#337: Ethan Buchman, CEO of Cycles Protocol, on The History of Money, Cosmos Ecosystem, and Collaborative Finance

Chris Liquin is CEO of Cupcake.com, the social layer of Solana. Chris has been investing in crypto since 2016 and has worked full-time in the space since 2021. Prior to Cupcake, Chris worked for Gary Vaynerchuck at Vayner3, a Fortune 500 Web3 consulting firm, as SVP of Strategy & Operations. During his time at V3, he led over $25M of work with brands like Budweiser, Red Bull, Coinbase, Johnny Walker, Crocs, and KFC as they explored the frontier of the internet. He holds an MBA from Chicago Booth, spent his non-crypto career at KPMG and Google Cloud, and lives in Chicago with his wife and their crazy cat named Bunny.In this conversation, we discuss:- What is CultureFi?- The intersection of finance and culture- The founding story of Cupcake- Web3 vs Web2 engagement- Stories from working with Gary V- Onboarding Fortune 500 brands to web3- Why celebrating culture is the future of crypto = CultureFi- Digital self vs. physical self- Fractionalizing assets- Solana ecosystem- The future of social mediaCupcakeWebsite: www.cupcake.comX: @cupcakeprotocolLinkedIn: CupcakeChris LiquinX: @chrisliquinLinkedIn: Chris Liquin  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  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 CRYPTONEWS50

Stefan Kimmel is the CEO at M2, leading the company's mission to establish a world-class global digital currency investment platform. With over 25 years of experience in finance, fintech, and digital innovation, Stefan has a proven track record of delivering products and services to his clients. He specializes in leveraging digital products to optimize the delivery of financial solutions, ensuring optional outcomes for his clients. Stefan has held prominent executive roles in the fintech industry, including positions such as Chief Commercial Officer at Kraken MENA, Chief Operating Officer of the Commercial Bank of Dubai, and leadership roles at PWC, IBM, and Oliver Wyman Middle East. His extensive expertise and unwavering commitment to innovation make him a respected thought leader in the industry, driving M2 towards its goal of becoming the leading global digital investment platform.In this conversation, we discuss:- How crypto exchanges can offer 10% yields- ETF’s impact on credibility- Impact of potential SEC approval of ETH ETF (Time-dependent)- Status of crypto adoption in UAE and MENA generally- Why M2 sees the UAE as the springboard to building an exchange with global reach- Regulatory comparison between UAE and US- Broad adoption of crypto via institutional investors- Real World Assets (RWA)- Fractionalized assets via tokenizationM2Website: www.m2.comX: @M2ExchangeTelegram: t.me/M2CommunityStefan KimmelX: @M2StefanLinkedIn: Stefan Kimmel ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  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 CRYPTONEWS50

Ariel Seidman is the CEO & Co-Founder of Hivemapper, a decentralized mapping community that relies on a network of drivers, AI trainers and advanced technologies to create the world’s freshest map.A seasoned expert in the field, Ariel's journey began over a decade ago at Yahoo! Search and Maps, where he garnered invaluable experience in building maps at scale. Motivated by the inefficiencies of traditional methods, he embarked on a mission to revolutionize global mapping. Prior to Hivemapper, Ariel founded Gigwalk, a pioneering location-based data collection firm that transformed mobile devices into lucrative tools for data gathering, earning recognition from Fast Company as a Top 10 Mobile Innovation Company. With his extensive background and unwavering commitment to innovation, Ariel continues to shape the future of mapping technology.In this conversation, we discuss:- The difficulties of building digital maps- Google vs. Yahoo maps in early 2000s- Maps are clear sources of truth- Decentralized maps- AI in crypto- Creating the world's freshest global map- Building AI models to train date and perform map QA- Getting paid to drive with a dash-cam- DePIN - touching real markets and industries- Hivemapper has already mapped 20% of the worldHivemapperWebsite: hivemapper.com X: @HivemapperInstagram: @hivemapperAriel SeidmanX: @aseidmanLinkedIn: Ariel Seidman ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  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 CRYPTONEWS50

Unique Divine is the co-founder and CEO of Nibiru, the user-centric layer-1 super chain that is paving the way to mainstream blockchain adoption through its exceptionally high throughput and parallel optimistic execution approach. Following its $8.5 million seed round in September 2022, co-led by the $1.6B+ AUM firm Tribe Capital, Republic Capital, Original Capital, and NGC Ventures, Nibiru secured an additional $12 million from venture firms, including Kraken Ventures, ArkStream, Tribe Capital, and others.Unique’s expertise in decentralized financial services, blockchain, and smart contracts is preceded by a professional background primarily in applied machine learning, where he consulted as an AI engineer for startups and Fortune 500 companies with Insight Softmax.Unique financed his Physics and Computer Science degrees at Columbia University through earnings generated from algorithmic trading, combining transformers for processing historical sequences and reinforcement agents to make trading decisions. Following graduation, he worked as a data scientist for IBM before helping develop Sommelier, the blockchain protocol for executing automated trading strategies on-chain, where he was in charge of the team’s data science division and led the development of DeFi trading strategies.In this conversation, we discuss:- Creating a new L1- L1 ecosystems- Fundraising for L1s - tough to find a niche- Increasing throughput- High-level overview of Nibiru — a new L1 blockchain valued at $100 million- 2024 Roadmap: Parallel Optimistic Execution, EVM-compatibility- Strategic expansion into the APAC region- Developing Sommelier for IBM- Hands on ecosystem- Venture-arms within the ecosystem- The integration of CeFi and DeFiNibiruWebsite: nibiru.fiX: @NibiruChainTelegram: t.me/nibiruchainUnique DivineX: @DivineNibirunLinkedIn: Unique Divine ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  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 CRYPTONEWS50

Josh Fraser is the Co-Founder of Origin Protocol. Prior to Origin, he co-founded three other venture-backed companies: EventVue, Torbit (acquired by Walmart Labs) & Forage. Josh started coding at the age of 10.In this conversation, we discuss:- DeFi industry- Automated Redemption Manager (ARM)- Liquid staking- Transparency and integrity in crypto- Crypto industry's volatility- Staking and Ethereum- Learning to code at age 10- Getting better yields in crypto- The future of yield is multi-chainOrigin ProtocolWebsite: www.originprotocol.com X: @OriginProtocolTelegram: t.me/originprotocolJosh FraserX: @joshfraserLinkedIn: Josh Fraser ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  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 CRYPTONEWS50

Anurag Arjun, Co-founder of Avail, is a seasoned entrepreneur who has founded several successful startups across diverse industries, ranging from cash flow lending to regulatory tech. With a strategic move into the blockchain space in 2017, he co-founded Matic Network, which has since evolved into Polygon, a platform for scaling Ethereum.In 2020, Anurag spearheaded the development of Avail, an innovative solution within the Polygon ecosystem that empowers developers to create fast, efficient, and scalable applications. As a pioneer with a background spanning research, economics, and engineering, Anurag's unique skill set has been invaluable in creating Avail and the broader blockchain community. In March 2023, he and co-founder Prabal Banerjee spun off Avail from Polygon to embark on a journey to empower rollup and application blockchain communities with the development of a unification layer that enables modular execution layers to scale and interoperate in a trust-minimized way.With an unwavering commitment to realizing the full potential of modular blockchain technology, Anurag is excited to leverage this cutting-edge approach to maximize Avail's impact. 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:- Founding Polygon in 2020- Why a unification layer is needed- Present day L2s- Avail ecosystem: Gaming , AI, Bitcoin L2's, DeFi, Wallet & Infra- Modular blockchains- Avail’s mainnet launch- $27mm raise, led by Founders Fund and Dragon Fly- The future of L2s and roll-ups- L1s as tribes- Web3 infrastructureAvailWebsite: www.availproject.orgX: @AvailProjectTelegram: 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 CRYPTONEWS50

Ethan Buchman is Co-founder of Cosmos, CEO of Informal Systems, and Founder Cycles Protocol Ethan is a leading figure in blockchain technology and has worked at the Interchain Foundation, Tendermint, and his consultancy CoinCulture CryptoConsulting.His academic background in Biophysics from the University of Guelph informs his interdisciplinary approach, evident in his research contributions across institutions like the University of California, San Francisco. Ethan's innovative mindset and expertise continue to drive advancements in decentralized systems.In this conversation, we discuss:- Blockchains' killer app is money- What is money? To denominate and discharge debt- The history of money and blockchain- Cycles protocol- The inception of Cosmos ecosystem- Community computers - the ethos of blockchain- Collaborative Finance, blockchain's missing promise- Money isn't just about storing value; it's about accounting and exchange- Traditional banking's power lies in clearing debts- Clearing more debt with less money- Crypto in Canada and Ethereum in TorontoCosmosWebsite: cosmos.networkX: @cosmosTelegram: t.me/cosmosprojectEthan BuchmanX: @buchmansterLinkedIn: Ethan Buchman ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  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 CRYPTONEWS50

Tristan Frizza is the Founder of Zeta Markets. Tristan’s curiosity for crypto was ignited in 2017 when he traded his first cryptocurrency, spurring him to finish his Computer Science degree with an emphasis on distributed systems and PoW blockchain technology. He then worked in AI research and as a data scientist in Silicon Valley, eventually writing his thesis on Generative Adversarial Network for Image Super-Resolution for which he received First Class Honours.Motivated by a passion for open-source software and the potential to democratize finance, Tristan co-founded Zeta. His venture aimed to introduce transparency and accessibility to the financial sector, drawing on his deep technological expertise and vision for the future of global markets. The turning point came in 2021 when Tristan and his team triumphed in a Solana hackathon, outshining over 13,000 participants, which catalyzed the transformation of their proof of concept into a prominent decentralized exchange.Today, Zeta is a testament to Tristan’s ambition and innovation, having processed over $5 billion in trading volume. His journey from a crypto enthusiast to a trailblazer in decentralized finance illustrates the impact of perseverance, hard work, and conviction in blockchain technology in reshaping the financial landscape.In this conversation, we discuss:- Perpetual trading- Solana’s DeFi Layer 2 plans & Ecosystem- 2024 DeFi summer- $Z token-New $5M Strategic Round led by @ElectricCapital- The future trajectory of DeFi- The role of enhanced staking mechanisms- Fostering a robust and secure trading environment- Innovative tokenomics- Solana congestion issues- Ethereum vs. SolanaZeta MarketsWebsite: www.zeta.marketsX: @ZetaMarketsDiscord: discord.gg/Xn9HCJaDZdTristan FrizzaX: @Tristan0xLinkedIn: Tristan Frizza  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  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 CRYPTONEWS50

Tomer Pascal is the CEO and co-founder of OwnPlay, a web3 mobile gaming ecosystem that has developed CityVerse Tycoon, a PWA game allowing players to trade, buy, and sell tokenized replicas of real buildings in New York City. Tomer has extensive multi-disciplinary experience in delivering products to their appropriate markets, working with early-stage companies, businesses with new products, and well-established organizations. He combines his tech mindset, ability to create effective marketing technology platforms, and business capabilities to help companies monetize their products and achieve growth.Before founding OwnPlay, Tomer held several positions, including Chief Revenue Officer at Mohawk Group, Inc., where he focused on driving revenue and holistic growth; Chief Executive Officer at OMG Studios, where he served as a corporate strategist and worked on digital media and customer engagement; and General Manager of the Perion Lightspeed Division at Perion, overseeing the GrowMobile mobile advertising platform. With his diverse skill set and experience, Tomer leads OwnPlay in its mission to innovate in the mobile gaming industry using web3 technology.In this conversation, we discuss:- What is a PWA game?- CityVerse Tycoon = Monopoly GO + Zillow- Trade, buy, and sell tokenized replicas of real buildings- The opportunity that mobile offers for web3 gaming- Challenges of creating and operating a mobile web3 game- Mobile offering unparalleled accessibility- The "David and Goliath" struggle between crypto apps and centralized app stores- Apple and Google’s Appstore Duopoly- Building the game as a PWA rather than a traditional mobile app- PWA’s influence on distribution and monetization for mobile gamingCityVerse TycoonWebsite: cityversetycoon.comX: @CityVerseTycoonDiscord: discord.gg/cityversetycoonTomer PascalX: @TomerPascalLinkedIn: Tomer Pascal ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  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 CRYPTONEWS50

Spencer Farrar is a Partner at Theory Ventures. Spencer was a two-sport athlete at Berkeley (swimming and water polo). He then worked at a Web3 startup, Velocity, which processed more than $150m of volume per day, before joining Bienville, a $4b asset investing in early-stage blockchain companies.In this conversation, we discuss:- The state of Web3 funding- Web3 startups- Venture strategy and liquid strategy in crypto- AI-based Web3/blockchain companies- Go-to-market strategy- Influencers becoming VCs- Swimming and water polo- Working in trad-fi- Similarities between VC and PE- Supporting portfolio companies- Web2 vs. Web3 salesTheory VenturesWebsite: theory.venturesX: @TheoryvcLinkedIn: Theory VenturesSpencer FarrarX: @SpencerFarrarLinkedIn: Spencer Farrar  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  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 CRYPTONEWS50