PFP Podcast

Namik is a founding and chef at MegaETH, a blockchain that aims to push the performance of Ehereum L2s to hardware limits, bridging the gap between blockchains and traditional cloud computing servers. Timestamps 00:00 Highlight 01:33 Introduction 02:50 Namik’s View on Crypto in Different Countries 04:55 Why MegaETH Was Born for a Better Ethereum Environment 07:23 MegaETH’s Tech Stack 08:28 MegaETH’s Team 09:57 Why Namik Joined MegaETH 14:47 Why MegaETH Is Inevitable 17:56 MegaETH’s Value Proposition 19:46 Builders on MegaETH 29:55 Green Flags in Finding Builders 32:08 How MegaETH Is Different From Other Chains 34:57 MegaETH’s Consumer Apps 36:28 Building a Good Community in MegaETH 40:40 MegaETH’s Tech Stack on Other Chains 42:09 What Does “Mega” Mean in MegaETH? 50:43 Namik’s Thoughts on Crypto Dating Apps 53:53 Namik’s Favorite Apps 59:11 Namik, Are You Well? 1:02:44 Namik’s Next Steps After Mainnet Launch Co-Hosts Brian: @brianjhhong Jessie: @0xJESSIE_ JW: @pillarbear_

Mo Shaikhs is the co-founder and CEO of Aptos. He is also an entrepreneur and investor with extensive experience in private equity and venture capital, focusing on blockchain, finance, and infrastructure. Previously, he served as the Head of Strategy at ConsenSys, co-founded a company called Meridio, and worked in strategic partnerships at Meta. Now, he is the co-founder and CEO of Aptos. In this conversation, Mo shares his journey as a founder, Aptos's direction, and his meeting with Baek Kim from HASHED, as they explore how to move forward in the blockchain market. Timestamps 00:00 Highlight 01:21 Introduction 01:47 Baek’s Crypto Journey 03:11 Baek and Mo’s Meeting 05:23 Mo’s Story Growing Up as a First Generation Immigrant 06:20 Mo’s Entry to Traditional Finance 09:22 How Blockchain Can Fix Financial Problems 10:55 Entrepreneurship of Meridio 12:58 Aptos’ APT Approach 17:37 Mo’s Facebook Journey 19:36 The Birth of Aptos 22:30 What Aptos is Focusing Right Now 27:47 Visions that Aptos has in Korea 29:08 Jessie’s Aptos Hackathon Experience 33:15 Opportunities and Collaborations in Korean Enterprises 35:29 Expansion in Korean Teams 36:21 Green Flags in Finding Builders 40:32 What Aptos Provides to Builders 52:02 Expanding MoveVM Chains 58:29 The Aptos Black Card 1:00:38 What Korea Means to Mo 1:03:22 Mo’s Daughter at KBW 1:04:34 Outro Special Guest Baek: @baekkyoumkim Co-Hosts Brian: @brianjhhong Jessie: @0xJESSIE_ JW: @pillarbear_

In April 2022, Luca Netz acquired Pudgy Penguins, a collection of 8,888 Ethereum-based NFTs, for 750 ETH—approximately $2.5 million at the time. Fast forward 30 months, and Pudgy Penguins has transformed into one of the most recognizable mascots in the crypto space. Now, Igloo, the parent company of Pudgy Penguins, has acquired Frame and is building Abstract—”the blockchain leading the next generation of consumer crypto.” Today, we explore Luca’s journey in transforming Pudgy Penguins into a global IP and crypto mascot, the rationale behind the Frame acquisition, and how Abstract aims to become the leading blockchain for consumer crypto. Timestamps 00:00 Highlights 02:14 Introduction 03:01 The Acquisition of Pudgy Penguins 05:05 Luca’s Background and Experience 06:59 Was Pudgy Penguins' Success Just Luck? 09:02 Marketing Strategy Behind Pudgy Penguins 12:13 Breaking into Walmart and Target 14:36 Selling 1.5 Million Toys 17:06 Pudgy Toys as Trojan Horses 22:10 Biggest Risks Facing Pudgy Penguins 28:24 The Acquisition of Frame 33:41 Consumer Chains vs. General-Purpose Blockchains 38:14 Seamless 0-to-1 Consumer Journey and Onboarding 38:55 Network Effects and the Moat of a Consumer Chain 41:01 User Types and Experience on Abstract 44:17 Builders Seeking Product-Market Fit (PMF) 45:28 Abstract's Target Users 46:16 From Discretionary to Necessary Spending 48:23 Why Previous Consumer Applications Have Fallen Short 52:38 User Acquisition Strategy 1:00:45 Why Blockchain is Essential 1:04:13 Timeline for Adoption 1:10:24 Abstract’s Vision for the Next 10-15 Years 1:11:18 Outro Co-Hosts Brian: @brianjhhong Jessie: @0xJESSIE_ JW: @pillarbear_ Links Twitter: https://x.com/PFPpod Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pfppod

Zon Mangalji began his journey in the Cosmos ecosystem as a smart contract development intern at Terra. While working on a new protocol on top of Luna after leaving Terra, he successfully completed a funding round. However, soon after, Terra collapsed. A few months later, after returning the raised funds to the VCs, Zon and Stan co-founded Initia, a new Layer 1 blockchain. Initia aims to address key challenges in blockchain, particularly with interoperability. The project seeks to streamline the process of building app-chains, improve interactions between chains, and create aligned incentives for both developers and users. Today, we explore Zon’s path from his time at Terra to the founding of Initia, including Initia’s vision, its incentive model, and his perspective on the future of the crypto industry. Timestamps 00:00 Highlights 01:46 Introduction 04:06 Issues with Interoperability 05:16 The Biggest Challenge in the Cosmos Ecosystem 06:24 How Initia is Enhancing the Protocol 07:45 Overview of Initia’s VIP Program 09:48 How Initia Stands Out in User Retention 12:01 Zon’s Favorite Apps 14:22 Sectors Initia is Focusing On 16:27 Current Interactions Between Layer 2s (L2s) 18:14 Initia’s Value Proposition as a Layer 1 (L1) 29:02 Why Choose Layer 1? 30:19 Is Initia the “Apple” of Blockchain? 33:38 How Initia Empowers Developers to Create Advanced Apps 37:40 What Sets the Developer Experience on Initia Apart? 40:04 Zon’s Journey to Becoming a Developer at Terra 42:34 Co-Founding Initia with Stan 46:32 Zon’s Transition from Smart Contract Developer to CBDSM 47:45 Can Initia Replicate Terra Luna’s Success? 48:46 Zon’s Thoughts on the Next Crypto Cycle 52:39 The Vision for Initia 54:55 Initia’s Community 58:32 In-House Design Team at Initia 1:00:00 Why We Need a Separate Wallet 1:04:35 How to Hire the Right Talent 01:09:40 Jessie’s Elevator Pitch Co-Hosts Brian: @brianjhhong Jessie: @0xJESSIE_ JW: @pillarbear_ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2EjrWcgasA3AQlYkXFFSV8?si=dd4132dcc2ee436f Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profile-pictures/id1762620325 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pfppod Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ICeZS4bNOphbfDKuTzygy?si=c9c1815d0b5b423e Youtube: https://youtu.be/5Nt9SV5dqyA

Before fully transitioning into the world of crypto, Sam began his journey as a medical student. In 2017, he co-founded Journal du Coin, which has since become the leading source of French-language news on crypto. Following this success, Sam went on to co-found Node Guardians, now the largest gamified learning platform for smart contract developers. In this episode, we explore Sam's evolution from co-founding Journal du Coin to launching Node Guardians, his foray into the crypto space and angel investing, the current landscape of the cryptocurrency market, and the critical importance of maintaining a balanced life while working in the fast-paced crypto industry. Timestamps 00:06 Introduction to Sam from Node Guardians 00:48 Sam’s journey to South Korea 03:57 How Node Guardians aligns with the local culture 06:45 Sam's Journey into the crypto 11:52 Building a crypto media platform in 2017 16:18 The importance of networking and relationships 21:01 Criteria in angel investment 25:41 Lack of demand in crypto 30:54 The dark and bright sides of crypto 33:53 Transitioning from medical student to crypto entrepreneur 35:58 The importance of maintaining balance in life 39:14 The vulnerability of people in crypto 41:52 Expectations for verifiable computing and ZK 43:50 Potential applications of blockchain 45:05 Predictions on the consolidation of DeFi 47:40 Current state of the crypto market 49:52 Preferences for credible systems and L2s 51:00 Node Guardians’ user-focused approach 53:14 Next milestones 56:40 Closing thoughts

Before fully transitioning into the crypto space, Jason Zhao was the youngest Product Manager at Google DeepMind. Now, at 25 years old, he is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Story Protocol, which recently secured $80M in a Series B funding round led by a16z. Addressing the issue of AI utilizing data without consent and benefiting from it without sharing rewards with original creators, Story is transforming intellectual property into IP Legos—modular and programmable assets that can be licensed, managed, and monetized via blockchain. Today, we delve into Jason’s journey as the youngest PM at Google Deepmind, his venture into crypto, solving real-world problems through Layer 1 blockchain, the challenges of IP enforcement and protection, his biggest challenge as an entrepreneur, and his ultimate goals. __________________________________ Timestamps 00:00 Teaser 00:48 Intro 01:04 What is Story? 02:36 How Jason first started Story 02:49 Jason's work as the youngest PM at Google DeepMind 03:20 Recognizing the problem created by AI that blockchain could solve 04:56 How Jason met SY 05:23 How Jason got into crypto 06:15 Libertarianism, socialism, and capitalism of blockchain 07:24 Studying CS and philosophy as an undergrad 09:01 Favorite school of thought 11:46 Representing a company through socials 13:10 Real-world problems that Story is solving 17:35 Who are the power-users of Story 17:44 Story's ecosystem partners from both Web2 and Web3 18:43 Why open source AI is much more important than closed source AI 21:34 Explain Story like I'm five 23:36 How Story wants to become an app store 25:54 What is remixing on Story? 28:08 Addressing potential challenges of IP enforcement 29:40 Multiple layers of IP protection 31:42 Strategy to onboard as much IP as possible 33:46: Why Jason is in Korea 34:25 Why Korea is an important market for Story 36:48 Story's envisioned community 37:58 Tech stack of Story 39:40 Why Layer 1 43:32 Investors' and advisors' reaction when Story transitioned to Layer 1 44:26 Story as a data availability layer or a settlement layer 45:45 Not being an object of an algorithm but a controller and a subject 50:24 Constitution and spontaneous order of a blockchain 53:05 Dispute mechanism and principles of Story 56:53 End goal of Jason 1:00:53 Satisfaction is deeper than hedonistic pleasure 1:03:09 Biggest challenge 01:06:00 Closing Thoughts __________________________________ [FOLLOW JASON & STORY👇] • Twitter(X): https://x.com/jasonjzhao • Twitter(X): https://x.com/StoryProtocol [FOLLOW PFP PODCAST👇] • Twitter(X): https://twitter.com/PFPpod • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2EjrWcgasA3AQlYkXFFSV8?si=dd4132dcc2ee436f • Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profile-pictures/id1762620325 • Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pfppod [FOLLOW CO-HOSTS👇] • Brian: https://x.com/brianjhhong • Jessie: https://x.com/0xJESSIE_ • JW: https://x.com/pillarbear_ __________________________________ [DISCLAIMER] The information provided herein is intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal, or tax advice. The content of this video reflects the opinions of the speakers, who are not licensed financial advisors or registered investment advisors. Trading cryptocurrencies carries a significant risk of loss, and the speakers make no guarantees regarding any specific outcomes.

A few years ago, Taek, the CTO of ZeroDev, was expelled from Seoul National University (SNU), often referred to as the Harvard of South Korea. After his expulsion, Taek has since emerged as a top performer at Code4rena, a security researcher at Spearbit, and the CTO of ZeroDev. Today, we explore Taek’s journey in crypto, the story behind his expulsion from SNU, strategies for generating recurring revenue, the biggest challenges and lessons learned as a CTO of a crypto startup, his advice for security researchers, and his insights on the landscape and interoperability of account abstraction. [TIMESTAMPES] 0:00 Introduction 0:40 Overview of Zerodev 1:09 Starting in Crypto 2:52 Engineer's Dilemma 4:25 Working as a Security Researcher 6:56 Expelled from Seoul National University 10:34 Joining Zerodev as CTO 16:08 Why Zerodev? 17:29 Account Abstraction & Zerodev's Role 20:50 Interoperability of Account Abstraction 24:33 UX of Account Abstraction 28:36 Getting Married 32:12 Lessons from Being Expelled 32:42 Recurring Income from Code4rena 33:35 Freelancer vs. CTO 35:40 Challenges in a B2B Crypto Startup 38:27 Taek's Mission 39:05 Defining Crypto OGs 39:40 Embedded Accounts 40:56 Predicting the Future of Account Abstraction 42:26 Coinbase’s Strategy 44:32 Major Players in Account Abstraction 45:05 Next Steps 46:08 Motivation 48:47 Advice for Junior Security Researchers 50:18 Closing Thoughts __________________________________ [FOLLOW TAEK & ZERODEV👇] • Taek: https://x.com/leekt216 • ZeroDev: https://x.com/zerodev_app [FOLLOW PFP PODCAST👇] • Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pfppod • Twitter: https://twitter.com/PFPpod • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2EjrWcgasA3AQlYkXFFSV8?si=dd4132dcc2ee436f • Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profile-pictures/id1762620325 [FOLLOW CO-HOSTS👇] • Brian: https://x.com/brianjhhong • Jessie: https://x.com/0xJESSIE_ • JW: https://x.com/pillarbear_ __________________________________ [DISCLAIMER] The information provided herein is intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal, or tax advice. The content of this video reflects the opinions of the speakers, who are not licensed financial advisors or registered investment advisors. Trading cryptocurrencies carries a significant risk of loss, and the speakers make no guarantees regarding any specific outcomes.