Proof of Coverage

ETH Denver recap with insights on DePIN themes, memecoins, underrated projects, GPU supply shortages, and the benefits of in-person connections in the crypto space.

Connor, Sami, and Mahesh are joined by Raullen Chai, Co-Founder of IoTeX. IoTeX is the platform for DePIN builders, combining a fast, secure blockchain with IoT and smart devices. Raullen talks about how he fell in love with crypto when he tried to break Bitcoin (and couldn’t do it), why he dedicated his work in crypto to supporting DePIN, the competitive landscape of DePIN-focused L1’s and where IoTeX fits in, and how IoTeX’s hardware origins help them serve founders better.  0:00 Cold Open 0:36 The State of DePIN Fundraising 2:10 How working at Google and Uber exposed Raullen to crypto 5:56 Why Raullen was moved to leave Big Tech to crypto 7:28 Raullen’s Multi-Cycle Learnings 10:04 Why DePIN? 12:18 IoTeX’s Role in the DePIN Ecosystem 15:38 The Competitive Landscape of DePIN L1’s  18:23 What are DePIN Founders looking for in L1’s? 21:32 IoTeX’s W3bstream’s Value Prop 24:22 How IoTeX’s hardware expertise adds value to projects 28:10 Dedicated Hardware vs. Consumer Mobile Device Trends in DePIN 31:00 IoTeX’s Hardware Origins and Early Adoption 34:06 The Benefit to a DePIN Builder of the Marshall DAO 36:38 Lightning Round    Disclaimer: The hosts and the firms they represent may hold stakes in the companies mentioned in this podcast. None of this is financial advice.

Caldera and Eclipse CEOs discuss no-code web3 infrastructure, Solana VM, building layer-2 blockchains in hours, customizability, chain interoperability, economics, DePIN use case, and selling founders. Exploring Ethereum L1 challenges, EVM-based L2 solutions, ZK proofs, and proof-based mechanisms for interacting with blockchain networks.

Mahesh and Connor are joined by Jonathan Victor. Jonathan formerly worked on Filecoin at Protocol Labs, and left to found Ansa Research, a research firm focused on distributed infrastructure covering digital networks that aim to rebuild how internet infrastructure operates. Jonathan talks about how his Palantir background influenced his time at Protocol Labs, why content addressing is a critical component to the future of the web, what the long-term Filecoin roadmap looks like, the protocol’s recent investments into retrieval, where Filecoin and other storage protocols fit into the broader ecosystem of enterprise storage, and clears up Filecoin’s revenue model. 0:00 Cold Brew Open 0:40 How Jon’s background at Palantir led him to Filecoin 4:28 Jon’s Decentralized Infrastructure Theses 9:42 How the Various Storage Solutions May Work Together in the Future 13:33 Filecoin’s Long-term Roadmap 20:03 Filecoin and Retrieval 24:55 Storage as a Commodity or a Differentiated Offering    29:30 Why Location Matters in Storage  34:04 IPFS and Filecoin’s Value Prop 39:33 How Filecoin Cultivated it’s robust developer ecosystem 43:42 Filecoin’s Revenue Model and Transparency 50:47 Where to find Jon’s Work Disclaimer: The hosts and the firms they represent may hold stakes in the companies mentioned in this podcast. None of this is financial advice.

Sami, Connor and Mahesh are joined by Ryan Selkis, Founder and CEO of Messari. Messari provides market intelligence that drives high-conviction participation in the crypto economy.  Ryan discusses his thoughts on the current state of crypto regulation, its implications on the 2024 US Presidential election, where he hopes Vivek Ramaswamy lands next, the 3 areas of DePIN that excite him most, and if it has a hat (spoiler: it does). 0:00 Is this the cold open? 0:47 Does it have a hat? 2:26 What did the term “Web3” do to Selkis? 5:47 State of crypto & the US Presidential Race 16:03 Vivek Ramaswamy’s next step 21:01 Trump’s stance on crypto 27:00 How well do US regulators understand DePIN? 37:00 The sectors of DePIN Selkis is most interested in 44:29 How to be a cockroach  50:06 Lightning round Disclaimer: The hosts and the firms they represent may hold stakes in the companies mentioned in this podcast. None of this is financial advice.

Sami and Mahesh are joined by Nick Emmons, CEO & Co-Founder of Upshot.  Upshot is a decentralized AI network optimized for DeFi applications. The network incentivizes participants to contribute their expertise, which can include machine learning models, data, and other forms of knowledge, cultivating a cooperative ecosystem where contributors collectively strive towards achieving shared AI objectives. Nick shares his insights on the regulatory landscape for AI, discussing the competitive edge that decentralized AI could have over traditional centralized AI systems. He also speaks about the evolution of Upshot into a platform that leverages the collective intelligence of its participants to create and improve DeFi applications. The conversation also touches on the critical role of zero-knowledge proofs for integrating AI with blockchains. Lastly, Nick highlights various use cases for Upshot, showcasing its potential to transform the DeFi space. 00:00 - Hair Routines 1:04 - Crypto and AI Regulation 2:47 - The Rapid Rate of AI Innovation 5:35 - Entering an Era of Hyperfinancilization 8:20 - Competing with OpenAI’s GPT Store 9:50 - Upshot’s Origin 15:26 - How Price Predicting Models on Upshot Work 19:30 - How Models on Upshot Work Together 20:40 - Upshot Machine Intelligence Network Architecture 25:05 - Upshot + zkML  29:05 - opML vs zkML 31:30 - Upshot Use Cases 34:40 - How the Community can Help 37:55 - Rapid Fire Questions  Disclaimer: The hosts and the firms they represent may hold stakes in the companies mentioned in this podcast. None of this is financial advice.

Jules Urbach (CEO) and Trevor Harries-Jones (Director) discuss the Render Network's decentralized GPU rendering platform and its impact on artists. They explore use cases, advantages over other GPU networks, integration with AI, and the future of immersive entertainment.

Connor, Sami, and Mahesh are joined by Ariel Seidman,  CEO / Co-Founder of Hivemapper. Hivemapper is building the world’s freshest map with AI and a network of drivers using dashcams. Ariel talks about why Hivemapper uses purpose-built hardware, the problems with centralized mapping today, how they designed the HONEY token design to dynamically match Hivemapper’s progress towards its long-term goals, and the weirdest things the team has seen on driver images. 0:00 - Cold Open - A TradWi Conspiracy Afoot? 0:42 - Hello Ariel! 3:00 Privacy is one of Hivemapper biggest concerns 5:38 How Ariel explains DePIN 7:30 How Ariel’s background at Yahoo and Gigwalk informed the early Hivemapper days 11:47 The emerging use cases that only a fresh, high-quality map can serve 18:31 How has centralized mapping reacted to Hivemapper’s emergence? 20:24 What the Hivemapper protocol is designed to incentivize 25:05 How the HONEY token emissions are engineered to keep the network sustainable 30:16 Hivemapper’s first customers 34:05 Why Hivemapper uses dedicated hardware 41:52 How the Hivemapper Map AI acts as the brains of the network 47:31 Hivemapper’s product suite 50:50 Ariel’s advice for DePIN founders Disclaimer: The hosts and the firms they represent may hold stakes in the companies mentioned in this podcast. None of this is financial advice.

Connor and Mahesh sit down with Adam Jackson, Co-Founder and CEO of Braintrust. Braintrust is the first user-owned talent network, matching enterprise employers to vetted knowledge workers. Today, Braintrust boasts over 3,000 employers hiring from a pool of 500,000 freelancers who have collectively earned over $150M on the Braintrust network. Adam discusses Braintrust’s origins from a DePIN-focused hedge fund, what DePIN means to him, the reality of the US crypto regulatory environment, and what levers Braintrust can pull to drive growth. 0:00 - 0:20 Hello Adam! 0:20 - 5:10 Why Remote Works Makes Sense 5:10 - 10:44 Adam’s Background and How Braintrust Came to Be 10:45 - 12:38 What does DePIN mean to Adam? 13:14 - 18:24 Braintrust’s Enterprise-Grade User Experience 18:24  - 21:53 The Upside and Downside of Decentralization 21:53 - 23:07 The Vetting Process for Knowledge Workers 23:07 - 28:15 Braintrust Revenue and Governance Model 28:15 - 32:48 Braintrust’s Growth Levers  32:48 - 34:57 How Braintrust Can Pull Levers to Balance Marketplace Demand and Supply  34:57 - 37:40 Braintrust’s Clients Don’t Care about the Token 37:40 - 39:02 Crypto’s Regulatory Environment 39:02 - 44:40 Has Technology Really Improved Productivity?  44:40 - 48:30 Is Talent Happier Using Braintrust? Disclaimer: The hosts and the firms they represent may hold stakes in the companies mentioned in this podcast. None of this is financial advice.

Sami and Mahesh are joined by Sam Williams, Co-Founder and CEO of Arweave. Arweave is a permanent and decentralized storage network, designed for the preservation of humanity’s most important data.  Sam discussed what inspired him to work on permanent storage, why he doesn’t view Filecoin as a major competitor, how Arweave is designed to store the highest-value data, and some of the exciting projects currently using Arweave. 0:00 - 0:59 DePIN Date Night 1:00 - 7:44 How recent global events inspired Arweave 7:45 - 12:09 Why Sam doesn't view Filecoin as a behemoth 12:10 - 15:04Arweave's competition 15:05 - 19:13 Bitcoin as a storage layer 19:14 - 25:09 Arweave's PMF 25:10 - 29:27 Applications currently using Arweave 29:28 - 34:52 How Sam thinks the industry can drive user behavior 34:53 - 38:30 What Sam's most excited about in the next few years Disclaimer: The hosts and the firms they represent may hold stakes in the companies mentioned in this podcast. None of this is financial advice.