#500: Anurag Arjun, Co-founder of Avail, on Interoperability, Liquidity Unification, and The Future of Crypto

Anurag Arjun is the Co-founder of Avail, a unified foundation for rollups to scale horizontally, share liquidity, move assets trustlessly, communicate permissionlessly along with a multi-token economic security.He entered the blockchain industry in 2017, founding Matic Network, which evolved into Polygon Labs. By 2020, he launched Avail within the Polygon ecosystem, utilizing his background in research, economics, and engineering. In March 2023, he spun out Avail as an independent project.  Anurag is a seasoned entrepreneur who has founded several successful startups across diverse industries, ranging from cash flow lending to regulatory tech. 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:- Biggest misconceptions people have about interoperability and “multichain” today- UX is still the main pain point in crypto - Intent-based architecture - Liquidity unification - Creating a unified balance across chains - Quantum’s threat to crypto - Unlocking a multichain userbase - Liquidity fragmentation - Making Nexus chain-agnostic — including EVM, non-EVM, and eventually Solana - The future of crypto AvailX: @AvailProjectWebsite: www.availproject.orgTelegram: 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 CRYPTONEWS50FollowApple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicRSS FeedSee All

Michael Sena is the CSO and Co-Founder of Recall, a decentralized skill market for AI where communities fund, rank, and discover the AI solutions they need. Michael started in crypto in 2016, helped scale ConsenSys from 30 to 1,800 people, co-founded uPort, the first decentralized identity protocol, and 3Box Labs where he led development of Ceramic Network. At Recall, Michael focuses on growing the world’s largest AI competitions and giving the community the power to shape and accelerate the future of AI. In this conversation, we discuss:- Google Gemini is elite - Present day AI - The best AI managed crypto strategies are private - How AI-driven reputation systems are reshaping crypto investing - What AI Agent trading competitions mean for the future of AI managed crypto strategies - How open arenas bring trust to AI selection - Why today’s AI benchmarks are failing and how decentralized validation could restore trust - Importance of making AI results visible onchain - How Recall is shaping AI discovery, validation, and adoption - Prediction Markets - Their recent NFL Prediction Arena on Thanksgiving and upcoming ones - How AI will impact crypto trading in 2026 RecallX: @recallnetWebsite: recall.networkDiscord: discord.gg/recallnetMichael SenaX: @dataliquidityLinkedIn: Michael Sena ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------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 CRYPTONEWS50FollowApple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicRSS FeedSee All

Arthur Breitman, the co-founder of Tezos, is a computer scientist and entrepreneur. Arthur has a background in mathematics and computer science, and prior to the Tezos project, he worked in quantitative finance at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, and as a research engineer at Google and Waymo. Arthur graduated from the École Polytechnique and the Courant Institute of NYU where he studied applied mathematics. Arthur is a member of the Tezos Foundation Council and is also a director at Trilitech, a London-based adoption team for the Tezos blockchain. In this conversation, we discuss:- Tokenized uranium - Quantum’s threat to Bitcoin - Deep dive on Tezos blockchain - Proof-of-stake is the best consensus - There is no PMF for security on blockchains - The emergence of Tezos as the artists' blockchain - EVM compatibility layer - 19 upgrades without a hard fork - The Data Availability Layer deep dive - The future of Tezos TezosX: @tezosWebsite: tezos.comLinkedIn: TezosArthur BreitmanX: @ArthurBLinkedIn: Arthur Breitman---------------------------------------------------------------------------------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 CRYPTONEWS50FollowApple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicRSS FeedSee All

Lucas Bruder is the CEO of Jito Labs and a founding contributor of the Jito Network, a suite of Solana-based protocols that enhance network efficiency and support high-performance DeFi infrastructure. A Carnegie Mellon-educated electrical engineer, Lucas brings deep expertise in high-performance distributed systems and firmware development. Prior to Jito Labs, he served as Technical Lead at Built Robotics, where he led teams developing autonomous construction equipment, and specialized in LiDAR firmware at Ouster. Lucas combines hands-on embedded systems expertise with a proven ability to tackle ambitious technical challenges in decentralized finance. In this conversation, we discuss:- How Jito gets yield - SOL ETF bull theory - Present day Solana ecosystem - Jito’s regulatory push - BAM = new execution infrastructure on Solana - The future of Robotics - Why transparency matters in high-performance trading - ACE explained simply - The future of Jito Jito LabsX: @jito_labsWebsite: www.jito.wtfDiscord: discord.gg/jitoLucas BruderX: @buffalu__LinkedIn: Lucas Bruder---------------------------------------------------------------------------------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 CRYPTONEWS50FollowApple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicRSS FeedSee All

Jordan Jefferson is the CEO and Founder of DogeOS, the App Layer for Dogecoin that turns idle DOGE into a productive asset through gaming, yield opportunities, and consumer apps. He also leads MyDoge, the #1 Dogecoin wallet with 500,000+ users. An early Bitcoin entrepreneur since 2011, Jefferson built DogeOS to provide the first native DOGE yield and real utility for millions of underserved Dogecoin holders.In this conversation, we discuss:- The evolution of Dogecoin from culture to real economy - Why now is the right time to build around Dogecoin - Turning dormant DOGE into active capital - How community-driven liquidity differs from traditional DeFi - Making crypto simple enough for everyday users again - The role MyDoge plays in connecting users to real applications - What DogeOS adds to the broader crypto market - How builders can tap into Dogecoin’s existing audience - Why culture may be crypto’s strongest network effect - What happens when Dogecoin activity moves fully on-chain - The future of meme coins and DOGE DogeOSX: @DogeOSWebsite: www.dogeos.comDiscord: discord.gg/dogeosJordan JeffersonX: @MyDogeCEOLinkedIn: Jordan Jefferson---------------------------------------------------------------------------------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 CRYPTONEWS50FollowApple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicRSS FeedSee All

Alice Liu is the Research Lead at CoinMarketCap, leveraging CMC's data and collaborating with industry leaders to bring unique insight to millions of users. Her work covers market events, innovation analysis, and trending narratives across the entire crypto sector. Prior to joining CMC, Alice worked as an investment professional at WisdomeTree, Coutts, and J.P.Morgan. In this conversation, we discuss:- What happened on the 10/10 market crash - Current market sentiment - Liquidity is drying up - Are we in a bear market? - Privacy coins - The market is starved of narratives, hence why privacy took up - CMC20 Index - CMC Fear & Greed Index hit record low of 10 on Nov 22; has since rebounded to 15, consistent with past V-shape recoveries - Lista DAO - Watching onchain capital flow and whales - Total crypto market cap dropped below $3T — lowest since May, but signs show the worst is likely over CoinMarketCapX: @CoinMarketCapWebsite: coinmarketcap.comLinkedIn: CoinMarketCapAlice LiuX: @AliceCrypto3LinkedIn: Alice L.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------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 CRYPTONEWS50FollowApple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicRSS FeedSee All

Santiago Roel Santos is the founder and CEO of Inversion a crypto-native holding company that acquires and transforms traditional businesses using blockchain technology. He is among the most active investors in crypto, having backed over 150 startups and many industry leaders over the past decade. Previously, Santiago was a Partner at ParaFi Capital, an institutional blockchain investor managing over $1 billion. He also held investment roles at Sageview Capital, a $2 billion growth equity firm focused on software and tech-enabled businesses, and at JP Morgan’s Investment Banking Financial Sponsors Group. In this conversation, we discuss:- Santiago's recent substack post - You don’t value casino flow like recurring software revenue  - Infrastructure vs application value - Crypto’s valuation problem - Why most blockchains today are overvalued and how value will flow to the businesses built on crypto rails - Mental models - Systemic friction is a huge business opp - Techno-optimism is at an all-time high - Prediction markets are a better version of the media Inversion X: @inversion_capWebsite: inversioncap.comLinkedIn: InversionSantiago Roel SantosX: @santiagoroelLinkedIn: Santiago R.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------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 CRYPTONEWS50FollowApple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicRSS FeedSee AllFollowApple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon Music

Ben Nadareski is the CEO and Co-Founder of Solstice Labs, where he’s redefining how yield is generated in DeFi. Backed by Deus X Capital, Solstice Labs pioneers permissionless, institutional-grade strategies on Solana, making sophisticated trading approaches and sustainable yields accessible to everyone.Previously, Ben led the first crypto-derivative trades with global banks as Vice President of Global Trading at Galaxy Digital. He advanced strategic investments in digital assets as Director of M&A at SIX Digital Exchange, helped expand blockchain adoption across Asia with R3 by introducing decentralized tech to central banks and financial institutions, and developed onchain OTC data networks while leading global business development at DrumG, a Consensys-backed startup.Ben has served as a guest lecturer at the Wharton School of Business on topics including crypto, DeFi and capital markets. Prior to his 2013 leap into web3, Ben worked on the Interest Rate and FX Derivates trading desk at Société Générale. He comes from a scientific background as a published nuclear physics researcher with a degree in Physics,  and still today, applies that same scientific rigor to his work in crypto.In this conversation, we discuss:- The rise of Solana and its ecosystem - Solana bull case  - Building the Yield Engine for Solana’s Next Chapter  - The Role of DeFi, Stablecoins, and yield-vaults  on Solana (USX) - The Risk Engine is evolving into a Yield Engine - Solana inflation - One-click yield system - Having a Sharp rate of 8 Solstice LabsX: @solsticefiWebsite: solstice.financeLinkedIn: Solstice Labs AGBen NadareskiX: @ben_solsticeLinkedIn: Ben Nadareski---------------------------------------------------------------------------------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 CRYPTONEWS50FollowApple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicRSS FeedSee AllFollowApple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon Music

Jon Trask is CEO and Founder of Dimitra and has been working with blockchain since 2017. Prior to founding Dimitra, Jon had an extensive career building and developing enterprise software solutions to revolutionize supply chain processes and improve immutable traceability. A recognized expert in his field, Jon is also Founder and CEO of Blockchain Guru and a Partner with the Blockchain Training Alliance. Jon’s mission now is to increase farming connectivity, particularly with those disenfranchised across the globe, and to leverage the power of innovative technologies to bridge farming and technology. In this conversation, we discuss:- Farming tech on the Solana blockchain - The true size and scope of the world’s food chain  - Most farmers borrow money to fund their crops - How Dimitra is using AI, machine learning and IoT - $DMTA buybacks - Challenges in the agricultural sector - Blockchain’s power in traceability - Training & access is a huge issue in farming groups - The future of farming Dimitra X: @dimitratechWebsite: dimitra.ioLinkedIn: Dimitra TechnologyJon TraskLinkedIn: Jon Trask---------------------------------------------------------------------------------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 CRYPTONEWS50FollowApple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicRSS FeedSee All

Robin Nordnes is the Founder and CEO of Raiku, the upgrade to Solana enabling instant, predictable, and scalable transactions. As an engineer and entrepreneur with over a decade of experience in fintech and distributed systems, Robin has built products from early Ethereum projects to ventures tackling global financial access. With Raiku, he is addressing blockchain’s most critical failure – unreliable execution – by reengineering the underlying infrastructure from first principles. Under his leadership, Raiku is bringing the speed, reliability, and precision of traditional systems to Solana, enabling internet capital markets at scale. In this conversation, we discuss:- Current crypto market sentiment - Leaving Ethereum for Solana  - Ethereum vs. Solana - Enabling planning on Solana transactions - Reserving block space - What predictable execution unlocks for DeFi & consumer apps - The future of Solana - Why solving execution reliability is critical for Solana’s next stage of growth - Working with Solana validators RaikuX: @raikucomWebsite: raiku.comLinkedIn: RaikuRobin NordnesX: @degenrootLinkedIn: Robin A.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------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 CRYPTONEWS50FollowApple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicRSS FeedSee All