The blocmates Podcast

Founder Series brings on Piers from Radix, a layer-one protocol. He analyzes the relationship between retail, corporate, and government sectors and the role of institutions in driving the growth of DeFi. The conversation focuses on the current challenges and limitations of DeFi, particularly in terms of liquidity and fragmentation, and how Radix is attempting to address these issues through its platform. They discuss the importance of security, programmability, and usability in DeFi and how Radix is positioning itself to become a leader in the space.They also explore the role of incentives, gamification, and community in driving adoption and growth.

Founder Series brings on Kyle, as they discuss prediction markets, the benefits of using crypto-based prediction markets, and the potential for biases and malicious behavior.Kyle shares his experiences and insights about Hedgehog Markets and discusses the company's upcoming developments, including the deployment of peer-to-peer and peer-to-pool style markets on Eclipse.

Welcome back to TAO Talk, the weekly blocmates show recapping all of the news in the Bittensor ecosystem. Produced by blocmates and supported by Onchain Outpost. This week's episode sees 563 and Brody joined by Ken Miyachi, co-founder of BitMind, the world's first decentralized AI deep fake detection system, building on Bittensor. We discuss the recent Google-hosted Bittensor and Dippy conference and its impact on the tech giant’s potential move toward AI and crypto, the intricacies of protein folding, and how BitMind is building a product to solve the ongoing issue of AI deep fakes online. 

This week, 563 and Brody are joined by Will (fox) and Steffen (crux), co-founders of Macrocosmos.The lads discuss:New dashboard from SN6 Infinite Games- Why is “prediction” such a natural use case for Bittensor subnets?NextPlace AI launches on SN 48- With so many new subnets popping up, is there a limit to the variety or does Bittensor just swallow everything?Macrocosmos updates:- Aladdin/BISTRO: distributed training- Why is it important that Bittensor focus on this topic in particular?- What is Bittensor’s edge in this space, when there are already strong teams working on it outside of Bittensor?

Founder Series brings on BigBeardSamurait, the founder of exSat, as he explains the concept of exSat, a docking layer for Bitcoin that provides a data availability layer and a hybrid consensus mechanism. He highlights the benefits of exSat for miners, validators, custodians, and end users and discusses the tokenomics of the XSAT token and the RAM token.

Founder Series brings Nick from Unstoppable as he shares the company's journey in creating a decentralized alternative to centralized exchanges.The conversation covers Unstoppable’s dedication to self-custody, decentralization, and user safety, highlighting features like advanced order types, margin trading, and a secure, user-friendly mobile app.They also address regulatory challenges in the EU and US and their impact on innovation in the crypto space. The discussion emphasizes unique DeFi principles such as self-custody and decentralization and explores user engagement strategies prioritizing real value over common incentive models. 

Founder Series brings on Devin from GammaSwap as they dive into the evolution and innovation in DeFi, particularly around options and volatility trading. Devin shares GammaSwap's origins, the challenges faced by traditional AMMs, and how GammaSwap addresses these by enabling decentralized long volatility. They also discuss the differences between perpetual and traditional options, focusing on improving capital efficiency and reducing liquidity fragmentation.They also explore the nuances of perpetual futures, options, and how GammaSwap stands out by offering high leverage without the risk of liquidation—making it appealing during volatile markets.

Founder Series brings on Josh, the founder of Irys, to explore the concept of programmable data and its role in blockchain.The discussion covers the importance of on-chain data storage and also discusses potential use cases, particularly in data-driven applications like AI, and emphasizes the need to find a market fit. Community building is highlighted as crucial to the project's success, with a strong focus on creating an engaged, dedicated community. Don't forget to spread the love - give us a thumbs up, leave your thoughts below, and hit that subscribe button to stay tuned for more enriching conversations!

Founder Series brings on Sehaj, the CEO of Avantis as they discuss its innovative approach to tackling challenges in decentralized finance (DeFi). The discussion covers Avantis' unique features, like its focus on balancing the needs of liquidity providers (LPs) and traders through loss protection and other incentives.The episode also touches on the integration of real-world assets (RWAs) into on-chain trading, addressing regulatory hurdles and the importance of liquidity and accurate asset parameterization. The episode outlines the roadmap for the next 6-12 months, which includes plans to boost liquidity, lower fees, and introduce no-fee perpetuals. 

Founder Series brings on Saj from BadgerDAO to share his journey from electrical engineering to becoming a prominent figure in DeFi. He discusses the early days of BadgerDAO, which sought to connect Bitcoin and Ethereum through inventive DeFi solutions. Saj introduces EBTC, a new protocol designed to offer a more capital-efficient and trustless solution for Bitcoin in DeFi. EBTC uses synthetic assets and state ETH to provide a stable, cost-effective borrowing option. The episode covers the technical aspects of borrowing, collateralization, and liquidation, as well as market interest in EBTC. Future plans include leverage tools and a Bitcoin yield savings account.