A Decade on the Frontlines of Crypto Policy w/ Peter Van Valkenburgh
In this episode, Austin and Peter Van Valkenburgh Coin Center's mission and the critical role of educating policymakers. The discussion spans over Coin Center's inception, its efforts in shaping sound crypto regulations, and its battles against adverse policies. Peter sheds light on Coin Center's ongoing lawsuits, the implications of recent DOJ guidance, and the controversy surrounding meme coins in American politics. Peter also provides insights into future challenges and opportunities in crypto regulation, emphasizing the vital importance of nuanced policies that balance innovation with oversight. Whether you're a crypto enthusiast, policymaker, or just curious about the intersections of technology and regulation, this episode offers valuable perspectives. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
A Decade on the Frontlines of Crypto Policy w/ Peter Van Valkenburgh
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Maple's Model for Institutional Lending w/ Sid Powell
In this episode, Austin chats with Sid Powell, co-founder and CEO of Maple Finance, to explore how institutional credit is moving on-chain. Sid breaks down how Maple has facilitated over $5 billion in loans, how it manages risk and transparency in a post–Celsius world, and what’s next for tokenized private credit. We also discuss stablecoins, regulation, and how crypto finance is maturing for the long term. 00:00 - Understanding Maple Finance 02:03 - Comparing Maple to Celsius 09:39 - Institutional Clientele 16:42 - Maple's Navigation of Different Blockchain Ecosystems 22:58 - The Case for Vertical Integration 23:57 - Challenges in Financial Services 25:12 - Crypto's Overall Growth 26:49 - The Future of Banking and Crypto Adoption 30:57 - Stablecoins and Cross-Border Payments 38:21 - Automation and Efficiency in Crypto Lending 44:00 - Conclusion Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Kevin Bowers on the True Costs of Scaling Crypto
In this episode, Kevin Bowers returns to explain Jump's expansion from trading to core infrastructure, centered on what he calls the "great inversion": the real bottleneck in tech isn't compute, but data and I/O. He introduces Shelby, a new storage network, as a direct challenge to the "Hotel California for Data" model used by cloud providers. This same focus on efficient data flow—not just processing power—was the key to scaling Solana with Fire Dancer. Finally, Kevin explains how FPGAs from high-frequency trading are the critical hardware solution, allowing blockchains to bypass software's inefficient "Tower of Babel" and "get close to the wire" for true high performance. 00:00 - Expanding Beyond Trading and the Vision for Shelby 02:31 - Challenges in Storage and Data Management 04:37 - Building High-Performance Systems 08:04 - The Evolution of Jump's Technology 11:55 - The Economics of Cloud Storage 29:07 - Fire Dancer and Frankendancer 42:03 - The Cost of Optimization 42:48 - Machine Learning and Custom Networks 43:47 - Project Prioritization and Entropy 46:48 - Challenges in High-Performance Computing 56:38 - The Role of FPGAs in Trading and Blockchain 01:13:45 - Future of Hardware Acceleration in Blockchain 01:18:54 -Conclusion and Final Thoughts Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
How Marinade Went from Hackathon OG's to Wall Street w/ Michael Repetny
In this episode, Austin chats with Michael Repetny, a core contributor to Marinade. They discuss the history and technical details of Marinade, its role in the Solana ecosystem, and its approach to staking. Michael covers Marinade's origins in a 2021 hackathon, the development of its custom stake pool contract, and its early competition with Lido. The conversation addresses the evolution of validator economics on Solana, the impact of MEV and priority fees, and Marinade's response to sandwich attacks. They also discuss the protocol's products, including its liquid staking token (mSOL) and Marinade Native, a non-custodial delegation service. The episode concludes with a discussion on preparing for institutional adoption, the role of LSTs in ETFs, and the process of getting SOC 2 compliance. 00:00 – Marinade’s Origins and Early Days 03:11 – Building on Solana 07:09 – Competing with Lido and the Importance of Community 10:59 – The Changing Economics of Staking 14:45 – Stake Pools, Yield, and Market Transparency 19:17 – The Marinade Marketplace 23:21 – Protected Staking Rewards & Validator Bonds 27:19 – Marinade Native 32:18 – ETFs, Institutions, and the Future of Staking 38:34 – Security, Compliance, and SOC 2 in Crypto 43:59 – The Future of Marinade and Solana Staking 46:59 – How to Get Involved with Marinade & Closing Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.