Follow Building in Public Podcast: https://x.com/builtnpublicpod Mahesh and John Wu, President of Ava Labs, are joined by J. Paul Meyer, founder of Collar Network, to explore innovative solutions in decentralized finance (DeFi). J. Paul shares how Collar Network, a smart contract-based lending protocol, helps crypto investors borrow against their holdings in a hedged, non-liquidatable manner—addressing challenges like tax implications and liquidity. Drawing from his Goldman Sachs background, J. ...
Jan 22, 2025•42 min
Follow Building in Public Podcast: https://x.com/builtnpublicpod Mahesh welcomed back Ash Ahmed, founder of Axal, to discuss exciting developments at his company and the broader implications of AI agents in crypto. Ash highlighted Axal’s rapid growth, the launch of their new product, Gekko—a virtual agent for trading—and its integration with the Autopilot platform to simplify crypto portfolio management. He emphasized the importance of a "fair launch" for the Gekko token, with no team allocation...
Jan 15, 2025•28 min
Follow Building in Public Podcast: https://x.com/builtnpublicpod Connor spoke with Harry Dewhirst, CEO and co-founder of 375ai, formerly known as Zeppelin, about his journey from founding a data company sold to Singtel to leading 375ai’s efforts in building decentralized networks for data collection. Harry shared insights into the company’s ambitious goal of identifying over 10 million vehicles daily through their AI-powered hardware, the 375 Edge, and their partnership with Outfront Media. They...
Jan 13, 2025•27 min
Follow Building in Public Podcast: https://x.com/builtnpublicpod Connor and Sal spoke with Robin from Wingbits, a company revolutionizing the aviation and drone industries with advanced flight data solutions. Robin discussed the $22 billion ADS-B market, Wingbits' innovative hardware for tracking flights and drones, and plans for a token-incentivized model to enhance data quality. With 2,000 live stations globally and an upcoming mainnet launch, the conversation also highlighted their partnershi...
Jan 08, 2025•31 min
Follow Building in Public Podcast: https://x.com/builtnpublicpod Mahesh and guest host John Wu sit down with Austin King, CEO of Omni Labs, to explore the future of cryptocurrency and decentralized finance (DeFi). Austin shares his journey from Harvard College to building and selling his first company to Ripple, reflecting on the lessons from the 2017 crypto boom that shaped his vision for blockchain interoperability. He discusses innovative design trends like "intents and solvers," which simpli...
Jan 06, 2025•47 min
Follow Building in Public Podcast: https://x.com/builtnpublicpod Sal sits down with Alexandra from Staex, a company redefining IoT through a trusted, decentralized network. They discuss the inefficiencies of traditional network protocols for modern IoT and how Staex’s approach re-architects infrastructure to reduce overhead and enhance security. Alexandra highlights Staex’s impact, including saving a U.S. client with 2,000 charging stations $100,000 annually by optimizing data transmission. She ...
Jan 02, 2025•22 min
Follow Building in Public Podcast: https://x.com/builtnpublicpod Connor welcomes Sami, former co-host of the Building in Public podcast, to explore Bittensor, a decentralized AI platform revolutionizing how intelligence is developed and shared. They discuss Bittensor’s potential to challenge centralized AI models like OpenAI, its unique decentralized approach with specialized subnets, and the importance of financial incentives for open-source innovation. Sami highlights the challenges of emissio...
Dec 30, 2024•27 min
Follow Building in Public Podcast: https://x.com/builtnpublicpod Sal sits down with Nils, founder and CEO of Auki Labs, to explore the future of spatial intelligence, machine perception, and augmented reality. Nils shares how his journey began with a vision for AR overlays in tabletop games like Warhammer, ultimately leading to breakthroughs in spatial computing. They discuss the potential of DePIN to make AI more accessible, drawing parallels between AR's evolution and human language. Nils addr...
Dec 23, 2024•47 min
Sal talks to Al, the founder of Koii, about their platform that lets users run decentralized apps on personal computers. They discuss Koii’s new feature allowing token staking and rewards, creating an open marketplace for developers and users. Al shares his journey from blockchain education to building Koii, driven by a passion for technology’s impact, particularly in medicine. The conversation highlights how Koii simplifies decentralization, making it accessible even to those with little techni...
Dec 19, 2024•26 min
Follow Building in Public Podcast: https://x.com/builtnpublicpod Sal sat down with Alireza and Ulrich from Natix to explore their groundbreaking work with VX360, a 360-degree camera system designed to generate near-miss driving scenarios for autonomous vehicle testing. With over 190,000 registered drivers and 100 million kilometers of road covered, Natix focuses on dynamic, real-time data rather than static mapping. Alireza shared insights on AI, deep learning, and the growing importance of real...
Dec 17, 2024•31 min
Follow Building in Public Podcast: https://x.com/builtnpublicpod This episode features Reffo, co-founder of Puffpaw, a project blending vaping with blockchain technology to create a "vape-to-earn" model that helps users monitor nicotine intake and incentivizes quitting through rewards. Reffo discusses Puffpaw's smart vaporizers, which track puff count and nicotine levels via a Bluetooth-connected app, promoting healthier habits and community engagement. The conversation covers Puffpaw's team exp...
Dec 11, 2024•33 min
We were joined by Deniz from Soarchain, a company revolutionizing the mobility industry through innovative data solutions. Deniz discusses the oligopolistic nature of the automotive sector, challenges with data ownership, and how Soarchain empowers car owners to reclaim and monetize their vehicle data using a secure hardware device connected to the OBD2 port. He highlights the importance of decentralized data management, Soarchain’s progress with nearly 20,000 cars on their testnet, partnerships...
Dec 09, 2024•31 min
Follow Building in Public Podcast: https://x.com/builtnpublicpod In this episode of Building in Public , Rich and Shaan from XNET discussed their progress as a decentralized neutral host mobile operator. They explored the XIP-10 proposal to reduce token supply and its benefits for the community. Rich highlighted XNET’s demand-side GTM, enabling millions to connect via existing carriers, with growth potential in the U.S. market. They covered MNOs vs. MVNOs, international expansion, and the Solana...
Dec 04, 2024•31 min
Follow Building in Public Podcast: https://x.com/builtnpublicpod In this episode, Kai Wawrzinek, co-founder of Impossible Cloud Network, shared his vision for decentralized cloud services. Drawing on his experience building $B+ Goodgame Studios, he highlighted the demand for scalable cloud solutions. Kai discussed the challenges of competing with AWS and emphasized decentralization’s benefits, like lower latency and resilience. He detailed Impossible Cloud’s enterprise-grade object storage, alre...
Dec 02, 2024•30 min
Follow Building in Public Podcast: https://x.com/builtnpublicpod In this episode, Aldo de Pape, the founder of GenomesDAO, discussed the challenges facing the genetic testing industry and how his organization is addressing them. He highlighted concerns around privacy and security, particularly in light of the increasing number of healthcare data breaches. GenomesDAO's approach prioritizes the safety and ownership of genomic data, contrasting their model with companies like 23andMe by ensuring in...
Nov 27, 2024•26 min
Follow Building in Public Podcast: https://x.com/builtnpublicpod In this episode, Connor and Greg Osuri (Founder of Akash Network) explore the changing landscape of American governance, focusing on the generational shift towards crypto and decentralized technologies. The guest highlights recent legislative changes, such as the passing of Bill 521, which reclassifies crypto as a commodity and shifts jurisdiction from the SEC to the CFTC, marking a significant moment for the industry. The conversa...
Nov 25, 2024•54 min
In today’s episode Dylan G. Bane, an analyst at Messari, shared his insights on the evolving crypto landscape, focusing on decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN). He discussed the potential for institutional stigma around crypto to fade, unlocking investment in projects with real utility, especially those with tangible business models and cash flows. Dylan highlighted DePIN as a frontier for innovation, particularly in energy and wireless sectors, and emphasized the opportunities...
Nov 22, 2024•28 min
Follow Proof of Coverage: https://x.com/coverageproved Today we’re breaking DePIN news about a partnership between Daylight and Natix, with founders Jason Badeaux and Alireza Ghods joining the show to share the news. Jason explains how Daylight transforms homes and buildings into power plants, creating a clean and resilient energy system, while Alireza highlights Natix's AI-driven camera infrastructure, which supports autonomous driving and dynamic mapping. Together, they aim to integrate e...
Nov 18, 2024•8 min
Connor and Sal sat down with Cynthia Huang, founder of DTravel, a peer-to-peer vacation rental platform that offers a low 3% fee structure compared to the 20-30% typically charged by traditional platforms. Cynthia explained DTravel’s three key products: DTravel Direct, for host-managed direct bookings; DTravel Search, a listing discovery platform; and the Night Protocol, a decentralized data layer standardizing rental data. She shared insights into her journey into Web3 and the value of tokeniza...
Nov 15, 2024•29 min
In today's episode, Mahesh sat down with Neuratic, COO of Anyone, to discuss internet privacy and how current solutions lag behind growing awareness. Neuratic explained "privacy washing," where companies claim to protect data while exploiting it for profit, with Google as an example. We explored how the Anyone Network tackles these issues through decentralization, fragmenting user data across relay operators for enhanced privacy, unlike traditional VPNs. The team also shared insights into their ...
Nov 13, 2024•39 min
In this episode, Sal interviews Leonard from Peaq, a layer-1 blockchain aimed at revolutionizing global infrastructure through decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN). Leonard shares Peaq’s journey from a Berlin-based IoT consultancy in 2017 to a vast ecosystem with millions of onchain devices and $25 million in tokenized machines. They discuss Peaq’s appeal to DePIN builders, driven by its scalable architecture, enterprise connections, and a robust toolbox supporting machine IDs,...
Nov 12, 2024•24 min
In this podcast, Sal interviewed Carlos Herrera, co-founder of Petastic. They discussed how Petastic’s decentralized identity network for pets aims to transform the pet care industry through a tokenized ecosystem. He highlights the platform’s ability to predict pet owners’ needs, streamline customer engagement, and support shelters with sustainable revenue models, ultimately benefiting pets and their owners. Carlos also shares his vision for expanding personalized pet care and enhancing animal w...
Nov 07, 2024•19 min
In this podcast, Connor and Sal spoke with David Vorick, co-founder of Glow, about the company's innovative model for funding new solar infrastructure using donations to build solar farms that generate revenue for further projects. Focused on large-scale solar installations in cost-effective regions like India, Glow emphasizes the additionality of carbon credits, ensuring contributions actively reduce emissions. David also highlighted Glow’s robust audit system for carbon credits and discussed i...
Nov 04, 2024•29 min
In today’s episode, Connor is joined by Mark Rydon, a key figure in the decentralized infrastructure space, particularly focusing on Aethir and its innovative approach to DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks). They discussed how Aethir has built a robust revenue-generating model centered around enterprise-grade AI and gaming solutions. Mark shared insights into the growing importance of GPUs in the AI landscape, highlighting the global compute scarcity and how Aethir addresses t...
Oct 30, 2024•29 min
Connor sat down with Alec Wilson, the COO of Spexi Network, a groundbreaking drone mapping company that is revolutionizing the earth imaging space. They spoke about how Spexi is leveraging the vast number of underutilized drones to create an ultra-high-resolution base layer of earth imagery, which is significantly more detailed than what satellites and planes can provide. Alec explained the mechanics of the Spexi Network, where drone pilots can easily capture imagery by using a mobile app that g...
Oct 28, 2024•19 min
Connor welcomes back old co-host Sami Kassab (now a Partner at OSS Capital) and guest Josh Benaron, founder of Irys, a next-generation data provenance and storage L1. They delved into the evolution of Irys from its origins as Bundlr, an L2 solution for Arweave, to its current status as a programmable data chain. Josh shared his insights on the importance of storytelling and writing for founders, emphasizing how effective communication can significantly impact hiring, fundraising, and overall suc...
Oct 24, 2024•23 min
Co-hosts Connor and Mahesh discuss the rapidly evolving world of DePIN and the broader implications for the crypto sector. They discuss whether they should be concerned about the proliferation of projects labeling themselves as DePIN and whether it's time to create more specific subcategories within the sector. Connor shares insights from a recent real-world DePIN event hosted by IoTeX, highlighting the excitement and attendance that reflects the growing interest in this space. They explore the ...
Oct 21, 2024•23 min
Connor had the pleasure of speaking with Shaan Chaudhari, his college friend and Chief Growth Officer at XNET. They reminisce about their early days in the DePIN space, particularly during the challenging bear market when investor interest was low and token prices were down. Shaan shared his journey and his pivot from potentially attending dental school to fully committing to the crypto industry, motivated by PoC co-hosts Sal and Mahesh, who encouraged him to take risks while he was young. They ...
Oct 17, 2024•7 min
In today’s episode, Sal and Connor had an insightful discussion with Mike from Geodnet about their recent move to become a multi-chain platform. They explored the motivations behind this decision, particularly how it allows Geodnet to tap into different Web3 communities and enhance adoption of their utility token, GEOD. Mike shared that Geodnet is already wrapped on IoTeX and is set to expand onto Solana, which he believes has a strong DeFi ecosystem. They delved into the benefits of going multi...
Oct 15, 2024•30 min
Connor had the pleasure of sitting down with Omar Ramadan, a former big tech entrepreneur who transitioned into the world of crypto and DePIN. They delved into the concept of Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) and how they play a crucial role in enhancing user experience by caching website data closer to users geographically. Omar shared his background, including his involvement in projects like Magma and OpenCellular, which aimed to provide connectivity to remote communities. They discussed the l...
Oct 09, 2024•13 min
