ATX DAO Podcast: Crypto • Tech • DeGen • Culture

Summary AI tools are everywhere, but who controls the power behind them? In this episode, Manifold Labs co-founder James Woodman explains how they’re building a decentralized marketplace for compute using Bittensor. We talk about why AI is so expensive, how your personal data is being handled today, and what it would take to flip the script on big tech. If you’ve ever wondered what’s really poweri...

Summary Mike Chan from Deep Ventures joins the ATX DAO Podcast to talk about what makes a crypto VC actually useful to founders, especially in a post-bull market. Drawing from his own path as a Web2 founder and early Web3 operator, Mike shares why empathy, context, and hard-won experience matter more than ever in venture. He explains how Deep Ventures evolved from a syndicate to a fund, what chang...

Summary In this ATX DAO Podcast roundtable edition, Christopher and Angle join to unpack one of crypto’s toughest questions: Has the industry lost its soul, and can it get it back? From Bitcoin’s origin story to meme coin mania and the rise of institutional players, the conversation pulls no punches. The crew explores how blockchain has strayed from its ideals, whether Web3 gaming is more than a g...

Summary ATX DAO OG and founding podcast host Nick Casares returns for a wide-ranging conversation about how generative AI is reshaping creativity, startups, and the future of work. Drawing from his experience in early-stage investing and product development, Nick breaks down how new tools are enabling solo founders and small teams to move faster than ever. The crew debates whether AI tools make us...

Summary Sree Duggirala joins the ATX DAO Podcast to discuss how Texas Blockchain at UT Austin is training the next generation of crypto leaders. As an electrical and computer engineering major and club leader, Sree breaks down how the student organization has evolved from a research group into a powerhouse for blockchain education and real-world experience. From hands-on DeFi training to competiti...

Summary Creative technologist and ATX DAO member Jenaro joins the podcast for a free-flowing roundtable on what it really takes to build in Web3. With over 25 years of experience across digital design, UX, and creative development, Jenaro shares his journey from early web projects to leading ATX DAO’s pitch competitions and branding efforts. The crew dives into how Web3 tooling is changing who get...

Summary Vishnu Kumar joins the ATX DAO Podcast to share his journey from early community contributor to helping teams launch custom chains at Arbitrum. With roots in Gitcoin’s public goods ecosystem and experience across DAOs like ATX DAO and Friends With Benefits, Vishnu brings a rare perspective on how community-first involvement can evolve into real infrastructure impact. He reflects on the les...

Summary Nirav Murthy—co-founder of Camp Network—joins Luke and Ash to break down how Web3 is reshaping intellectual property for the AI era. Camp Network is building an autonomous IP layer that empowers creators to register, tokenize, and license their content on-chain. Whether it’s music, video, data, or agent-based applications, Nirav shares how Camp provides an on-chain framework for provenance...

Summary Rob Hamilton, co-founder and CEO of AnchorWatch, joins the ATX DAO Podcast to break down how his startup is redefining Bitcoin custody through insured, Bitcoin-native vaults. Rob shares the origin story of AnchorWatch and how their focus on technical excellence and smart contracts led them to become one of the only Lloyd’s of London coverholders in crypto. From multi-sig time locks to Trid...

Summary In this episode of the ATX DAO Podcast, we sit down with founding member Clifton and DAO and community members, Vardo and Scott for a wide-ranging roundtable on crypto, macroeconomics, and the evolution of ATX DAO. Clifton shares his journey from building EdTech startups to working at Bridgewater and launching a market-neutral hedge fund—before diving deep into crypto and helping start ATX...

Summary Hunter Beast joins the ATX DAO Podcast to unpack BIP 360, his bold proposal to protect Bitcoin from the looming risks of quantum computing. As quantum breakthroughs accelerate, many coins—including Satoshi’s—could be vulnerable to signature forgery and theft. Hunter breaks down how BIP 360 introduces a new quantum-resistant address type (P2QRH), offering a soft fork solution that empowers...

Summary In this episode of the ATX DAO Podcast, we dive into the world of bare-metal blockchain infrastructure with Ryan Haczynski, Head of Protocol Partnerships at GlobalStake. Ryan shares how GlobalStake differentiates itself from cloud-based providers through its enterprise-grade, self-managed infrastructure and SOC 2 Type 2 certification—an industry rarity. From spinning up 56+ blockchain vali...

Summary In this laid-back roundtable episode, we crack open a few beers with ATX DAO members Walshy, Bob, Ash, and Luke to talk about what it’s really like to build in Web3—without the chain tribalism. From Avalanche to Dogecoin to Quai to Polygon, the conversation dives into the messy, creative, and often hilarious reality of being a multichain builder. Whether it’s launching a privacy-focused au...

Summary Tom McCarthy, Director of Development at Satoshi Action Fund and board member of DC DAO, joins the ATX DAO Podcast to unpack the evolving world of Web3 policy and grassroots advocacy. With a background that bridges creativity and crypto, Tom shares his personal journey from discovering Bitcoin in college to lobbying Capitol Hill on behalf of digital asset innovation. He dives into the miss...

Summary Toma Heremans, CEO of the Obol Association, joins the ATX DAO Podcast to explore how distributed validator technology is reshaping Ethereum staking. In this deep-dive episode, he breaks down the core challenges of proof-of-stake—like slashing risks, machine failure, and validator centralization—and explains how Obol’s middleware, enables decentralized validator clusters to deliver higher u...

Summary Jonathan Libby from Gauntlet joins the ATX DAO Podcast to unpack his journey from DeFi founder to driving growth at one of the most influential firms in on-chain risk management. He shares how Gauntlet evolved from agent-based simulations and protocol consulting into a powerhouse that builds core infrastructure, including Morpho vaults and curated restaking strategies, while managing billi...

Summary Marvin Bertin and Varderes Barsegyan, co-founders of Maestro, join the ATX DAO Podcast to unpack how their team is building the infrastructure powering the next generation of Bitcoin-based apps. From indexing UTXO chains to supporting wallets, DEXs, and Bitcoin L2s, Maestro is focused on providing developers with the tools they need to scale reliably. The founders also dive into their surp...

Summary In this episode of the ATX DAO Podcast , we sit down with Brock Haugen , co-founder of Indexing Co, to explore the critical role of indexing in blockchain infrastructure. Brock shares his journey from Coinbase to launching a company focused on real-time blockchain data, explaining why traditional APIs fall short and how Indexing Co provides a more scalable, cost-effective solution. Whether...

Summary If you’ve ever aped into a meme coin, taken an L on a bad trade, or wondered how some of these ridiculous projects turn into full-blown communities, this episode is for you. Metafroggy, co-founder of MemeCon, joins us to break down what makes meme coins so unique, why attention is the most valuable currency in the space, and how some projects manage to keep their communities engaged while...

Summary AI is advancing rapidly, but who controls the data that powers it? In this episode, we explore the future of decentralized AI with Sam Padilla from Eidon, a company building a permissionless AI data marketplace. Traditional AI models rely on centralized data controlled by a few corporations, but Eidon is shifting the paradigm by enabling anyone to contribute and own their data. We discuss...

Summary What goes into launching a brand-new Layer 1 blockchain? In this episode, Dr. K from Quai Network takes us behind the scenes of bringing Quai to mainnet—covering everything from decentralized mining incentives to sharding for scalability. He breaks down the technical and economic challenges of building a high-throughput proof-of-work blockchain, explaining how Quai’s unique architecture en...

Summary Jameel Khalfan, Head of Ecosystem Development at Sui Foundation, joins the ATX DAO Podcast to explore how Sui is shaping the future of Web3. He breaks down Sui’s origins, its unique object-based blockchain design, and why it’s gaining traction in gaming, DeFi, and decentralized storage. The discussion covers real-world applications, including Sui Play , the upcoming Walrus storage network,...

Summary Join us as we chat with Chris Fusillo and Candice Jarrett, the co-founders of XKOVA, about their groundbreaking approach to blockchain-powered payments. In this episode, Chris and Candice share their journey from Web2 business owners to Web3 innovators, creating a seamless payment solution to bridge the gap between traditional merchants and blockchain technology. Discover how XKOVA elimina...

Episode Summary: In this episode of the ATX DAO Podcast, Luke and Ash sit down with Lynette Ban, co-founder of DISGO, to explore how blockchain is revolutionizing loyalty programs for the restaurant industry. Lynette shares how her background in hospitality and early exposure to blockchain at Cornell University inspired her to create DISGO, a platform that uses NFTs and blockchain to enable seamle...

Summary This throwback episode features Jon Gregis, a founder of ATX DAO, sharing the story of how Austin’s leading crypto community was built. From casual meetups at Lazarus Brewery to a thriving DAO, Jon takes us through the early debates over tokens vs. NFTs, the challenges of DAO governance, and the vision that made ATX DAO a success. We explore Austin’s crypto scene, the potential of city DAO...