#322: Luke Barwikowski, CEO of Pixels, on The Current State of Web3 Gaming, Growing to 500k Daily Active Users, and Building on Ronin Blockchain

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

Zach Bruch is the Founder and CEO of MyPrize, an online crypto casino. Zach previously held positions at Kraken and Cumberland Labs, where he ran their sales trading desk. He later created his own trading operation and became one of the most profitable individual traders of all time. Prior to founding MyPrize, Zach served as an advisor at JST Capital, a financial services firm specializing in digital asset markets.In this conversation, we discuss:- Working at Kraken and Cumberland Labs- The power and future of streaming- Stories from institutional trading desks- The evolution of crypto trading- Zach being FTX’s largest individual creditor- The next evolution of crypto casinos- MyPrize has the highest-ever pre-launch valuation for an online casino of $140M- Crypto casinos onboarding normies to web3- Creating multiplayer experiences in web3- Bringing community to web3 casinos- Community drives everything on the internetMyPrizeWebsite: myprize.com X: @myprizecomZach BruchX: @ZachBruchLinkedIn: Zach Bruch ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  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

Ian Rogers is the Chief Experience Officer (CXO) of Ledger, the world-leading crypto and NFT hardware wallet manufacturer. Ian has spent his career exploring and innovating at intersection of music, artists, and technology.Prior to joining Ledger, he spent five years as Chief Digital Officer at LVMH, where he was responsible for building group-level digital excellence and accelerating digital transformation for LVMH maisons. Ian is also renowned for his work in the music industry, where he was the CEO of Beats Music and GM of Music at both Apple and Yahoo!.Ian Rogers also built some of the earliest music-related websites in the early 90s, including Winamp.com, and has been working with Beastie Boys since 1993.In this conversation, we discuss:- Self custody- Ledger Stax launch- New generation of hardware wallets- The need for clear signing- Increasing ease of use- The upcoming bull market, and what's different this time around- Ledger's transactional business- Launching Apple Music- Working at LVMH- Identifying trends + cultureLedgerWebsite: www.ledger.comX: @LedgerDiscord: discord.gg/ledgerIan RogersX: @iancrLinkedIn: ian rogers  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  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

Andreas Brekken is the founder of SideShift.ai, a platform offering direct-to-wallet trading. The exchange has processed over $1.25B in volume to date. Andreas first discovered Bitcoin in 2011 and has a deep technical understanding of the cryptocurrency space. In addition to being a long-term supporter of the cryptocurrency space, Andreas has substantial hands-on industry experience. He founded Justcoin.com, a Norway-based cryptocurrency exchange in 2013 (later acquired by ANX INTL), and then worked at Kraken as a software engineer in 2015 and 2016. He is also the founder of Shitcoin.com, a wide-reaching crypto content platform.In this conversation, we discuss:- Meme coins- When will meme coin mania end?- Interacting with crypto exchanges- ETH Dencun upgrade- Eigenlayer mainnet launch- The impact of Bitcoin halving on asset liquidity- Balancing short-term optimization with long-term scalability- Meme coin trading’s impact on the limits of current protocols- How we reached the era of ‘peak degeneracy'- Which blockchain network to build meme coins on- Discovering Bitcoin back in 2011SideShift.aiWebsite: sideshift.aiX: @sideshiftaiTelegram: t.me/sideshiftAndreas BrekkenX: @abrkn LinkedIn: Andreas B.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  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

Vijay Pravin is the Founder & CEO of bitsCrunch, a Blockchain Analytics and Forensics company focusing on securing the NFT ecosystem. Living in Munich, Germany for the last 10 years, and originally from India.In this conversation, we discuss:- The role of AI/ML in blockchain analytics- Data integrity and transparency in NFT Markets- Navigating the regulatory landscape- Staking mechanisms- Solana integrating bitsCrunch- Sustainable economies- Network security and anti-fraud- NFT data insights and forensics tools- Token 2049 in Dubai- Wash tradingbitsCrunchWebsite: www.bitscrunch.comX: @bitsCrunchDiscord: discord.gg/bitscrunch-officialVijay PravinX: @VijayPravinMLinkedIn: Vijay Pravin  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  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

Nikolaj Rosenthal is the Co-Founder and CEO of Myrmidon, a non-custodial staking provider. Nikolaj was a professional hockey player for +10 years and the first athlete to accept Bitcoin as a salary in 2017. He’s been involved with crypto since late 2016, is an investor + entrepreneur, and was the CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Evonax.com. He went to Copenhagen Business School, where he holds a BSc. Business Administration and Service Management, and Msc. Organizational Innovation & Entrepreneurship.In this conversation, we discuss:- Being the first athlete to accept Bitcoin as salary in 2017- Non-custodial staking- Beaconchain, London fork, Merge, Shanghai/Capella & DenCun hardfork- DVT (Distributed validator technology)- ETH ETF- What’s going on with Ethereum?- Solo-home staking- Staking as a service- Pooled staking- Centralized staking- How to pick the right staking provider?Myrmidon StakingWebsite: myrmidonstaking.comX: @MyrmidonstakingDiscord: discord.gg/kwE9EGnz96Nikolaj RosenthalInstagram: @nikolajrosenthalFacebook: @nikolaj.rosenthalLinkedIn: Nikolaj Rosenthal  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  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

Niraj Pant is Co-Founder of Ritual, the decentralized execution layer for AI. Prior to founding Ritual, Niraj spent six years as a General Partner at Polychain, leading investment rounds in startups like Offchain Labs, EigenLayer, and Compound. He began his career as a cryptography researcher in the Decentralized Systems Lab at UIUC.In this conversation, we discuss:- The relationship between crypto and AI- The future of AI and crypto- Building autonomous worlds and games- Applying ML to DeFi- Smart Agents- Building decentralized AI infrastructure- Story Protocol- Exciting developers- AI-based DApps- GPU as a serviceRitualWebsite: ritual.netX: @ritualnetDiscord: discord.ritual.netNiraj PantX: @nirajLinkedIn: Niraj Pant  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  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

Matt Duea is an entrepreneur and a co-founder of Roobet, a betting brand for the next generation of gamers, and part of the group behind Roobet.fun and Roobet.com.In this conversation, we discuss:- Crypto-based gambling- Advancing the everyday application of cryptocurrencies- Crash gambling game- roobet.fun - the official social casino of the UFC- Future of crypto gambling regulations- Blockchain and crypto integration in gambling- Difference between web3 and web2 gambling- The benefits of a crypto casino- Social casinosRoobetWebsite: roobet.comX: @RoobetTelegram: t.me/roobetcomMatt DueaWebsite: mattduea.com  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  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

Luke Barwikowski is the founder and CEO of Pixels, the largest web3 game by DAU. With over 2.5M total players, Pixels is a social, casual web3 game powered by the Ronin Network, focusing on farming, exploration, and creation in an open world.  As CEO, Luke's mission is to build the biggest Web3 casual games company.Luke's background in software engineering started at 12, and he built and sold his first app at 18. He holds a bachelor's degree in Computer Science and Economics from the University of Michigan.In this conversation, we discuss:- Current state of Web3 gaming- Future of Web3 gaming- Coding and making video games at 12yrs old- Bitcoin mining back in the day- How Pixels differs from other web3 games- Move from Polygon to Ronin- Building on Ronin Blockchain- Virtual world building- Building the biggest Web3 casual games company- 500K+ real daily active users and 4.5M USD in token revenue in the last 30 days- Becoming the Zynga of Web3PixelsWebsite: www.pixels.xyzX: @pixels_onlineDiscord: discord.gg/pixelsLuke BarwikowskiX: @whatslukedoingLinkedIn: Luke Barwikowski  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  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