Why Product Beats Protocols for Adoption

Join Ashwath Balakrishnan and Neel Daftary as they explore the future of DeFi infrastructure with Connor Howe, co-founder of Enso. After nine years of building in crypto, Connor has created what he calls "the shortcut to building on-chain applications" - a developer tool that abstracts away the complexity of integrating with hundreds of DeFi protocols. From powering Berachain's $3.1 billion launch to enabling developers to reduce build times from seven months to just days, Enso is positioning itself as the Unity engine for Web3.

Enso: https://www.enso.build

🎯 Key Highlights

▸ Connor's nine-year journey from writing Solidity in Mist Wallet to building crypto infrastructure

▸ How Enso powered Berachain's $3.1 billion DeFi launch behind the scenes

▸ Reducing developer build times from 7 months to 1.5 days through abstraction

▸ Why crypto needs more apps (4,800) than blockchains (1,000+) for mass adoption

▸ The "fat engine thesis" - how abstraction layers will control blockchain routing

▸ Enso's upcoming network model: action providers, grafters, and validators

▸ The "Enso Drop" - accessing 370+ potential airdrops through network participation

▸ Security through simulation: 4ms response times vs industry standard 2.6 seconds

▸ Chain abstraction vs. application abstraction: the real path to user adoption

▸ Why product beats paper in crypto's current critical juncture

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🧠 Follow the Alpha

▸ Connor's Twitter: @connor_enso

▸ Enso's Twitter: @EnsoBuild

🔗 Connect with Delphi

🌐 Portal: https://delphidigital.io/

🐦 Twitter: https://x.com/delphi_digital

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/delphi-digital/

🎧 Listen on

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/62PR1RigLG2YN5Pelq6UY9?si=18ac7ccf36ab4753&nd=1&dlsi=50105fd66e6c4124

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-delphi-podcast/id1438148082

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9Yy99ZlQIX9-PdG_xHj43Q

Timestamps

00:00 — Intro: Connor Howe, Enso co-founder

01:15 — Nine years building in crypto: from Bitcoin to Ethereum

03:00 — Early DeFi development challenges and the birth of Enso

05:00 — Chain abstraction vs. application abstraction philosophy

08:30 — Serving 8% of Web3's developer mindshare (2,250+ developers)

11:00 — Berachain's $3.1B launch: Enso's behind-the-scenes role

13:15 — AI agents, automation, and new use cases emerging

15:00 — Reducing build times: from 7 months to 1.5 days case study

17:30 — Security through simulation: 4ms response times

21:30 — Why we need products people actually want to use

23:15 — New developer onboarding trends and product directions

26:30 — The Enso Network: action providers, grafters, validators

30:00 — Self-service protocol integration and scalability

33:00 — Enso vs. Yearn comparison and strategy differences

35:15 — Network economics and fee distribution mechanisms

39:00 — Upcoming TGE and token utility design

41:00 — The "Enso Drop": accessing 370+ protocol airdrops

42:00 — Developer relations strategy: YouTube, universities, incubators

45:15 — Keeping developers away from crypto Twitter for innovation

47:15 — Fat protocols vs. fat apps: the abstraction layer thesis

51:30 — "Product beats paper" - crypto's critical juncture

Disclaimer

This podcast is strictly informational and educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any tokens or securities or to make any financial decisions. Do not trade or invest in any project, tokens, or securities based upon this podcast episode. The host and members at Delphi Ventures may personally own tokens or art that are mentioned on the podcast. Our current show features paid sponsorships which may be featured at the start, middle, and/or the end of the episode. These sponsorships are for informational purposes only and are not a solicitation to use any product, service or token.