In this episode of Base Layer, we dive deep with Jansen Teng, co-founder of Virtuals Protocol, exploring how their framework is revolutionizing AI agent development and deployment. Key Discussion Points: Origins in blockchain gaming and evolution to autonomous AI agents Technical architecture including memory systems and planning engines Revenue model with 1% tax system and distribution structure Infrastructure challenges and scaling solutions Focus on quality over quantity with agent developmen...
Jan 22, 2025•41 min•Ep. 265
Squads Labs is a core contributor to Squads Protocol, the leading multisig infrastructure on Solana. In addition to helping maintain the protocol, Squads Labs makes the Squads platform, an institutional-grade multisig platform for Solana-based teams. The Squads platform helps web3-native teams manage and secure digital assets on-chain. To learn more about Squads Labs, please visit https://www.sqds.io/ . About Squads Protocol Squads is a multisig protocol that helps web3-native teams manage and s...
Mar 11, 2024•18 min•Ep. 262
Axelar is for Web3 what Stripe is for mobile and internet applications: it works on the back end, connecting various networks into one-click experiences for all users. Come listen to co-founder Sergey Gurbunov on what purpose Axelar plays in an ever-expanding web3 world with various L1 & L2 blockchain ecosystems.
Mar 11, 2024•24 min•Ep. 261
What an episode! Avery joins us and tells us his story of helping to launch Aptos from the early innovations of Meta's former project, Diem and Libra. This is a technical deep dive into what makes Aptos different from other blockchains, like Ethereum or Solana. We discuss their choice not to slash (negative economic incentives others have used), sharded storage, the Quorom Store protocol, first class asset design, the choice not to use dynamic dispatch and more. Learn more here: https://aptoslab...
Feb 16, 2024•29 min•Ep. 260
Robert , a real OG legend and co-founder of Compound, joins us today on Base Layer for a special show, introducing his new company, Superstate. Superstate is an asset management firm modernizing the infrastructure of investment funds. They offer investment products that benefit from the speed, programmability, and compliance advantages of blockchain tokenization. We discuss Superstate, his thoughts on rates and the move from the fringes of DeFi in early 2019-2020 to his new company....
Feb 14, 2024•22 min•Ep. 259
Austin Federa joined me for a great conversation about what Solana learned over the past year to harden their infrastructure as they see surges in interest in their NFT & DeFi ecosystem, plus how their phone, the Saga, has been doing in the market to redefine how blockchains can not just be software, but hardware running digital asset codebase. More about Solana here: https://solana.com/
Feb 09, 2024•24 min•Ep. 258
Built as a minimal extension to existing Ethereum software, OP Mainnet's EVM-equivalent architecture scales your Ethereum apps without surprises. If it works on Ethereum, it works on OP Mainnet at a fraction of the cost. How has Optimism jumped to become the infrastructure for new consumer apps like Farcaster ? Hear from Ben in what I am calling a masterclass on why L2's exist and the function they play in a growing blockchain industry. Learn more here: https://www.optimism.io/...
Feb 07, 2024•36 min•Ep. 257
Algorand, a layer one blockchain first brought to market by esteemed cryptographer Silvio Micali , is going through rapid transformation, from the developer language it uses to mechanisms of incentivizing validator work and much more. All of this can be found in more detail here . John, Algorand CTO, joins us to talk through these points and the effect they could have on the ecosystem in 2024 and beyond....
Feb 02, 2024•30 min•Ep. 256
In 1908, Henry Ford unveiled the first Model T. In the span of 116 years, we have entered the next phase of the automobile -- car owners getting ownership of their automobile information and data. DIMO is a new company that aims to be empowering rather than confusing or limiting— stating that apps and connected devices should serve people first instead of corporations, and giving developers useful tools in the real world to build better products for us all. Come learn from Andy, co-founder of DI...
Jan 31, 2024•28 min•Ep. 255
Fireblocks is an enterprise-grade platform that delivers a secure infrastructure for moving, storing, and issuing digital assets. Fireblocks enables exchanges, lending desks, custodians, banks, trading desks, and hedge funds to scale digital asset operations securely through the Fireblocks Network and MPC-based Wallet Infrastructure. Fireblocks serves thousands of financial institutions, has secured the transfer of over $4 trillion in digital assets, and has a unique insurance policy that covers...
Jan 26, 2024•24 min•Ep. 254
Rene, the co-founder of Celo joins me for a great conversation about all the happenings there. Recently, Celo has moved to become an L2 , so we talk about the why and what that entails. We also discuss their partnership with Opera , a browser touting 500M monthly active users. With this partnership, we also discuss MiniPay, a new initiative to bring web3 tools like DeFi and mobile payments to the masses. Do you to better understand real-world cases and usage? Listen to this episode....
Jan 24, 2024•26 min•Ep. 253
I had such a great conversation with Luigi , who heads up business development & ecosystem at Ava Labs. We discussed everything from the initial design of Avalanche to the growth of Evergreen subnets, which could lead to companies like JP Morgan, Citi, and others directly connecting on the blockchain. We also discussed their work in Gaming, with upcoming releases from Gunzilla and Off the Grid, an AAA game that is due to be available on PS5, Xbox, and other consoles. So much good stuff in he...
Jan 19, 2024•25 min•Ep. 252
What a show! Illia, co-founder of Near and CEO of Near Foundation joins us to talk about massive shifts in the way we think about blockchains. From their new Blockchain Operating System to FastAuth and more, we discuss in-depth about the new user experience coming to digital assets - taking away the backend complexities of blockchains from the everyday user to give them amazing, frictionless experiences. You can learn more about Near here: https://near.org/ More about Blockchain Operating System...
Jan 17, 2024•32 min•Ep. 251
Asta Li, co-founder at Privy, joins me for a fantastic talk about the movement happening in digital assets, focused on building delightful consumer-centric products. Privy is the easiest way for developers to onboard all users to web3, regardless of whether they already have a wallet, across mobile and desktop. At Privy, the team spends a lot of time obsessing over how to help developers unlock better UX in web3 without sacrificing the ownership primitives that make the space special. Ownership ...
Jan 12, 2024•24 min•Ep. 250
SKALE is a limitlessly scalable, fast, on-demand blockchain network with zero gas fees, allowing quick deployment of interoperable EVM-compatible chains without compromising security or decentralization. SKALE is a fully decentralized, open-source, community-owned network. Listen to CEO Jack O'Holleran talk about their work and their 2024 vision to win the gaming sector.
Jan 10, 2024•24 min•Ep. 249
What a show! Marc, the CEO of Polygon Labs, joins me to break down all the new elements of Polygon 2.0 and how they aim to build an empire in the blockchain industry. You'll learn about many new pieces to the puzzle, including CDK, zkEVM, Miden, validiums, and much more. Here , you can learn about Polygon 2.0, from vision to design.
Jan 04, 2024•25 min•Ep. 248
Immutable is a global leader in gaming on a mission to bring digital ownership to every player by making it safe and easy to build great web3 games. The Immutable Group consists of the Immutable Platform, the preferred developer platform for building & scaling web3 games on Ethereum, and Immutable Games, a global leader in web3 game development and publishing with leading titles Gods Unchained and Guild of Guardians. Robbie Ferguson, co-founder of Immutable, joins us to talk about 2024's bre...
Dec 29, 2023•22 min•Ep. 247
In 2022, storms worldwide caused more than 130 billion U.S. dollars in damage. Cybercrime is predicted to cost the world USD 8 trillion in 2023. We are starting to see demand for insurance against these events outpace supply. The reinsurance market was valued at $560 billion as of 2022. A solution is needed to meet these new demands with new sources of supply and CatX has been building for that, leveraging the tools of AI and digital assets. Learn from their founder today on this great show. You...
Dec 11, 2023•19 min•Ep. 246
What an episode! Evan Cheng, formerly working on Meta's Diem and digital asset infrastructure, is now Co-Founder of Mysten Labs, which has brought to the market Sui, an L1 blockchain. Evan sheds light on key differences in the architecture and design of Sui vs. Ethereum and other blockchains. What is an account vs. an object? Why is that important when discussing smart contracts? Can your ETH-based NFT really be dynamic and evolve in a game? Can NFTs using Sui and its native language, Move, crea...
Jun 21, 2023•26 min•Ep. 244
Sreeran Kannan, Founder of Eigenlayer, is an assistant professor at the University of Washington, Seattle, where he runs the information theory lab focussing on information theory and its applications in communication networks, machine learning, and blockchain systems. He was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, and a visiting postdoc at Stanford University between 2012-2014, before which he received his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering and M.S. in Mathem...
Jun 16, 2023•35 min•Ep. 244
“If Messenger, Telegram, and WhatsApp were built with XMTP, everyone could use their preferred app. You could use Messenger to message your dad on WhatsApp and to message your friend on Telegram. And one day, if you all decide to use the same app, you could do so seamlessly with all your messages and contacts available in your interoperable inboxes.” This is the future that Matt discusses with us today on Base Layer, one of the more important ideals that digital assets have pushed forth - intero...
Jun 07, 2023•28 min•Ep. 243
Join me for a fantastic conversation with Megan Knab, co-founder of Franklin . The company was launched in 2022 to help Web3 founders manage their teams better. Franklin facilitates teams to be paid in USD, crypto, or a mix of both. For companies based in the US, Franklin manages the required tax compliance so that builders can focus on building. This was a timely discussion with Megan after some of the recent banking issues in the United States....
Mar 29, 2023•21 min•Ep. 242
Happy 2023! The show will be rolling out some phenomenal founders who are building, yes, in this "winter" or bear market...whatever you want to call it. Innovation is still happening! Evan, the CEO, and founder at Mintify , joins us to discuss how they have been building one of the best platforms to discover, analyze and trade NFT economies with a suite of powerful interfaces. Their all-in-one platform features historical and real-time data for both long-term holders and emerging NFT traders. Th...
Jan 17, 2023•25 min•Ep. 241
Join us for a great show with Josh Katz, founder of YellowHeart , which aims to we harness Web3 to revitalize ticketing, and empower fans, artists, and sports teams. Utilizing the latest and greatest in Web3 technology, our team of industry experts works with you to build long-lasting and engaged fan communities, collect revenue on secondary sales of tickets & collectibles, and so much more. Josh has decades of experience in the music industry, launching the careers of many of today's bigges...
Nov 21, 2022•22 min•Ep. 240
It's good to be back after a few months' hiatus! It's been busy on our side, but many new shows and content are coming out soon! Today we start with Amir and Craig from SuperMojo , a new investment from our early-stage fund that, at its core, is a financing platform designed to make digital assets more accessible for users. The platform facilitates point-of-sale financing, like layaway, to make NFT purchases easier and collateralized lending for improved post-sale liquidity. Supermojo’s initial ...
Oct 31, 2022•21 min•Ep. 235
We are so excited to have Rachel and Giel, the co-founders of GoodGhosting , on with us for the show. A part of the Endeavor portfolio, GoodGhosting helps users to make saving easy, fun, and rewarding. They create social savings games that use blockchain technology to reward dedicated savers. They are about improving users' financial habits by helping them save and invest. They envision a world where building wealth is simple and safe, and everyone can enjoy it!...
Aug 08, 2022•28 min•Ep. 238
What an amazing, fun, and thought-provoking chat I recorded with Brooks Brown, Creator at NOR . Brooks has an amazing history, ranging from working at Lucas Arts to the production team of Avatar. His team is world-class as well and they are building one of the best new games in Web3. What makes a great game? How do you build digital asset economic systems in the games of tomorrow? We cover this and much more. Not to be missed!
Jun 06, 2022•36 min•Ep. 237
Christian from Evaluate Market joins me to discuss their work on building one of the best and easiest to use NFT Portfolio tracking tools in the world. Evaluate.Market allows NFT collectors to track and manage their portfolios and discover new projects across multiple NFT marketplaces and blockchains. Since March 2021, the website has had over 1 million unique visitors, primarily within the Flow blockchain ecosystem. Recently, the team announced the expansion of Evaluate.Market beyond Flow to in...
May 20, 2022•17 min•Ep. 236
It's been a while, but the show is coming back more frequently! Ian joins us from Mojito , which grew to fame by building the Metaverse Marketplace for Sotheby's in 2021. We had a great conversation about how iconic businesses and brands are working with Mojito to think about and deploy their NFT and Metaverse strategies. Why? There are billions of people out there (gamers) who are already part of the economic world. Still, even more that are just starting to be a significant part of our global ...
May 04, 2022•27 min•Ep. 235
So happy to have Joao and Matt on the show to talk all about BAYZ ! We got to meet the team last year as they started to build one of the best play-to-earn gaming guilds in the world that helps members earn money by playing video games and being part of a global gaming community. We discuss their focus on e-sport influencers (some big news there) and what made Brazil such an amazing part of the world to focus on. Enjoy!
Mar 07, 2022•23 min•Ep. 234
