Epicenter - Learn about Crypto, Blockchain, Ethereum, Bitcoin and Distributed Technologies

Join Joseph Schweitzer, co-organizer of ETHPrague, alongside blockchain innovators Austin Griffith, Marek Olszewski, and Brenda Loya. They dive into the vision for ETHPrague and its welcoming atmosphere for developers. Discover the challenges facing Ethereum amidst competition and the innovative strategies for Layer 2 scaling. The guests also discuss ethical considerations in tech, meaningful hackathon engagement, and unexpected collaborations that spark innovation. This lively conversation highlights the future of blockchain and its transformative potential.

Emin Gün Sirer, co-founder and CEO of Ava Labs, breaks down Avalanche's rapid evolution and its ambitious vision for a scalable, interoperable multi-chain future. He discusses the impressive launch of HyperSDK and its implications for decentralization and institutional adoption. The conversation dives into the importance of bespoke blockchain solutions, on-chain privacy challenges, and the intriguing role of AI in the crypto space. Sirer also shares insights on how Avalanche is paving the way for real-world applications and custom blockchain innovations.

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.

Tally is a software platform designed to support tokenized organizations, particularly Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) and crypto communities. It provides tools for launching tokens, governing protocols, and enabling staking to foster community participation and growth. Tally facilitates onchain governance, allowing transparent and decentralized decision-making for managing funds, grants, and protocol upgrades. It powers major blockchain ecosystems like Arbitrum, ZKsync, Uniswap DAO and Wormhole DAO by providing interfaces for proposal creation, voting, and staking. The Tally Protocol further enhances this by offering a liquidity layer for governance tokens, that allow token holders to earn staking rewards while retaining voting rights and participating in DeFi.Topics covered in this episode:Dennison’s backgroundHas crypto won?Does privacy still matter?The vision behind TallyThe evolution of DAOsAre grassroots DAOs viable?Corporate vs. DAO PMFHow developer activity & contributors evolvedTally’s roadmapICO vs. IPOEpisode links:Dennison Bertram on XTally 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.

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.