokava sit down with Ciara Sun, Founder & Managing Partner of C² Ventures, for a candid conversation about investing through market cycles, how valuations actually get shaped in Web3, and what it means to build and lead in crypto as a woman.Before entering Web3, Ciara built her foundation as a management consultant at Boston Consulting Group and Deloitte, then spent years across banking, capital markets, and private equity. Her crypto journey began in New York City in 2017, when the city was becoming a magnet for blockchain builders a...
2024-02-201h 00BlockLayer PodcastMiles Anthony | Founder of Decentral Games — Building & Scaling Play-to-Earn in the MetaverseIn this episode of Blocklayer Podcast, Kenzi Takahashi sits down with Miles Anthony, Founder of Decentral Games — a project creating on-chain casino experiences designed around aligned incentives, self-custody, and delegated access to yield-bearing metaverse assets.Originally launched in closed beta in September 2019, Decentral Games has expanded into a full suite of titles including poker, blackjack, roulette, backgammon, and slots. Miles shares the real story behind building play-and-earn poker in the metaverse: what it takes to keep a game fun and sustainable, how the team navigated product-market fit, what they learned along the way, and where he thinks We...
2024-01-031h 17