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Olaf Carlson-Wee

Founder of Polychain Capital, a cryptocurrency hedge fund that invests directly in cryptocurrencies at the protocol layer.

Top 10 podcasts with Olaf Carlson-Wee

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60 snips
Sep 26, 2017 • 1h 10min

Hash Power – Ep. 1 - Understanding Blockchains

Welcome to the first episode of Hash Power, an audio documentary that explores the world of blockchain and cryptocurrencies with leaders in the field like Naval Ravikant, Olaf Carlson-Wee, Fred Ehrsam, & Ari Paul. Hash Power is meant to be an introduction, but really, it is an invitation to explore this emerging world on your own. In the coming weeks, we will cover the technology, the power of decentralization, bitcoin, Ethereum, ICOs, cryptography and hashing. We will spend time with the leading active hedge fund managers in the field, and with outside investors who are both optimistic and skeptical. Episode one covers the big picture, and answers the question: what is blockchain and why might it significantly affect our world?If you enjoy what follows, you’ll still be very early in understanding this field. Most don’t. So help me spread it like wildfire, because the more people that understand blockchain, the better its impact might become. Please enjoy episode one, and stay tuned next week for episode 2, which explores investing in cryptocurrencies.Hash Power is presented by Fidelity Investments For comprehensive show notes on this episode go to http://investorfieldguide.com/hashpowerFor more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast.To get involved with Project Frontier, head to InvestorFieldGuide.com/frontier.Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclub.Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_oshag Books Referenced The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age Nostalgia for the Absolute Links ReferencedBitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash SystemReddit User jav_rddtSHA-256 Calculator The BitCoin Model for CrowdfundingFat Protocols#cryptotwitter Show NotesCHAPTER 1 – Understanding the Concept of Blockchain (3:25)4:30 – Jeremiah Lowin explains how blockchain is like a database5:14 – Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System5:46 – Owning a digital asset7:14 – Naval Ravikant, CEO of Angelist on how blockchains can help to create personal networks and organize humans13:33 – New coins popping up around data storage and utility needs like solar panels14:57 – Permission vs permissionless networks18:13 – Keeping track of scarcity and the introduction of tokens18:51 – The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age21:55 – The role of blockchains in the informational age and the rise of more individual sovereignty23:29 - Fred Ehrsam, co-founder of Coinbase, on the increasing shift to digital worlds led by incentive structures CHAPTER 2 – Blockchain Technology (27:48)29:09 - Reddit User jav_rddt30:43 - SHA-256 Calculator31:53 - Charlie Noyes, Pantera Capital, explains how SHA-256 was developed and what make its so special35:48 – How miners create new blocks and the incentives to do so46:54 – Ethereum, the “spiritual successor” to bitcoin48:36 – How the Ether network is an ecosystem in which other tokens can sit50:51 - Naval Ravikant on alternative coins or tokens50:50 - The BitCoin Model for Crowdfunding52:35 – Fat Protocols53:22 – Blockchain as an experiment in distributed government54:47 – How cryptocurrency is more than just technology, it’s a movement54:50 – Nostalgia for the Absolute57:27 - #cryptotwitter1:00:58 - Peter Jubber, of Fidelity, on how huge institutions, like theirs, are getting into the cryptocurrency game1:05:21- Olaf Carlson-Wee, first employee at Coinbase and the founder of Polychain, on the early excitement for cryptocurrency1:06:56– Closing thoughts from PatrickLooking to work in this space - hashpowerdeveloper@gmail.com Learn MoreFor more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast. Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclubFollow Patrick on twitter at @patrick_oshag
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38 snips
Apr 11, 2022 • 1h 18min

113 - How to Be Early | Olaf Carlson-Wee

Olaf Carlson-Wee is the Founder and CEO of Polychain Capital, a crypto investment firm that he founded in 2016. Olaf is a brilliant independent thinker which has led him to be the first in many things, one being the first employee of Coinbase. In this episode, we dive into how he utilizes and became a contrarian thinking, which blockchain he believes has the potential highest likelihood to accrue the most value, the future of work and decentralized governance, and so much more. Because of Olaf’s OG crypto tier status, he’s seen the evolution of the space from the very beginning. His experience—combined with the way he uniquely thinks—makes his vision for the future not only inspiring but promising. ------ ✨ DEBRIEF ✨ | Ryan & David's Unfiltered Thoughts on the Episode https://shows.banklesshq.com/p/113-olaf-debrief  ------ 📣 CONSENSYS | M·A·C: NFT Collection for a Good Cause https://bankless.cc/MAC  ------ 🚀 SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER: https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/  🎙️ SUBSCRIBE TO PODCAST: http://podcast.banklesshq.com/  ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: ⚖️ ARBITRUM | SCALED ETHEREUM https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum  ❎ ACROSS | BRIDGE TO LAYER 2 https://bankless.cc/Across  🏦 ALTO IRA | TAX-FREE CRYPTO https://bankless.cc/AltoIRA  👻 AAVE V3 | LEND & BORROW CRYPTO https://bankless.cc/aave  ⚡️ MAKER DAO | THE DAI STABLECOIN https://bankless.cc/MakerDAO  🦁 BRAVE | THE BROWSER NATIVE WALLET https://bankless.cc/Brave  ------ Topics Covered: 0:00 Intro 6:27 Has Crypto Played Out the Way Olaf Thought 10:15 Why Olaf Caught the Crypto Bug 17:35 Olaf’s Interest in Smart Contracts & Ethereum 23:50 Views on Vitalik 25:40 Independent Thinking 30:27 Why is Olaf is Here 32:40 The Common Traps of Crypto 34:12 The Wins Olaf’s Most Proud of 41:18 Which Chain Comes Out on Top 55:11 The Blockchain Spectrum 58:52 Forecasting Value Accrual 1:01:27 Olaf’s Thoughts on Ethereum & Decentralization 1:12:30 The Future of Work & Scaling DAOs 1:18:01 Crypto vs. The Nation State 1:21:50 Lightning Round 1:23:55 What’s Currently Obvious to Olaf 1:26:19 Closing & Disclaimers ------ Resources: Olaf Carson-Wee https://twitter.com/zxocw  Polychain Capital https://twitter.com/polychain  ----- Not financial or tax advice. This channel is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. This video is not tax advice. Talk to your accountant. Do your own research. Disclosure. From time-to-time I may add links in this newsletter to products I use. I may receive commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. Additionally, the Bankless writers hold crypto assets. See our investment disclosures here: https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/p/bankless-disclosures 
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20 snips
Nov 18, 2021 • 1h 11min

Hash Power Ep.1 - Understanding Blockchains [Invest Like the Best, Replay]

Today we are re-sharing our Hash Power documentary. This series was originally released in September 2017 when 1 Bitcoin hovered around $4000 US Dollars. While so much has changed in the years since - these episodes are a great introduction into the technology, the power of decentralization, Bitcoin, Ethereum, ICO's, cryptography, and hashing. You will hear from a variety of industry experts throughout these episodes - please enjoy.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   ----   Original Intro (09.26.17)   Welcome to the first episode of Hash Power, an audio documentary that explores the world of blockchain and cryptocurrencies with leaders in the field like Naval Ravikant, Olaf Carlson-Wee, Fred Ehrsam, & Ari Paul. Hash Power is meant to be an introduction, but really, it is an invitation to explore this emerging world on your own.    We will cover the technology, the power of decentralization, bitcoin, Ethereum, ICOs, cryptography and hashing. We will spend time with the leading active hedge fund managers in the field, and with outside investors who are both optimistic and skeptical. Episode one covers the big picture, and answers the question: what is blockchain and why might it significantly affect our world?   -----   Web3 Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Web3 Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @Web3Breakdowns | @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus   Show Notes: [00:03:25] – CHAPTER 1 – Understanding the Concept of Blockchain [00:04:30] – Jeremiah Lowin explains how blockchain is like a database [00:05:46] – Owning a digital asset [00:07:14] – Naval Ravikant, CEO of Angelist on how blockchains can help to create personal networks and organize humans [00:11:01] – How blockchains represent a way to coordinate global activity through tokens [00:13:33] – New coins popping up around data storage and utility needs like solar panels [00:14:57] – Permission vs permissionless networks [00:16:37] – Protocols and the introduction of scarcity [00:18:13] – Keeping track of scarcity and the introduction of tokens [00:18:49] – Societal structures and how blockchains will change them again [00:21:55] – The role of blockchains in the informational age and the rise of more individual sovereignty [00:23:29] – Fred Ehrsam, co-founder of Coinbase, on the increasing shift to digital worlds led by incentive structures [00:27:48] – CHAPTER 2 – Blockchain Technology [00:31:53] – Charlie Noyes, Pantera Capital, explains how SHA-256 was developed and what makes it so special [00:35:48] – How miners create new blocks and the incentives to do so [00:40:22] – The nonce field [00:43:48] – The incentives that exist for miners and the arms race to build more powerful systems to mine [00:45:20] – The development of mining pools [00:46:54] – Ethereum, the “spiritual successor” to bitcoin [00:48:36] – How the Ether network is an ecosystem in which other tokens can sit [00:50:51] – Naval Ravikant on alternative coins or tokens [00:51:37] – How the protocol creators are the ones getting wealthy [00:52:43] – Blockchain as an experiment in distributed government [00:54:10] – How cryptocurrency is more than just technology, it’s a movement [01:00:07] – Peter Jubber, of Fidelity, on how huge institutions, like theirs, are getting into the cryptocurrency game [01:03:34] – The notion of cooperation in an open-source project or protocol [01:04:39] – Olaf Carlson-Wee, the first employee at Coinbase and the founder of Polychain, on the early excitement for cryptocurrency Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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13 snips
Jan 23, 2024 • 1h 22min

OG Olaf Carlson-Wee on Why His Crypto Thesis Is Stronger Than Ever - Ep. 598

Olaf Carlson-Wee, Founder and CIO of Polychain Capital, discusses his consistent crypto thesis since 2011, the launch of spot Bitcoin ETFs, criticisms of crypto as criticisms of money, the differences between Web3 and Web2, the significance of EigenLayer, and the potential of the intersection between crypto and AI.
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Nov 28, 2023 • 1h 1min

Why Polychain Capital Founder Never Sells His Crypto | Olaf Carlson-Wee

Olaf Carlson-Wee, Founder of Polychain and first Coinbase employee, shares why he believes crypto will be the greatest wealth redistribution of the modern era. They discuss the impact of the leverage cycle, viability of restaking, embedding financial markets into social platforms, wearables, and why crypto will outlive fiat currency.
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Mar 12, 2024 • 1h 19min

Why EigenLayer May Be the Most Innovative New Ecosystem Since Ethereum - Ep. 618

EigenLayer, a new ecosystem like Ethereum, has a restaking mechanism to boost security. It could turbocharge Ethereum's scaling and enable decentralized software as a service providers. They discuss risks, AI integration, and the potential applications of EigenLayer. Additionally, they explore advanced cryptography for privacy in blockchains, excitement about ecosystem innovations, and the risks of staking nodes.
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Oct 3, 2017 • 1h 16min

Hash Power – Ep. 2 - Investing in Cryptocurrencies 

In episode 1 of Hash Power, we explored blockchains as a technology—how they work, why tokens (also known as cryptocurrencies) are an integral part of any blockchain, and how these new networks might change the world. In episode two, we spend time with the leading investors in the field. Like any frenzied asset class, there are countless cryptocurrency hedge funds popping up everywhere. But founders from three of the original firms—Polychain, Metastable, and Blocktower Capital—are our primary guides this week.As I speak, the total market cap of cryptocurrencies is $136B. There are hundreds of tokens currently available, but bitcoin and Ethereum represent 75% of the total market cap. $136B sounds like a big number, but its tiny relative to any other asset class—and I use that term with hesitation. To put it in perspective, that’s exactly the same size as the market cap of IBM. But IBM had more than $10B of earnings in 2016. Tokens have none. As you will hear, valuing tokens is a very hard exercise.In such a nascent world, we are seeing investing strategies take hold. Olaf Carlson-Wee, Josh Seims, and Ari Paul walk us through different takes on cryptocurrency investing, be it early stage, long term buy and hold, or more hedge fund style strategies.Hash Power is presented by Fidelity InvestmentsFor comprehensive show notes on this episode go to http://investorfieldguide.com/hashpowerFor more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast.To get involved with Project Frontier, head to InvestorFieldGuide.com/frontier.Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclub.Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_oshag Links ReferencedFat Protocols (Joel Monegro) Show Notes0:05 – Recap of part 1 and introduction to part 2 of Hash Power2:58 – Ari Paul, CIO of Blocktower explains how he got involved in cryptocurrencies5:23 – Why do we need bitcoin7:23 – Polychain Capital founder Olaf Carlson-Wee on why the value of tokens accrue9:23 – How main stream money is getting into this space12:26- Useful comparisons when talking about ICOs when compared to IPOs15:01 - Naval Ravikant, CEO of Angellist, is asked to explain the protocols of cryptocurrencies to platform businesses like Uber or Airbnb17:43 – Naval’s interest in investing in cryptocurrencies23:07 - Olaf Carlson Wee on the lifecycle of a token24:02 – SAFT note, Simple Agreement for Future Tokens25:31 – What is the earliest stage that edge is most present for investors in cryptocurrency protocols28:12 – How do you mitigate the volatility that is present in blockchain31:18 - Jeremiah Lowin, a risk and statistics expert, who runs risk management for a large private family office, talks about why he no longer owns cryptocurrencies 34:19 - Jordan Cooper, a venture capital investor, is optimistic about blockchains in general, but thinks there may be some overvaluations in current currencies37:02 – How Jordan would value a single cryptocurrency42:10 – Fat Protocols (Joel Monegro)43:52 - Josh Seims, of Metastable, the value investor in blockchain?51:15 - Ari Paul on the equivalent of listed stocks in the crypto currency world52:33 – Understanding the concept of a coin in blockchain and how people are getting access to them55:07 – The fairground analogy to understand cryptocurrencies57:57 – What lessons from traditional markets can you apply to investing in cryptocurrencies1:06:51 – Ari is asked to discuss some of the alternative cryptocurrencies outside of Bitcoin and Ethereum. He starts with Ripple1:10:27 – What would help firms or traders create edge in investing in cryptocurrencies Learn MoreFor more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast. Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclubFollow Patrick on twitter at @patrick_oshag
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Mar 13, 2024 • 1h 15min

UNCHAINED: Why EigenLayer May Be the Most Innovative New Ecosystem Since Ethereum

Founders discuss EigenLayer's rapid developer ecosystem growth reminiscent of Ethereum's early days, potential to enhance Ethereum's scaling roadmap with restaking mechanism, and collaboration with AI. Topics include EigenLayer's role in decentralized software-as-a-service, Polychain's investment, and the evolution of smart contracts towards increased intelligence and flexibility.
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Oct 10, 2017 • 59min

Hash Power – Ep. 3 - Funding, Forking, and a Creative Future

In episodes one and two of Hash Power, we explored blockchain technology and cryptocurrency investing. In this episode, we discuss the current and potential future states of the crypto world. We cover new forms of cooperation, regulation, security and storage, and why blockchains allow systems to evolve at such a rapid pace.  Be sure to listen until the end, where we close with some advice about conducting ourselves in a new world where creativity reigns and repetitive jobs disappear—a trend that may only accelerate thanks to blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies. Hash Power is presented by Fidelity Investments   For comprehensive show notes on this episode go to http://investorfieldguide.com/hashpower For more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast. To get involved with Project Frontier, head to InvestorFieldGuide.com/frontier. Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclub. Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_oshag    Show Notes 0:05 – Intro to episode 3 and what to expect  4:00 - Olaf Carlson-Wee, founder of Polychain, on how the funding and investing in cryptocurrencies could easily get out of hand  5:00 – How people are creating holding companies to fund cryptocurrencies protocols  6:45 – Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) and how they will replace the aforementioned holding companies  8:32 – Could fully decentralized organizations replace other more traditional organizational structures, even outside of crypto currency  9:59 – How can DAO’s impact everyday lives  12:39 – Why your skills and accomplishments will become more important than who you are or where you are from             15:38 – Ready Player One: A Novel  16:09 - Naval Ravikant, CEO of Angellist, on the way humans cooperate and build new entities  17:51 – When people will demand oversight and regulation over crypto currency  20:42 - Peter Van Valkenburg, Director of Research at Coincenter on the current state of regulation  26:06 - Jameson Lopp on security needed to protect your cryptocurrency             26:22 - Glacierprotocol.org  27:51 - Ari Paul, co-founder of Blocktower, on how nail polish is used to protect their crypto wallet  30:03 – Juan Benet explains the Filecoin Protocol  35:52 - Muneeb Ali, co-founder of Blockstack, on how his team is plans to provide basic tools that will allow the broader developer community to build apps that the cryptocurrency population will use.  38:01 - Comparing blockstack to the analogy of creating a city  40:17 – How the blockstack token fits into everything  43:15 – Fred Ehrsam, co-founder of Coinbase, on forking in blockchains  47:52 – Naval Ravikant on how the idea of work will change in the future, and how that change helped to produce the idea of a blockchain in the first place.  49:31 – Why curiosity should govern what you do in life 53:22 - Naval’s framework for making money   Learn More For more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast.  Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclub Follow Patrick on twitter at @patrick_oshag
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Apr 3, 2017 • 33min

a16z Podcast: Cryptocurrencies, App Coins, and Investing in Protocols

Olaf Carlson-Wee, founder of Polychain Capital, discusses innovative investment strategies in the cryptocurrency landscape. He explains how his hedge fund invests directly in blockchain protocols, likening it to buying equity in the early internet. The conversation explores app coins and their potential to decentralize power while fostering new asset classes. They also touch on the evolution of decentralized networks, emphasizing user trust and unique financial incentives in crypto ecosystems. This unique perspective sheds light on the future of ownership in digital spaces.