Financing The AI Boom: How DeFi Is Filling A Trillion-Dollar Gap

Leo Lanza is a well known Ethereum investor and content creator.Markets are panicking. ETH is down 50% from its all-time high. Sentiment across all crypto markets is at multi-year lows. But Leo remains steadfast.He breaks down why Ethereum can't be replicated, why the four-year cycle is breaking, and how the CLARITY Act could be crypto's biggest catalyst ever. He explains why ETH is valued like gold or oil, not a tech stock, and walks through the math behind his $80,000 price target.In this episode, we cover:+ Why Ethereum is like Netflix replacing Blockbuster+ His $80,000 ETH thesis+ Why the CLARITY Act changes everything for institutional adoption+ L2s as Ethereum's weapon for distribution and growth+ What could break Leo's bull case------💎 THIS EPISODE'S PARTNERS🔒 KPK | Best risk-adjusted yield through automated vaults🏙 MAINSTREET | Bringing proven TradFi yield strategies to DeFi markets🌅 NEUTRL | The next generation of crypto-native yield🛡️ ACCOUNTABLE | Real-time financial verification🕛 NOON | The highest and safest stablecoin yield, built for the long term⚔️ KATANA | Deep liquidity & real yield🏦 MANTLE | MNT is now live on Solana🐡 PUFFER INSTITUTIONAL | ETH staking solutions for scale⚙️ GEARBOX PROTOCOL | Onchain lending reimagined------⏱️ TIMESTAMPS0:00 - Intro3:04 - Leo’s background4:18 - Why focus on Ethereum?5:45 - Why Leo came out swinging when Ethereum was being attacked9:46 - ETH is not a tech stock: It's like gold or oil18:02 - The $80,000 ETH price target and how we get there20:39 - The four-year cycle is breaking: Liquidity vs. halving28:32 - Are we in a bear market or just a pullback?34:52 - The CLARITY Act: Crypto's biggest catalyst ever41:23 - Tokenization: The $100 trillion opportunity44:15 - Private blockchains are smoke and mirrors46:56 - DTCC is a dinosaur trying to survive52:22 - Vitalik's L2 tweet: What he actually meant1:00:06 - Rapid fire: ETH flips BTC, TVL matters most, scaling misconceptions1:03:05 - When clarity passes, what will the market get wrong?1:04:06 - What signal would tell us the BTC 4-year cycle is broken?1:05:46 - When will ETH reach new highs?1:06:26 - ETH hits $80K when TVL reaches $3 trillion1:07:13 - What could break Leo’s bull case?1:09:44 - Closing------🔗 GUEST LINKS► Leo's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@l3olanza► Leo Lanza on X: https://x.com/leolanza------🎙️ MORE FROM THE EDGE PODCAST AND EDGE NEWSLETTER► Newsletter: https://the-edge.xyz► Apple: https://tinyurl.com/edgepod► Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/edgepodspotify► Linktree: https://linktr.ee/edge_pod► Follow DeFi Dad: https://x.com/DeFi_Dad► Follow Nomatic: https://x.com/Nomaticcap► Learn DeFi: http://defidad.com/------DISCLAIMER: Nothing said on The Edge Podcast is a recommendation to buy or sell tokens or securities. This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing shared here is financial advice. Any views expressed by hosts or guests on the show are solely their opinions. Always do your own research. DeFi Dad, Nomatic, and guests may have positions in the assets or other matters discussed in this podcast. DeFi Dad, Nomatic, and Leo all hold ETH.

Vlad Novakovski is the Founder and CEO of Lighter, a high-performance ZK-based perps and spot exchange, built on Ethereum.A year ago, Lighter hadn't even launched. Today it's processing billions in daily volume, handling 500 million orders at a total cost of around $50K. Vlad's background spans STEM Olympiads, Harvard at 18, Citadel trading, and being an early advisor to Robinhood. Now he's building the infrastructure layer for when TradFi and DeFi merge.Vlad breaks down how Lighter achieves centralized exchange performance on Ethereum, what Robinhood's $68M investment means for tokenized equities, and the post-TGE reality for LIT: token down, volumes pulled back, but fundamentals unchanged.In this episode, we cover:+ Scaling Ethereum's top perps DEX+ Robinhood's $68M bet and tokenized equities+ LIT token utility and value capture+ Roadmap: options, prediction markets, fixed income------💎 THIS EPISODE'S PARTNERS🔒 KPK | Best risk-adjusted yield through automated vaults🏙 MAINSTREET | Bringing proven TradFi yield strategies to DeFi markets🌅 NEUTRL | The next generation of crypto-native yield🛡️ ACCOUNTABLE | Real-time financial verification🕛 NOON | The highest and safest stablecoin yield, built for the long term⚔️ KATANA | Deep liquidity & real yield🏦 MANTLE | MNT is now live on Solana🐡 PUFFER INSTITUTIONAL | ETH staking solutions for scale⚙️ GEARBOX PROTOCOL | Onchain lending reimagined------⏱️ TIMESTAMPS0:00 - Intro2:19 - Vlad’s background6:47 - What is Lighter? Five goals, one platform10:36 - How ZK proofs enable high-performance trading on Ethereum14:41 - Processing 500 million orders a day16:33 - Why Lighter was at Bitmine's annual shareholder meeting18:32 - Robinhood's $68M investment and the tokenized equities opportunity22:16 - The competitive landscape: Lighter vs. Hyperliquid and CEXs26:33 - How the LLP works and how it differs from other DEX LPs29:51 - The LIT token launch: What went well 31:45 - Post-TGE reality and the marathon ahead33:48 - LIT token utility: Staking, fees, and LLP access37:31 - Revenue and buybacks, what drives LIT value39:43 - The new Lighter mobile app41:03 - DeFi is not antithetical to regulators43:00 - What’s next? Tokenized stocks, options, prediction markets45:12 - Closing------🔗 GUEST LINKS► Lighter website: https://lighter.xyz/► Lighter on X: https://x.com/lighter_xyz► Vlad Novakovski on X: https://x.com/vnovakovski------🎙️ MORE FROM THE EDGE PODCAST AND EDGE NEWSLETTER► Newsletter: https://the-edge.xyz► Apple: https://tinyurl.com/edgepod► Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/edgepodspotify► Linktree: https://linktr.ee/edge_pod► Follow DeFi Dad: https://x.com/DeFi_Dad► Follow Nomatic: https://x.com/Nomaticcap► Learn DeFi: http://defidad.com/------DISCLAIMER: Nothing said on The Edge Podcast is a recommendation to buy or sell tokens or securities. This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing shared here is financial advice. Any views expressed by hosts or guests on the show are solely their opinions. Always do your own research. DeFi Dad, Nomatic, and guests may have positions in the assets or other matters discussed in this podcast.

David Choi and Conor Moore are CoFounders of Permian Labs, the builders behind USDai.AI infrastructure is projecting trillions of dollars in CapEx spend, but there's a problem: traditional finance can't keep up. Banks move too slow. Private credit funds can't scale. The most important commodity in the world has no liquid debt market.USDai is filling this gap by financing AI infrastructure with GPU-backed loans, offering stablecoin depositors 10-15% APR. David and Conor break down how they're using DeFi rails and tokenization to create liquid debt markets for GPUs, enabling institutional borrowers to access capital and retail users to earn yield on productive AI infrastructure.In this episode, we cover:+ Why trillions in AI CapEx can't get traditional financing+ How USDAI structures loans against GPUs, not businesses+ Why this could become "the interest rate of artificial intelligence"+ Their two-token model: USDai vs. sUSDai------💎 THIS EPISODE'S PARTNERS🔒 KPK | Best risk-adjusted yield through automated vaults🌅 NEUTRL | The next generation of crypto-native yield🛡️ ACCOUNTABLE | Real-time financial verification🕛 NOON | The highest and safest stablecoin yield, built for the long term⚔️ KATANA | Deep liquidity & real yield🏦 MANTLE | MNT is now live on Solana🐡 PUFFER INSTITUTIONAL | ETH staking solutions for scale⚙️ GEARBOX PROTOCOL | Onchain lending reimagined------⏱️ TIMESTAMPS0:00 - Intro1:45 - Founders background from NFT lending to AI infra5:52 - “The more you know the price, the less money you make”8:51 - The AI infrastructure financing gap, trillions in CapEx, no capital15:22 - What is structured credit and why does it matter?19:33 - How USDai GPU-backed loans work24:54 - Addressing the Pine Analytics critique: Lagging utilization34:13 - Why AI infra borrowers can use crypto rails36:00 - Real-time GPU monitoring with Chainlink oracles36:51 - “Mercenary capital” vs common sense capital39:14 - Why launch the token before full PMF?42:34 - Are USDai borrowers riskier to lend to?45:26 - Warehouse receipts and UCC 12: How USDai tokenizes GPUs50:58 - Managing GPU depreciation risk53:28 - What keeps the founders up at night54:05 - USDai vs. sUSDai, the two-token model explained58:25 - The CHIP governance token59:10 - What’s next: The road to $1B in loans1:00:21 - Closing------🔗 GUEST LINKS► USDai website: https://usd.ai/► USDai on X: https://x.com/USDai_Official► David Choi on X: https://x.com/0xZergs► Conor Moore on X: https://x.com/_ConorMoore------🎙️ MORE FROM THE EDGE PODCAST AND EDGE NEWSLETTER► Newsletter: https://the-edge.xyz► Apple: https://tinyurl.com/edgepod► Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/edgepodspotify► Linktree: https://linktr.ee/edge_pod► Follow DeFi Dad: https://x.com/DeFi_Dad► Follow Nomatic: https://x.com/Nomaticcap► Learn DeFi: http://defidad.com/------DISCLAIMER: Nothing said on The Edge Podcast is a recommendation to buy or sell tokens or securities. This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing shared here is financial advice. Any views expressed by hosts or guests on the show are solely their opinions. Always do your own research. DeFi Dad, Nomatic, and guests may have positions in the assets or other matters discussed in this podcast.

Benjamin is the Founder of Cap and DeFi Dave is the Founding Head of Growth.Token launches are broken. Founders pay exchanges 5-10% of supply, airdrop to farmers who dump immediately, and wonder why everything goes to zero. Benjamin calls it "the conveyor belt to death." Cap is breaking the playbook: no CEX listing fees, no token airdrops, and no TVL deals paid in tokens. Instead, they're doing the first-ever Stabledrop—$12 million in stablecoins to early supporters, funded by their upcoming ICO on Uniswap.In this episode, we cover:+ Why the status quo token launch playbook leads to death+ The Stabledrop: How $12M in stablecoins rewards early users+ Cap's three rules: No airdrops, no CEX fees, no token TVL deals+ ICO mechanics on Uniswap and who's eligible------💎 THIS EPISODE'S PARTNERS🌅 NEUTRL | The next generation of crypto-native yield🛡️ ACCOUNTABLE | Real-time financial verification🕛 NOON | The highest and safest stablecoin yield, built for the long term⚔️ KATANA | Deep liquidity & real yield🏦 MANTLE | MNT is now live on Solana🐡 PUFFER INSTITUTIONAL | ETH staking solutions for scale⚙️ GEARBOX PROTOCOL | Onchain lending reimagined------⏱️ TIMESTAMPS0:00 - Intro1:34 - Breaking the playbook: Cap's three fundamental rules15:54 - What is Cap and how it works?16:49 - The Stabledrop: Airdrops reimagined with stablecoins18:17 - How founders and the community responded19:24 - How is the Stabledrop calculated?25:06 - Homestead Program: Double points in first month27:21 - How the $12M Cap Stabledrop works29:44 - CAP ICO mechanics: How the Uniswap sale works Feb 9th35:50 - Closing------🔗 GUEST LINKS► Cap website: https://cap.app/► Official Cap Stabledrop details announced: https://x.com/capmoney_/status/2019079426823303371?s=20► Cap on X: https://x.com/capmoney_► Cap Labs Limited on X: https://x.com/caplabslimited► Benjamin on X: https://x.com/Benjamin918_► DeFi Dave on X: https://x.com/defidave22------🎙️ MORE FROM THE EDGE PODCAST AND EDGE NEWSLETTER► Newsletter: https://the-edge.xyz► Apple: https://tinyurl.com/edgepod► Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/edgepodspotify► Linktree: https://linktr.ee/edge_pod► Follow DeFi Dad: https://x.com/DeFi_Dad► Follow Nomatic: https://x.com/Nomaticcap► Learn DeFi: http://defidad.com/------DISCLAIMER: Nothing said on The Edge Podcast is a recommendation to buy or sell tokens or securities. This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing shared here is financial advice. Any views expressed by hosts or guests on the show are solely their opinions. Always do your own research. DeFi Dad, Nomatic, and guests may have positions in the assets or other matters discussed in this podcast. DeFi Dad and Nomatic invested in the Cap seed round.

Grant is the Founder & CEO of Blocmates, and 563 is Head of Research.Crypto is winning, but tokens aren't. Headlines that would have pumped markets 30-40% in 2021 barely move prices today. There's a massive disconnect between fundamentals and price action--record adoption, institutional integration, real-world use cases, yet token prices are bleeding. Grant and 563 break down why this paradox exists, where the industry goes from here, and what actually matters this year in their newly published Blocmates 2026 Thesis.In this episode:+ The paradox: Why fundamentals are up but token prices are down+ Token distribution and fixing tokenholder rights for real ownership+ Why we don't need more L1s and what wins: distribution or innovation+ ZK as the unlock for Ethereum scaling and new on-chain products+ Where Blocmates is deploying capital in 2026------💎 THIS EPISODE'S PARTNERS♉︎ TOROS | Exponential gains with leveraged tokens🌅 NEUTRL | The next generation of crypto-native yield🛡️ ACCOUNTABLE | Real-time financial verification🕛 NOON | The highest and safest stablecoin yield, built for the long term⚔️ KATANA | Deep liquidity & real yield🔊 DECIBEL | The new sound of trading🥞 SYRUPUSDC BY MAPLE | DeFi's premium yield asset🏦 MANTLE | Innovating the future of onchain finance🐡 PUFFER INSTITUTIONAL | ETH staking solutions for scale⚙️ GEARBOX PROTOCOL | Onchain lending reimagined------⏱️ TIMESTAMPS0:00 - Intro 1:40 - Blocmates 2026 thesis overview4:37 - Crypto is winning, tokens aren’t, the paradox explained16:53 - The token distribution problem: founders vs. community expectations21:06 - Why we don't need more general-purpose chains23:41 - Distribution vs. innovation: What wins in 2026?29:45 - Will TradFi rebuild, acquire, or partner with DeFi?34:28 - Fixing tokenholder rights: Tokens as real ownership41:29 - x402 is the start of something big45:32 - How ZK unlocks Ethereum scaling and new onchain products53:06 - Why demand for onchain privacy is coming56:33 - Could RWAs become the most traded assets onchain?1:00:18 - Why regulation could be crypto's biggest catalyst1:03:20 - Where Blocmates is deploying capital in 20261:06:56 - Closing------🔗 GUEST LINKS► Blocmates website: https://blocmates.com/► Blocmates on X: https://x.com/blocmates► Grant on X: https://x.com/Grantblocmates► 563 on X: https://x.com/563defi► The Blocmates 2026 Thesis: https://www.blocmates.com/articles/the-blocmates-2026-thesis------🎙️ MORE FROM THE EDGE PODCAST AND EDGE NEWSLETTER► Newsletter: https://the-edge.xyz► Apple: https://tinyurl.com/edgepod► Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/edgepodspotify► Linktree: https://linktr.ee/edge_pod► Follow DeFi Dad: https://x.com/DeFi_Dad► Follow Nomatic: https://x.com/Nomaticcap► Learn DeFi: http://defidad.com/------DISCLAIMER: Nothing said on The Edge Podcast is a recommendation to buy or sell tokens or securities. This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing shared here is financial advice. Any views expressed by hosts or guests on the show are solely their opinions. Always do your own research. DeFi Dad, Nomatic, and guests may have positions in the assets or other matters discussed in this podcast.

Sun Raghupathi is CoFounder and CEO of Veda.DeFi is living through interesting times: record adoption, proven infrastructure, institutional interest—but low sentiment and struggling token prices. Sun calls this "the enterprise era for DeFi," where protocols that don't have a B2B strategy for the largest financial institutions may not survive. But here's the opportunity: for the first time, DeFi is actually ready for mainstream users. In fact, Kraken just launched new DeFi Earn vaults powered by Veda, giving millions of users instant access to onchain yields without leaving the Kraken app.In this episode, we cover:+ DeFi's enormous future in enterprise partnerships and distribution+ How Veda vaults work: custody, risk management, and yield strategies+ Breaking down Kraken's new DeFi Earn vaults+ Veda's business model and path to profitability------💎 THIS EPISODE'S PARTNERS♉︎ TOROS | Exponential gains with leveraged tokens🌅 NEUTRL | The next generation of crypto-native yield🛡️ ACCOUNTABLE | Real-time financial verification🕛 NOON | The highest and safest stablecoin yield, built for the long term⚔️ KATANA | Deep liquidity & real yield🔊 DECIBEL | The new sound of trading🥞 SYRUPUSDC BY MAPLE | DeFi's premium yield asset🏦 MANTLE | Innovating the future of onchain finance🐡 PUFFER INSTITUTIONAL | ETH staking solutions for scale⚙️ GEARBOX PROTOCOL | Onchain lending reimagined------⏱️ TIMESTAMPS0:00 - Intro1:52 - DeFi’s identity crisis, record adoption vs sentiment5:35 - The value capture question, DeFi protocols or institutions?6:47 - Will businesses build or partner?12:15 - Enterprise DeFi predictions for 202615:05 - What are vaults and why does DeFi need them?17:35 - Not all vaults are created equally21:36 - Veda's evolution from ether.fi to enterprise vaults27:16 - Breaking down Kraken DeFi Earn, powered by Veda29:33 - Kraken DeFi Earn vault details38:21 - Human vs. AI curation for DeFi vaults40:36 - Integrating AI into Veda's vault system42:22 - What institutions need from Veda43:52 - Veda’s business model and path to profitability47:24 - Veda’s partners: ether.fi, Plasma, Mantle, and more49:29 - Will there be a VEDA token?50:02 - Closing------🔗 GUEST LINKS► Veda website: https://veda.tech/► Veda on X: https://x.com/veda_labs► Sun Raghupathi on X: https://x.com/sunandr_------🎙️ MORE FROM THE EDGE PODCAST AND EDGE NEWSLETTER► Newsletter: https://the-edge.xyz► Apple: https://tinyurl.com/edgepod► Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/edgepodspotify► Linktree: https://linktr.ee/edge_pod► Follow DeFi Dad: https://x.com/DeFi_Dad► Follow Nomatic: https://x.com/Nomaticcap► Learn DeFi: http://defidad.com/------DISCLAIMER: Nothing said on The Edge Podcast is a recommendation to buy or sell tokens or securities. This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing shared here is financial advice. Any views expressed by hosts or guests on the show are solely their opinions. Always do your own research. DeFi Dad, Nomatic, and guests may have positions in the assets or other matters discussed in this podcast. DeFi Dad invested in the seed round for Veda.

TN Lee is CoFounder and CEO of Pendle.Pendle generates revenue through two streams: YT fees (5% of all yield and points accrued) and swap fees from PT trading activity. The protocol settled $45 billion in value for PT holders in just 2025, nearly doubling revenue YoY as TVL grew from $6.9B to $13.4B. But the real story for 2026 is Boros, Pendle's new rates trading platform that's already hit $200M in open interest and is positioning itself as infrastructure for the explosive growth in onchain RWA and equity perps.In this episode of Revenue Meta, we cover:+ Pendle's dual revenue model+ Why vePENDLE is being replaced with sPENDLE+ How Boros enables traders to hedge funding rate risk on CEX/DEX perps+ 2026 growth strategy: RWAs, institutional adoption, and rates trading at scale------💎 THIS EPISODE'S PARTNERS♉︎ TOROS | Exponential gains with leveraged tokens🌅 NEUTRL | The next generation of crypto-native yield🛡️ ACCOUNTABLE | Real-time financial verification🕛 NOON | The highest and safest stablecoin yield, built for the long term⚔️ KATANA | Deep liquidity & real yield🔊 DECIBEL | The new sound of trading🥞 SYRUPUSDC BY MAPLE | DeFi's premium yield asset🏦 MANTLE | Innovating the future of onchain finance🐡 PUFFER INSTITUTIONAL | ETH staking solutions for scale⚙️ GEARBOX PROTOCOL | Onchain lending reimagined------⏱️ TIMESTAMPS0:00 - Intro1:40 - What are Pendle V2 and Boros?5:58 - YoY growth in 20258:40 - Pendle's dual revenue model, swap fees and YT fees9:42 - TVL vs volume as drivers for revenue11:18 - $45B in value settled for PT holders12:42 - The October 10th flash crash and its impact17:05 - Why the vePENDLE model needed to change23:49 - Introducing sPENDLE31:16 - The team behind Pendle33:44 - Pendle's target customers in 202635:42 - Growth strategy and goals for 202641:51 - Key trends for 2026: RWAs, rates trading, and equity perps45:20 - How traders use Boros to hedge funding rate risk48:50 - Closing------🔗 GUEST LINKS► Pendle website: https://pendle.finance/► Boros website: https://boros.pendle.finance/markets► Pendle on X: https://x.com/pendle_fi► Boros on X: https://x.com/boros_fi► TN Lee on X: https://x.com/tn_pendle------🎙️ MORE FROM THE EDGE PODCAST AND EDGE NEWSLETTER► Newsletter: https://the-edge.xyz► Apple: https://tinyurl.com/edgepod► Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/edgepodspotify► Linktree: https://linktr.ee/edge_pod► Follow DeFi Dad: https://x.com/DeFi_Dad► Follow Nomatic: https://x.com/Nomaticcap► Learn DeFi: http://defidad.com/------DISCLAIMER: Nothing said on The Edge Podcast is a recommendation to buy or sell tokens or securities. This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing shared here is financial advice. Any views expressed by hosts or guests on the show are solely their opinions. Always do your own research. DeFi Dad, Nomatic, and guests may have positions in the assets or other matters discussed in this podcast.

The social contract is broken. Boomers keep getting bailed out while Millennials and Gen Z are told to buy bonds that yield less than inflation. Tyler Neville from Muddy Waters Capital and co-host of Forward Guidance, breaks down why traditional markets feel rigged, where real growth is happening, and what needs to happen for Bitcoin to break through $100K.In this episode:+ Why traditional markets feel rigged and the 60/40 portfolio is dead+ Frontiers to invest in: AI, space, energy, nuclear, and crypto+ How interest rates and bond volatility affect crypto+ What Bitcoin needs for new highs and the next mega bid for crypto------💎 THIS EPISODE'S PARTNERS♉︎ TOROS | Exponential gains with leveraged tokens🌅 NEUTRL | The next generation of crypto-native yield🛡️ ACCOUNTABLE | Real-time financial verification🕛 NOON | The highest and safest stablecoin yield, built for the long term⚔️ KATANA | Deep liquidity & real yield🔊 DECIBEL | The new sound of trading🥞 SYRUPUSDC BY MAPLE | DeFi's premium yield asset🏦 MANTLE | Innovating the future of onchain finance🐡 PUFFER INSTITUTIONAL | ETH staking solutions for scale⚙️ GEARBOX PROTOCOL | Onchain lending reimagined------⏱️ TIMESTAMPS0:00 - Intro1:49 - Tyler's background and macro perspective4:07 - The 2026 macro landscape, how Boomers broke the system10:21 - Why markets feel rigged and the illusion of free markets18:10 - Where real growth is: space, AI, energy, and nuclear23:01 - Why bonds are dead for Millennials and Gen Z35:03 - Why we’re moving back to building real things40:26 - How interest rates and bond volatility affect crypto45:35 - Gold, silver strength, and what Bitcoin needs for new highs49:28 - What DeFi should have been (and can still become)52:17 - The next mega bid for crypto57:16 - Closing------🔗 GUEST LINKS► Tyler on X: https://x.com/Tyler_Neville_► Forward Guidance on X: https://x.com/ForwardGuidance------🎙️ MORE FROM THE EDGE PODCAST AND EDGE NEWSLETTER► Newsletter: https://the-edge.xyz► Apple: https://tinyurl.com/edgepod► Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/edgepodspotify► Linktree: https://linktr.ee/edge_pod► Follow DeFi Dad: https://x.com/DeFi_Dad► Follow Nomatic: https://x.com/Nomaticcap► Learn DeFi: http://defidad.com/------DISCLAIMER: Nothing said on The Edge Podcast is a recommendation to buy or sell tokens or securities. This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing shared here is financial advice. Any views expressed by hosts or guests on the show are solely their opinions. Always do your own research. DeFi Dad, Nomatic, and guests may have positions in the assets or other matters discussed in this podcast.

Chris Bradbury and Jordan Jackson from Summer.fi break down how vaults are becoming the consumable layer for DeFi yield and why institutions are finally paying attention.DeFi yield hunting is exhausting. Constant research, endless transactions, protocol risk assessment: it's a full-time job. Summer.fi helps solve this by packaging the best yields into vaults with DAO-managed risk controls, allowing users to deposit once and earn passively.In this episode, we cover:+ How Summer curates and automates access to top-tier DeFi yields+ DAO governance and risk management+ Summer's institutional strategy and how fintechs can customize vault strategies+ SUMR token launch on Aerodrome and what's coming in 2026------💎 THIS EPISODE'S PARTNERS♉︎ TOROS | Exponential gains with leveraged tokens🌅 NEUTRL | The next generation of crypto-native yield🛡️ ACCOUNTABLE | Real-time financial verification🕛 NOON | The highest and safest stablecoin yield, built for the long term⚔️ KATANA | Deep liquidity & real yield🔊 DECIBEL | The new sound of trading🥞 SYRUPUSDC BY MAPLE | DeFi's premium yield asset🏦 MANTLE | Innovating the future of onchain finance🐡 PUFFER INSTITUTIONAL | ETH staking solutions for scale⚙️ GEARBOX PROTOCOL | Onchain lending reimagined------⏱️ TIMESTAMPS0:00 - Intro + What is Summer.fi?2:58 - SUMR token design and structure8:36 - Making SUMR transferrable and Aerodrome launch15:07 - Curating the highest quality yields from top-tier protocols20:52 - Risk management and protocol curation33:29 - Institutional strategy and B2B integrations39:56 - How institutions customize their vault strategies45:13 - What’s coming in 2026, DAO-managed vaults and new yield sources51:02 - Closing------🔗 GUEST LINKS► Summer.fi website: https://summer.fi/► Summer Finance on X: https://x.com/summerfinance_► Chris Bradbury on X: https://x.com/chrisbducky► Jordan Jackson on X: https://x.com/samehueasyou------🎙️ MORE FROM THE EDGE PODCAST AND EDGE NEWSLETTER► Newsletter: https://the-edge.xyz► Apple: https://tinyurl.com/edgepod► Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/edgepodspotify► Linktree: https://linktr.ee/edge_pod► Follow DeFi Dad: https://x.com/DeFi_Dad► Follow Nomatic: https://x.com/Nomaticcap► Learn DeFi: http://defidad.com/------DISCLAIMER: Nothing said on The Edge Podcast is a recommendation to buy or sell tokens or securities. This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing shared here is financial advice. Any views expressed by hosts or guests on the show are solely their opinions. Always do your own research. DeFi Dad, Nomatic, and guests may have positions in the assets or other matters discussed in this podcast.

Introducing Revenue Meta—a new series by The Edge Podcast spotlighting DeFi protocols that actually generate cashflows and return value to tokenholders.There aren't many protocols that can answer the simple question: How does your business make money? We're starting with Maple Finance, where CoFounder & CEO Sid Powell breaks down their revenue model, treasury management, and path from $30M to $100M ARR.In this episode:+ How Maple generates revenue through over-collateralized lending+ Revenue allocation: treasury management, buybacks, and building strategic reserves+ The roadmap to $100M ARR and how they grow their loan book+ Why Maple is a pure token play, no hidden equity, all value flows to SYRUP holders------💎 THIS EPISODE'S PARTNERS♉︎ TOROS | Exponential gains with leveraged tokens🌅 NEUTRL | The next generation of crypto-native yield🛡️ ACCOUNTABLE | Real-time financial verification🕛 NOON | The highest and safest stablecoin yield, built for the long term⚔️ KATANA | Deep liquidity & real yield🔊 DECIBEL | The new sound of trading🏦 MANTLE | Innovating the future of onchain finance🐡 PUFFER INSTITUTIONAL | ETH staking solutions for scale⚙️ GEARBOX PROTOCOL | Onchain lending reimagined------⏱️ TIMESTAMPS0:00 - Intro5:16 - How Maple generates revenue7:20 - Maple revenue allocation and treasury management9:59 - Building Maple’s strategic reserve12:23 - How big must the book of loans grow to reach $100M ARR?13:29 - Strengthening Maple's balance sheet16:04 - Maple’s business is very scalable18:01 - The napkin math on Maple’s ARR growth from syrupUSDT21:40 - Operating under pro-crypto regulation24:30 - New products and innovations coming to Maple29:04 - SYRUP, one token for the Maple ecosystem30:39 - Closing------🔗 GUEST LINKS► Maple website: https://maple.finance/► Maple on X: https://x.com/maplefinance► Sid on X: https://x.com/syrupsid► Maple Dune dashboard: https://dune.com/maple-finance/maple-finance------🎙️ MORE FROM THE EDGE PODCAST AND EDGE NEWSLETTER► Newsletter: https://the-edge.xyz► Apple: https://tinyurl.com/edgepod► Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/edgepodspotify► Linktree: https://linktr.ee/edge_pod► Follow DeFi Dad: https://x.com/DeFi_Dad► Follow Nomatic: https://x.com/Nomaticcap► Learn DeFi: http://defidad.com/------DISCLAIMER: Nothing said on The Edge Podcast is a recommendation to buy or sell tokens or securities. This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing shared here is financial advice. Any views expressed by hosts or guests on the show are solely their opinions. Always do your own research. DeFi Dad, Nomatic, and guests may have positions in the assets or other matters discussed in this podcast.