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

Quadrillions: Privacy or Perish | Eli Ben-Sasson, Shaul Kfir, & Eric Saraniecki

In this episode, we discuss why privacy is critical for TradFi adoption, crypto’s privacy solutions today, and how privacy unlocks institutional adoption of crypto, ultimately bringing quadrillions onchain. -- Quadrillions brings together the voices defining the next era of finance. From institutional rails to stablecoins and privacy, the series dives into how traditional markets, crypto innovation, and regulatory frameworks are converging to bring the full force of capital markets onchain. Join...

Dec 03, 202550 min

Monad Founder: The Next Chapter For Monad | Keone Hon

This week, Keone Hon joins the show to discuss the recent launch of Monad. We deep dive into Monad's ICO, launching on Coinbase, the state of airdrops in crypto today, do we need another L1, whether public vs corporate chains are competitors and more. Enjoy! -- Follow Keone: https://x.com/keoneHD Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod -- Join the Empire Telegram: https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh -- Zcash is encrypted Bitcoin. Your digital bill of ...

Dec 01, 202555 min

Klarna Launches A Stablecoin, Hyperliquid Perps & The Prediction Market Wars | Weekly Roundup

This week, we're back to discuss the top stories of the week. We deep dive into Klarna's stablecoin launch, the state of crypto VC, Hyperliquid's launch of equity perps & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Rob: https://x.com/HadickM Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod -- Referenced In The Show: Jeff Yass - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU9N75Fe1yU Part 1: My Life Is a Lie - https://www.yesigiveafig.com/p/par...

Nov 28, 20251 hr 31 min

How to Trade Crypto Cycles with Raoul Pal

This week, Raoul Pal joins the show to discuss the current state of markets. As crypto & equities face their first significant sell off since the April lows, we deep dive into what's next for markets. Raoul discusses why he believes there's a wave of liquidity coming in 2026, how to trade crypto cycles, valuing crypto networks, has the DAT bubble burst, Raoul's AI thesis & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Raoul: https://x.com/RaoulGMI Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https:/...

Nov 24, 20251 hr 4 min

Market Sell Off, State of Crypto VC & Why Your Coin Isn't Pumping | Weekly Roundup

This week, Rob & Santi are back to discuss the top stories of the week. We deep dive into the recent panic in markets, Santi's piece on crypto valuations, the state of crypto venture, Aave's app launch & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Rob: https://x.com/HadickM Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod -- Join the Empire Telegram: https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh -- Referenced In The Show: https://x.com/santiagoroel/status/1990430092997050753 -- Zcash...

Nov 21, 20251 hr 5 min

Hivemind: Can Crypto Bounce, Monad's ICO & The Perp Opportunity

This week, the Hivemind team breaks down the recent market price action as BTC struggles to regain $95k. We then deep dive into why is Zcash ripping, the 10/10 leverage hangover, the perps opportunity, crypto's onboarding problem & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Ceteris: ⁠https://x.com/ceterispar1bus⁠ Follow LTR: https://x.com/0xLTR Follow Jason: ⁠https://x.com/3xliquidated⁠ Follow Flip: ⁠https://x.com/trevor_flipper⁠ Follow Empire: ⁠https://x.com/theempirepod⁠ Subscribe on YouTube: ⁠https://bit.ly/...

Nov 20, 202556 min

Quadrillions: You’re Already Late | Mike Belshe, Justin Peterson & Eric Saraniecki

In this episode, we cover institutional crypto adoption, stablecoins’ interplay with treasuries and 24/7 repo financing on Canton, the risks associated with wrapped assets and stablecoin fragmentation, and 2026 expectations for broader, client-driven OTC and onchain activity. -- Quadrillions brings together the voices defining the next era of finance. From institutional rails to stablecoins and privacy, the series dives into how traditional markets, crypto innovation, and regulatory frameworks a...

Nov 19, 202557 min

Bitcoin Breaks $95k, Crypto’s Valuation Problem & The Path To Real Onchain Users

This week, Santi joined Jonah & Avi on the 1000x podcast to discuss Bitcoin breaking $95k, why crypto valuations are struggling, how AI and traditional markets offer better value and clearer cash-flow stories, and why the next era of winners will be real applications, not infrastructure. Enjoy! – Go follow the new 1000x feed to keep up to date with all new episodes! Spotify: https://bit.ly/4676Sob Apple: https://bit.ly/4etlBMd – Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel Follow Avi: https://x....

Nov 18, 20251 hr 8 min

State of The Market, Monad's ICO & The Stablecoin Gold Rush | Weekly Roundup

This week, Rob & Santi are back to discuss the top stories of the week. We deep dive into the current state of markets, why Coinbase called off their BVNK acquisition, Uniswap's fee switch proposal, Monad's ICO, the bursting of the DAT bubble & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Rob: https://x.com/HadickM Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod -- Join the Empire Telegram: https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh -- Zcash is encrypted Bitcoin. Your digital bill...

Nov 14, 20251 hr 20 min

Phantom CEO: The Next Chapter For Phantom | Brandon Millman & Donnie Dinch

This week Brandon Millman & Donnie Dinch join the show to discuss the past, present & future of Phantom. We deep dive into why did Brandon originally build Phantom, recent M&A activity, building perps, how does Phantom generate revenue, will Phantom IPO & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Brandon: https://x.com/BChillman Follow Donnie: https://x.com/donnie Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod -- Join the Empire Telegram: https://t.me/+CaC...

Nov 10, 20251 hr 26 min

Finding Alpha In Crypto, Mamdani Wins & The AI Gold Rush | Weekly Roundup

This week, Pranav Kanade joins the show to discuss the current state of markets. We deep dive into how Pranav finds alpha in crypto, Mamdani's win in NY, have we topped, are L1s overpriced, why the hot money is in AI & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Pranav: https://x.com/vaneckpk 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 -- Zcash is encrypted Bitcoin. Y...

Nov 07, 20251 hr 15 min

Quadrillions: Unlocking Quadrillions | Don Wilson & Yuval Rooz

In this kickoff episode, we draw the big picture of how TradFi is a multiplier for crypto, the barriers to TradFi adoption, and how crypto can overcome - or is already overcoming - those barriers. This is the path to quadrillions moving onchain. -- Quadrillions brings together the voices defining the next era of finance. From institutional rails to stablecoins and privacy, the series dives into how traditional markets, crypto innovation, and regulatory frameworks are converging to bring the full...

Nov 05, 20251 hr 5 min

War Stories From a Crypto Founder | Kain Warwick

This week, Kain Warwick joins the show to discuss building Infinex and the march towards TGE. We deep dive into Kain's experience building in crypto, the next stage for Infinex, taking down CEXs, running a startup, dealing with drug addiction & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Kain: https://x.com/kaiynne Follow Jason: ⁠https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod -- Join the Empire Telegram: https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh -- Zcash is encrypted Bitcoin. Your digital bill ...

Nov 03, 20251 hr 13 min

Crypto’s in a 20-Year Secular Bull Market | Weekly Roundup

This week, we discuss why Blockworks decided to shut down its news room. We then dive into why 2025 marks the start of a new chapter for the crypto industry, why we're still in a bull market, MegaETH's ICO, recent IPOs, M&A and 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 -- Crypto-native institutio...

Oct 31, 20251 hr 12 min

Hivemind: Crypto's Leverage Hangover, Hyperliquid's Resurgance & What's Next for Markets?

This week, the Hivemind team breaks down the current state of the market as crypto's recovers from it's post October leverage unwind. We deep dive into what's outperforming, analogies to the dot com bubble vs today, Zcash's outperformance, max pain for altcoins & more. Enjoy! -- Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from David Canellis. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: ⁠https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire⁠ -- Follow Ceteris: ⁠https://x.com/ceterispar1bus⁠ Follow Duncan: h...

Oct 30, 202558 min

Is the Cycle Over, Portfolio Psychology, & Prediction Market Alpha

This week, Jonah & Avi from the 1000x podcast join Jason live in the Blockworks studio to discuss whether the crypto cycle is truly over, OGs selling vs new whales entering, and how we manage our portfolios. We also dive into Robinhood’s long-term potential, our favorite crypto projects, finding edge in prediction markets and much more. Enjoy! -- Go follow the new 1000x feed to keep up to date with all new episodes! Spotify: ⁠https://bit.ly/4676Sob⁠ Apple: ⁠https://bit.ly/4etlBMd⁠ -- Follow ...

Oct 27, 202540 min

Was Coinbase's Echo Acquisition a Good Deal? | Weekly Roundup

This week, we break down Coinbase’s $375 million acquisition of Echo and debate whether it was a good deal or not. We also dive into other top stories, including FalconX’s acquisition of 21Shares, Tempo’s $500 million raise, the latest developments in prediction markets, and 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/+...

Oct 24, 20251 hr 13 min

Inside Coinbase’s $375m Acquisition of Echo | Shan Aggarwal

This week, we’re joined by Coinbase’s Chief Business Officer, Shan Aggarwal, to discuss their acquisition of Echo. We dive into Coinbase’s strategy to bring capital markets onchain, Echo’s role in compliant onchain fundraising, integration of acquired teams, tokenized equities, prediction markets, and Coinbase’s broader goal of becoming an all-encompassing financial platform. Enjoy! – Follow Shan: https://x.com/ShanAggarwal Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter...

Oct 21, 20251 hr 1 min

DAS Takeaways, Crypto’s Largest Liquidation Ever & Have We Peaked? | Weekly Roundup

This week we discuss the fallout after crypto's largest ever liquidation event. We deep dive into the problem with crypto's market structure, has the DAT bubble burst, Binance's listing process, takeaways from DAS & 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, analys...

Oct 17, 20251 hr 8 min

Hivemind: Record Liquidations, Auto-Deleveraging, & Biggest Post-Crash Winners & Losers

This week, the Hivemind team breaks down Friday’s insane crypto crash, the auto-deleveraging across exchanges, USDe’s sudden depeg, and the biggest post-crash winners and losers. -- 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/ZeMariaMacedo Follow Jason: https://x.com/3xliquidated Follow Flip: https://...

Oct 16, 20251 hr 5 min

Kalshi CEO’s Bold Vision For The Future of Markets | Tarek Mansour

This week, Tarek Mansour Co-founder & CEO of Kalshi joins the show to discuss the next chapter for one of the fastest growing start ups in the U.S. We deep dive into the Kalshi origin story, how media and markets are evolving, the opportunity for prediction markets, advice for founders and more. Enjoy! -- Follow Tarek: https://x.com/mansourtarek_ Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod -- Join the Empire Telegram: https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OW...

Oct 13, 20251 hr 14 min

LIVE | Market Crash: What Happened and What’s Next

In this bonus live interview, Doug Colkitt joins the stream to unpack the crypto market's most severe wave of liquidations on record. We'll get into what fueled the crash, how auto-deleveraging works, and what it means for the rest of the cycle. Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod Follow Doug: https://x.com/0xdoug -- Join the Empire Telegram: https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from David Canellis. Subs...

Oct 12, 20251 hr 1 min

Polymarket's $2B Deal with ICE Changes Everything | Weekly Roundup

This week we discuss Polymarket's $2B deal with ICE and how it impacts the future of prediction markets. We then deep dive into the stablecoin duopoly, advice for founders, is it BNB season, crypto's next breakout consumer app & 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...

Oct 10, 20251 hr 10 min

Why This Billionaire is All In on Crypto, AI & Psychedelics | Christian Angermayer

This week Christian Angermayer joins the show to discuss the future of crypto, AI & psychedelics. We deep dive into Christian's past during the European debt crisis, why AI & robotics will completely reshape the labor force, Christian's 5 key investment themes, the controversial enhanced games & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Christian: https://x.com/C_Angermayer Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod...

Oct 06, 20251 hr 38 min

Mike Dudas on Uptober and the Continued Bull Market

This week Mike Dudas joins the show to discuss why he thinks this cycle is still just getting started. We deep dive into Mike's thesis when it comes to investing in crypto, his biggest winners this cycle, Flying Tulip's new model for raising capital, stablecoins, NFTs & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Mike: https://x.com/mdudas 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/+C...

Oct 03, 20251 hr 10 min

Hivemind: State of The Market, Hyperliquid, Plasma & Tether's $500B Valuation

This week, the Hivemind team discusses their current market outlook as crypto starts to recover after a large leverage flush last week. We deep dive into why are SOL DAT volumes so low, the Plasma token launch, Tether's $500B valuation, the perp DEX wars & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Ceteris: ⁠https://x.com/ceterispar1bus⁠ Follow Duncan: https://x.com/FloodCapital Follow Yan: ⁠https://x.com/YanLiberman⁠ Follow Jose: ⁠https://x.com/ZeMariaMacedo⁠ Follow Empire: ⁠https://x.com/theempirepod⁠ -- Subs...

Oct 02, 20251 hr 2 min

Crypto In 2025, Is DAT Season Over & Market Outlook With Jordi Alexander

This week Jordi Alexander joins the show live from the Origin Summit, hosted by Story and Blockworks alongside Forward Guidance host Felix Jauvin. We deep dive into where are we in the cycle, is DAT season over, finding opportunity as an investor & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Jordi: https://x.com/gametheorizing Follow Felix: https://x.com/fejau_inc Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod -- Join the Empire Telegram: https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh ...

Oct 01, 202518 min

The Art of Trading and Galaxy’s Next Chapter | Mike Novogratz

This week Mike Novogratz joins the show to reflect on his path from a successful trading career to building and running Galaxy. We deep dive into the state of markets, what defines the most successful macro traders, Galaxy's AI data center opportunity, running a public company & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Mike: https://x.com/novogratz Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod -- Join the Empire Telegram: https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh Start your da...

Sep 30, 20251 hr 13 min

Have We Topped, Aster vs Hyperliquid & Tether's $500B Valuation | Weekly Roundup

This week we're back to discuss the top stories of the week. We deep dive into the state of markets, Tether looking to raise $20B at a $500B valuation, Aster vs Hyperliquid, crypto IPOs in 2025-26 & more. Enjoy! -- 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. Subscribe to the E...

Sep 26, 20251 hr 8 min

Phase II of the Bull Market | Dan Morehead

This week Dan Morehead joins the show to discuss the current state of markets & what's next throughout 2025 into 2026. We deep dive into how Dan built conviction in crypto as an asset class back in 2013, does the four year cycle still exist, crypto treasury vehicles, Dan's Solana thesis & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Dan: https://x.com/dan_pantera Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod -- Join the Empire Telegram: https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJ...

Sep 22, 20251 hr 2 min
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