

Empire
Blockworks
Empire features interviews with top crypto founders to get the real stories that aren’t shared elsewhere. Empire is your look behind the curtain of the crypto industry. We release two episodes per week: guest interviews on Monday and a weekly roundup on Friday.
Episodes
Mentioned books

4 snips
Jul 4, 2023 • 1h 26min
A Historian's Take on the Bear Market | Josh Rosenthal
Today we are joined by Josh Rosenthal to learn how history predicts crypto's future. We discuss how history's revolutions shaped our beliefs and culture, what happens when technology outpaces society, what's next for crypto, why increased volatility is coming and more!- -Timestamps:(00:00) Technology Drives History(07:11) How the Renaissance Changed Everything(13:41) Global Revolutions: The Domino Effect(33:26) Carbon Ad(35:08) The SEC’s Clampdown Contextualized by History(57:44) How Crypto Will Shape Society(01:12:30) Incoming Chaos and Managing Volatility- -Follow Josh: https://twitter.com/JoshuaRosenthalFollow 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 Carbon. Carbon is a new DEX on Ethereum that makes concentrated liquidity easy. LPs can automate their liquidity strategy with custom on-chain limit and range orders: all from a beautiful UI. Don't miss out on Carbon's "ROI Trading Competition" that's live until July 11! Here’s how to play:Click this Carbon link: https://bit.ly/43Vo2ABCreate a new Carbon strategy Boom. You're eligible to win USDC rewards based on the performance of your strategy- -ResourcesJosh Rosenthal on Empire (The Crypto Renaissance, May 2021)https://spoti.fi/3NLnh8c- - 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.

Jun 30, 2023 • 55min
Should I Buy a Punk? | Roundup
In today's episode, Jason and Santiago discuss if now is the time to buy a Punk! We also cover our takeaways from the Punk6529 interview, how to pick which NFT to buy, NFT business models, Santi's view on the current investing/fundraising environment, the Prime Trust debacle and more.- -Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction(00:31) Punk6529 Interview Takeaways(06:16) Is Now the Time to Buy a Punk?(021:24) “Blockworks Research Ad”(22:56) Azuki’s “New” Collection & NFT Business Models(27:43) Santi on Crypto Fundraising/Investing(42:32) The Prime Trust Debacle(49:59) Superstate: Rob Leshner’s New Company- -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/- -Resources:Punk6529: Why Crypto Mattershttps://spoti.fi/3JDghrv--Research, news, data, governance and models – now, all in one place. As a listener of Empire, you can use code "EMPIRE10" for a 10% discount when signing up to Blockworks Research https://www.blockworksresearch.com/--Use code PODS20 to get 20% off Permissionless 2023 in Austin:https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023- -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.

7 snips
Jun 27, 2023 • 2h 10min
Punk6529: Why Crypto Matters
We are joined by Punk6529 to discuss how NFTs and Web3 rails will shape our digital lives. We cover the evolution of the metaverse, why we need permissionless protocols, the need for digital ownership, why 6529 bought The Goose and loves generative art, community-owned NFTs and more!- -Timestamps:00:00 Defining the Metaverse13:53 Why We Need Permissionless Protocols36:48 The Value of Digital Ownership53:38 Thales ad54:33 Carbon Ad56:13 NFT Deep Dive01:08:54 The Pushback on NFTs01:13:32 The Goose & Generative Art01:30:11 Punk 6529’s Museum01:46:18 Community-Owned NFTs and Punk 6529’s Fund01:56:58 Thoughts on Punks, CryptoDickbutts and the NFT Future- -Follow Punk6529: https://twitter.com/punk6529Follow 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 Carbon. Carbon is a new DEX on Ethereum that makes concentrated liquidity easy. LPs can automate their liquidity strategy with custom on-chain limit and range orders: all from a beautiful UI. Don't miss out on Carbon's "ROI Trading Competition" that's live until July 11! Here’s how to play:Click this Carbon link: https://bit.ly/43Vo2ABCreate a new Carbon strategy Boom. You're eligible to win USDC rewards based on the performance of your strategy- -This episode is brought to you by Thales. Thales is an innovative digital options platform on Arbitrum and Optimism that gets you exposure to crypto assets in the simplest way possible. As simple as choosing UP or DOWN! Experience the simplicity and power of Thales by visiting https://thalesmarket.io/mtm_campaign=blockworks today!- -Resources"The Goose" Twitter threadhttps://twitter.com/punk6529/status/1669733924317143042- - 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.

Jun 24, 2023 • 55min
Trading Crypto's Reflexive Markets and Mispriced Volatility | 1000x
In today's episode of 1000x, Jonah and Avi discuss markets and how to trade crypto's mispriced volatility. We cover options strategies, how to evaluate the GBTC trade, why alts look dead, the bifurcation of crypto, if traders can pre-position telegraphed events and more!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(01:04) How to Spot Mispriced Volatility(16:34) Evaluating the GBTC Trade(24:13) Blackrock’s BTC ETF Filing(28:02) What’s Going on with Alts?(33:02) The Bifurcation of Crypto(38:40) Reflexivity and Macro Bullishness(41:52) Pre-Positioning Telegraphed Events(44:25) Miners are Pivoting to AI- -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/https://twitter.com/CumberlandSays- -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.

Jun 23, 2023 • 55min
How BTC's Rally Could Kickstart Crypto's Flywheel | Bell Curve
In today's episode, the fellas discuss what a Blackrock BTC ETF would mean for crypto, why you should watch BTC's dominance, if NFTs will make a comeback, Binances L2 and more!- -Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction(02:24) BTC ETF Filings & The Clash of Narratives(24:33) “Valora Ad”(25:31) Who Will Trade on EDX Markets?(33:11) SAP’s Announcement: Cross-Border USDC Payments(40:49) The Ethscriptions Thesis(45:46) Will NFTs Make a Comeback?(52:02) Binance’s L2 Announcement- -Follow Michael: https://twitter.com/im_mandersonFollow Mike: https://twitter.com/MikeIppolito_Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitzFollow Vance: https://twitter.com/pythianismSubscribe 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:SAP USDC blog posthttps://blogs.sap.com/2023/06/15/cross-border-payments-made-easy-with-digital-money-experience-the-future-today/- -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.

Jun 20, 2023 • 1h 22min
How to Discover Crypto's Next Narrative Using Onchain Activity | Icebergy
00:00 Icebergy's Crypto Story4:23 Finding Narratives from On-Chain Activity11:17 Trading Tokens in Solana's Eco14:24 Why Trade in Crypto vs Traditional Markets?18:12 DeFi’s Underperformance22:19 Evolving Investment Styles and Frameworks40:39 Thales Ad41:35 Carbon Ad43:14 Inter-Rollup Competition48:53 The Most Understood Thing in Crypto50:26 What Could Revitalize DeFi?58:12 Web3 Social Media and Social tokens01:07:17 Why We Crypto

Jun 16, 2023 • 1h
Uniswap v4: The Start of a DeFi Super App
In today’s episode, the team debates the launch of Uniswap v4! We explore the details of Uniswap v4, what this means for the future of Curve and other AMMs, as well as looking at the fee switch debate and how the industry could look to implement an interoperability standard.--Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction(04:13) Uniswap’s Origin Story and Product Journey(12:19) “Valora Ad”(13:14) Uniswap v4: The Design and Opportunity(32:58) How Will This Impact Curve and Other AMMs?(36:15) Should Uniswap Launch an AppChain?(41:00) The Fee Switch Debate(44:05) Did Uniswap Copy-Pasta?(47:15) Crypto Needs an Interoperability Standard(55:04) Liquidity Migration from v3 to v4--Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitzFollow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroelFollow Ren: https://twitter.com/RebeccaRettig1Follow EffortCapital: https://twitter.com/EffortCapitalFollow Purplepill: https://twitter.com/purplepill3mFollow 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:Article on Uniswap’s history:https://blog.uniswap.org/uniswap-historyHyperstructure article:https://jacob.energy/hyperstructures.htmlCosmos episode:https://spoti.fi/3NbI0Ax- -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.

Jun 14, 2023 • 1h 4min
Policy Series: It's Time To Go On Offense | Rebecca Rettig, Jake Chervinsky
Today we are joined by Rebecca Rettig and Jake Chervinsky to discuss the SEC's attack on crypto and how the industry needs to respond. Rebecca and Jake explore the SEC lawsuits, the McHenry-Thompson Bill, their expected US regulation timeline, DC's sentiment and more! Regulation and policy are becoming must-know topics for crypto participants, and this is your go-to source for everything you need to know. This is the second episode in an ongoing regulatory and policy series with Jake and Rebecca!- -Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction(00:53) The SEC Lawsuits: What’s Next?(10:53) “Chainalysis Ad”(11:57) The SEC Lawsuits: What’s Next?(16:02) We Need a Use Case to Show Regulators(21:06) The McHenry-Thompson Bill(38:23) Unprecedented Action by the SEC(45:47) MiCA, Global Legislation and the US’s Timeline(54:10) Non-Custodial Tax Reporting(56:18) DC's Sentiment: FTX Still Lingers- -Follow Rebecca: https://twitter.com/RebeccaRettig1Follow Jake: https://twitter.com/jchervinskyFollow 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 Chainalysis. Chainalysis is the blockchain data platform. We provide data, software, services, and research to government agencies, web3 companies, financial institutions, and insurance and cybersecurity companies. Our data powers investigation, compliance, and business intelligence software that has been used to solve some of the world’s most high-profile criminal cases. For more information, visit www.Chainalysis.com/empire.- -Resources:The Blockchain Associationhttps://theblockchainassociation.org/https://twitter.com/BlockchainAssnPolygonhttps://polygon.technology/- -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.

Jun 13, 2023 • 1h 31min
Why Our Investment Thesis Hasn't Changed | Avichal Garg, Haseeb Qureshi
Today we are joined by Avichal Garg and Haseeb Qureshi to explain their investment frameworks and why their crypto thesis hasn't changed. We talk about the US crypto exodus, mental models for investing, why TAM (total addressable market) is useless, investing in private vs public markets, what crypto got wrong and more!- -Timestamps:(00:00) The SEC, Binance and Coinbase: We Ripped the Bandaid Off(09:38) How Does This Affect Your Investment Decisions?(17:00) Mental Models for Investing(20:44) Value Creation vs Value Capture(23:33) Why TAM is Meaningless(28:19) Crypto’s Most Important Applications(31:06) How to Evaluate a Projects Potential(35:15) Bullish Decentralized vs Centralized Projects?(43:48) Thales ad(44:44) Carbon Ad(46:26) The Investment Environment, Layoffs and Shrinking Runways(01:06:01) Startups vs Liquid Tokens(01:11:38) What Crypto Got Wrong(01:16:53) Value Accrual: Should Protocols Flip the Fee Switch?- -Follow Avichal: https://twitter.com/avichalFollow Haseeb: https://twitter.com/hosseebFollow 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 Carbon. Carbon is a new DEX on Ethereum that makes concentrated liquidity easy. LPs can automate their liquidity strategy with custom on-chain limit and range orders: all from a beautiful UI. Don't miss out on Carbon's "ROI Trading Competition" that's live until July 11! Here’s how to play:Click this Carbon link: https://bit.ly/43Vo2ABCreate a new Carbon strategy Boom. You're eligible to win USDC rewards based on the performance of your strategy- -This episode is brought to you by Thales. Thales is an innovative digital options platform on Arbitrum and Optimism that gets you exposure to crypto assets in the simplest way possible. As simple as choosing UP or DOWN! Experience the simplicity and power of Thales by visiting https://thalesmarket.io/?mtm_campaign=blockworks today!- -ResourcesElectric Capitalhttps://www.electriccapital.com/https://twitter.com/ElectricCapitalDragonflyhttps://www.dragonfly.xyz/https://twitter.com/dragonfly_xyz- - 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.

Jun 9, 2023 • 1h 5min
The SEC's Attack On Crypto: Binance Stumbles, Coinbase Fights Back | Roundup
In today's episode, Jason and Santiago discuss the SEC's attack on crypto. We discuss the differences between the Coinbase and Binance lawsuits, tokens as securities, how regulation will impact US crypto innovation and more. We also discuss Louis Vuitton's new NFTs, Arbitrum FUD and the Apple Vision Pro!- -Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction(02:12) The SEC Oversteps: Binance and Coinbase(42:41) “Valora Ad”(43:35) Louis Vuitton Launches Soul Bound NFTs(52:25) Arbitrum Bug, Apple Vision Pro & Recommendations- -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.- -ResourcesBinance employee chatlogshttps://twitter.com/adamscochran/status/1666473028610408450?s=20Fundamental Difference’ Between SEC’s Binance, Coinbase Suitshttps://blockworks.co/news/coinbase-binance-suits-different- -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.


