Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest news. This week, the group sits down to discuss why U.S. crypto conferences are quieter than they have been in the past, which DeFi metrics are still useful for measuring a changing market, and advice for NFT founders on how to continue to innovate.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Show highlights: 

• Why Tarun says that the U.S. is “dead as a doorknob” for crypto for crypto conferences
• Main takeaways from recent crypto conferences such as Token2049 in Singapore and Permissionless in Austin
• How the metrics in DeFi keep changing, and which ones still have merit
• What are “chart crimes” and the gang's advice for entrepreneurs pitching to VCs
• Why Haseeb doesn't think that token economics are as useful as everyone thinks
• The Stoner Cat settlement with the SEC and how it impacts the broader conversation about whether NFTs are securities 
• Legal drama between the co-founders of the Milady NFT project
• Advice for NFT founders on how to achieve success in a changing market

Hosts

• Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly 
• Robert Leshner, founder of Compound
• Tom Schmidt, general partner at Dragonfly 
• Tarun Chitra, managing partner at Robot Ventures

Disclosures

Links

NFTs

• Unchained: 
• Mila Kunis’ Stoner Cats NFT Project Pays $1 Million to Settle SEC Charges 
• Milady NFT Founder Says Rogue Developer Embezzled $1 Million from Treasury
• PFP NFTs: What Are They & Why Are They So Popular?
• Generative Art NFTs: What Are They & Why Are They So Popular?
• SEC: Are NFTs Securities?

Token2049:

• Haseeb’s panel on alt L1s

DeFi and metrics:

• Unchained:
• What Is TVL in DeFi? A Guide to Total Value Locked
• Can DeFi Allow You To Be Your Own Bank?
• How to Invest in DeFi: 4 Ways You Can Explore Today
• Yield Farming: What Is It & How Does It Work?

Regulation

• Unchained: U.S. House Lawmakers Urge SEC's Gensler to Approve Spot Bitcoin ETFs

The Block: Gensler takes heat from lawmakers over his approach to regulating crypto

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