Polygon Co-Founder Mihailo Bjelic: Exploring Layer 3's, zkEVM, and NFL, Starbucks, Disney, Reddit, Adidas Partnerships

In this episode of The Defiant podcast we speak with Morgan Krupetsky, VP of OnChain Finance at Ava Labs, to break down one of the most significant shifts happening in crypto today: the rapid institutionalization of blockchain and Avalanche’s strategy to lead it.Morgan walks us through Avalanche’s “real-world adoption first” ethos, explaining how its unique architecture enables enterprises, fintechs, banks, governments, and consumer apps to build purpose-designed blockchains while tapping into a shared liquidity hub.

Robert Leshner — the mind behind Compound, and now the founder of Superstate — believes the next trillion-dollar shift will come from bringing the world’s assets on-chain.In this episode, Cami sits down with one of DeFi’s earliest pioneers to unpack:Why DeFi itself shouldn’t change — but assets willHow tokenized T-bills, basis strategies, and even equities are finally getting institutional tractionWhy regulatory “tailwinds,” not new laws, unlocked the RWA boomThe two competing models of tokenized stocks — and why both will winWhat happens when DeFi becomes the infrastructure powering TradFiWhat he’d do differently after Compound’s messy transition to decentralized governanceRobert also gives us a candid breakdown of how Superstate is building “canonical tokenization” — letting public companies turn their actual stock into blockchain-native assets — and why the real breakthrough won’t come from issuance… but from DeFi use cases.

In a world of fast-advancing technology, we are told to trust in our own research. But as the crypto space matures, scams and exploits remain a constant presence. When your assets are gone, they are gone forever, with a near-zero chance of recovery. The old mantra of "Do Your Own Research" falls short against sophisticated threats like address poisoning, advanced malware, and convincing AI deepfakes. How, then, do we build a safer Web3 without sacrificing the decentralized ideals at its core?Alex Katz, CEO of the Web3 security solution Kerberus, joins us to explore this new frontier. We delve into the philosophical debate of autonomy versus protection, the push for auditing standards, and the future of wallet-native security.Chapters00:00 Android vulnerability: why mobile crypto is risky01:21 Building safer Web3 without sacrificing decentralization02:10 Crypto’s Wild West: few rules, big risks03:37 Why scams continue: prosecution, standards, protection gaps05:44 Kerberus approach and results: zero user losses06:24 Coverage up to $30K and growth needs08:24 Why DYOR is insufficient for modern threats09:33 Traders’ behavior, phishing risk, and automation11:25 Crypto antivirus vision and malware threats12:11 Hardware vs. hot wallets: balancing safety and speed14:41 Address poisoning, clipboard privacy, and deepfakes20:22 Autonomy vs. protection: beyond user education24:44 Wallet security should be default, like antivirus31:51 Getting grandma into Web3 safely32:29 Lightning round: tools, myths, key lessons36:04 Where to find Kerberus and closing notes

In the second episode of Ecosystems: Avalanche, we track the protocol’s trajectory, which included a peak valuation of $13 billion, followed by a period of consolidation and strategic redevelopment.The Defiant founder Camila Russo and Ava Labs' Chief Strategy Officer Luigi D’Onorio DeMeo are joined by founders from BENQI, Euler Labs, and LFJ, who are building on the Avalanche protocol. The conversation covers technical upgrades such as Octane and Etna, aimed at reducing fees, and Interchain Messaging, designed to enhance interoperability between blockchains. It also addresses the strategy to onboard institutional clients, including T. Rowe Price and Wellington, through customized Layer 1 solutions.Can Avalanche cultivate an ecosystem that thrives without relying on constant incentives, particularly regarding liquidity and user retention? Join us to find out.

In this conversation, May Zabaneh breaks down PayPal’s move into stablecoins with PYUSD and why it matters for financial inclusion. We explore how PYUSD could lower costs for cross-border payments, deliver faster settlement, and plug directly into PayPal’s existing ecosystem. The discussion covers why PayPal built a proprietary stablecoin, early adoption and real-world use cases, and plans for international expansion. We also examine the role merchants play in crypto acceptance, how DeFi and traditional finance are converging, and why interoperability will be essential in the next phase of digital payments.Chapters00:00 PayPal’s Vision for Stablecoins02:47 Why PYUSD? Rationale and Goals05:18 Stablecoin Advantages: 24/7, Inclusion, Cross‑Border08:22 Why Proprietary vs Supporting Others11:06 Unlocking B2B and Rebuilding On‑Chain12:20 PYUSD in the PayPal/Venmo Ecosystem14:21 International Expansion and Global Transfers17:02 Merchant Fit: Categories, Costs, Declines19:32 User Segments: Crypto‑Curious to Super Users23:28 Pay with Crypto: Scaling to Larger Merchants29:38 PYUSD in DeFi: Open and Multi‑Chain32:01 Liquidity, Partnerships, and the Three Pillars35:56 Interoperability and Evolving Roles39:11 AI x Payments: Agent‑Driven Commerce40:42 Finding the Flywheel, What’s Next

In Web3, we find ourselves in an age of digital phantoms, a "click-farm" era where identity is flimsy and easily fabricated. But what if reputation could be real, portable, and valuable? Animoca Brands co-founder Yat Siu returns to explore this very question, detailing a vision for a trust layer built on zero-knowledge proofs.He reveals plans for a Hong Kong dollar stablecoin, a joint venture with Standard Chartered and HKT awaiting regulatory approval, and unpacks the Mocaverse ecosystem where staking power and airdrops build a verifiable, cross-chain identity. We also explore the future of Web3 gaming, the coming meta shift from GTA 6, and a bold thesis: why the entire altcoin market may one day eclipse Bitcoin.Tune in to discover how we might build a more trustworthy digital future.Chapters00:18 Solving Web3's "Click Fraud" Problem01:01 Animoca's Plan for a Hong Kong Stablecoin03:12 Navigating Hong Kong and China's Regulatory Landscape09:11 The Composability and Promise of Stablecoins11:09 Introducing the Mocaverse Loyalty SDK12:56 Building an Interoperable Digital Identity15:04 The Search for Trust in a Permissionless World18:34 Data Custody, GDPR, and Self-Sovereignty21:02 Can Reputation Live Across Multiple Chains?27:07 The Limits of KYC and Airdrop Farming28:49 Staking Power and Airdrops as a Form of Credit40:34 Rumors of a US Listing for Animoca45:13 The Future of Web3 Gaming and the GTA 6 Effect56:22 Why Altcoins May One Day Eclipse Bitcoin

In this episode of The Defiant Podcast, Vinny sits down with Ahmad Shadid—former quant trader turned founder—who redirected the 2022 GPU crunch into a decentralized GPU network and now leads a bold push toward “sovereign superintelligence”: an AI CEO framework that can govern, fund, and scale itself transparently. We unpack vibe coding (building with AI at 20x speed), how zero-knowledge proofs and decentralized networks could reshape AI, and why security must keep pace in a world moving faster than audits. We talk leadership, the democratization of software, and the next wave of founders shipping products in days—not months.We discuss:How vibe coding empowers anyone to ship working demos fastWhere AI CEOs make sense—and where humans still matterWhy Web3 UX, wallets, and cross-chain could leap forwardThe real bottleneck: security and audits in a 20x build worldPractical risks for builders and consumers—and how to stay safeChapters00:00 The internet-magnitude moment for building01:13 Sovereign superintelligence and AI CEO01:38 Vibe coding: ship 20x faster01:53 Speed vs. security: the new bottleneck03:03 From GPU crunch to GPU networks03:22 Why AI + Web3 will drive the decade06:51 Will AI replace “managers” or leaders?09:53 Vibe coding explained—anyone can build14:05 Tools outpace human code reading16:30 Building an AI-first product workflow21:13 Build fast, but build safely32:00 Toward decentralized AI-managed organizations37:34 What’s driving the vibe coding wave39:58 Democratization vs. industry gatekeeping42:45 Anyone can start—opportunities everywhere

Avalanche says it can finally square the circle: sub‑second finality, a large decentralized validator set, and thousands of sovereign L1s connected through native messaging for shared liquidity.In the genesis episode of our new ECOSYSTEMS podcast, Camila Russo and guest cohost Luigi D’Onorio DeMeo of Ava Labs unpack the Avalanche story—from Team Rocket’s probabilistic consensus and the stadium sampling intuition, to today’s “city of chains” (C‑Chain liquidity hub, P/X chains, and customizable L1s). We discuss:How random sampling achieves speed and safety/liveness guaranteesCustomization without fragmentation via inter-chain messaging (ICM)L1 vs L2 trade-offs: shared security vs shared risk, costs, and interoperabilityEnterprise paths (FIFA, Toyota, fintechs), privacy options, and Ava Cloud’s “L1 in minutes”Decentralization in practice: validator counts, Nakamoto coefficient, and hardware accessibilityWhat real adoption looks like for payments, DeFi, and emerging marketsIf Avalanche is right, it has the chance to make finance programmable at scale. If not, we add to the L1 graveyard.

Crypto’s next chapter isn’t a shinier coin—it’s invisible rails. In this episode, we sit down with Aryan Sheikhalian, Research Lead at CMT Digital, to unpack the shift from “crypto as an asset” to crypto as infrastructure: 24/7 markets, instant clearing and settlement, and new structured products that couldn’t exist before. We talk about tokenized equities (wrappers vs. native tokenization and why dividends/governance matter), how identity layers and ZK proofs unlock mainstream distribution through banks and fintechs, and where regulation is pushing builders toward partnerships and licensed rails.Chapters00:00 Hook: crypto as infrastructure, not asset01:15 Guest intro and research focus02:06 Incentives, psychology, and mechanism design04:03 ICO lessons, maturity, and red flags07:09 CMT Digital’s thesis and “strictly better”10:27 Tokenized equities drivers and demand13:40 Wrappers vs native: dividends, governance16:06 Fintech rails, velocity, cost efficiency18:26 Banks, distribution, and competitive incentives20:29 New assets: GPUs, data, energy tokens23:23 Identity layers and ZK proofs for scale25:55 State of crypto VC and fund trends27:51 Overlooked sectors: DePIN and decentralized data31:26 Prediction markets and resolution design34:18 Regulation, licenses, and partnerships39:45 Market outlook: TVL, stables, volatility42:45 Founder advice: conviction and user focus

In this episode of The Defiant Podcast, we sit down with Paul Veradittakit, Managing Partner at Pantera Capital, to discuss the explosive growth of Solana, the future of stablecoins, and the evolution of digital asset treasury companies. Paul shares insights on Pantera's $1.2 billion Solana fund, the role of institutional capital in this crypto cycle, and why he believes Solana is poised to outperform Bitcoin and Ethereum. Tune in for a look into the next wave of blockchain innovation, from payments to gaming and beyond.Chapters00:00 - Introduction to stablecoins as a practical store of value01:00 - Guest introduction: Paul Veradittakit of Pantera Capital01:37 - Pantera’s $1.2 billion Solana fund: Why Solana?02:36 - Evolution of digital asset treasury companies04:13 - Pantera’s bullish stance on Solana: Technology and adoption06:03 - Investment strategies for single-asset treasury companies08:30 - Managing Solana in Helios: Staking, DeFi, and M&A10:35 - Addressing Solana’s decentralization and downtime concerns12:22 - Meme coins and their role in Solana’s ecosystem18:18 - Stablecoins: A growing demand in Latin America20:01 - Future use cases for Solana: Payments, AI, and Deepin23:00 - The rise of specialized blockchains for vertical use cases26:17 - Stablecoins as a payments hub: Key players to watch28:14 - Altcoins’ potential to outperform Bitcoin in this cycle33:15 - Crypto gaming: The underestimated vertical35:37 - Closing thoughts: Solana’s future and Pantera’s vision