

Validated
Austin Federa
When it comes to blockchain, the thing people talk about most — the price — is actually the least interesting part. Crypto conversations are too often about who’s up and who’s down, what to buy and what to sell, and today’s drama on Twitter. Most conversations about crypto miss how it’s going to change ... everything.
On VALIDATED, we’ll be talking to the people who are rethinking the internet — and our world. No hype cycles. No financial advice. Just conversations on the biggest ideas shaping the future of the internet.
Web3 is complicated, but never boring.
On VALIDATED, we’ll be talking to the people who are rethinking the internet — and our world. No hype cycles. No financial advice. Just conversations on the biggest ideas shaping the future of the internet.
Web3 is complicated, but never boring.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 11, 2023 • 48min
Not Your Keys, Not Your Crypto: The Importance of Self-Custody with Charles Guillimet, CTO of Ledger
Self-sovereignty is one of the foundational promises of crypto, but without self-custody, that promise simply falls flat. In this episode, Charles Guillimet (CTO of Ledger) discusses topics like the importance of self-custody and the role of security, in addition to the the evolution of Ledger's product offerings as the crypto industry has changed over the last decade. DISCLAIMERThe content herein is provided for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only, and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, options, futures, or other derivatives related to securities in any jurisdiction, nor should not be relied upon as advice to buy, sell or hold any of the foregoing. This content is intended to be general in nature and is not specific to you, the user or anyone else. You should not make any decision, financial, investment, trading or otherwise, based on any of the information presented without undertaking independent due diligence and consultation with a professional advisor. Solana Foundation Foundation and its agents, advisors, council members, officers and employees (the “Foundation Parties”) make no representation or warranties, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy of the information herein and expressly disclaims any and all liability that may be based on such information or any errors or omissions therein. The Foundation Parties shall have no liability whatsoever, under contract, tort, trust or otherwise, to any person arising from or related to the content or any use of the information contained herein by you or any of your representatives. All opinions expressed herein are the speakers’ own personal opinions and do not reflect the opinions of any entities.

Apr 4, 2023 • 51min
What Does It Mean for an NFT Community to Get Acquired?
When Meta Angels launched in 2021, it branded itself as an NFT community using web3 to "harness real world opportunities." In late 2022, Meta Angels was acquired by Hug, an NFT curation platform, and their respective communities merged. In this episode, Meta Angels co-founder Alex Cavoulacos discusses how a values-driven NFT project can be sustainable and what it's like for an NFT community to undergo a merger. As the current Head of Product at Hug, Alex also shares insights on scaling a web3 organization that is part platform, part product, and part community. DISCLAIMERThe content herein is provided for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only, and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, options, futures, or other derivatives related to securities in any jurisdiction, nor should not be relied upon as advice to buy, sell or hold any of the foregoing. This content is intended to be general in nature and is not specific to you, the user or anyone else. You should not make any decision, financial, investment, trading or otherwise, based on any of the information presented without undertaking independent due diligence and consultation with a professional advisor. Solana Foundation Foundation and its agents, advisors, council members, officers and employees (the “Foundation Parties”) make no representation or warranties, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy of the information herein and expressly disclaims any and all liability that may be based on such information or any errors or omissions therein. The Foundation Parties shall have no liability whatsoever, under contract, tort, trust or otherwise, to any person arising from or related to the content or any use of the information contained herein by you or any of your representatives. All opinions expressed herein are the speakers’ own personal opinions and do not reflect the opinions of any entities.

Mar 28, 2023 • 34min
How a Web 2 CMO is Navigating web3 Strategy
During the last bull run, legacy fashion brands raced to incorporate web3 into their strategy. Now, with consumer demand for web3 in hibernation, where does that leave marketers in the traditional fashion space who are still bullish on web3? In this episode, Lisa Pillette (CMO of Fossil Group) discusses Fossil's venture into NFTs and how the company's attitude toward web3 has changed in the last year. Lisa remains bullish on the implementation of web3 strategies for both Fossil and other legacy brands in the long term, but only if those strategies are implemented for the right reasons. DISCLAIMERThe content herein is provided for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only, and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, options, futures, or other derivatives related to securities in any jurisdiction, nor should not be relied upon as advice to buy, sell or hold any of the foregoing. This content is intended to be general in nature and is not specific to you, the user or anyone else. You should not make any decision, financial, investment, trading or otherwise, based on any of the information presented without undertaking independent due diligence and consultation with a professional advisor. Solana Foundation Foundation and its agents, advisors, council members, officers and employees (the “Foundation Parties”) make no representation or warranties, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy of the information herein and expressly disclaims any and all liability that may be based on such information or any errors or omissions therein. The Foundation Parties shall have no liability whatsoever, under contract, tort, trust or otherwise, to any person arising from or related to the content or any use of the information contained herein by you or any of your representatives. All opinions expressed herein are the speakers’ own personal opinions and do not reflect the opinions of any entities.

Mar 21, 2023 • 48min
Does the Internet Really Need Blockchain-Based AI?
To skeptics, blockchain-based AI may sound like a solution in search of a problem. But to Humayun Sheikh, founder and CEO of Fetch, decentralized AI has the power to revolutionize how we transact on the Internet by creating truly peer-to-peer information systems. That sounds straightforward enough, but consumer-facing AI is still in its infancy, and the industry faces many hard questions in the years to come. Humayun navigates these questions with nuance and diligence as he shares his compelling thesis on the future of decentralized AI. DISCLAIMERThe content herein is provided for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only, and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, options, futures, or other derivatives related to securities in any jurisdiction, nor should not be relied upon as advice to buy, sell or hold any of the foregoing. This content is intended to be general in nature and is not specific to you, the user or anyone else. You should not make any decision, financial, investment, trading or otherwise, based on any of the information presented without undertaking independent due diligence and consultation with a professional advisor. Solana Foundation Foundation and its agents, advisors, council members, officers and employees (the “Foundation Parties”) make no representation or warranties, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy of the information herein and expressly disclaims any and all liability that may be based on such information or any errors or omissions therein. The Foundation Parties shall have no liability whatsoever, under contract, tort, trust or otherwise, to any person arising from or related to the content or any use of the information contained herein by you or any of your representatives. All opinions expressed herein are the speakers’ own personal opinions and do not reflect the opinions of any entities.

Mar 14, 2023 • 49min
What the Hell Is Going on in Crypto Venture Investing? with Ben & David from Acquired
Crypto venture investing has plummeted from all time highs, but maybe perceiving this as a "crypto" problem is the wrong way of looking at it. Through the lens of seasoned investors, Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal (Acquired) help us make sense of the present moment of crypto venture and the future conditions under which investing in crypto will become attractive again. DISCLAIMERThe content herein is provided for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only, and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, options, futures, or other derivatives related to securities in any jurisdiction, nor should not be relied upon as advice to buy, sell or hold any of the foregoing. This content is intended to be general in nature and is not specific to you, the user or anyone else. You should not make any decision, financial, investment, trading or otherwise, based on any of the information presented without undertaking independent due diligence and consultation with a professional advisor. Solana Foundation Foundation and its agents, advisors, council members, officers and employees (the “Foundation Parties”) make no representation or warranties, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy of the information herein and expressly disclaims any and all liability that may be based on such information or any errors or omissions therein. The Foundation Parties shall have no liability whatsoever, under contract, tort, trust or otherwise, to any person arising from or related to the content or any use of the information contained herein by you or any of your representatives. All opinions expressed herein are the speakers’ own personal opinions and do not reflect the opinions of any entities.

Mar 7, 2023 • 43min
Build Block Better: It's Infrastructure Week
Running a blockchain network requires sophisticated hardware and software working together. The term "blockchain infrastructure" refers to any component of this system that actually facilitates the existence of a blockchain. In this episode, we talk with Aaron Henshaw, co-founder of Bison Trails, a pioneering blockchain infrastructure platform that was later acquired by Coinbase. Aaron shares his perspective on building infrastructure for different blockchains, running blockchain infrastructure at enterprise scale, how infrastructure companies will have to adapt if legacy tech giants become competitive within the space, and more. DISCLAIMERThe content herein is provided for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only, and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, options, futures, or other derivatives related to securities in any jurisdiction, nor should not be relied upon as advice to buy, sell or hold any of the foregoing. This content is intended to be general in nature and is not specific to you, the user or anyone else. You should not make any decision, financial, investment, trading or otherwise, based on any of the information presented without undertaking independent due diligence and consultation with a professional advisor. Solana Foundation Foundation and its agents, advisors, council members, officers and employees (the “Foundation Parties”) make no representation or warranties, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy of the information herein and expressly disclaims any and all liability that may be based on such information or any errors or omissions therein. The Foundation Parties shall have no liability whatsoever, under contract, tort, trust or otherwise, to any person arising from or related to the content or any use of the information contained herein by you or any of your representatives. All opinions expressed herein are the speakers’ own personal opinions and do not reflect the opinions of any entities.

Feb 28, 2023 • 46min
How web3 Is Disrupting the Web 2 Venture Playbook with Li Jin
In 2019, Li Jin was a tech VC and evangelist for specialized Web 2 platforms and marketplaces. Now, she's all in on web3. From Li's point of view, many of the "passion economy" businesses that were hard to scale in Web 2 are actually more viable in web3. Her current thesis is that ownership - not just revenue - is the next big opportunity in tech, and the best way to facilitate that is on web3.DISCLAIMER The information on this podcast is provided for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only, without any express or implied warranty of any kind, including warranties of accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose. The information contained in or provided from or through this podcast is not intended to be and does not constitute financial advice, investment advice, trading advice, or any other advice. The information on this podcast is general in nature and is not specific to you, the user or anyone else. You should not make any decision, financial, investment, trading or otherwise, based on any of the information presented on this podcast without undertaking independent due diligence and consultation with a professional broker or financial advisor.

Feb 21, 2023 • 35min
Are Zero-Knowledge Proofs All They're Hyped Up to Be?
Zero-knowledge proofs are one of the most compelling and counterintuitive technologies in crypto today. How can you prove something with zero knowledge of the thing you're proving? This episode examines the current and future use cases of zero-knowledge systems while having an honest dialogue about both their challenges and promise. DISCLAIMER The information on this podcast is provided for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only, without any express or implied warranty of any kind, including warranties of accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose. The information contained in or provided from or through this podcast is not intended to be and does not constitute financial advice, investment advice, trading advice, or any other advice. The information on this podcast is general in nature and is not specific to you, the user or anyone else. You should not make any decision, financial, investment, trading or otherwise, based on any of the information presented on this podcast without undertaking independent due diligence and consultation with a professional broker or financial advisor.

Feb 14, 2023 • 42min
Meet a web3 Musician Who Makes Money
Black Dave is a multi-disciplinary artist best known for his music NFTs. Unlike many artists who migrate to web3 from Web 2, web3 is where Black Dave got his start. Dave's web3 origin story is not only unique, but also a crucial part of his success. Dave shares his thoughts on digital culture, community building, the intersection of web3 with the mainstream music industry, and more.DISCLAIMER The information on this podcast is provided for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only, without any express or implied warranty of any kind, including warranties of accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose. The information contained in or provided from or through this podcast is not intended to be and does not constitute financial advice, investment advice, trading advice, or any other advice. The information on this podcast is general in nature and is not specific to you, the user or anyone else. You should not make any decision, financial, investment, trading or otherwise, based on any of the information presented on this podcast without undertaking independent due diligence and consultation with a professional broker or financial advisor.

Feb 7, 2023 • 42min
Crypto-Powered Physical Infrastructure with Sami Kassab
A century ago, infrastructure was synonymous with big things, like bridges, roads, and electrification projects financed by nation states or the world’s largest corporations. But today, the nature of infrastructure is changing. Thanks in large part to the introduction of tokens, infrastructure can now be decentralized, deployed by individuals to solve real-world problems. This is exactly what Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN) are doing In this episode, Messari researcher Sami Kassab provides a general overview of the DePIN space and gives an in-depth breakdown of the Decentralized Wireless (DeWi) sector.DISCLAIMER The information on this podcast is provided for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only, without any express or implied warranty of any kind, including warranties of accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose. The information contained in or provided from or through this podcast is not intended to be and does not constitute financial advice, investment advice, trading advice, or any other advice. The information on this podcast is general in nature and is not specific to you, the user or anyone else. You should not make any decision, financial, investment, trading or otherwise, based on any of the information presented on this podcast without undertaking independent due diligence and consultation with a professional broker or financial advisor.