
The Smart Economy Podcast: Real-World Blockchain Applications with Crypto, DeFi, NFTs, and DAOs
The Smart Economy Podcast features interviews with some of the most interesting people within the blockchain industry, working to make the new smart economy a reality.
Latest episodes

Aug 2, 2023 • 58min
S1E43 - Zac Townsend - Meanwhile | BTC-backed Life Insurance
Episode Notes
In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Zac Townsend, CEO and co-founder of Meanwhile, the first and only life insurance company denominated in Bitcoin. Discussion topics include using technology to improve institutional processes, how life insurance can ensure Bitcoin’s longevity, the product Meanwhile offers and the types of customers they seek, and how life insurance can be a part of a balanced financial portfolio.
To stay in the loop, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter/X, TikTok, and LinkedIn.Previous guests include: Rusty Matveev, Chief Strategy Officer at Calaxy; Andrew Lawrence, CEO and Co-Founder of Censo; Zac Townsend, CEO and Co-Founder of Meanwhile; Jesper Johansen, CEO and Co-Founder of Northstake; Tama Churchouse, COO of Cumberland Labs; Holly Wood of Boson Protocol; Sid Powell of Maple Finance; Chad Barraford of THORChain; and many others.Check out our three most downloaded episodes:Laying the Groundwork for a Billion-User Blockchain with Rich Rines, Contributor at Core DAOStaking the Future: From Blockchain Beginnings to Institutional Innovations with Chen Zhuling of RockXThe Unstoppable Nature of Blockchain: A Conversation with Bonart Mati of ObligateAttention all blockchain, crypto, and Web3 professionals! If you're a founder, CEO, or expert doing something innovative in this space, we're interested in speaking to you! Apply to be a guest on our platform and connect with our vibrant community of blockchain professionals: https://fame.so/nnt-guestThe Smart Economy Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so

Jul 26, 2023 • 50min
S1E42 - Jesper Johansen - Northstake | Onboarding the Institutions
Episode Notes
In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Jesper Johansen, CEO and co-founder of Northstake, which builds streamlined and regulatory-compliant staking products for institution-grade investors and clients. Topics include the significance of MiCA legislation in Europe, building businesses off Proof-of-Stake blockchain networks, how Northstake provides secure staking services to institutional clients, and plans to launch an ETH staking-based alternative investment fund.
To stay in the loop, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter/X, TikTok, and LinkedIn.Previous guests include: Rusty Matveev, Chief Strategy Officer at Calaxy; Andrew Lawrence, CEO and Co-Founder of Censo; Zac Townsend, CEO and Co-Founder of Meanwhile; Jesper Johansen, CEO and Co-Founder of Northstake; Tama Churchouse, COO of Cumberland Labs; Holly Wood of Boson Protocol; Sid Powell of Maple Finance; Chad Barraford of THORChain; and many others.Check out our three most downloaded episodes:Laying the Groundwork for a Billion-User Blockchain with Rich Rines, Contributor at Core DAOStaking the Future: From Blockchain Beginnings to Institutional Innovations with Chen Zhuling of RockXThe Unstoppable Nature of Blockchain: A Conversation with Bonart Mati of ObligateAttention all blockchain, crypto, and Web3 professionals! If you're a founder, CEO, or expert doing something innovative in this space, we're interested in speaking to you! Apply to be a guest on our platform and connect with our vibrant community of blockchain professionals: https://fame.so/nnt-guestThe Smart Economy Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so

Jul 19, 2023 • 47min
S1E41 - Tama Churchouse - Cumberland Labs | Incubating Web3 Solutions
Episode Notes
In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Tama Churchouse, COO of Cumberland Labs, a global blockchain incubator comprised of blockchain developers, product managers, researchers, traders, and former founders. Topics discussed include getting Bitcoin in 2013, lessons learned as a VC in the EOS ecosystem, the four P’s of incubating a new business, and recently launched Cumberland Labs products.
To stay in the loop, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter and TikTok.Previous guests include: Rusty Matveev, Chief Strategy Officer at Calaxy; Andrew Lawrence, CEO and Co-Founder of Censo; Zac Townsend, CEO and Co-Founder of Meanwhile; Jesper Johansen, CEO and Co-Founder of Northstake; Tama Churchouse, COO of Cumberland Labs; Holly Wood of Boson Protocol; Sid Powell of Maple Finance; Chad Barraford of THORChain; and many others.Check out our three most downloaded episodes:Laying the Groundwork for a Billion-User Blockchain with Rich Rines, Contributor at Core DAOStaking the Future: From Blockchain Beginnings to Institutional Innovations with Chen Zhuling of RockXThe Unstoppable Nature of Blockchain: A Conversation with Bonart Mati of ObligateAttention all blockchain, crypto, and Web3 professionals! If you're a founder, CEO, or expert doing something innovative in this space, we're interested in speaking to you! Apply to be a guest on our platform and connect with our vibrant community of blockchain professionals: https://fame.so/nnt-guestThe Smart Economy Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so

Jul 5, 2023 • 35min
S1E40 - Holly Wood - Boson Protocol | Big Brands, Phygitals, and NFTs
Episode Notes
In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Holly Wood, Director of Business Development at Boson Protocol. Topics discussed include working with grassroots creatives and big brands, how Web3 launches have similar vibes to brand launches for verticals like streetwear, the prevalence of in-house Web3 teams and staff at big brands, and phygitals/digi-physical items.
To stay in the loop, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter and TikTok.Previous guests include: Rusty Matveev, Chief Strategy Officer at Calaxy; Andrew Lawrence, CEO and Co-Founder of Censo; Zac Townsend, CEO and Co-Founder of Meanwhile; Jesper Johansen, CEO and Co-Founder of Northstake; Tama Churchouse, COO of Cumberland Labs; Holly Wood of Boson Protocol; Sid Powell of Maple Finance; Chad Barraford of THORChain; and many others.Check out our three most downloaded episodes:Laying the Groundwork for a Billion-User Blockchain with Rich Rines, Contributor at Core DAOStaking the Future: From Blockchain Beginnings to Institutional Innovations with Chen Zhuling of RockXThe Unstoppable Nature of Blockchain: A Conversation with Bonart Mati of ObligateAttention all blockchain, crypto, and Web3 professionals! If you're a founder, CEO, or expert doing something innovative in this space, we're interested in speaking to you! Apply to be a guest on our platform and connect with our vibrant community of blockchain professionals: https://fame.so/nnt-guestThe Smart Economy Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so

Jun 7, 2023 • 56min
S1E39 - Oliver Linch - Bittrex Global | Navigating the Global Regulatory Seas
Episode Notes
In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Oliver Linch, CEO of Bittrex Global. Topics discussed include the difference between Bittrex Global and Bittrex, Bittrex Global’s forthcoming conversations with US regulators, and various different regulatory guidelines across different jurisdictions in the world.
To stay in the loop, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter and TikTok.Previous guests include: Rusty Matveev, Chief Strategy Officer at Calaxy; Andrew Lawrence, CEO and Co-Founder of Censo; Zac Townsend, CEO and Co-Founder of Meanwhile; Jesper Johansen, CEO and Co-Founder of Northstake; Tama Churchouse, COO of Cumberland Labs; Holly Wood of Boson Protocol; Sid Powell of Maple Finance; Chad Barraford of THORChain; and many others.Check out our three most downloaded episodes:Laying the Groundwork for a Billion-User Blockchain with Rich Rines, Contributor at Core DAOStaking the Future: From Blockchain Beginnings to Institutional Innovations with Chen Zhuling of RockXThe Unstoppable Nature of Blockchain: A Conversation with Bonart Mati of ObligateAttention all blockchain, crypto, and Web3 professionals! If you're a founder, CEO, or expert doing something innovative in this space, we're interested in speaking to you! Apply to be a guest on our platform and connect with our vibrant community of blockchain professionals: https://fame.so/nnt-guestThe Smart Economy Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so

May 24, 2023 • 52min
S1E38 - Aaron Kaplan - Prometheum | The Path to Becoming the First Securities-Compliant Exchange in the US
Episode Notes
In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Aaron Kaplan, founder and co-CEO of Prometheum. Topics of discussion include wanting to build a regulatory-compliant exchange in 2013, how he felt like a crazy person talking about securities laws during the ETH ICO, incubating Prometheum, how Prometheum is posed to be the first regulatory compliant digital asset custodian in the US, and the path forward for crypto in the US.
To stay in the loop, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter and TikTok.Previous guests include: Rusty Matveev, Chief Strategy Officer at Calaxy; Andrew Lawrence, CEO and Co-Founder of Censo; Zac Townsend, CEO and Co-Founder of Meanwhile; Jesper Johansen, CEO and Co-Founder of Northstake; Tama Churchouse, COO of Cumberland Labs; Holly Wood of Boson Protocol; Sid Powell of Maple Finance; Chad Barraford of THORChain; and many others.Check out our three most downloaded episodes:Laying the Groundwork for a Billion-User Blockchain with Rich Rines, Contributor at Core DAOStaking the Future: From Blockchain Beginnings to Institutional Innovations with Chen Zhuling of RockXThe Unstoppable Nature of Blockchain: A Conversation with Bonart Mati of ObligateAttention all blockchain, crypto, and Web3 professionals! If you're a founder, CEO, or expert doing something innovative in this space, we're interested in speaking to you! Apply to be a guest on our platform and connect with our vibrant community of blockchain professionals: https://fame.so/nnt-guestThe Smart Economy Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so

May 17, 2023 • 59min
S1E37 - Lars Seier Christensen - Concordium | From Internet to Blockchain: Seeing What Others Couldn't
Episode Notes
In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Lars Seier Christensen, Chairman at Concordium Foundation. Topics discussed include building an online trading platform in the early days of the internet, new technology and adoption cycles, the importance of digital identification, discovering Bitcoin, and how Concordium seeks to provide certain features that other blockchains don’t natively provide.
To stay in the loop, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter and TikTok.Previous guests include: Rusty Matveev, Chief Strategy Officer at Calaxy; Andrew Lawrence, CEO and Co-Founder of Censo; Zac Townsend, CEO and Co-Founder of Meanwhile; Jesper Johansen, CEO and Co-Founder of Northstake; Tama Churchouse, COO of Cumberland Labs; Holly Wood of Boson Protocol; Sid Powell of Maple Finance; Chad Barraford of THORChain; and many others.Check out our three most downloaded episodes:Laying the Groundwork for a Billion-User Blockchain with Rich Rines, Contributor at Core DAOStaking the Future: From Blockchain Beginnings to Institutional Innovations with Chen Zhuling of RockXThe Unstoppable Nature of Blockchain: A Conversation with Bonart Mati of ObligateAttention all blockchain, crypto, and Web3 professionals! If you're a founder, CEO, or expert doing something innovative in this space, we're interested in speaking to you! Apply to be a guest on our platform and connect with our vibrant community of blockchain professionals: https://fame.so/nnt-guestThe Smart Economy Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so

May 10, 2023 • 52min
S1E36 - Neo at Consensus 2023: The Premiere of the Non-Fungible Item
Episode Notes
In this special episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, Dylan talks to ecosystem representatives at the Neo booth during Consensus 2023. It was Neo’s second consecutive year exhibiting at the event, which is among the premier North American events for the blockchain industry.
The main attraction at the booth was the OneBand ring, which was cryptographically bound to an ITEM NFT. Once a ring was acquired, holders were able to unlock themed design elements to a LIZARD NFT by scanning the ring at the various Neo ecosystem project stations.
Join us in listening to representatives from GhostMarket, NGD Enterprise, Perlin Finance, AxLabs, COZ, Flamingo Finance, and Greenfinch. Topics discussed include what they are working on, the success of the OneBand ring, how the event onboarded new Neo community members, their thoughts after meeting the community at the event, and aspirations for Consensus 2024.
To stay in the loop, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter and TikTok.Previous guests include: Rusty Matveev, Chief Strategy Officer at Calaxy; Andrew Lawrence, CEO and Co-Founder of Censo; Zac Townsend, CEO and Co-Founder of Meanwhile; Jesper Johansen, CEO and Co-Founder of Northstake; Tama Churchouse, COO of Cumberland Labs; Holly Wood of Boson Protocol; Sid Powell of Maple Finance; Chad Barraford of THORChain; and many others.Check out our three most downloaded episodes:Laying the Groundwork for a Billion-User Blockchain with Rich Rines, Contributor at Core DAOStaking the Future: From Blockchain Beginnings to Institutional Innovations with Chen Zhuling of RockXThe Unstoppable Nature of Blockchain: A Conversation with Bonart Mati of ObligateAttention all blockchain, crypto, and Web3 professionals! If you're a founder, CEO, or expert doing something innovative in this space, we're interested in speaking to you! Apply to be a guest on our platform and connect with our vibrant community of blockchain professionals: https://fame.so/nnt-guestThe Smart Economy Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so

Apr 19, 2023 • 60min
S1E35 - Joseph Ziolkowski - RELM | Creative Insurance for Cutting Edge Industries
Episode Notes
In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Joseph Ziolkowski, CEO and co-founder of RELM Insurance. Topics discussed include the role alternative insurance providers play in cutting edge industries from crypto to psychedelics to eSports to longevity, how regulatory bodies can help establish unique insurance opportunities, the various factors that Relm evaluates when underwriting, and why larger insurance entities aren’t jumping to insure innovative companies.
To stay in the loop, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter and TikTok.Previous guests include: Rusty Matveev, Chief Strategy Officer at Calaxy; Andrew Lawrence, CEO and Co-Founder of Censo; Zac Townsend, CEO and Co-Founder of Meanwhile; Jesper Johansen, CEO and Co-Founder of Northstake; Tama Churchouse, COO of Cumberland Labs; Holly Wood of Boson Protocol; Sid Powell of Maple Finance; Chad Barraford of THORChain; and many others.Check out our three most downloaded episodes:Laying the Groundwork for a Billion-User Blockchain with Rich Rines, Contributor at Core DAOStaking the Future: From Blockchain Beginnings to Institutional Innovations with Chen Zhuling of RockXThe Unstoppable Nature of Blockchain: A Conversation with Bonart Mati of ObligateAttention all blockchain, crypto, and Web3 professionals! If you're a founder, CEO, or expert doing something innovative in this space, we're interested in speaking to you! Apply to be a guest on our platform and connect with our vibrant community of blockchain professionals: https://fame.so/nnt-guestThe Smart Economy Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so

Apr 12, 2023 • 58min
S1E34 - Gregor Žavcer - Swarm | Distributed Storage: Enabling Freedom Through Data Ownership
Episode Notes
In this episode of the Smart Economy Podcast, we speak with Gregor Žavcer, Executive Director of Swarm. Topics discussed include what the blockchain space was like in 2015, the importance of decentralized storage in Web3, data ownership and privacy, interesting use cases, and how Swarm operates.
To stay in the loop, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter and TikTok.Previous guests include: Rusty Matveev, Chief Strategy Officer at Calaxy; Andrew Lawrence, CEO and Co-Founder of Censo; Zac Townsend, CEO and Co-Founder of Meanwhile; Jesper Johansen, CEO and Co-Founder of Northstake; Tama Churchouse, COO of Cumberland Labs; Holly Wood of Boson Protocol; Sid Powell of Maple Finance; Chad Barraford of THORChain; and many others.Check out our three most downloaded episodes:Laying the Groundwork for a Billion-User Blockchain with Rich Rines, Contributor at Core DAOStaking the Future: From Blockchain Beginnings to Institutional Innovations with Chen Zhuling of RockXThe Unstoppable Nature of Blockchain: A Conversation with Bonart Mati of ObligateAttention all blockchain, crypto, and Web3 professionals! If you're a founder, CEO, or expert doing something innovative in this space, we're interested in speaking to you! Apply to be a guest on our platform and connect with our vibrant community of blockchain professionals: https://fame.so/nnt-guestThe Smart Economy Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so