Future of Digital Identity: NFTs, Self-Custody, and Beyond with Sandy Carter, COO of Unstoppable Domains

What if blockchains could communicate as easily as APIs? In The Index's Everything SVM episode, Alex Kehaya and Omar Zaki sit down with Dean Little, Co-founder and Chief Scientist at Zeus Network, which is building a seamless way to connect Bitcoin and other major blockchains to the Solana ecosystem. His other work includes cryptography research at Jupiter Research Center, where he focuses on advancing secure blockchain systems. In this episode, Dean unpacks the breakthroughs driving cross-chain interoperability forward.The Everything SVM conversation dives into JupNet — a groundbreaking SVM chain designed to “aggregate anything, verify anywhere,” unlocking seamless cross-chain activity without the usual friction. Dean breaks down what sets JupNet apart from protocols like IBC, from its novel approach to validator trust to the way its architecture hides complexity behind an intuitive user experience.We also explore Dean’s cutting-edge Quantum Vault project, where he’s using Winternitz One-Time Signatures (WOTS), to build quantum-resistant vaults on Solana — a bold move to safeguard crypto assets against the looming threat of quantum computing.If you’re serious about building cross-chain systems, exploring SVM innovation, or staying ahead of where blockchain infrastructure is headed, this is an episode you can’t afford to miss.👉 Learn more at https://zeusnetwork.xyz/ 👉 Follow Zeus Network on X: https://x.com/zeusnetworkhqShow LinksThe Index X ChannelYouTube

What if the world’s most powerful AI wasn’t controlled by a handful of tech giants, but was open, accessible, and owned by everyone?In this episode of The Index, we sit down with Vincent Weisser, Co-founder and CEO of Prime Intellect, to explore his groundbreaking vision for democratizing artificial intelligence. Vincent pulls back the curtain on the technical and philosophical innovations behind Prime Intellect, from distributed training systems that harness idle compute power around the world to the crypto-economic incentives designed to reward contributors and decentralize ownership.At the core of Prime Intellect’s approach is a radical rethink of how we train the next generation of AI models. Instead of relying on massive, centralized data centers, Prime Intellect distributes the workload across decentralized networks, achieving similar results with far fewer communication demands. This breakthrough not only unlocks cost-effective training at a global scale, but also reshapes who can participate in the AI economy.But this episode isn’t just about engineering. Vincent shares his bigger mission: building a world where intelligence is “too cheap to meter,” where abundance replaces scarcity, and where superintelligence becomes a public good, not a private monopoly. With the rapid pace of progress toward artificial general intelligence (AGI), the stakes have never been higher. As Vincent puts it, the race is on—not just to build AGI, but to decide who will own and benefit from it.Whether you’re building, investing, researching, or just reflecting on the future of AI, this conversation will challenge your assumptions and offer a rare glimpse into one of the most ambitious open-source projects shaping the future of intelligence.Explore more at primeintellect.ai and follow on X at x.com/primeintellect.Show LinksThe Index X ChannelYouTube

How do we rebuild trust in a decentralized financial system that’s been rocked by collapses and scandals?This week on The Index, host Alex Kehaya sits down with Alexandre Elkrief, Co-founder and CEO of August, to discuss the future of crypto, stablecoins, and DeFi—and how his team is rebuilding trust in the ecosystem with Upshift. Designed to replace blind trust with verifiable transparency, Upshift is a breakthrough protocol that’s redefining the infrastructure of decentralized finance.After managing institutional DeFi positions during the chaotic “DeFi Summer,” Elkrief witnessed the system’s flaws up close. Most strategies were built on spreadsheets and assumptions, lacking the tools to manage risk or offer real transparency. Upshift solves this with a revolutionary tri-party account model that puts users back in control—no more operating in the dark.With over $300 million already managed in smart contract vaults, Upshift gives users, asset issuers, and strategists clear, auditable access to capital and strategy. As DeFi matures beyond hype and into serious financial engineering, Elkrief envisions Upshift as the “BlackRock of DeFi”—a platform where trust is earned through code, not promises.Don’t miss this powerful conversation on the future of crypto, stablecoins, and decentralized finance—and how Upshift is setting a new standard for transparency, trust, and scale.Website: https://www.augustdigital.io/Follow on X: https://x.com/upshift_fiShow LinksThe Index X ChannelYouTube

New on The Index— What happens when $1.5B disappears overnight?Host Alex Kehaya chats with Andres Monteoliva, Co-founder and CEO of Range—a blockchain security and intelligence platform—about the high-profile crypto hacks that have exposed major gaps in Web3 and how they’re shaping the future of blockchain security.Together, they unpack the real-world failures behind some of the biggest exploits and explore how Range is using real-time risk modeling to help prevent the next billion-dollar breach.From the $600M Ronin Bridge hack that went unnoticed for days to Reddit users spotting the Osmosis exploit before the devs did, Monti shares how these events exposed major gaps—and why they led him to build Range, now a cross-chain monitoring platform protecting ecosystems like Solana and Cosmos.They break down the Bybit hack, where attackers used a compromised dev machine to deploy malicious frontends, and why 70% of stolen funds still trace back to Web2-style exploits like key compromises.Monti also dives into Range’s multi-layered defense system—combining transaction monitoring, asset tracking, and real-time anomaly detection using heuristics and machine learning.If you're building in Web3, this episode is packed with hard-earned lessons on securing your protocol without sacrificing decentralization.Website: https://www.range.org/Show LinksThe Index X ChannelYouTube

What if the original vision for the internet—a decentralized, permissionless, and open system—could still be realized?On this episode of The Index, host Alex Kehaya is joined by Danny O’Brien, Senior Fellow at the Filecoin Foundation, to explore how we got here—and how we can build something better.Danny’s career spans decades at the frontlines of digital freedom, from the early days of the free software movement to today’s push for decentralized infrastructure and open AI. He shares stories connecting the dots—from Bash shell's origins as free software (the same Bash running on the Mars helicopter) to the modern struggle against walled gardens and platform lock-in.Together, we unpack why centralized systems pose such a risk to innovation, how the ethos of “just build together” remains vital, and why open-source collaboration is more than a philosophy—it’s the backbone of digital sovereignty.We also dive into the future of “open intelligence”: AI systems built on transparent, community-driven infrastructure. Danny argues this is the continuation of a 60-year project, where the tools we build reflect the freedoms we value.If you're a builder in Web3, an open-source contributor, or working at the intersection of AI and decentralized protocols, this conversation is for you.Let’s dive in and rebuild the internet from first principles.Website: https://fil.org/Follow Danny O'Brien on XShow LinksThe Index X ChannelYouTube

What if smart contracts could manage keys, secure assets, and run AI agents autonomously?This week on The Index podcast —Host Alex Kehaya sits down with David Sneider, co-founder of Lit Protocol, to dive into decentralized key management, threshold cryptography, and the future of AI in Web3.David shares his journey from building in the Bay Area tech scene to launching Lit Protocol, with stops along the way that include the acquisition of his SaaS startup by LinkedIn and working alongside crypto pioneer Chris Cassano. The two get into how threshold cryptography is powering the next wave of secure computation and enabling new use cases for AI and smart contracts.You’ll hear how Lit is rethinking identity recovery and asset security through multi-party computation (MPC)—with real-world examples like the Fuse Wallet, where managing crypto feels more like using a banking app. Alex and David also explore how smart accounts, MPC, and AI agents are coming together to shape the next-gen developer stack.Later in the episode, they look ahead to decentralized AI frameworks, the role of open-source models in avoiding centralized AI control, and why community-owned infrastructure matters.If you’re building at the edge of crypto and AI, this one’s for you.Website: https://www.litprotocol.com/Show LinksThe Index X ChannelYouTube

What if launching your own Layer 1 blockchain was as fast and seamless as spinning up a cloud server? In this episode of The Index, Jin Kwon, Co-founder of Saga.xyz, shares how Saga is redefining how developers scale in Web3. Rather than relying on rollups or months of coordination, Saga lets you launch your own Layer 1 chain—called a chainlet—in just minutes.Jin explains how his computer architecture and finance background helped shape Saga’s vision and why automation is key to building scalable blockchain infrastructure. He breaks down how Saga’s validator system works, how pricing is dynamically optimized through competition, and how chainlets come pre-integrated with bridges and liquidity—all with minimal developer effort.The conversation also explores the future of application-level sharding, using Uniswap as a real-world example of how splitting liquidity across multiple chainlets could unlock massive throughput without compromising user experience.If you’re a developer looking for faster, cheaper, and more modular ways to build in Web3, this episode is packed with insights into where blockchain infrastructure is headed.Connect with Jin Kwon and the Saga team:Saga: https://www.saga.xyz/Follow on X: https://x.com/sagaxyz__Follow us:The Index  (https://www.podpage.com/the-index-podcast/) X Channel (https://x.com/theindexshow) YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP-VGLfPNwianYhY-oqq5zg)Show LinksThe Index X ChannelYouTube

How do we unlock the true potential of decentralized AI? In this episode of Everything Bagel, co-hosts Alex Kehaya and Bidhan Roy dive into the powerful intersection of blockchain and AI, fresh from ETHDenver and the OpenAGI Summit.Bidhan, founder of Bagel, shares insights from hosting a Builder’s Breakfast that exceeded all expectations, drawing triple the anticipated attendance. He unpacks how Bagel is tackling one of decentralized AI’s biggest challenges—verifiability—through innovations like ZK LoRa (Zero-Knowledge Low-Rank Adaptation).The conversation explores why structured public data often holds more value than proprietary datasets and how Bagel enables contributors to monetize the process of transforming raw data into usable intelligence. Most importantly, Alex and Bidhan discuss a new paradigm where builders—not extractors—are at the heart of innovation, aligning open-source principles with financial sustainability.Join the open intelligence movement and discover why hundreds of developers are already building on Bagel. Learn more at bagel.net.Show LinksThe Index X ChannelYouTube

The Future of Finance: How Blockchain is Bringing Real-World Assets On-ChainThis week on The Index, Alex Kehaya joins Eli Cohen, General Counsel at Centrifuge, to break down how crypto is transforming traditional finance by bringing real-world assets (RWA) on-chain.Eli’s blockchain journey began in 2017 at CME Group, where he helped launch Bitcoin futures, exposing him to the inefficiencies of legacy markets. Municipal bonds take ten days to settle. FX swaps carry days of currency risk. Mortgages still rely on paper. These bottlenecks lock up trillions—tokenization is the solution.Centrifuge started with trade receivables for small businesses and has since scaled into institutional finance, launching a $40M US Treasury pool in 2023. The shift is clear: on-chain assets are going mainstream.Regulation remains a battleground. Eli unpacks the SEC’s aggressive stance, the "chokepoint" banking restrictions, and why the post-election landscape could reshape global policy.With BlackRock entering tokenized treasuries, the crypto-finance crossover is accelerating. This isn’t just digitization—it’s a full-scale reinvention of how assets move and who gets access.Whether you're a crypto investor, builder, or just watching the space, this episode reveals why RWA tokenization is the next big thing.Centrifuge: https://centrifuge.io/Show LinksThe Index X ChannelYouTube

Can small, agile teams outpace massive, well-funded engineering orgs in AI and open-source innovation?Co-hosts Alex Kehaya & Bidhan Roy, Founder of Bagel Network joins Greg Osuri, Founder of Akash Network, for a deep dive into the open-source AI stack, decentralization, and the engineering principles behind lean, high-impact teams.Greg shares how Akash is revolutionizing cloud computing with decentralized infrastructure, the power of Zero Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) for AI model validation, and why small, focused developer teams consistently outperform bloated, overfunded projects.Key Dev Insights:✅ Scaling open-source AI with decentralized computing✅ ZKPs & AI security—why cryptographic proofs are the future of model validation✅ Building with constraints—why limited funding fuels better engineering decisions✅ Community-driven dev—how Akash leverages contributors for rapid iterationJoin us for an engineering-first discussion on the future of decentralized AI and why lean, open-source teams are leading the way.Website: https://akash.network/Show LinksThe Index X ChannelYouTube