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

Managing crypto-assets can be an anxiety-inducing experience for a lot of people. While it's quite empowering to “be your own bank,” it's also scary for a lot of people who understand the risks associated with self-custody. Although cryptocurrency wallets have made tremendous progress since the days when a full-sync of the blockchain was required, there are still significant hurdles that limit broad adoption. This conversation on the future of wallets at SF Blockchain Week Epicenter conference includes Taylor Monahan of MyCrypto, David Gold of FIO Protocol, Dan Finlay of MetaMask, and Ouriel Ohayon of ZenGo. They discuss design, app store policies, and the evolution necessary to enable more people to send, receive, and manage their tokens confidently. The panel is moderated by Epicenter host Sebastien Couture.Topics covered in this episode:Advancements in the usability of cryptocurrency wallets over the last yearThe importance of mobile-first developmentFrustrations with iOS and Android app storesHow to make developing wallets economically feasibleThe future of walletsSelf-custody vs. custodial walletsRegulation of self-custody walletsWhat to look forward to in the near-termEpisode links: MetaMaskZenGo - Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency WalletFIO Protocol Developer HubMyCryptoTaylor Monahan on TwitterDan Finlay on TwitterOuriel Ohayon on TwitterFIO Protocol on TwitterMetaMask on TwitterMyCrypto.com on TwitterZenGo on TwitterSponsors: Cosmos: Compete to win 100,000 ATOM by building and running Cosmos Zones - https://cosmos.network/goz/eToro: Automatically copy every trade of eToro's top crypto traders at the exact price in real-time - https://www.etoro.com/Pepo: Meet the people shaping the crypto movement - https://pepo.com/epicenterThis episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/319

Much of the digital world now operates in the cloud. A handful of companies are responsible for the massive market, and the centralization makes many people worry about censorship, privacy, and network resilience. David Vorick’s passion for distributed file storage had him start Sia in 2014. He’s been working fervently ever since to develop a viable competitor to the centralized solutions that are responsible for much of the content on the internet today. David aim’s to create a more private, resilient, and secure alternative to Amazon Web Services while also outperforming it.Topics covered in this episode:Why David started Sia rather than taking a job in big-techThe Sia launch in 2015Why Sia has prioritized development over marketing in the beginningThe importance of decentralized storage solutionsHow decentralized storage can be cheaper than AWSWhy Sia needs its own blockchain and protocol's tech stackDavid's views on Proof of Work how that lead him to start a mining companyThe circumstances around the Sia blockchain fork of 2018Where David envisions decentralized storage in the next few yearsEpisode links: Sia API DocumentationSia BlogDecentralization & Cutting-Edge Cryptography - Starkware Sessions TalkBusted Setup - MIT Bitcoin Expo 2019 TalkRecovering Payment Channel Midstates Using only The User's Seed - Scaling Bitcoin TalkThe Sia Ethos (Sia Blog)Blockchains of the Sia familyObeliskSiaStatsDavid Vorick on TwitterSia on TwitterSponsors: Pepo: - eToro: Automatically copy every trade of eToro's top crypto traders at the exact price in real-time - https://www.etoro.com/This episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Sunny Aggarwal. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/318

Many people find that the crypto-finance space is quite difficult for non-technical people to understand and interact with the technologies. Some projects and people have made tremendous progress in creating tools and interfaces that allow a broader audience to participate, speculate, and learn.Taylor Monahan started MyEtherWallet as a side project in 2015, only for it to grow into one of the significant pieces of software people used to participate in the 2017 ICO boom. She has since "design-forked" the codebase and created MyCrypto, an open-source tool for generating ether wallets, handling ERC-20 tokens, and interacting with the blockchain with a clean and intuitive design.Topics covered in this episode:Taylor's background, and how she got into cryptocurrencyWhat her experience was with Ethereum so early in the projects lifecycleHow Reddit comments helped guide the feature list in the early days of MyEtherWalletHow the DAO hack got her working full time on MyEtherWalletBuilding a project before “founding a company”Experiencing the ICO boom as the main wallet used to participate in token generation eventsWhere MyCrypto is at todayHow Taylor wants MyCrypto to change the user experience in cryptocurrencyTaylor’s view on centralized exchanges and view of the futureEpisode links:MyCrypto Beta#MyCryptoWinter is back! (Medium)Try The New MyCrypto! (Medium)MyCrypto TwitterMyCrypto GitHubMyCrypto DiscordTaylor Monahan TwitterSponsors:Cosmos: Compete to win 100,000 ATOM by building and running Cosmos Zones - https://cosmos.network/goz/eToro: Automatically copy every trade of eToro's top crypto traders at the exact price in real-time - https://www.etoro.com/Pepo: -This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain & Friederike Ernst. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/317

We were joined by Luka Mueller, who played a key role in establishing Switzerland as a cryptocurrency center and in laying the legal groundwork for the ICO boom. In 2014, his law firm MME worked with the Ethereum team to set up the Ethereum Foundation and run its public fundraiser. A model that was later copied by countless other projects and led MME to work with many other leading protocols like Cosmos and Tezos. We also discussed his new project Sygnum, a cryptocurrency-focused bank. Nearly every company that works in the cryptocurrency space has had problems with its banking partner. Legal uncertainty, lack of knowledge, or simple unwillingness to work with cryptocurrency companies has made this a frequent nightmare for companies in this emerging sector. With a presence in both Switzerland and Singapore, Sygnum aims to fill a piece of missing infrastructure in the crypto-ecosystem: a bank that is able to receive, hold and transfer protocol tokens while offering a secure fiat gateway to easily transfer from the old world of finance to the new.We also discussed Switzerland’s regulatory environment and why it is able to provide more regulatory clarity.Topics covered in this episode:What life was like for Luka before blockchainHow Luka met Vitalik and went on to set up the Ethereum Foundation and run their fundraiserWhat protocols his law firm, MME, helped launchThe lessons learned over the years, and how he would do it differentlyWhy Switzerland is a great jurisdiction for crypto projectsWhat Luka thinks of asset-backed tokensWhat is Sygum, and why did he decide to start a crypto bankWhat Luke believes will happen when the tech giants release their own currenciesThe difference between Sygnum and similar banksWhat Luka's fears are in the space, and what he is hopeful forEpisode links: MME Law FirmSygnum WebsiteInstitutional Custody: A Portal to the Digital Asset Economy (Sygnum Blog)How Tokenization is Closing the Gap Between Public and Private Markets (Sygnum Blog)Sygnum gets green light to operate in Singapore (SwissInfo)Switzerland’s first crypto bank reports “overwhelming” demand (Decrypt)Sygnum on TwitterSponsors: eToro: Automatically copy every trade of eToro's top crypto traders at the exact price in real-time - https://www.etoro.com/Cosmos: Compete to win 100,000 ATOM by building and running Cosmos Zones - https://cosmos.network/goz/This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain & Friederike Ernst. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/316

As the crypto ecosystem continues to grow, wallets and exchanges are quickly evolving to differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace. Viktor Radchenko, CEO and founder of Trust Wallet, joins us this week to talk about why he created a noncustodial wallet solution, what makes Trust Wallet unique, and how the acquisition by Binance has allowed his team to focus on a long term vision. Viktor helps us understand what it means to be part of the Binance Ecosystem, and what he believes the future holds for wallets, key storage and custody. Topics covered in this episode:Victor's bio and how he ended up moving from the Ukraine to the USHow hacking games got Victor into cryptocurrencyWhat Trust Wallet is and its' strengths in the wallet landscapeWhat it means for Trust Wallet to be secure, opensource, decentralized, and anonymousWhat Vicktor believes the future holds for wallets and key storageThe Binance acquisition of Trust WalletTrust Wallet's policy for adding new coins and the criteria they look atEpisode links: Trust WalletTrust Wallet BlogCrypto exchange Binance buys Trust Wallet in first acquisition deal (TechCrunch)7 Essential Steps to Keep Your Crypto Wallet Secure (Trust Wallet Blog)Ethereum Name Service is Now Supported (Trust Wallet Blog)Trust Wallet DEX is growing up, Order book and Trading History added (Trust Wallet Blog)Wallet Core documentationWallet Core on GitHubThis episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Friederike Ernst. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/315

Bitmain is one of the most well known, and one of the most polarizing companies in the blockchain space. The largest ASIC manufacturer and operator of several mining pools, Bitmain is the center of many controversies and discussions around centralization in the space. But not only is it the subject of discussion, Bitmain breaks out of the “passive miner” stereotype and is very active in many of the discussions in the community, most notably the Great Scaling Debates. In this episode, we sit down with Nishant Sharma, Head of Community Relations, who is responsible for acting as a bridge between the Bitmain company and the many communities it interacts with through its mining and ASIC operations. We explore the origins of Bitmain and its founders, the economics of ASIC production, its past and current relationships with different communities, and the future of the company.Topics covered in this episode:Nishant's Story in the Bitcoin mining space and how it led to joining BitmainOrigin of Bitmain and its founders, notably Jihan WuDoes Bitmain contribute to centralization in the blockchain spaceHow Bitmain maintains its superiority in the ASIC manufacturing spaceEconomics of ASIC production and manufacturingBalancing business models of ASIC production, operating multiple mining pools, and exploring new verticalsBitmain's role in blockchain debates like the scaling debate, Bitcoin Cash split, and ProgPowEpisode links: Bitmain WebsiteNishant on TwitterBitmain on TwitterFallout: Everyone’s a loser after Bitcoin Cash split – Brave New CoinBitmain WikipediaBTC.com PoolAntpoolLeaked Transcript Details Power Struggle Inside Bitcoin Mining GiantBitmain – CoinDeskDovey Wan on TwitterSponsors: Vaultoro: Trade gold to Bitcoin instantly and securely starting at just 1mg - http://vaultoro.comCosmos: Change the future of finance at the SF Blockchain Week Defi Hackathon – $50,000 prize pool for winning teams - https://epicenter.rocks/sfcosmosThis episode is hosted by Sunny Aggarwal. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/314

As the cryptocurrency space has grown, exchanges have become the dominant juggernauts of the industry. One of the earliest and most reputable exchanges is Kraken. From the company's formation in 2011, Kraken has grown to 4m users and almost 1,000 employees.We are joined by Kraken Founder and CEO Jesse Powell. We dove into the history of Kraken, their values and the vision that's driving them.Topics covered in this episode:How selling virtual goods for games led Jesse to discover BitcoinWhy cryptocurrencies will lead to a better financial systemHow Kraken launched and ended up getting strong traction in EuropeThe challenges and changes of the regulatory environmentHis thoughts on DeFi and decentralized exchangesKraken's approach to listing assets on the exchangeHow to create a strong culture in a distributed companyHis vision for Kraken to become a general trading and investment platformEpisode links: KrakenHow to Grow A Decacorn | Crypto Podcast | KrakenHow to Trade Crypto On KrakenKraken on WikipediaKraken Exchange TwitterJesse Powell TwitterSponsors: Cosmos: Change the future of finance at the SF Blockchain Week Defi Hackathon – $50,000 prize pool for winning teams - https://epicenter.rocks/sfcosmosTrail of Bits: Trust the team at the forefront of blockchain security research - https://trailofbits.comThis episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Brian Fabian Crain. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/313

Solana, a web-scale blockchain project, aims to achieve high throughput and scalability by targeting performance bottlenecks. Topics discussed include Solana's innovative proof-of-history, parallelized smart contract execution, and its upcoming testnets. The chapter descriptions cover Solana's unique approach, concerns about the blockchain space, Anatoly Yakovenko's journey, the design mismatch between Bitcoin and hardware, and optimizations in Solana's blockchain system.

Blockchain and cryptocurrencies have the potential to change the world in meaningful ways. And this change may drastically impact people’s lives – both for the better and for the worse. While ethics are often discussed for technologies like AI, the ethical considerations around blockchain technologies have received less focussed attention.We’re joined by Rhys Lindmark, Head of Community and Long-Term Societal Impact at the MIT Media Lab’s Digital Currency Initiative. Previously the host of the podcast “Creating a Humanist Blockchain Future,” Rhys’ approach to blockchain was always about considering its potential impact. Since joining the DCI, his podcast, now “Gray Mirror,” continues to explore these questions. He has also recently started teaching a blockchain ethics course with the DCI’s Director, Neha Narula.Topics covered in this episode:Rhys’ background as a podcaster and proponent of Effective AltruismHis advocacy work around universal tithing and donating to charityThe controversy surrounding the MIT Media Lab and the resignation of their Director Joi ItoThe difference between ethics and moralsWhy we need to study blockchain ethicsShould we have ethics committees in blockchain as there exists about AIThe ethical considerations for different use cases and applications of blockchain technologyThe role of miners and should they have ethical obligations to censor certain transactionsThe DCI’s blockchain ethics class and what students learnEpisode links: Blockchain Ethics ClassBlockchain Ethics Class SyllabusWhy it’s time to start talking about blockchain ethics (MIT TechnologyReview)Jeffrey Epstein case: Federal prosecutors broke law, judge says (MiamiHerald)Director of M.I.T.’s Media Lab Resigns After Taking Money From JeffreyEpstein (New York Times)MIT Digital Currency InitiativeRhys Lindmark on TwitterSponsors: Cosmos: Change the future of finance at the SF Blockchain Week Defi Hackathon – $50,000 prize pool for winning teams - https://epicenter.rocks/sfcosmosTrail of Bits: Trust the team at the forefront of blockchain security research - https://trailofbits.comB9Lab: Level up and become a Solidity smart contract auditor – 5% off the with the code EPICENTER - https://solidified.b9lab.com/epicenterThis episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Friederike Ernst. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/311

This past year, we have witnessed what some are calling a “Cambrian Explosion” in zero-knowledge proof systems. New proof systems based on a variety of cryptographic assumptions are popping up every week. And while zero-knowledge systems are known for their privacy-preserving characteristics, they have proven particularly useful for scaling blockchains through off-chain computations.We're joined by Eli Ben Sasson, Co-founder and Cheif Scientist in the East at Starkware. His company is developing a full proof-stack, which leverages STARKs. Pioneered by Eli, STARKs are zero-knowledge cryptographic proofs, which are succinct, transparent, and post-quantum secure. StarkWare has demonstrated how zkSTARKs may be leveraged to provide off-chain scalability by generating proofs of computational integrity which may be verified on-chain.Topics covered in this episode:Eli's trajectory and transition from academia to the startup worldThe origin story of Starkware and the founding teamThe current explosion of zero-knowledge proof researchAn overview of zero-knowledge proof systems and how they workWhat are STARKs and what are their propertiesHow STARKs are different from SNARKs and BulletproofsWhat are zk-Rollups and how they are used by StarkWare to achieve scalabilityThe StarkDEX experiment and scalability benefits it had demonstratedThe issue of data availability with layer-2 scaling solutionsStarkWare's business model and the solutions they are building for customersEpisode links: StarkWareStarkWare resourcesStarkWare blogStarkWare TwitterStarkWare Sessions conference videosEpicenter Podcast SFBW Week MeetupDeFi Hackathon sponsored by CosmosSF Blockchain Week 2019 (use the code EPICENTER for 20% off tickets)Macro.WTFSponsors: Vaultoro: Trade gold to Bitcoin instantly and securely starting at just 1mg - http://vaultoro.comB9Lab: Level up and become a Solidity smart contract auditor – 5% off the with the code EPICENTER - https://solidified.b9lab.com/epicenterThis episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Sunny Aggarwal. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/310