Epicenter - In-Depth Conversations about Blockchain & Crypto

Ezaan Mangalji, the innovative co-founder of Initia, joins forces with Jose Maria Macedo and Anil Lulla from Delphi to discuss the future of blockchain. They dive into Initia's unique approach of seamlessly integrating customized roll-ups while addressing liquidity fragmentation. Their insights on the lessons learned from the Terra blockchain highlight the need for app-centric solutions. Exciting topics include sustainable growth in crypto ecosystems and the potential of ZKTLS technology. Tune in for a visionary look at the evolving blockchain landscape!

Tomasz Stańczak and Hsiao-Wei Wang lead the Ethereum Foundation, emphasizing their mission to balance community needs with Ethereum's core values. They discuss the challenges of leadership in a decentralized framework and the importance of collaboration. The conversation dives into Ethereum's scaling strategies, including Layer 2 solutions and interoperability, highlighting their role as a global settlement layer. They also evaluate the impact of emerging technologies like ZKEVM and the significance of maintaining user trust in an evolving market.

Joaquin Mendes, the COO of Taiko and a Web3 innovator, shares insights into Taiko's decentralized, Ethereum-equivalent rollup solution. He discusses the challenges of scaling Ethereum using ZK technology while maintaining security. Joaquin dives into the trade-offs of base sequencing and user experience, the evolution of zkEVM technology, and the vibrant ecosystem of decentralized applications on Taiko. He also addresses potential future impacts on Ethereum from upcoming upgrades and innovative strategies to enhance transaction processing.

Adeniyi Abiodun, Chief Product Officer and co-founder of Mysten Labs, shares insights from his impressive journey in crypto, including his time at Meta on the Libra project. He discusses Sui's innovative architecture, which promises high scalability and unparalleled transaction speeds. The conversation covers revolutionary concepts like ZKLogin for seamless authentication and the integration of gaming within decentralized finance. With projects like Walrus and Nautilus in the pipeline, Sui aims to reshape the Web3 landscape by merging blockchain potential with user-friendly experiences.

With an extensive experience in traditional money markets, Maple Finance was envisioned as an institutional capital marketplace which combines the transparency & capital efficiency of blockchains with the regulatory framework of TradFi. Unlike many DeFi protocols that require over-collateralized loans (e.g. Aave), Maple also specializes in under-collateralized lending, enabling greater capital efficiency for institutional borrowers. With over $6b in loans since its inception, Maple plans to further expand its offerings by including RWAs as collateral assets.Topics covered in this episode:Sid’s backgroundThe vision behind Maple FinanceMaple’s tech stackDeciding risk profilesOver-collateralized vs. under-collateralized loansAssets accepted as collateralDeploying to other blockchainsInstitutional appealManaging defaultsRWAConverging DeFi & TradFiBiggest challengesExciting upcoming trendsFuture roadmapCrypto correlation or decoupling?Episode links:Sid Powell on XMaple Finance on XSponsors:Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.ioChorus One: one of the largest node operators worldwide, trusted by 175,000+ accounts across more than 60 networks, Chorus One combines institutional-grade security with the highest yields at - chorus.oneThis episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst.

In this engaging discussion, Dennison Bertram, the CEO and co-founder of Tally, shares his journey through the evolving Web3 landscape. He explores the emergence of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) and how Tally revolutionizes governance in tokenized communities. The conversation delves into privacy concerns in our digital age and whether grassroots DAOs can truly thrive. Bertram also tackles the transition from ICOs to governance tokens, emphasizing their significance in decentralization and community engagement.

Namechain is an L2 developed by ENS Labs, to enhance the scalability and efficiency of managing decentralized identities on Ethereum. It is designed to work in tandem with ENS V2, which introduced a hierarchical registry system for more efficient subdomain management and custom resolvers. A key vision for Namechain is to unify multi-chain user identities, creating a "digital identity chain" that simplifies how users interact with the broader blockchain ecosystem. This is achieved through features like L2-to-L2 bridging, which allows users to initiate ENS-related activities from various Ethereum Layer 2 networks, not just Namechain itself.Topics covered in this episode:High level overview of ENSCrosschain functionality through CCIP ReadDomain squattingOnboarding ENS users via Paypal and VenmoGoogle & GoDaddy integrationsENS V2 upgrade & NamechainTransferring tokens from Namechain to L1Sequencer security assumptionsScalabilityNew features & use casesENS roadmap & metricsEthereum ecosystem statusEpisode links:Nick Johnson on XENS on XSponsors:Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.ioChorus One: one of the largest node operators worldwide, trusted by 175,000+ accounts across more than 60 networks, Chorus One combines institutional-grade security with the highest yields at - chorus.oneThis episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst.

Ethereum’s transition from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake created a unique set of conditions (i.e. lack of protocol-level delegation, 32 ETH requirement, long exit queues, etc.) that led to Lido’s liquid staking model to gain huge traction, significantly eclipsing other LSD providers on native PoS chains. stETH added on-demand liquidity, bypassing withdrawal windows, while also increasing DeFi utilization and increasing yields. Moreover, by allowing users to stake any amount of ETH in pools, it removed the requirement for 32 ETH increments, ultimately improving decentralisation through long tail distribution of individual stakers. Lido V3 introduces modular stVaults which enable staking customization. This allows professional actors, such as institutional stakers, to have granular control over validators, MEV and other parameters, diversifying their investment strategies.Topics covered in this episode:Hasu’s backgroundDiscovering LidoLiquid staking and the early days of LidoWhy liquid staking gained traction on EthereumThe evolution of LidoInitial decentralisation concerns and the importance of dual governanceRestakingLido V3 and vaultsInstitutional staking & ETFsEthereum’s ‘crisis’ and its valuesEpisode links:Hasu on XLido on XSponsors:Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.ioChorus One: one of the largest node operators worldwide, trusted by 175,000+ accounts across more than 60 networks, Chorus One combines institutional-grade security with the highest yields at - chorus.oneThis episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain.

Jeff Zirlin, co-founder of Ronin and Sky Mavis, shares insights into the explosive success of Axie Infinity and its impact on blockchain gaming. He explains how Axie created a sustainable economy by merging NFTs with gameplay, attracting millions of players. Zirlin discusses the inception of Ronin as a tailored Ethereum sidechain to support gaming scalability and the vital role of community in driving engagement. He also delves into the future of crypto gaming, the role of AI, and what makes a successful play-to-earn model.

Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana, dives into the scalability and unique features of his blockchain platform. He shares insights on the journey of Solana, from tackling bottlenecks to its vibrant community post-FTX. The discussion covers controversial topics like miner extractable value (MEV), concurrent block leaders, and advancements like the Firedancer upgrade. Yakovenko also explores Solana’s economic proposals and the upcoming Seeker phone, which aims to redefine the smartphone market for crypto enthusiasts.