Community-Driven Innovation in Web3, with David Phelps (JokeRace)

David Phelps is the Co-Founder of JokeRace (https://jokerace.io), a dynamic, decentralized platform designed to foster community-driven competitions and incentivize innovation within Web3 ecosystems. With a robust background in technology and entrepreneurship, David shares his journey into the decentralized space, from his early contributions in tech to co-founding JokerRace, where he focuses on building an engaging and inclusive Web3 environment. He emphasizes the importance of community-centric infrastructure, the flexible design of JokerRace’s platform, and its critical role in empowering developers and creators to drive innovation through competitive and collaborative frameworks.

Grigore Rosu is the Founder & CEO of Pi Squared, (https://pi2.network/), a groundbreaking Web3 infrastructure company revolutionizing verifiable computing with its Universal Settlement Layer. As a distinguished professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and founder of the K framework and Runtime Verification, Grigore brings unparalleled expertise in formal methods and blockchain innovation. He dives into his journey from NASA to Web3, the philosophy behind Pi Squared’s “Proof of Proof” technology, and the mission to unify fragmented blockchain ecosystems with language-agnostic, zero-knowledge solutions. He dives into his seasoned perspective on unifying the fragmented Web3 space, the art and science behind building trustless, scalable systems, and the nuances of leveraging zero-knowledge proofs for universal computation.

Oliver Shen is the Co-Founder of GATA AI (https://gata.xyz), a pioneering decentralized AI infrastructure platform transforming the trillion-dollar AI economy with tools like GataGPT, DataAgent, and decentralized model inference. Backed by YZiLabs, Gate Ventures, IDG Blockchain, and others, GATA is breaking data and compute monopolies to empower community-driven AI innovation. In this episode, Oliver shares his journey from conceptualizing Aggregata to launching GATA, overcoming challenges in decentralized data curation, and building a privacy-first, on-chain ecosystem where users retain data ownership. He discusses Gata’s innovative product matrix, including GataGPT’s intelligent interaction layer and DataAgent’s decentralized validation, alongside strategic partnerships like Mind Network for enhanced privacy via Fully Homomorphic Encryption. Oliver also highlights GATA AI's roadmap, positioning GATA AI as a leader in scalable, censorship-resistant AI infrastructure.

Ammar Zaeem is the CEO & Co-Founder of Revolving Games (https://revolvinggames.com), a leading innovator in blockchain gaming, building immersive, decentralized gaming experiences powered by Web3 technology. Backed by top-tier investors like Pantera Capital, Animoca Brands, and Polygon Ventures, Revolving Games is redefining the gaming industry with scalable, player-owned ecosystems. In this episode, Ammar shares his journey from traditional gaming to pioneering Web3 game development, overcoming challenges in blockchain scalability, and creating engaging, community-driven gaming universes. He discusses Revolving Games’ innovative approach to integrating NFTs and decentralized economies, their robust tech stack, and strategic partnerships that empower players with true ownership and interoperability. Ammar also highlights Revolving Games’ latest milestones, positioning the studio as a trailblazer in the future of decentralized gaming.

Josh Benaron is the Founder & CEO of Irys (https://irys.xyz), the world’s first programmable Layer-1 datachain designed to integrate low-cost, scalable storage with high-performance, EVM-compatible execution via IrysVM. Backed by Lemniscap, Framework Ventures, and Primitive Ventures, Irys is revolutionizing onchain data infrastructure for AI, IP, and consumer applications. In this episode, Josh shares his journey from building Bundlr Network to launching Irys, overcoming challenges in transaction scalability on Arweave, and creating a network where data is not just stored but programmable—embedded with instructions to automate AI workflows, enforce ownership, and trigger smart contracts. He discusses Irys’s innovative multi-ledger system, hybrid consensus model, and strategic partnerships, which enable composable utilities and cost-efficient data solutions. Josh also highlights Irys’s testnet achievements, positioning Irys as the future of trust and scalability in decentralized ecosystems.

Yat Siu is Co-Founder and Chairman of Animoca Brands (https://www.animocabrands.com), a global leader in blockchain gaming, investing and web3, championing digital property rights through decentralized ecosystems. Yat shares his thoughts on stakeholder capitalism, redefining economic models by empowering users as network owners, as well as  groundbreaking initiatives like Open Campus, which integrates blockchain into education to revolutionize student loan financing. He discusses the emergence of  AI crypto use cases, and its role in enhancing transparency, reflections on the positive developments in the evolving U.S. regulatory landscape, and his vision for a decentralized future where crypto fosters equitable digital economies and cultural innovation. Yat's insights are some of the most valuable in the world.

Deborah Simpier is Co-Founder and CEO of Althea (https://althea.net), a decentralized infrastructure platform revolutionizing internet access through blockchain-based, community-driven networks. Deborah shares her journey from advocating for net neutrality and running a rural IT business to co-founding DePIN network, Althea, a company pioneering multi-stakeholder networks with innovative products like KeyLTE and Liquid Infrastructure. She discusses Althea’s milestones, including deploying networks in rural Oregon, powering connectivity in the Arctic Circle, and enabling the first ApplePay transaction on CBRS spectrum. Deborah dives into how Althea’s price-aware routing protocol and blockchain-based payment system empower communities to build affordable, resilient internet infrastructure, challenging legacy telecom models. She also shares her vision for a decentralized future where blockchain and 5G converge to democratize connectivity, foster equitable digital access worldwide, and usher the convergence of DeFi, DePIN, and real-world utility pushing forward the vision of democratized, autonomous infrastructure.

Itai Turbahn is Co-Founder and CEO of Dynamic (https://www.dynamic.xyz), a Web3 authentication platform that simplifies wallet-based login and onboarding through a flexible SDK, combining authentication, smart wallets, and secure key management. Itai shares his journey from product management leadership roles and consulting at the Boston Consulting Group to co-founding Dynamic, a company backed by a16z crypto, Founders Fund, and others. He discusses how Dynamic’s growth, milestones, including sponsoring six major hackathons, supporting 400 teams, and powering millions of monthly user logins, has advanced Web3 adoption. Itai dives into the platform’s role in simplifying developer workflows, enhancing user onboarding with features like social logins and Global Identities, and his vision for a more intuitive crypto future where wallet infrastructure empowers seamless cross-chain interactions.

Kurt Larsen is Co-Founder of Rhinestone (https://www.rhinestone.wtf), a platform revolutionizing Web3 by building modular smart account infrastructure to enhance interoperability, security, and developer accessibility. Kurt shares his journey from a banker to launching markets for Deliveroo and leading a machine learning product division, to co-founding Rhinestone, which recently raised $5 million in a seed round led by 1kx, with support from CoinFund, Lattice, Heartcore, Circle Ventures, among others. He discusses how his early fascination with crypto in 2017, coupled with insights from building Deliveroo’s marketplace algorithms, exposed the flaws of centralized networks and fueled Rhinestone’s mission to create user-friendly, self-sovereign tools that rival Web2 simplicity. Kurt dives into Rhinestone’s platform for developers to build and monetize smart account modules, the challenges of improving Web3 UX, and his vision for smart accounts as the dominant interface for users, AI agents, and blockchain-integrated systems in the next three to five years.

Nirav Murthy is CEO, Co-Founder of CAMP Network (https://www.camp.network), a Layer-1 blockchain designed to modernize intellectual property (IP) infrastructure, empower decentralized identity and data sovereignty, and power the next generation of AI Agents on verifiable IP. In this episode, Nirav shares his journey from advising global media and tech brands at The Raine Group to co-founding CAMP Network’s modular platform that empowers creators to own and monetize their IP. He discusses how CAMP’s Proof of Provenance (PoP) Protocol and zero-knowledge technology tackle scalability and privacy challenges, his insights on bridging social media data with on-chain value creation, and driving innovation to deliver intellectual property (IP) infrastructure, enabling user owned IP.