Crypto Hipster

Aakash Athawasya is the head of research at PYOR, a crypto data analytics company for institutional investors and crypto protocols. He looks at ongoing crypto narratives, from alt-L1s, staking and restaking, and DePin, among others. Before PYOR, he was the founder of Doodhwala, India's most-read crypto newsletter that covered crypto research and news daily.    Check out PYOR: https://www.pyor.xyz/Reach out to Aakash here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aakash-pyor/

James Toledano is Chief Operating Officer at Savl. An established technophile and early Bitcoin investor, James began his career at major US publisher Ziff-Davis, before moving on to work at UK's first web development agency, Webmedia. He later contributed to the establishment of the new media division at Virgin Radio. A tech pioneer, in 1999, he launched the first legal music download platform, Brandnewmusic, in partnership with Apple — before Napster, thereby setting a standard for the digital music industry. He later spearheaded the sales and marketing effort at the UK arm of MP3.com, significantly contributing to the expansion of the brand. While at SafeNet (Thales), he developed advanced anti-piracy solutions for leading US music labels and broadcasters. In addition to digital music, James held the position of Vice President of Digital at Ford Models and founded a successful digital transformation agency in New York. Throughout his career, James has advocated the use of technological innovation to achieve success, an ethos he continues to apply in his stewardship at Savl.

Nikita Ovchinnik has been involved in the DeFi space for over 5 years, holding various Executive positions at previous companies. His experience and expertise have positioned him as a reliable authority figure in the industry, and he has efficient cooperative relationships with organizations in the market in order to move the industry forward.  Nikita is a co-founder of Barter, a solver system on Ethereum and L2s. Barter has processed over 4B of volume through platforms like CowSwap, UniswapX and Bebop. He frequently speaks at conferences around the world (Avalanche Summit, Austin DeFi, Permissionless, The Capital etc.), sharing his insights and knowledge with other industry professionals. Publications: https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/19/ma-is-coming-for-defi-protocols-as-market-conditions-change/ Conferences: The Capital 2022: https://conference.coinmarketcap.com/ Austin DeFi 2022: https://youtu.be/IHsN9TnGgl8 Permissionless 2022: https://youtu.be/t_5Q0P3nNl4 https://youtu.be/rxk31a3oOfA Barter's Twitter: https://twitter.com/BarterDeFi

JB "Jor-El" Benjamin isn't your run-of-the-mill developer; he's a tech maverick reshaping the digital landscape from his UK base just outside London. As a Black technologist, he brings a unique perspective to the forefront.With an unwavering commitment to safeguarding privacy in an era of constant surveillance, JB has introduced the world to Vox Messenger, a trailblazing post-quantum encrypted messenger, and Vox Crypto, an unprecedented group transaction crypto wallet, both renowned for their ironclad protection of personal data. But JB's story isn't just about code; it's about a relentless passion for digital equity. He's a captivating speaker who exposes the hidden dangers of data collection, providing practical solutions to protect your privacy. Whether it's encryption, cryptography, secure communications, or blockchain technology, JB's expertise is a beacon of innovation with a focus on empowering individuals in the digital realm. When you invite JB to your podcast, you're inviting a true visionary dedicated to ensuring technology serves us all while preserving our most cherished right—privacy.

Da Hongfei Title: Founder of Neo and CEO of Neo Global Development Bio: Da Hongfei is the Founder of Neo, an open-source, community-driven blockchain platform designed to welcome developers into the Smart Economy. Hongfei operates as CEO of Neo Global Development (NGD), the executive arm of the Neo Foundation that is committed to developing the Neo protocol and its supporting ecosystem. He is seen as a luminary in the Web3 space and as a blockchain pioneer in Asia. Hongfei received his education at the South China University of Technology, receiving degrees in technology and English.

Jonny Fry is Group Head of Digital Assets Strategy for ClearBank Ltd, established in 2015 becoming the first bank in over 250 years to be regulated as a clearing bank in the UK. Jonny is also CEO of TeamBlockchain Ltd as research and publishing firm that produces Digital Bytes, a weekly analysis focused on the commercial opportunity of using blockchain technology and digital assets. He is a NED of TURN, a blockchain-powered reporting platform for the asset management industry and is an advisor to a number of other firms. Jonny is chairman at Gemini Capital UK,  which owns a Dublin based fund administration platform where he is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. For over 20 years Jonny was CEO of Premier Asset Management Plc, a London Stock Exchange-listed asset management company. RECORD OF EXCELLENCE Respected speaker and moderator, Jonny Fry is a recognized figure in blockchain and digital assets sectors, earning him the CryptoA.M. 2022 "Influencer of The Year" Award.   More about ClearBank ClearBank are the UK’s 5th clearing bank (Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds and NatWest being the others). They are Direct Participants of Bacs, CHAPS, Faster Payments and C&CCC, as well as being Principal Members of Mastercard and Visa. ClearBank also provide an API driven multi-currency solution (12 currencies) offering 24 x 7 access to the UK Payment Schemes processing payments in almost real time. All funds are held at the Bank of England, ClearBank does not lend or provide overdrafts/credit – Client funds are therefore accessible in full, 24 x 7. LinkedIn ,Twitter

Sipan Vardanyan is co-founder and chief executive officer of Hexens, a Yerevan-based global cybersecurity firm that provides web security solutions and services with a focus on Web3.The proud recipient of several hacker awards in pentesting and open-source intelligence (OSINT), Sipan boasts the title of the youngest chief information security officer of an Armenian bank at age 22 and was the Open Worldwide Application Security Project (OWASP) Armenia chapter lead.Sipan is also a co-founder of ARMSec, Armenia's premier security conference, and is an advisor to multiple global tech startups, offering expert guidance and insights to help them grow and thrive in their respective fields. Vahe Karapetyan is co-founder and chief technology officer of Hexens, a Yerevan-based global cybersecurity firm that provides web security solutions and services with a focus on Web3.Vahe is a security researcher with more than a decade of expertise in cybersecurity. He's conducted over 200 security assessments for leading global financial institutions, web applications, and other critical infrastructure.From research and academia to consulting IT and financial organizations globally, Vahe brings a wide breadth of experience to his role as he guides Hexens’ auditing teams in facilitating a safer Web3 experience for everyone in the space.

Vikram R Singh is a seasoned entrepreneur and renowned speaker known for establishing Antier, a premier full-stack blockchain consulting firm. Under his leadership, Antier has evolved into a preferred partner for enterprises across sectors such as BFSI, Healthcare, Gaming, Supply Chain and others. In 2009, Vikram embarked on his entrepreneurial odyssey by founding his IT startup, initially comprising a select cadre of 5 professionals. Through his visionary acumen, Antier has emerged as India’s blockchain juggernaut, growing stronger with a workforce of 700+ team members. Vikram's contributions have earned him accolades, including being recognized among the 'Most Promising Business Leaders of Asia 2023' by 'The Economic Times.' Committed to continuous learning and development, Vikram is actively involved in building the Antier School of Blocktech, a world-class blockchain academy dedicated to upskilling and reskilling professionals.

Joshua Scigala has been working in Bitcoin since Satoshi was still on the scene. His focus was on building transparency protocols for centralized exchanges after he lost a lot of money in the first ever Bitcoin exchange, Mt. Gox. Joshua and his brother Philip launched the world's first Bitcoin/physical gold order book exchange called Vaultoro in 2015. Joshua's main focus has been on building the ultimate decentralized stablecoin for the last 3 years. " Badly designed Stablecoins are a threat to the entire cryptocurrency space. This is why I have made it my mission to create the ultimate decentralized stablecoin and borrowing protocol "Joshua Scigala

Mark Hojgaard is a well-known thought leader in the Fintech and Blockchain industry. Over the past 15 years, he pioneered mobile payments and prepaid cards and co-founded Coinify 2014, a reputable global blockchain payment company. Mark also serves as an advisor to various fintech startups in Scandinavia. He is recognised as a member of the Forbes Finance Council and the European Blockchain Commission advisory board.