Empire - podcast cover

Empire

Blockworksblockworks.co
Empire features interviews with top crypto founders to get the real stories that aren’t shared elsewhere. Empire is your look behind the curtain of the crypto industry. We release two episodes per week: guest interviews on Monday and a weekly roundup on Friday.
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Episodes

We're Still In A Bull Market | Weekly Roundup

We're back to discuss the top stories of the week. We deep dive into Pump Fun & the future of media, why there is so much uncertainty despite massive positive tailwinds for crypto, Plasma's success story, is Base launching a token & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Rob: https://x.com/HadickM Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod -- Join the Empire Telegram: https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh Start your day wit...

Sep 19, 20251 hr 21 min

Hivemind: Fed Cuts Rates, Crypto's Mag7 Moment & Why We're Still Bullish

This week, the Hivemind team discusses the state of crypto markets after the Fed just lowered interest rates by 25bps. We deep dive into what will outperform going forward, the rise of SOL DATs, is it still time to be bullish, Pump Fun & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Ceteris: https://x.com/ceterispar1bus Follow Jason: https://x.com/3xliquidated Follow Yan: https://x.com/YanLiberman Follow Jose: https://x.com/ZeMariaMacedo Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod -- Subscribe on YouTube: https://bi...

Sep 19, 20251 hr 1 min

Building The Largest Solana Treasury Company | Kyle Samani

This week Kyle Samani joins the show to discuss the successful $1.65B raise for Forward Industries. We deep dive into how Forward Industries plan to converge between traditional markets & DeFi, the ultimate vision for the Solana treasury company, the difference between SOL & BTC DATs & why stablecoins are crypto's iPhone moment. Enjoy! Although our guest this week is an Investment Partner of a registered investment adviser, nothing in this podcast should be considered an offer of Mul...

Sep 19, 202558 min

The Biggest Winner from Hyperliquid’s USDH | Weekly Roundup

We're back to discuss the top stories of the week. We deep dive into how crypto can redefine private equity, who wins from the battle for USDH, Figure's IPO, could DeFi projects go public & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Rob: https://x.com/HadickM Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod -- Join the Empire Telegram: https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from David Can...

Sep 12, 20251 hr 23 min

Ethena Founder: The Next Chapter For Ethena | Guy Young

This week Guy Young joins the show to discuss the next chapter for Ethena. We deep dive into Ethena's business model, how DATs could enable DeFi's breakout moment, how Ethena will scale in the future, advice for founders & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Guy: https://x.com/gdog97_ Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod -- Join the Empire Telegram: https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from David Canellis. S...

Sep 10, 20251 hr 1 min

Are DATs Sustainable, Stripe Launches Tempo & WLFI’s Token Launch | Weekly Roundup

Gm! This week we're back to discuss the top stories of the week. We deep dive into the mechanics behind DATs, the WLFI token launch, Stripe's announcement of Tempo, onchain equities & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Rob: https://x.com/HadickM Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod -- Join the Empire Telegram: https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from David Canellis....

Sep 05, 20251 hr 8 min

Hivemind: Where Do Crypto Markets Go Next?

This week, the Hivemind team discusses post-Jackson Hole conditions, Bitcoin seasonality, and rate cut expectations. They analyze DATs and liquidity dynamics, MicroStrategy’s S&P potential, Solana versus Base adoption, Pokémon TCG crypto experiments, and creator coin streaming models. They also unpack Plasma’s TGE, World LibertyFi, stablecoin and institutional chain use cases, and Tom Lee’s ETH commentary. Enjoy! -- Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross and D...

Sep 04, 20251 hr 9 min

Kraken’s 10 Year Plan With Arjun Sethi

Gm! In this episode, Arjun Sethi, Co-CEO of Kraken, joins Yano to dive into how his background in tech, growth and IPOs makes him the perfect candidate to join Kraken and take the company to the next level. Arjun dives into how his compensation plan and overall approach to Kraken paves the way for a decade long growth trajectory that will take Kraken global and one of the most recognized brands in crypto for retail, traders and beyond. -- Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from D...

Sep 01, 20251 hr 13 min

Stablecoins & Prediction Markets, Nothing Else | Weekly Roundup

Happy Friday! For this week’s Roundup, Rob and Yano dive into the recent stablecoin raises (Rain and M0) and explore the exponentially growing industry of prediction markets and discuss what could be beyond PolyMarket and Kalshi. They also touch upon the macro environment, where we are in the cycle and leave some killer content recs. -- Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from David Canellis. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire?utm_source=po...

Aug 29, 20251 hr 9 min

Commissioner Peirce On SEC’s Next Moves

Gm! This week Yano was joined by Commissioner Hester Peirce to dive into how the SEC is rethinking and reframing the role that digital assets can play in the financial landscape of the US. In a balancing act between fostering innovation and protecting consumers, Commissioner Peirce’s job is an important one to move the industry forward stateisde. -- Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from David Canellis. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire?...

Aug 25, 20251 hr

No, We Have Not Topped Featuring Roshun Patel | Weekly Roundup

Happy Friday! On this week’s Roundup, Yano and Santi are joined by Ro to dive in and explore the signals, indicators and metrics that might or might not point to a top of the cycle. From Chamath’s SPAC, borrowing and lending numbers, Kanye meme coins, NFTs and more all provide unique insights into the potential frothy Q4 ahead of us. -- Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from David Canellis. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire?utm_source=po...

Aug 22, 20251 hr 17 min

Where Are We In The Cycle, ETHs Outperformance & The Perpification of Markets

This week, we're joined by Kaledora Fontana Kiernan-Linn to discuss the perpification of markets. We deep dive into where are we in the cycle, ETHs outperformance, how to compete with tradfi, what the tokenization of equities actually means & more. Enjoy! -- Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross and David Canellis. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: ⁠https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire⁠ -- Follow Kaledora: https://x.com/kaledora Follow Ceteris: https://x...

Aug 21, 20251 hr 17 min

What Liquid Funds Are Buying Featuring Seth Ginns & Cosmo Jiang

Gm! This week, Seth Ginns, from CoinFund, and Cosmo Jian, of Pantera Capital, join Yano to dive into the funds’ mandates, the overall outlook of the market, whether narratives or fundamentals drive price, how DATs play a role in the investor ecosystem and why sometimes non-consensus trades pay off! -- Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire?utm_source=podcasts -- Follow Seth: https://x.com...

Aug 18, 20251 hr 21 min

The Ether Machine Chairman: Real Risk of DATs And Who Wins From Stripe And Circle’s Chains | Weekly Roundup

For this week’s roundup, Andrew Keys, from The Ether Machine, joins Yano, Santi and Rob to dive into the unique value prop that The Ether Machine offers investors, his thoughts on the overall DAT landscape and how DATs, outside of BTC and ETH, are likely too far down the risk curve. They also discuss the rise and proliferation of private L1s like Stripe’s and Circle’s and explore who the winners and losers will be of these new projects. -- Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from ...

Aug 15, 20251 hr 20 min

How to Launch a Token (Legally) Featuring Miles Jennings & Eddy Lazzarin Of a16z Crypto

Gm! This week Miles Jennings and Eddy Lazzarin join Yano to dive into how a16z is approaching the current crypto landscape with a big focus on token design, designation, and how Founders can think pragmatically both along legal and engineering lines to execute their project. -- Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire?utm_source=podcasts -- Follow Eddy: https://x.com/eddylazzarinFollow Mile...

Aug 12, 20251 hr 25 min

No Top Signal In Sight | Weekly Roundup

Happy Friday! This week we livestreamed our Roundup and Yano, Santi and Rob got right into the topics of the week - DATs keep on keeping on, Coinbase’s convertible notes, Kraken and other upcoming crypto IPOs, Roman Storm’s guilty verdict, crypto and 401Ks, stablecoin growth continues, ChatGPT 5 launches and content recommendations. -- Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire?utm_source=pod...

Aug 08, 20251 hr 21 min

Hivemind: Don’t Sleep on Ethena, Bull Case for Galaxy & The Hyperliquid Future

This week, the Hivemind team dives into the recent market pullback and whether it’s time to be bullish again. We explore the future of Ethena & USDe, why Galaxy Digital’s massive data center play may be the sleeper AI bet, Hyperliquid’s regulatory risk and future upside with HIP-3 & more. Enjoy! -- Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross and David Canellis. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire -- Follow Jason: https://...

Aug 07, 20251 hr 2 min

The Bull Case For GLXY With Duncan & Rittenhouse Research

Gm! This week, Duncan and Matt join Yano to dive into Galaxy the day before their quarterly earnings drop. In this episode, Duncan and Matt dive into Galaxy’s unique business model and how it’s perfectly positioned for the AI, crypto and datacenter narratives and how this will propel GLXY stock, as we move into the future. -- Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire?utm_source=podcasts -- F...

Aug 04, 20251 hr 35 min

Nearing The DAT Peak With Avichal Garg | Weekly Roundup

Happy Friday! On this Roundup, Rob is officially announced as the third host, Avichal join the pod to discuss DATs, and beyond DATs the White House Crypto Report is explored, Zora creator tokens, and the BIG news of the collaboration between Coinbase and Chase to push crypto into mass adoption orbit. --Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire?utm_source=podcasts -- Follow Avichal: https://x...

Aug 01, 20251 hr 27 min

Charles Hoskinson: ADA Is A Better Investment Than BTC

Gm! This week, Charles Hoskinson joins Yano to dive into everything Cardano, weigh in on crypto’s overall progress, how politics and crypto are playing out stateside, the impact of crypto treasury vehicles, the evolution of the 4 year cycle, his ranch life in Wyoming, his alien expedition adventures, the need for personal security now in crypto and why ADA remains a better investment than BTC. -- Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire news...

Jul 28, 20251 hr 26 min

Hivemind: Ethena Founder, the GENIUS Act & Overvalued L1s

This week, the Hivemind team is joined by Guy Young, founder of Ethena, to discuss the launch of their $360M ENA vehicle, the structural challenges in altcoin market flows, the evolving use cases for stablecoins, and why Athena’s yield-based model positions it as a more scalable solution than USDC. They also unpack the impact of the Genius Act on U.S. stablecoin regulation, the long-term overvaluation of L1s like ETH and SOL, and how the market structure is shifting toward revenue-generating app...

Jul 26, 20251 hr 11 min

Don’t Overtrade The Retail Cycle With Jason Yanowitz & Rob Hadick | Weekly Roundup

Happy Friday! Rob and Yano are back to talk the markets, PNC’s collab with Coinbase, Hyperliquid being disrupted by Coinbase’s new Perps launch, NFTs return, Pump’s slump and the continued rise of the Crypto Treasury Companies. -- Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire?utm_source=podcasts -- Follow Rob: https://x.com/HadickM Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https:/...

Jul 25, 20251 hr 2 min

DC Crypto Week Takeaways With Rebecca Rettig & Alexander Grieve

Gm! This week, Rebecca Rettig and Alexander Grieve join Jason to unpack the successful crypto week and the 3 pieces of legislation that have passed and will now impact the way stablecoins and crypto move forward in the US landscape. -- Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire?utm_source=podcasts -- Follow Alex: https://x.com/AlexanderGrieve Follow Rebecca: https://x.com/RebeccaRettig1 Follo...

Jul 21, 20251 hr 9 min

The Bull Market Confirmed With Santi & Yano | Weekly Roundup

Happy Friday, Yano and Santi are back for another roundup and we can officially say the bull market is back. From M&A, Pump’s ICO, and Santi and Yano’s market takes, this roundup dives deep into how to think about navigating in the 4th stage of the cycle! -- Article Yano referenced - https://oldcoinbad.com/p/long-degeneracy -- Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire?utm_source=podcasts...

Jul 19, 20251 hr 15 min

The Crypto Treasury Playbook With Ben Forman & Josh Solesbury From ParaFi Capital

Gm! Ben Forman and Josh Solesbury from ParaFi Capital join Yano for this episode to dive into all the details, developments, the good and the bad and the future for publicly traded crypto vehicles! -- Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire?utm_source=podcasts -- Follow Josh: https://x.com/joshsolesbury Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirep...

Jul 14, 20251 hr 19 min

Winners & Losers From PUMP’S ICO With Santi, Yano & Rob Hadick | Weekly Roundup

Happy Friday! On this roundup, Rob Hadick joins Santi and Yano again this week to discuss PUMP’S ICO, the future of creator driven revenue online, drama at Polymarket, where the best builders are today in the industry and how Agora is elevating stablecoins! -- Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire?utm_source=podcasts -- Follow Rob: https://x.com/HadickM Follow Santi: https://x.com/santia...

Jul 11, 20251 hr 10 min

Hivemind: Pump.Fun Sale, Prediction Markets & ETH Comeback?

This week, the Hivemind team discuss the upcoming $1.3 billion Pump ICO, ETH’s potential comeback, crypto treasury companies, the GMX exploit fallout, prediction markets reshaping information flows, free markets vs state direction, and more. Enjoy! -- Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross and David Canellis. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire -- Follow Ceteris: https://x.com/ceterispar1bus Follow Jose: https://x.com/ZeMari...

Jul 10, 20251 hr 18 min

How Arbitrum Landed Robinhood With A.J. Warner & Steven Goldfeder

Gm! This week Yano is joined by Steven and AJ from OffChain Labs to dive into all the behind-the-scenes happenings of one of the biggest deals in recent crypto history - the collaboration between Arbitrum and Robinhood to tokenize both public and private US stocks for European markets. -- Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire?utm_source=podcasts -- Follow Steven - https://x.com/sgoldfed ...

Jul 07, 20251 hr 24 min

It’s A Bull Market But Not The One You Wanted With Rob Hadick & Santiago Santos | Weekly Roundup

Happy 4th of July to our stateside followers! On this episode, Rob Hadick joins Santi to review the biggest news of the week focusing in on stablecoins, Circle IPO butterfly effects, robinhood’s arbitrum tokenization announcement at Cannes at ECC, 12 month outlook and the biggest opportunities today in crypto. -- Rob's Stablecoin Article - https://x.com/HadickM/status/1934680037795705133 -- Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter...

Jul 04, 20251 hr 22 min

Crypto Meets Cards: Shaping the Future of Commerce Featuring Ivan Soto-Wright & Sherri Haymond | Permissionless IV Fireside Chat | Bonus Episode

This week, we're excited to share with our community a bonus episode from PERMISSIONLESS IV, which just took place this past week in Brooklyn, NY. This is a Fireside Chat with Yano and Ivan Soto-Wright, the CEO of MoonPay, and Sherri Haymond of MasterCard who dive in and discuss the fusion of DeFi and TradFi. -- Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire?utm_source=podcasts -- Follow Ivan - h...

Jul 03, 202523 min
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