
The Blockcrunch Podcast
The crypto native's podcast for DeFi, NFTs, and Web 3. .
Jason Choi (@mrjasonchoi), full-time crypto investor since 2018, goes deep into the technology and economics behind crypto projects to dissect trends and themes in a global context.
Nothing on this show is financial advice. Blockcrunch and its personnel may hold positions in assets discussed on the show.
Latest episodes

Sep 5, 2024 • 49min
What Are AI Agents and How They Affect Crypto - Sishir Varghese, Spectral, Ep. 261
Today Jason is joined by Spectral's Co-Founder & CEO, Sishir Varghese to discuss the Onchain Agent Economy and the future of machine intelligence networks aiding autonomous onchain agents . In this episode they discuss: AI/LLM integration abstractions Revenue-generating agents Competitive market dynamics: The Agent App Store Agent transparency A live Spectral demo! Agent-to-agent communication And much more! Episode article links: https://vitalik.eth.limo/general/2024/01/30/cryptoai.html https://goodalexander.com/posts/agenticprotocols/ https://www.spectrallabs.xyz/whitepaper Host: Jason Choi @mrjasonchoi . Not financial advice. -- Tangent is a private holdings company managing personal assets and is not a licensed investment advisor nor does it manage or accept any external capital. Nothing discussed is a solicitation for investment and is for entertainment purposes only. -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (05:17) On-chain agents (11:01) AI/LLM integration abstractions (14:28) Vitalik’s take on AI x Crypto (17:58) Spectral’s infra-chain (20:49) Revenue-generating agents (23:21) Competitive market dynamics: agent App Store (26:28) Agent verification (29:09) Agent transparency (32:36) Spectral Demo (37:42) Agent moats (40:04) Security parameters (41:46) Agents/protocols (43:36) Agent-to-agent communication (45:30) Outro -- Partner message: Aptos is the next-generation Layer 1 blockchain designed to enhance scalability, security, and reliability for decentralized applications. With industry-leading performance, internet-grade UX, 100X lower gas fees than comparable chains, and a thriving ecosystem - Aptos is the platform of choice for both builders and users. Find out more at https://aptosfoundation.org/ -- Twitter accounts: Jason Choi’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrjasonchoi Sishir Varghese's Twitter: https://x.com/__sishir Spectral's Twitter: https://x.com/Spectral_Labs Spectral's website: https://www.spectrallabs.xyz/ Blockcrunch Twitter: https://twitter.com/theBlockcrunch -- Blockcrunch VIP: https://blockcrunch.substack.com/ -- Disclaimer: The Blockcrunch Podcast (“Blockcrunch”) is an educational resource intended for informational purposes only. Blockcrunch produces a weekly podcast and newsletter that routinely covers projects in Web 3 and may discuss assets that the host or its guests have financial exposure to. Views held by Blockcrunch’s guests are their own. None of Blockcrunch, its registered entity or any of its affiliated personnel are licensed to provide any type of financial advice, and nothing on Blockcrunch’s podcast, newsletter, website and social media should be construed as financial advice. Blockcrunch also receives compensation from its sponsor; sponsorship messages do not constitute financial advice or endorsement. Full disclaimer: https://blockcrunch.substack.com/about

Aug 22, 2024 • 51min
Why Investors Are Not Funding Apps - Blockcrunch Roundtable 013
We're back with another Roundtable episode! Today Jason and Sanat discuss: Apps: the changing user onboarding landscape App vs Infra investment flows Fee taking business model vs token value accrual Regulation: incentive alignment And much more! Host: Jason Choi @mrjasonchoi . Not financial advice. -- Tangent is a private holdings company managing personal assets and is not a licensed investment advisor nor does it manage or accept any external capital. Nothing discussed is a solicitation for investment and is for entertainment purposes only. -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (04:56) 2017 user onboarding motives vs today (07:12) App vs Infra (18:16) Market’s Infra preferences (25:53) Fee taking vs token value accrual (31:19) Regulation: incentive alignment (34:21) User retention (41:02) Infra differentiations (43:55) Impacts of opaque regulation (45:55) App x AI use cases (46:53) Investment landscape (49:48) Outro -- Links: Galaxy article: https://www.galaxy.com/insights/research/crypto-and-blockchain-venture-capital-q2-2024/ -- Partner message: Aptos is the next-generation Layer 1 blockchain designed to enhance scalability, security, and reliability for decentralized applications. With industry-leading performance, internet-grade UX, 100X lower gas fees than comparable chains, and a thriving ecosystem - Aptos is the platform of choice for both builders and users. Find out more at https://aptosfoundation.org/ -- Twitter accounts: Jason Choi’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrjasonchoi Sanat Kapur's Twitter: https://x.com/kapursanat Blockcrunch Twitter: https://twitter.com/theBlockcrunch -- Blockcrunch VIP: https://blockcrunch.substack.com/ -- Disclaimer: The Blockcrunch Podcast (“Blockcrunch”) is an educational resource intended for informational purposes only. Blockcrunch produces a weekly podcast and newsletter that routinely covers projects in Web 3 and may discuss assets that the host or its guests have financial exposure to. Views held by Blockcrunch’s guests are their own. None of Blockcrunch, its registered entity or any of its affiliated personnel are licensed to provide any type of financial advice, and nothing on Blockcrunch’s podcast, newsletter, website and social media should be construed as financial advice. Blockcrunch also receives compensation from its sponsor; sponsorship messages do not constitute financial advice or endorsement. Full disclaimer: https://blockcrunch.substack.com/about

Aug 14, 2024 • 56min
The No BS Guide to Crypto AI with Prodia - Shawn Wilkinson, Prodia, Ep. 260
Today Jason is joined by Prodia Co-Founder & CEO, Shawn Wilkinson to discuss the future of AI x Crypto and decentralized compute. In this episode they discuss: The foundations for Prodia Why now is the time for DePIN Decentralized node use-cases Training vs decentralization Web3 compute network scepticisms Will Prodia launch a token? And much more! Host: Jason Choi @mrjasonchoi . Not financial advice. -- Tangent is a private holdings company managing personal assets and is not a licensed investment advisor nor does it manage or accept any external capital. Nothing discussed is a solicitation for investment and is for entertainment purposes only. -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (07:57) Why DePIN? (15:10) Economies of scale/cost efficiencies (19:53) Aggregating supply/matching demand (20:48) Decentralized node use-cases (25:00) Training vs decentralization (29:48) Power of cold outreach/market dynamics (30:46) Web3 compute network scepticisms (41:37) Miner business models (46:11) Prodia token (48:30) Why decentralized compute networks (55:00) Outro -- Partner message: Aptos is the next-generation Layer 1 blockchain designed to enhance scalability, security, and reliability for decentralized applications. With industry-leading performance, internet-grade UX, 100X lower gas fees than comparable chains, and a thriving ecosystem - Aptos is the platform of choice for both builders and users. Find out more at https://aptosfoundation.org/ -- Twitter accounts: Jason Choi’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrjasonchoi Shawn Wilkonson's Twitter: https://x.com/super3 Prodia's Twitter: https://x.com/prodialabs Prodia's website: https://prodia.com/ Blockcrunch Twitter: https://twitter.com/theBlockcrunch -- Blockcrunch VIP: https://blockcrunch.substack.com/ -- Disclaimer: The Blockcrunch Podcast (“Blockcrunch”) is an educational resource intended for informational purposes only. Blockcrunch produces a weekly podcast and newsletter that routinely covers projects in Web 3 and may discuss assets that the host or its guests have financial exposure to. Views held by Blockcrunch’s guests are their own. None of Blockcrunch, its registered entity or any of its affiliated personnel are licensed to provide any type of financial advice, and nothing on Blockcrunch’s podcast, newsletter, website and social media should be construed as financial advice. Blockcrunch also receives compensation from its sponsor; sponsorship messages do not constitute financial advice or endorsement. Full disclaimer: https://blockcrunch.substack.com/about

4 snips
Aug 8, 2024 • 1h 1min
On a Tangent #2: How We Survive Bull and Bear Markets in Crypto - Darryl Wang and Jason Choi
Darryl Wang and Jason Choi, prop investors at Tangent, delve into survival strategies for navigating the volatile crypto market. They discuss key insights from H1 2024, including developing an edge as an investor and understanding bull/bear inflections. Jason and Darryl explore the implications of recent ETH ETF launches and share their early experiences in the crypto world. They also highlight the intersection of crypto and AI, emphasizing the importance of diversification in investment approaches while addressing the evolving dynamics of the market.

Jul 18, 2024 • 54min
AI is NEAR: Why AI OG Wants to Build a Blockchain for AI - Illia Polosukhin, NEAR Protocol, Ep. 259
Illia Polosukhin, NEAR Protocol Co-Founder, discusses NEAR's early days, AI x Crypto verticals, user-owned AI models, NEAR's AI R&D lab, and why NEAR is poised for AI. They also touch on Chain Abstraction, NEAR's roadmap, and the intersection of AI and blockchain technology.

16 snips
Jul 11, 2024 • 1h 44min
On a Tangent #1: How We 4x'd Our Portfolio in the First Year - Darryl Wang and Jason Choi
Tune in to hear from Darryl Wang and Jason Choi, co-founders of Tangent prop crypto fund, as they discuss Tangent's investment strategies, big wins and losses, trading vs venture investing, and advice on succeeding as an Analyst in the crypto market. Learn about their NFT investing strategy, their most successful investments like Stacks and Ronin, and insights into ETH/BTC and Arweave thesis. They also cover investment mistakes, team structure, and the impact of ETFs on the market cycle.

Jul 4, 2024 • 56min
How Crypto Investors Think About Bear Markets - Blockcrunch Roundtable 012
Today Jason and Sanat sit down to discuss bear markets. Jason kicks things off with an explanation of his bear market framework. The two then review token creation vs token value in the current cycle, defining a 'bear market', as well as investment time horizons. Jason and Sanat also review the Major vs Alts debate, how to weather down cycles, as well as sharing bear market horror stories. The two close with a discussion around bull cycle signals and how to assess a possible re-entry—enjoy! Host: Jason Choi @mrjasonchoi . Not financial advice. Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (05:12) Jason’s bear market framework (13:16) Token creation vs token value (14:48) ‘Bear market’ definition (23:53) Time horizons (31:52) pump.fun (33:19) Majors vs alts (41:48) Short vs longterm convictions (42:26) Bear market stories (44:10) Weathering down cycles (48:33) Bull signals (50:34) When to re-enter (55:02) Outro Yield Guild Games (YGG) is a web3 guild protocol that enables players and gaming guilds to find their community, discover games and level up together. Its mission is to become the leading community-based user acquisition platform in web3 gaming through fun quests that help players build their onchain reputation Find out more at https://investors.yieldguild.io/ Twitter accounts: Jason Choi’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrjasonchoi Sanat Kapur’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/kapursanat Blockcrunch Twitter: https://twitter.com/theBlockcrunch YGG Twitter: https://x.com/YieldGuild Blockcrunch VIP: https://blockcrunch.substack.com/ Disclaimer: The Blockcrunch Podcast (“Blockcrunch”) is an educational resource intended for informational purposes only. Blockcrunch produces a weekly podcast and newsletter that routinely covers projects in Web 3 and may discuss assets that the host or its guests have financial exposure to. Views held by Blockcrunch’s guests are their own. None of Blockcrunch, its registered entity or any of its affiliated personnel are licensed to provide any type of financial advice, and nothing on Blockcrunch’s podcast, newsletter, website and social media should be construed as financial advice. Blockcrunch also receives compensation from its sponsor; sponsorship messages do not constitute financial advice or endorsement. Full disclaimer: https://blockcrunch.substack.com/about

Jun 20, 2024 • 44min
Why Arch Network is the Future for Bitcoin dApps - Matt & Amine, Arch Network, Ep. 258
Today Jason is joined by Arch Network CEO, Matt Mudano and CTO Amine ElQaraoui to discuss Bitcoin programmability. Matt and Amine kick things off by explaining why building on Bitcoin makes sense, how Ordinals were the catalyst, and the possibilities of Bitcoin programmability. The conversation then turns to multisig security assumptions on Bitcoin, BitVM, and the dApp endgame. The two then provide a deep dive on what Arch Network is, the challenges they've overcome, as well as their future roadmap. The discussion also touches on programmability unlocks, cost vs security, and much more—enjoy! Host: Jason Choi @mrjasonchoi . Not financial advice. Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (02:29) Why build on Bitcoin? (07:38) Ordinals as a catalyst (10:21) Bitcoin L2 programmability possibilities (13:27) L2 multisig security assumptions (15:34) BitVM (16:21) Ethereum vs Bitcoin dApp endgame (18:46) Arch Network challenges (20:21) What is Arch Network? (24:46) Pain ponts of bridging (28:10) Bitcoin programmability unlocks (30:54) Cost vs Security (32:45) Future of Bitcoin dApp ecosystem (38:09) Arch Network roadmap (42:54) Outro Yield Guild Games (YGG) is a web3 guild protocol that enables players and gaming guilds to find their community, discover games and level up together. Its mission is to become the leading community-based user acquisition platform in web3 gaming through fun quests that help players build their onchain reputation Find out more at https://investors.yieldguild.io/ Twitter accounts: Jason: https://x.com/mrjasonchoi Matt: https://x.com/proofofmud Amine: https://x.com/amine_elqaraoui Blockcrunch: https://twitter.com/theBlockcrunch YGG Twitter: https://x.com/YieldGuild — Blockcrunch VIP: https://blockcrunch.substack.com/ Disclaimer: The Blockcrunch Podcast (“Blockcrunch”) is an educational resource intended for informational purposes only. Blockcrunch produces a weekly podcast and newsletter that routinely covers projects in Web 3 and may discuss assets that the host or its guests have financial exposure to. Views held by Blockcrunch’s guests are their own. None of Blockcrunch, its registered entity or any of its affiliated personnel are licensed to provide any type of financial advice, and nothing on Blockcrunch’s podcast, newsletter, website and social media should be construed as financial advice. Blockcrunch also receives compensation from its sponsor; sponsorship messages do not constitute financial advice or endorsement. Full disclaimer: https://blockcrunch.substack.com/about

Jun 13, 2024 • 51min
How We're Playing the ETH ETF - Blockcrunch Roundtable 011
Today Jason and Sanat breakdown the ETH ETF approval news. They discuss the custody unlocks thanks to the ETF, what price activity might look like as a result of inflows, the implications for Lido, NFT's, and EigenLayer. As well as wider ramifications on L2s and what this could mean for memecoins. The two then discuss the slow down in activity on Ethereum's L1 and much more—enjoy! Host: Jason Choi @mrjasonchoi . Not financial advice. Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (04:01) ETH ETF approval (10:14) Custody unlocks & inflow price impacts (19:24) Lido implications (26:07) NFTs as beneficiaries of ETH price appreciation (31:14) EigenLayer as beneficiary of ETH price appreciation (37:04) L2 impacts (42:23) Memecoin impacts (46:28) Building on ETH L1 (49:10) 0-1 projects (50:04) Outro Yield Guild Games (YGG) is a web3 guild protocol that enables players and gaming guilds to find their community, discover games and level up together. Its mission is to become the leading community-based user acquisition platform in web3 gaming through fun quests that help players build their onchain reputation Find out more at https://investors.yieldguild.io/ Twitter accounts: Jason Choi’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrjasonchoi Sanat Kapur’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/kapursanat YGG Twitter: https://x.com/YieldGuild Blockcrunch VIP: https://blockcrunch.substack.com/ Blockcrunch Twitter: https://twitter.com/theBlockcrunch Disclaimer: The Blockcrunch Podcast (“Blockcrunch”) is an educational resource intended for informational purposes only. Blockcrunch produces a weekly podcast and newsletter that routinely covers projects in Web 3 and may discuss assets that the host or its guests have financial exposure to. Views held by Blockcrunch’s guests are their own. None of Blockcrunch, its registered entity or any of its affiliated personnel are licensed to provide any type of financial advice, and nothing on Blockcrunch’s podcast, newsletter, website and social media should be construed as financial advice. Blockcrunch also receives compensation from its sponsor; sponsorship messages do not constitute financial advice or endorsement. Full disclaimer: https://blockcrunch.substack.com/about

Jun 6, 2024 • 42min
YGG is Building the First Guild Protocol - Gabby Dizon, Ep. 257
In today's episode Jason sits down with Yield Guild Games Co-Founder Gabby Dizon! Gabby discusses YGG's origin story, the future of P2E, and scholarships. As well as how YGG reviews the Web3 gaming landscape, Gabby's lessons from his days in Web2 gaming, plus Gabby shares his top up and coming Web3 games! To finish, Jason and Gabby discuss the Guild Protocol, quest elements and upcoming integrations for YGG, future verticals, and much more—enjoy! Host: Jason Choi @mrjasonchoi . Not financial advice. Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (03:20) YGG origin (08:06) Play-to-earn and scholarships (10:13) Guild success (12:32) Gaming ecosystem analysis (17:19) Lessons learned from Web2 (20:13) Up and coming Web3 games (21:22) Guild protocol (29:54) Quest elements & community integration (33:11) Other verticals (36:45) Potential threats to YGG (38:42) YGG’s roadmap (40:22) Outro Yield Guild Games (YGG) is a web3 guild protocol that enables players and gaming guilds to find their community, discover games and level up together. Its mission is to become the leading community-based user acquisition platform in web3 gaming through fun quests that help players build their onchain reputation Find out more at https://investors.yieldguild.io/ Twitter accounts: Jason Choi’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrjasonchoi Gabby Dizon's Twitter: https://x.com/gabusch YGG Twitter: https://x.com/YieldGuild Blockcrunch VIP: https://blockcrunch.substack.com/ Blockcrunch Twitter: https://twitter.com/theBlockcrunch Disclaimer: The Blockcrunch Podcast (“Blockcrunch”) is an educational resource intended for informational purposes only. Blockcrunch produces a weekly podcast and newsletter that routinely covers projects in Web 3 and may discuss assets that the host or its guests have financial exposure to. Views held by Blockcrunch’s guests are their own. None of Blockcrunch, its registered entity or any of its affiliated personnel are licensed to provide any type of financial advice, and nothing on Blockcrunch’s podcast, newsletter, website and social media should be construed as financial advice. Blockcrunch also receives compensation from its sponsor; sponsorship messages do not constitute financial advice or endorsement. Full disclaimer: https://blockcrunch.substack.com/about
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