Empire

SPECIAL EPISODE: We decided to skip Empire's roundup this week and replace it with this epic roundup from Bell Curve! Bell Curve is our sister podcast that features Jason, Mike (Blockworks' other co-founder) and Vance + Michael from Framework Ventures.In this episode of Bell Curve, the crew discusses Coinbase's earnings beat and Blur's new NFT lending product! Coinbase crushed revenue, meme coins are pumping and NFTFi is here. Is this all noise or have markets finally turned after the wild year? Tune in as we debate our market outlook, Blur and the financialization of NFTs, Curve's new crvUSD stablecoin, LST Summer and more!- -Timestamps:00:00) Introduction(02:54) Coinbase Earnings Predictions(18:17) “Valora Ad”(19:13) Blend: The Financialization of NFTs(39:51) Protocol Stablecoins: crvUSD Launch(50:34) Degens are Back(53:34) ETH’s Economics: Burn vs Distribution(57:32) Coinbase Beats Earnings and LST Summer(1:07:26) Nate from OpenSea Convicted- -Follow Michael: https://twitter.com/im_mandersonFollow Mike: https://twitter.com/MikeIppolito_Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitzFollow Vance: https://twitter.com/pythianismFollow Bell Curve: https://twitter.com/thebellcurvepodSubscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3R1D1D9Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3pQTfmDSubscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3cpKZXH- -This episode is brought to you by Valora. Valora is a self-custody, mobile-first wallet... and the easiest way to send, swap, collect and purchase digital goods on the Celo blockchain. Download the app and start exploring today at valoraapp.com/empire.- -Resources:GovHubhttps://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz/status/1654179131171512320- -Disclaimer: Nothing said on Bell Curve or Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mike, Jason, Michael, Vance and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Today we are joined by Pacman to discuss Blend, Blur's new perpetual NFT lending platform. Blend is peer-to-peer, doesn't require oracles and offers non-expiring loans. Pacman explains how these mechanics work, why Blend focuses on institutional liquidity provision, borrower liquidation risk and more! Blend could be the NFT primitive that ignites the next NFT run - you don't want to miss this one.- -Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction(00:10) Blend: A Peer-to-Peer Lending Platform(07:30) How Refinancing Auctions Work(22:27) Institutional Liquidity Provision(30:15) Strategies, Market Inefficiencies & Adding New Collections(38:09) The Yield Curve and User Preferences(45:28) Catering to Consumers vs Professionals(52:44) Liquidation Coordination Risk(55:36) Lending Incentives(58:46) Blur’s Roadmap(1:06:01) Infrastructure Unlocks Economic Value- -Follow Pacman: https://twitter.com/PacmanBlurFollow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroelFollow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepodSubscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2jSubscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprwGet top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/- -Resources:Blurhttps://blur.io/https://twitter.com/blur_ioBlur Dune Dashboardhttps://dune.com/beetle/blur-loansEmpire's first Blur episodehttps://spoti.fi/3HxWgkK- -Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Today we are joined by Josh Bown (Astria) and Ben Fisch (Espresso Systems) to discuss the role of shared sequencers in the modular future. Josh and Ben explain the risks of centralized sequencers, why rollups will use a shared sequencer and the core tradeoffs. What is the value proposition of a shared sequencer? How will MEV be allocated between rollups and sequencers? Why haven't rollups already decentralized their sequencer? We discuss these questions and more in this epic conversation!- -Timestamps:(00:00) Intro(04:27) The Role of a Sequencer(11:24) The Risks of Centralized Sequencers(20:13) Using the L1 as the Sequencer(23:12) Why Use a Shared Sequencer?(34:56) Quicknode(36:43) Kwenta(37:40) The Tradeoffs(40:35) Who will be the Sequencers?(45:23) The AWS Analogy(50:27) Economic Capture and Allocation Challenges(58:28) How Block Times Impact Shared Sequencing(01:01:12) Competition(01:05:04) Restaking Risk and Timelines- -Follow Josh: https://twitter.com/JskybowenFollow Ben: https://twitter.com/benafischFollow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitzFollow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroelFollow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepodSubscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2jSubscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprwGet top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - -This episode is brought to you by Quicknode. QuickNode is an end-to-end blockchain developer platform that makes building Web3 apps easy. Go to QuickNode.com and use code Empire for a free month on their feature-packed Build Plan!- -This episode is brought to you by Kwenta, the premier derivatives trading platform on Optimism that offers deep liquidity, low fees and up to 50x leverage across 24+ assets. Go to Kwenta.io and start trading today!- -ResourcesEspresso Systemshttps://www.espressosys.com/https://twitter.com/EspressoSysAstriahttps://www.astria.org/https://twitter.com/AstriaOrg- - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In today's episode, Jason and Santiago discuss why Santi is bullish on Solana. We start with a debate on how low liquidity creates wild volatility, BTC's correlation to the S&P and if shared sequencers are overhyped. This leads to a conversation on the MadLads mint, Santi's allocation to the Solana ecosystem, Circle's CCTP launch and more!- -Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction(01:38) Low Liquidity Side Effects(06:42) First Republic Bank & BTC's S&P Correlation(019:46) “Valora Ad”(20:45) Shared Sequencer Hype(30:00) MadLads Mint(34:01) Why Santi is Bullish on Solana(41:45) “Crypto is Dead”(44:16) Base’s Adoption, Franklin Templeton & CCTP launch- -Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroelFollow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitzFollow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepodSubscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2jSubscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprwGet top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/- -This episode is brought to you by Valora. Valora is a self-custody, mobile-first wallet... and the easiest way to send, swap, collect and purchase digital goods on the Celo blockchain. Download the app and start exploring today at valoraapp.com/empire.- -Resources:1000x Episodehttps://spoti.fi/41VjYPUFrank Templeton fundhttps://bit.ly/446T09QDirector of Podcasts applicationhttps://jobs.ashbyhq.com/Blockworks/adb7324a-0635-4dbc-ac40-aec73474daadEmpire Multicoin episodehttps://spoti.fi/3AxlrQP- -Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

1000x is officially back! If you're new here, 1000x is a crypto markets podcast by professional traders Avi Felman and Jonah Van Bourg. We bring on experts to dive deep into the macro and micro factors that represent the lifeblood of digital money and web3.1000x is officially back! If you're new here, 1000x is a crypto markets podcast by professional traders Avi Felman and Jonah Van Bourg. We bring on experts to dive deep into the macro and micro factors that represent the lifeblood of digital money and web3.In this episode, Avi and Jonah discuss how markets responded to the banking crash, what catalysts are on the horizon and where prices will trend next. Where was retail in the last rally? What catalysts could revive BTC? What metrics should you watch for the next Alt L1 narrative? Tune in to find out!We'll drop a new 1000x episode on Empire's RSS feed and the 1000x YouTube channel every two weeks. Hit the links below and give us a follow!- -Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction(01:36) Market Outlook: Retail Didn’t Show Up(08:06) The Mystery BTC Buyer(13:01) Event-Driven Price Movements(18:47) The Debt Ceiling Opportunity(27:22) Pepe, Shiba & New Money(31:57) The AppChain Thesis and Alt L1s(40:37) Crypto: 24/7 Dopamine (44:04) Moving Beyond the Casino Use Case- -Follow Avi: https://twitter.com/AviFelmanFollow Jonah: https://twitter.com/jvb_xyzFollow 1000x: https://twitter.com/1000xPodSubscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3FuSarXSubscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprwGet top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/- -Resources:Golden Treehttps://www.goldentree.com/Cumberlandhttps://cumberland.io/- -Disclaimer: Nothing said on 1000x is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Avi, Jonah and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Today we are joined by Julian Holguin, the CEO of Doodles. Julian reveals how Doodles is creating an IP powerhouse that will become the Pixar of Web3. The OG Doodles NFT collection is just the tip of the iceberg (their "Toy Story"), with even more exciting things to come.In this episode, Julian explains the power of combining narrative with technology, Doodles' business plan and collaboration with global brands, the secret to community content creation, Doodles' growth strategy and more! You won't want to miss this inside look at one of the most captivating NFT/IP houses in Web3!- -Timestamps:(00:00) Intro(01:26) Doodles Origin Story(08:44) Julian’s Digital Media Background(15:41) Building the Pixar of Web3(20:09) Why Leverage NFTs?(23:47) The Impact of Doodle’s Floor Price(27:16) Quicknode(29:04) Synthetix(30:43) The Business Model(39:29) Collaborations with Global Brands(44:32) Why Choose Flow for Doodles 2?(51:12) Scarcity, Utility and Community Content Creation(58:49) The Doodle Bank(01:04:46) Doodle’s Audience and Value Accrual- -Follow Julian: https://twitter.com/jholguinFollow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitzFollow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroelFollow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepodSubscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2jSubscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprwGet top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - -This episode is brought to you by Quicknode. QuickNode is an end-to-end blockchain developer platform that makes building Web3 apps easy. Go to QuickNode.com and use code Empire for a free month on their feature-packed Build Plan!- -This episode is brought to you by Synthetix. Synthetix Perps is the most efficient decentralized perpetual futures engine, with 5/10 bp fees and up to 25x leverage. With a growing list of over 20 tradable markets, Synthetix Perps are available on Optimism via Kwenta.io and Polynomial.fi, with more coming soon! As a permissionless liquidity layer, Synthetix makes it easy for any protocol to integrate perps and earn 5%-10% of trade fees.- -ResourcesDoodleshttps://doodles.app/https://twitter.com/doodles- - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In today's episode, Jason and Santiago discuss Gary Gensler's crypto crusade. The SEC Chair has continually attacked crypto and revealed this week that... he has never owned or interacted with any "digital asset". We debate Garry's comments from this week's committee meeting, if regulators are pushing companies like Coinbase out of the US and why we remain optimistic.We also cover Flashbot's new MEV Share protocol, an ongoing mystery wallet exploit, the meme coin craze and more!- -Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction(05:06) Gary Gensler: An Anti-Crypto Cruade(20:32) “Valora Ad”(21:26) Coinbase's Global Expansion (28:27) Flashbots Launches MEV Share(30:00) On-Going Mystery Wallet Exploit(39:49) Meme Coins, MEV & Jared from Subway- -Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroelFollow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitzFollow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepodSubscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2jSubscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprwGet top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/- -This episode is brought to you by Valora. Valora is a self-custody, mobile-first wallet... and the easiest way to send, swap, collect and purchase digital goods on the Celo blockchain. Download the app and start exploring today at valoraapp.com/empire.- -Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Although our guests this week are managing partners of a registered investment adviser, nothing in this podcast is investment, tax, legal or other financial advice.In this episode of Empire, Kyle Samani and Tushar Jain of Multicoin join us in their first public discussion since the fall of FTX and Solana's crash. We start with a detailed discussion about Multicoin's relationship with SBF and FTX: how they met, their views on SBF, watching the blow-up and the implications for Multicoin's fund.Kyle and Tushar then explain why they are still betting big on Solana, why most funds don't earn excess returns, how L2s offer false security, why defi isn't ready yet, prioritizing speed of security and more! Prediction: This will be the best episode of 2023.- -Timestamps:(00:00) Intro(01:37) SBF and FTX Backstory(15:48) Multicoin’s Solana Bet(23:04) Quicknode(24:51) Synthetix(26:34) Conviction, Sizing and Earning Excess Returns(33:43) The Intersection of AI and Crypto(42:15) Why DeFi Isn’t Ready(45:50) Decentralized Sequencers and the EVM(52:51) Poritizing Speed and L2 [False] Security(01:01:33) Multicoin’s Bet on Filecoin(01:08:47) BTC and the SoV Use Case- -Follow Kyle: https://twitter.com/KyleSamaniFollow Tushar: https://twitter.com/TusharJain_Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitzFollow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroelFollow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepodSubscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2jSubscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprwGet top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - -This episode is brought to you by Quicknode. QuickNode is an end-to-end blockchain developer platform that makes building Web3 apps easy. Go to QuickNode.com and use code Empire for a free month on their feature-packed Build Plan!- -This episode is brought to you by Synthetix. Synthetix Perps is the most efficient decentralized perpetual futures engine, with 5/10 bp fees and up to 25x leverage. With a growing list of over 20 tradable markets, Synthetix Perps are available on Optimism via Kwenta.io and Polynomial.fi, with more coming soon! As a permissionless liquidity layer, Synthetix makes it easy for any protocol to integrate perps and earn 5%-10% of trade fees.- -ResourcesMulticoin Capitalhttps://multicoin.capital/https://twitter.com/MulticoinCap- - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In today's episode, Jason and Santiago discuss the bull vs bear case for ETH's Shapella upgrade. Since December 2021, ETH staking was one way. You could stake your ETH, but it was locked until the Shapella upgrade finally arrived. Shapella is here, and ETH is unlocked for the first time! Does this mean a giant supply of ETH sell pressure will hit the market? Will institutions embrace ETH now that Ethereum's roadmap is de-risked? Tune in to find out!We also discuss the NFT killer use case, Multicoin's L2 thesis and if the bear market has ended!- -Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction(03:23) NFT NYC and the NFT Killer Use Case(12:47) Shapella is Here(26:04) “Valora Ad”(27:10) Multicoin’s Thesis: Solana, L2s & Speed vs Security(43:37) Is the Bear Market Over?- -Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroelFollow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitzFollow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepodSubscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2jSubscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprwGet top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/- -This episode is brought to you by Valora. Valora is a self-custody, mobile-first wallet... and the easiest way to send, swap, collect and purchase digital goods on the Celo blockchain. Download the app and start exploring today at valoraapp.com/empire.- -Resources:ETH Withdrawal Dashboardhttps://app.metrika.co/ethereum/dashboard/withdrawals-overview?tr=1dETH Staking Dashboardhttps://dune.com/hildobby/eth2-staking- -Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire, Robert Leshner - founder of Compound Labs - joins us to discuss how DeFi will evolve in the wake of Operation Choke Point 2.0 and the coordinated effort to debank crypto. We discuss what this means for today's DeFi protocols, the end of the DeFi Mullet thesis and how teams will respond. Then we explore Robert's thoughts on why MakerDAO's RWA strategy is short-sighted, the stablecoin landscape, the AppChain thesis and more!- -Timestamps:00:00 Intro00:24 Operation Choke Point 2.007:24 Compound Treasury and the DeFi Mullet11:19 The Return of DeFi?16:09 BTC vs ETH19:17 Building in the US vs Offshore26:25 Real World Assets28:52 Quicknode ad30:38 Synthetix Ad32:17 Stablecoin Landscape39:48 The AppChain Thesis and Value Accrual48:24 Reputation, Limit Orders and Security- -Follow Rob: https://twitter.com/rleshnerFollow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitzFollow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroelFollow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepodSubscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2jSubscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprwGet top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - -This episode is brought to you by Quicknode. QuickNode is an end-to-end blockchain developer platform that makes building Web3 apps easy. Go to QuickNode.com and use code Empire for a free month on their feature-packed Build Plan!- -This episode is brought to you by Synthetix. Synthetix Perps is the most efficient decentralized perpetual futures engine, with 5/10 bp fees and up to 25x leverage. With a growing list of over 20 tradable markets, Synthetix Perps are available on Optimism via Kwenta.io and Polynomial.fi, with more coming soon! As a permissionless liquidity layer, Synthetix makes it easy for any protocol to integrate perps and earn 5%-10% of trade fees.- -ResourcesCompoundhttps://compound.finance/Bell Curve, S4 Premiere: A Journey Into The Dark Foresthttps://spoti.fi/3MpTjWH- - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.