#335: Tomer Pascal, CEO of CityVerse Tycoon, on Web3 Mobile Gaming Ecosystem, PWAs, and Battling the Apple/Google App Stores

Josh Fraser is the Co-Founder of Origin Protocol. Prior to Origin, he co-founded three other venture-backed companies: EventVue, Torbit (acquired by Walmart Labs) & Forage. Josh started coding at the age of 10.In this conversation, we discuss:- DeFi industry- Automated Redemption Manager (ARM)- Liquid staking- Transparency and integrity in crypto- Crypto industry's volatility- Staking and Ethereum- Learning to code at age 10- Getting better yields in crypto- The future of yield is multi-chainOrigin ProtocolWebsite: www.originprotocol.com X: @OriginProtocolTelegram: t.me/originprotocolJosh FraserX: @joshfraserLinkedIn: Josh Fraser ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This episode is brought to you by PrimeXBT.  PrimeXBT offers a robust trading system for both beginners and professional traders that demand highly reliable market data and performance. Traders of all experience levels can easily design and customize layouts and widgets to best fit their trading style. PrimeXBT is always offering innovative products and professional trading conditions to all customers.   PrimeXBT is running an exclusive promotion for listeners of the podcast. After making your first deposit, 50% of that first deposit will be credited to your account as a bonus that can be used as additional collateral to open positions.  Code: CRYPTONEWS50  This promotion is available for a month after activation. Click the link below:  PrimeXBT x CRYPTONEWS50

Anurag Arjun, Co-founder of Avail, is a seasoned entrepreneur who has founded several successful startups across diverse industries, ranging from cash flow lending to regulatory tech. With a strategic move into the blockchain space in 2017, he co-founded Matic Network, which has since evolved into Polygon, a platform for scaling Ethereum.In 2020, Anurag spearheaded the development of Avail, an innovative solution within the Polygon ecosystem that empowers developers to create fast, efficient, and scalable applications. As a pioneer with a background spanning research, economics, and engineering, Anurag's unique skill set has been invaluable in creating Avail and the broader blockchain community. In March 2023, he and co-founder Prabal Banerjee spun off Avail from Polygon to embark on a journey to empower rollup and application blockchain communities with the development of a unification layer that enables modular execution layers to scale and interoperate in a trust-minimized way.With an unwavering commitment to realizing the full potential of modular blockchain technology, Anurag is excited to leverage this cutting-edge approach to maximize Avail's impact. His expertise and vision continue to drive Avail's success and position the company at the forefront of the blockchain revolution.In this conversation, we discuss:- Founding Polygon in 2020- Why a unification layer is needed- Present day L2s- Avail ecosystem: Gaming , AI, Bitcoin L2's, DeFi, Wallet & Infra- Modular blockchains- Avail’s mainnet launch- $27mm raise, led by Founders Fund and Dragon Fly- The future of L2s and roll-ups- L1s as tribes- Web3 infrastructureAvailWebsite: www.availproject.orgX: @AvailProjectTelegram: t.me/AvailCommunityAnurag ArjunX: @anuragarjunLinkedIn: Anurag Arjun ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This episode is brought to you by PrimeXBT.  PrimeXBT offers a robust trading system for both beginners and professional traders that demand highly reliable market data and performance. Traders of all experience levels can easily design and customize layouts and widgets to best fit their trading style. PrimeXBT is always offering innovative products and professional trading conditions to all customers.   PrimeXBT is running an exclusive promotion for listeners of the podcast. After making your first deposit, 50% of that first deposit will be credited to your account as a bonus that can be used as additional collateral to open positions.  Code: CRYPTONEWS50  This promotion is available for a month after activation. Click the link below:  PrimeXBT x CRYPTONEWS50

Ethan Buchman is Co-founder of Cosmos, CEO of Informal Systems, and Founder Cycles Protocol Ethan is a leading figure in blockchain technology and has worked at the Interchain Foundation, Tendermint, and his consultancy CoinCulture CryptoConsulting.His academic background in Biophysics from the University of Guelph informs his interdisciplinary approach, evident in his research contributions across institutions like the University of California, San Francisco. Ethan's innovative mindset and expertise continue to drive advancements in decentralized systems.In this conversation, we discuss:- Blockchains' killer app is money- What is money? To denominate and discharge debt- The history of money and blockchain- Cycles protocol- The inception of Cosmos ecosystem- Community computers - the ethos of blockchain- Collaborative Finance, blockchain's missing promise- Money isn't just about storing value; it's about accounting and exchange- Traditional banking's power lies in clearing debts- Clearing more debt with less money- Crypto in Canada and Ethereum in TorontoCosmosWebsite: cosmos.networkX: @cosmosTelegram: t.me/cosmosprojectEthan BuchmanX: @buchmansterLinkedIn: Ethan Buchman ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This episode is brought to you by PrimeXBT.  PrimeXBT offers a robust trading system for both beginners and professional traders that demand highly reliable market data and performance. Traders of all experience levels can easily design and customize layouts and widgets to best fit their trading style. PrimeXBT is always offering innovative products and professional trading conditions to all customers.   PrimeXBT is running an exclusive promotion for listeners of the podcast. After making your first deposit, 50% of that first deposit will be credited to your account as a bonus that can be used as additional collateral to open positions.  Code: CRYPTONEWS50  This promotion is available for a month after activation. Click the link below:  PrimeXBT x CRYPTONEWS50

Tristan Frizza is the Founder of Zeta Markets. Tristan’s curiosity for crypto was ignited in 2017 when he traded his first cryptocurrency, spurring him to finish his Computer Science degree with an emphasis on distributed systems and PoW blockchain technology. He then worked in AI research and as a data scientist in Silicon Valley, eventually writing his thesis on Generative Adversarial Network for Image Super-Resolution for which he received First Class Honours.Motivated by a passion for open-source software and the potential to democratize finance, Tristan co-founded Zeta. His venture aimed to introduce transparency and accessibility to the financial sector, drawing on his deep technological expertise and vision for the future of global markets. The turning point came in 2021 when Tristan and his team triumphed in a Solana hackathon, outshining over 13,000 participants, which catalyzed the transformation of their proof of concept into a prominent decentralized exchange.Today, Zeta is a testament to Tristan’s ambition and innovation, having processed over $5 billion in trading volume. His journey from a crypto enthusiast to a trailblazer in decentralized finance illustrates the impact of perseverance, hard work, and conviction in blockchain technology in reshaping the financial landscape.In this conversation, we discuss:- Perpetual trading- Solana’s DeFi Layer 2 plans & Ecosystem- 2024 DeFi summer- $Z token-New $5M Strategic Round led by @ElectricCapital- The future trajectory of DeFi- The role of enhanced staking mechanisms- Fostering a robust and secure trading environment- Innovative tokenomics- Solana congestion issues- Ethereum vs. SolanaZeta MarketsWebsite: www.zeta.marketsX: @ZetaMarketsDiscord: discord.gg/Xn9HCJaDZdTristan FrizzaX: @Tristan0xLinkedIn: Tristan Frizza  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This episode is brought to you by PrimeXBT.  PrimeXBT offers a robust trading system for both beginners and professional traders that demand highly reliable market data and performance. Traders of all experience levels can easily design and customize layouts and widgets to best fit their trading style. PrimeXBT is always offering innovative products and professional trading conditions to all customers.   PrimeXBT is running an exclusive promotion for listeners of the podcast. After making your first deposit, 50% of that first deposit will be credited to your account as a bonus that can be used as additional collateral to open positions.  Code: CRYPTONEWS50  This promotion is available for a month after activation. Click the link below:  PrimeXBT x CRYPTONEWS50

Tomer Pascal is the CEO and co-founder of OwnPlay, a web3 mobile gaming ecosystem that has developed CityVerse Tycoon, a PWA game allowing players to trade, buy, and sell tokenized replicas of real buildings in New York City. Tomer has extensive multi-disciplinary experience in delivering products to their appropriate markets, working with early-stage companies, businesses with new products, and well-established organizations. He combines his tech mindset, ability to create effective marketing technology platforms, and business capabilities to help companies monetize their products and achieve growth.Before founding OwnPlay, Tomer held several positions, including Chief Revenue Officer at Mohawk Group, Inc., where he focused on driving revenue and holistic growth; Chief Executive Officer at OMG Studios, where he served as a corporate strategist and worked on digital media and customer engagement; and General Manager of the Perion Lightspeed Division at Perion, overseeing the GrowMobile mobile advertising platform. With his diverse skill set and experience, Tomer leads OwnPlay in its mission to innovate in the mobile gaming industry using web3 technology.In this conversation, we discuss:- What is a PWA game?- CityVerse Tycoon = Monopoly GO + Zillow- Trade, buy, and sell tokenized replicas of real buildings- The opportunity that mobile offers for web3 gaming- Challenges of creating and operating a mobile web3 game- Mobile offering unparalleled accessibility- The "David and Goliath" struggle between crypto apps and centralized app stores- Apple and Google’s Appstore Duopoly- Building the game as a PWA rather than a traditional mobile app- PWA’s influence on distribution and monetization for mobile gamingCityVerse TycoonWebsite: cityversetycoon.comX: @CityVerseTycoonDiscord: discord.gg/cityversetycoonTomer PascalX: @TomerPascalLinkedIn: Tomer Pascal ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This episode is brought to you by PrimeXBT.  PrimeXBT offers a robust trading system for both beginners and professional traders that demand highly reliable market data and performance. Traders of all experience levels can easily design and customize layouts and widgets to best fit their trading style. PrimeXBT is always offering innovative products and professional trading conditions to all customers.   PrimeXBT is running an exclusive promotion for listeners of the podcast. After making your first deposit, 50% of that first deposit will be credited to your account as a bonus that can be used as additional collateral to open positions.  Code: CRYPTONEWS50  This promotion is available for a month after activation. Click the link below:  PrimeXBT x CRYPTONEWS50

Spencer Farrar is a Partner at Theory Ventures. Spencer was a two-sport athlete at Berkeley (swimming and water polo). He then worked at a Web3 startup, Velocity, which processed more than $150m of volume per day, before joining Bienville, a $4b asset investing in early-stage blockchain companies.In this conversation, we discuss:- The state of Web3 funding- Web3 startups- Venture strategy and liquid strategy in crypto- AI-based Web3/blockchain companies- Go-to-market strategy- Influencers becoming VCs- Swimming and water polo- Working in trad-fi- Similarities between VC and PE- Supporting portfolio companies- Web2 vs. Web3 salesTheory VenturesWebsite: theory.venturesX: @TheoryvcLinkedIn: Theory VenturesSpencer FarrarX: @SpencerFarrarLinkedIn: Spencer Farrar  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This episode is brought to you by PrimeXBT.  PrimeXBT offers a robust trading system for both beginners and professional traders that demand highly reliable market data and performance. Traders of all experience levels can easily design and customize layouts and widgets to best fit their trading style. PrimeXBT is always offering innovative products and professional trading conditions to all customers.   PrimeXBT is running an exclusive promotion for listeners of the podcast. After making your first deposit, 50% of that first deposit will be credited to your account as a bonus that can be used as additional collateral to open positions.  Code: CRYPTONEWS50  This promotion is available for a month after activation. Click the link below:  PrimeXBT x CRYPTONEWS50

Eduard Jubany Tur, Founder of ZKX, a decentralized perpetual futures exchange on Starknet.Eduard’s background in tech and finance has led him to tackle some of DeFi’s most pressing challenges, such as accessibility and user engagement. With the goal of making DeFi more approachable and efficient, Eduard has been at the forefront of integrating gamification into trading, enhancing the learning curve with innovative solutions. Beyond that, Eduard and ZKX are also leveraging Starknet for scalability, advancing trading with security and transparency, and fostering community governance. This multifaceted approach highlights his commitment to not only making DeFi fun and accessible, but also robust, secure, and inclusive.In this conversation, we discuss:- Perpetual futures trading- DeFi’s growth in Asia + crypto in Asia- The potential of DeFi to democratize finance- Starknet- Account abstraction- Challenges of achieving widespread adoption- Appchains- Incentivizing engagement while ensuring accessibility- Onboarding the masses- The explosion of L1s and L2sZKXWebsite: zkx.fiZ: @zkxprotocolTelegram: t.me/zkxcommunityEduard Jubany TurX: @0xEduardLinkedIn: Eduard Jubany Tur  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This episode is brought to you by PrimeXBT.  PrimeXBT offers a robust trading system for both beginners and professional traders that demand highly reliable market data and performance. Traders of all experience levels can easily design and customize layouts and widgets to best fit their trading style. PrimeXBT is always offering innovative products and professional trading conditions to all customers.   PrimeXBT is running an exclusive promotion for listeners of the podcast. After making your first deposit, 50% of that first deposit will be credited to your account as a bonus that can be used as additional collateral to open positions.  Code: CRYPTONEWS50  This promotion is available for a month after activation. Click the link below:  PrimeXBT x CRYPTONEWS50

Armani Ferrante is the founder and CEO of Backpack. The Backpack ecosystem of companies, creators of the Backpack wallet, the Mad Lads NFT collection, the xNFT standard, and Backpack Exchange. Before founding Backpack in April 2022, he was the creator of Anchor, a groundbreaking developer tool that revolutionized programming on Solana.  Anchor has become an integral part of numerous Solana projects and protocols, and bonding its commitments to simplifying the developer experience. Armani graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Computer Science and before dedicating all his effort into crypto and web3, he used to work for Apple as a software engineer.In this conversation, we discuss:- Super Apps in crypto- Growth of the Solana ecosystem- Hill climbing business mindset- Backpack- Mad Lads NFT collection- Anchor developer tools- Solana vs Ethereum- Multi-threaded and parallel blockchains - the future of web3- Speed, security, applications - the 3 things people care about- The future of consumer cryptoBackpackWebsite: backpack.appX: @BackpackDiscord: discord.gg/backpackArmani FerranteX: @armaniferrante  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This episode is brought to you by PrimeXBT.  PrimeXBT offers a robust trading system for both beginners and professional traders that demand highly reliable market data and performance. Traders of all experience levels can easily design and customize layouts and widgets to best fit their trading style. PrimeXBT is always offering innovative products and professional trading conditions to all customers.   PrimeXBT is running an exclusive promotion for listeners of the podcast. After making your first deposit, 50% of that first deposit will be credited to your account as a bonus that can be used as additional collateral to open positions.  Code: CRYPTONEWS50  This promotion is available for a month after activation. Click the link below:  PrimeXBT x CRYPTONEWS50

Tascha Punyaneramitdee serves as Core Contributor & Founder of INIT Capital, a Liquidity Hook Money Market designed to enhance liquidity layers. Her prior role in leading Stella, a protocol offering multi-chain leveraged strategies, highlights her significant contributions and expertise in the sector.In this conversation, we discuss:- Liquidity Hook Money Market- Addressing information asymmetry- Better management of liquidity- Innovating DeFi’s architecture- Crypto scene in Thailand- Point farming in crypto- 2024 trends- Creating new liquidity streams- Memecoins- RWA, DePIN, AI- Bitcoin L2sINIT CapitalWebsite: init.capitalX: @InitCapital_LinkedIn: INIT CapitalTascha PunyaneramitdeeX: @tascha_panpanLinkedIn: Tascha P.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This episode is brought to you by PrimeXBT.  PrimeXBT offers a robust trading system for both beginners and professional traders that demand highly reliable market data and performance. Traders of all experience levels can easily design and customize layouts and widgets to best fit their trading style. PrimeXBT is always offering innovative products and professional trading conditions to all customers.   PrimeXBT is running an exclusive promotion for listeners of the podcast. After making your first deposit, 50% of that first deposit will be credited to your account as a bonus that can be used as additional collateral to open positions.  Code: CRYPTONEWS50  This promotion is available for a month after activation. Click the link below:  PrimeXBT x CRYPTONEWS50

Gracy Chen, the Managing Director of Bitget, oversees the growth and expansion of global markets, strategy, execution, business and corporate development of Bitget. She started her journey to the crypto world in 2014, being an investor in the early days of BitKeep (now Bitget Wallet), Asia’s leading decentralized wallet. Gracy was named a Global Shaper by the World Economic Forum in 2015.Moreover, Gracy has been selected as delegate to attend the recent UN Women CSW68 conference , an event where the UN member states representative and social organizations get together to raise and discuss critical issues impacting gender equality and women’s rights in New York, and address poverty and diversity problems and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.In this conversation, we discuss:- Post Bitcoin halving update- Memecoin mania- How coins get listed on exchanges- AI tokens outpacing Bitcoin- Immersive NFTs- Augmented reality (AR) technology in art and entertainment- The big picture of this current bull market- Life in Boston- Are we getting a rate cut?- Predictions for AI-focused crypto assets for 2024BitgetWebsite: bitget.comTwitter: @bitgetglobalLinkedIn: BitgetTelegram: t.me/bitgetENGracy ChenTwitter: @GracyBitgetLinkedIn: Gracy Chen ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This episode is brought to you by PrimeXBT.  PrimeXBT offers a robust trading system for both beginners and professional traders that demand highly reliable market data and performance. Traders of all experience levels can easily design and customize layouts and widgets to best fit their trading style. PrimeXBT is always offering innovative products and professional trading conditions to all customers.   PrimeXBT is running an exclusive promotion for listeners of the podcast. After making your first deposit, 50% of that first deposit will be credited to your account as a bonus that can be used as additional collateral to open positions.  Code: CRYPTONEWS50  This promotion is available for a month after activation. Click the link below:  PrimeXBT x CRYPTONEWS50