Blueprints

Douwe Faasen, CEO and Co-Founder of Hyve, joins Edgar Roth from Symbiotic on the Blueprints Podcast to break down why crypto infrastructure is being redefined by AI, RWAs, and data scalability. They dive into the shift from ideology to engineering in crypto, explaining why decentralization only matters when it improves product performance, and how current cloud systems like AWS are struggling with...

“Rollups were meant to scale Ethereum, but they also developed their own identities.” Barnabé Monnot, Co-Lead of Protocol at the Ethereum Foundation, explains why the rollup-centric vision is being reconsidered and what the next phase of Ethereum looks like. The conversation dives into the debate sparked by Vitalik’s controversial tweet questioning the idea that L2s should simply act as “branded s...

Smart contract risk never disappeared. In this episode, Hugh Karp, Founder of Nexus Mutual, breaks down why battle-tested protocols still fail, why institutions are embedding cover directly into vaults, and how DeFi coverage is evolving far beyond simple smart contract protection. We discuss lessons from Terra and FTX, the rise of institutional capital in DeFi, leveraged liquidation cover, reinsur...

Polygon co-founder Sandeep Nailwal breaks down why Ethereum lost its focus, why execution layers are winning, and why most L1s are fundamentally mispriced. He explains Polygon’s real strategy around payments, stablecoins, and fintech, why decentralization extremes don’t work, and how regulation, UX, and capital efficiency will decide the next phase of crypto adoption. Topics discussed in this epis...

In this episode of Blueprints by Symbiotic, host Edgar Roth speaks with Raphaël Bloch, co-founder of The Big Whale, about what’s holding institutional crypto adoption back. They unpack why institutions already understand DeFi, how weak transparency and media incentives undermine trust, and why risk management, insurance, and higher standards are now critical. The discussion also covers regulation...

Philosopher and crypto academic Dr. Paul Dylan-Ennis of University College Dublin breaks down the myths, contradictions, and cultural battles shaping the crypto world. From the illusion of decentralization in DAOs to Ethereum’s “populist revolt,” Paul explains how governance really works—and why institutions could be crypto’s greatest threat. We dive into Bitcoin’s ongoing culture war, Ethereum’s...

In this episode of Blueprints by Symbiotic , host Edgar Roth sits down with Mike Silagadze, co-founder and CEO of Ether. Fi , for a deep exploration into how one of DeFi’s fastest-growing companies is evolving into a full-fledged fintech powerhouse. Mike shares the remarkable story of his transition from building and exiting the edtech giant Top Hat to starting fresh in crypto — driven not by mone...

Abhishek Kumar, co-founder and CEO of Catalysis, joins to discuss why onchain risk coverage is the missing piece for institutional DeFi. From staking and shared security to programmable insurance pools, Catalysis is building infrastructure that transforms billions in restaked capital into active protection for lending markets, stablecoins, and real-world assets. We cover Abhi’s journey from Ethere...

Carson Brown, Senior Product Manager at Gauntlet, breaks down how risk really works in DeFi. From the evolution of shared security to the rise of risk curation, he explains why liquidity concentration is more dangerous than people think, why institutions may have lower risk appetite than expected, and how stablecoins and incentives are reshaping the space. This episode is a deep dive into the futu...

Sam McPherson, co-founder of Phoenix Labs and Spark Protocol, explores the future of stablecoins, Spark’s role as DeFi’s liquidity layer, and how billions in capital are being allocated across DeFi, TradFi, and centralized markets. The conversation covers Spark’s evolution from lending markets to the liquidity layer, the role of Sky and its subDAOs, stablecoins as the black hole pulling TradFi on-...

Dmitry Gusakov, tech lead for community staking at Lido, joins the Blueprints Podcast to unpack the future of Ethereum staking. We dive into why Lido became the dominant staking protocol, the evolution of decentralization, and how the Community Staking Module empowers home stakers. Dmitr also breaks down Lido V3 and why institutions and solo validators both matter for Ethereum’s resilience. Topics...

Benjamin Sarquis Peillard, founder of Cap, explains the evolution of stablecoin models—Types 1 and 2—and how Cap is developing a yield-bearing Type 3 stablecoin with verifiable guarantees on Symbiotic. He explores the shortcomings of traditional yield-generating stablecoins, the risks of unchecked token incentives, and how Cap leverages Symbiotic's redistribution mechanism to create a fundamen...

Hyperlane CEO Jon Kol breaks down why today’s crypto needs more than just rollups and bridges. Jon shares how personal frustration with banks fueled his mission, how working at Galaxy gave him the on-chain perspective, and why modularity isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a design principle. From launching Hyperlane to challenging the closed, permissioned status quo, Jon lays out a clear vision for a chai...

The infrastructure behind crypto's most ambitious projects doesn't build itself. Blueprints goes beyond the hype to explore the real stories of founders reshaping decentralized systems, from universal staking protocols to data availability networks to the next generation of blockchain infrastructure. Hosted by Edgar Roth of Symbiotic, each episode dives into the technical decisions, strategic pivo...