In this episode our host Humpty Calderon speaks with Erik Ashdown of Covalent

Covalent website: www.covalenthq.com

Covalent (Twitter) X: @Covalent_HQ

Erik Ashdown(Twitter) X: @eash0x

Crypto Sapiens website: www.cryptosapiens.xyz

Crypto Sapiens (Twitter) X: @cryptosapiens_

This conversation covers topics such as the background of Covalent, the future of data availability, the importance of accessibility in blockchain, the evolution of wallets, the future of applications on blockchain, DeFi as the end state, Covalent's role in the future, onboarding more chains to Covalent, the Ethereum Way Back Machine, and the value of historical data. The conversation explores the challenges of data integration and making sense of disconnected data in the blockchain space. It highlights the importance of storing and organizing data for long-term availability, especially for purposes like tax reporting. Covalent is working on addressing this issue by providing a solution that incentivizes data storage and makes it easy to extract data from multiple chains. The conversation also includes a call to action for developers to start using Covalent's data and provides information on grants and resources available. Additionally, the collaboration between Covalent and Mosaic in curating on-chain media and musical experiments is discussed.

Takeaways

• Covalent aims to provide long-term data availability and accessibility in the blockchain space.
• The future of applications on blockchain will involve social elements and the integration of AI.
• DeFi is seen as the end state of blockchain, but there is still a long way to go in terms of infrastructure and usability.
• Covalent's goal is to onboard more chains and provide accessible data to developers and applications.
• The Ethereum WayBack Machine refers to Covalent's ability to provide historical data on the Ethereum blockchain.
• Historical data has value for various purposes

Timestamps:

00:47  - Introductions and Background on Covalent

01:21 - Erik's Journey in Crypto

06:27 - The Future of Data Availability

11:51 - The Importance of Accessibility in Blockchain

13:07 - The Evolution of Wallets

15:50 - The Future of Applications on Blockchain

20:29 - DeFi as the End State

24:49 - Covalent's Role in the Future

28:38 - Onboarding More Chains to Covalent

33:24 - The Ethereum Way Back Machine

35:08 - The Value of Historical Data

36:07 - Data Integration and Making Sense of Disconnected Data

38:34 - Long-Term Data Availability

47:42 - Getting Started with Covalent's Data

44:08 - Call to Action for Developers

48:41 - Covalent and Mosaic Collaboration

50:15 - On-Chain Media and Musical Experiments