Zima Red

My guest today is Chris Bell. A real estate investor and virtual reality devotee who has dived deep into the NFT space. Chris and I discuss everything from physical and virtual real estate, to how to build wealth and even how virtual worlds are naturally evolving into social networks. Chris has a clear passion for the blockchain-based virtual world Somnium Space and I have to say it's quite infectious. His intense excitement for the metaverse is logical considering the incredible capabilities of these platforms today. If we are already on a level where you can easily socialize, trade with them and even do things like watch a virtual sunrise, well then I can't wait for the future potential of these platforms. Please enjoy my conversation with Chris. Chris Bell Twitter - https://twitter.com/chrisbelltoken

My guest today is Jake. Jake is a man of many talents, from art to tech he seems to be exercising both the creative and analytical sides of his brain with regularity. Jake is probably most well known for being the founder and managing partner of CoinFund, an investment firm focused on the blockchain sector. Having been involved with crypto since the early days Jake is exceptionally well versed in all things traditional crypto and he is extremely knowledgeable about the niche of non-fungible tokens. This expertise allows our conversation to dive deep into mainstream crypto-specific subjects and then into the more esoteric NFTs topics. We also talk about Jake’s keen interest in crypto art and how it's democratizing access to both artists and collectors. And of course we chat about the metaverse and how blockchain provides the value, identity, and data layer for the future virtual worlds we will inhabit. It was really great speaking with Jake and I can't wait to see his continued involvement within the NFT space. Please enjoy my conversation with Jake. https://firstedition.xyz/ https://firsteditionxyz.substack.com/ https://twitter.com/jbrukh

Today I have a very special episode with the legend himself, Whaleshark. This episode is structured differently than most because instead of asking big picture questions about the metaverse or NFTs, I focus solely on asking hard questions about his specific project, the $whale social token. I am calling this the “Hotseat series.” and I am super thankful Whaleshark was willing to let me interrogate him. I hope to turn these types of “hotseat” episodes into an entire series where I can ask founders the tough questions. Again, big thanks to Whaleshark for being such a great sport. Now, please enjoy The Hotseat with Whaleshark. $WHALE whitepaper - https://beta.cent.co/+of09ab $WHALE website - https://whale.me/ $WHALE Discord - https://discord.gg/whale WhaleShark Twitter - https://twitter.com/WhaleShark_Pro

My guest today is Brian Flynn. Formerly at Dapper Labs Brian is now focusing his attention on building his own product for the crypto ecosystem. Brian has an interesting background that involves professional Esports, a startup that incentives real-world activity with reward points, and a newsletter, called NFTY News. We hit a ton of topics during our conversation, like Brian's journey through crypto and how he got his job at Dapper Labs, the issues with the NFT ecosystem, using crypto to evolve the concept of the marketplace and, of course, we dove deep into how we will achieve a true metaverse. I loved Brian’s point of view because he has such a diverse set of experiences that involve theory through his writings and actual boots on the ground experience building at Dapper Labs. This skillset makes Brian’s opinion very valuable for our ecosystem and I can't wait to see what he builds next. Please enjoy my conversation with Brian. Brian Twitter - https://twitter.com/Flynnjamm Brian Newsletter - https://flynnjamm.substack.com/

My guest today is Avaer. Avaer is working on bleeding edge technology called the Webaverse. The Webaverse is essentially infrastructure that enables the metaverse to be experienced everywhere online and using any technology. Think of it like - how you can access websites from your desktop or phone and still have a similar experience. Our conversation is heavily focused on the metaverse but we also discuss different funding methods, from DAOs to venture capital, launching a metaverse technology while literally in the metaverse, and how through collaboration when can expedite the emergence of this technology. Speaking with Avaer, you quickly understand that he is driven by his mission - to aid in the construction of an open and inclusive metaverse. He is always thinking and acting in a collaborative fashion to reach this goal. I know if we can get behind Avaer’s vision then we will be fully immersed in the virtual in no time. Please enjoy my conversation with Avaer. Webaverse Avaer Twitter Discord

My guest today is Donnie, a co-founder of Bitski. Bitski is creating a developer-focused wallet that does all the heavy lifting. It allows devs to focus on building and not have to worry about any of the “crypto” stuff. I, admittedly, often overlook the infrastructure that powers the NFT ecosystem and really enables all of this to happen but after speaking with Donnie I quickly understood the power and potential of Bitski. In order to get the next million users we not only need better user experiences but the developers need better tools, and that's exactly what Donnie is building. We didn't just talk wallets the whole time but also discussed how gaming is evolving towards open-ended structures, why now is the time to build and how we will be able to earn money from the games we play and the assets that we hold. All in all, I loved our conversation and if you are building a game or Dapp that utilizes crypto then Donnie is the guy to talk to. Please enjoy my conversation with Donnie Bitski Website Bitski Twitter Donnie Twitter

My guest today is ToxSam, the founder of Polygonal Mind. Polygonal Mind is a creative development studio that focuses on designing structures in virtual worlds. Although his firm has made creations for all types of games from mobile to VR, his passion lies in the metaverse. He is a fierce proponent of the metaverse and his team takes every opportunity they can to build in virtual worlds like Decentraland. We discussed NFTs, design, and creativity. We also dived into how a chance meeting led him down the rabbit hole of non-fungible tokens and how he immediately understood their implications for the broader metaverse ecosystem. I am really looking forward to Polygonal Mind’s continued progress in architecting the virtual worlds that we will soon inhabit. Please enjoy my conversation with ToxSam. Polygonal Mind Website Polygonal Mind Discord Toxsam Twitter

My guests today are brothers, Duncan and Griffin, the co-founders of Nifty Gateway. Nifty Gateway is the world's first centralized NFT exchange that allows people to buy nifties using fiat currency. Started in 2018 and acquired by the Winklevoss twins crypto exchange, Gemini, it's safe to say that Duncan and Griffin are onto something big. They are trying to reduce the barriers to entry so the next million and, eventually billion, people can get onboarded into the nifty ecosystem. It was great speaking with Duncan and Griffin and getting to know everything from their unique go-to-market approach to how they pitch nifties to non-crypto natives. Also, we dive deep into how narrative and proof-of-work impacts the art world. Keep on an eye on these two because they are making big moves and pushing our space forward. Please enjoy my conversation with Duncan and Griffin Nifty Gateway - https://niftygateway.com/home Duncan Twitter - https://twitter.com/DCCockFoster Griffin Twitter - https://twitter.com/gcockfoster

My guest today is n0shot, co-founder of Async Art.  n0shot and his other co-founders are transforming the art world by enabling artists to create programmable artwork. The artwork launched on their platform can change in real-time and actually react to outside events. Talk about the next evolution of the art game. Speaking with n0shot I got the sense that he is the perfect person to help lead this endeavor. Programmable art requires both analytical and creative skills working in unison and he seems to have them both locked down. Our conversation does not only touch upon the traditional art world but also how digitization is unlocking the boundless creativity of artists to create more immersive experiences. Please enjoy my conversation with n0shot. Async Art - https://async.art/ Async Twitter - https://twitter.com/AsyncArt n0shot Twitter - https://twitter.com/n0shot1

My guest today is Joel, co-founder of Metalith and NIFTEX. Joel is building products that are expanding the economic capabilities of NFTs. By focusing on foundational financial infrastructure, Joel intends to set up the NFT market to be larger than the traditional crypto market. Speaking with Joel reminds me a lot of reading Fred Ehrsam’s early blogs. For those who don't know, Fred is the former co-founder of Coinbase. Fred’s blogs from 2016 and 2017 were so far ahead of their time, reading them will make you feel like he had access to a time machine. Joel seems to have that same foresight when it comes to NFTs. Per usual, what I admire most about Joel is that he is a builder, not just thinking of the future and how it will play out but actively shaping it. Please enjoy my conversation with Joel. Metalith NIFTEX Website Joel Twitter Metalith Twitter