BuildBetter - interviews with tech founders

The conversation with Steffen Kux delves into the development and implementation of Colibri, a stateless light client that focuses on trustless and private data access in the web3 ecosystem. Steffen discusses the history, purpose, and technical aspects of Colibri, as well as its integration into various applications and the importance of pragmatic adaptive privacy (PAP) in web3 applications. Takea...

The conversation covers an introduction to Polymarket, understanding prediction markets, zero-sum game and betting strategies, political betting and unbiased predictions, participation and betting flow on Polymarket, and the resolution process using the UMA protocol. The conversation covers the understanding of Polymarket markets, sizing the opportunities, the influence of Polymarket on real outco...

The conversation with Kevin Rusher covers his journey into crypto, the challenges in DeFi, the founding of RAAC, and the mission of RAAC to bring external dollar-denominated yield on chain. It also delves into the merging of traditional finance and DeFi, the pricing of real-world assets, RAAC's focus on gold and real estate, and the development journey of RAAC. Additionally, it explores RAAC's tec...

Daily Stoic For Builders - Episode 1 This episode explores the concept of influence and control, and understanding of it for founders and builders. I emphasize the importance of focusing on what can be influenced and measuring what matters. It delves into the application of these principles in product building and the potential for change in the future. Takeaways Focus on what you can influence Me...

What if DJs could remix, monetize, and own music like never before? In this mind-expanding episode, I sit down with Jaime Schwarz — brand strategist, NFT patent holder, and founder of MRKD.dj — to explore how blockchain is redefining music ownership, IP, and co-creation. From remix rights to fan distribution and Keith Shocklee’s role in launching a new creative economy, this episode hits every not...

Summary In this conversation with Manos, we speed-introduce WeatherXM - the citizens-run weather network that aims to solve weather prediction problems around the world.  We discuss the evolution of their hardware technology, the significant pivot towards integrating cryptocurrency, and the innovative approaches they are taking to enhance weather data collection and distribution.  The discussion c...

In this Web3Magic Builder Spotlight, I talk to Viktor, co-founder of Humanode.io, one of the most radical blockchain experiments out there: a Layer 1 secured not by stake or work, but by proof of biometric uniqueness. Yep, real humans, not capital, run this network. We go deep into: - Why proof-of-stake and proof-of-work are still plutocratic - How Humanode uses facial recognition + confidential c...

Summary What happens when ZK cryptographers, pop-up cities, and longevity scientists collide? In this special Web3Magic episode, I sit down with the one and only Francesca, a multidisciplinary personality bridging decentralized science, digital identity, and transhumanist visions of the future. Francesca returns to the pod after a whirlwind journey through the world of ZKPass, popup cities like Vi...

Summary What happens when a dev agency founder becomes a Web3 believer, builds tools for Fortune 500s, and ends up creating one of the most exciting products in Farcaster land? Find out in this candid and idea-packed episode with Chinmay, founder of Percs and Basket. Farm. We go deep on: - Chinmay’s journey from agency life to building in crypto - Lessons from building with Budweiser, Playboy, Coi...

What if your phone could run an entire blockchain — no miners, no middlemen, just pure freedom? In this 10-minute TLDR episode of Web3 Magic, Paddy from Minima drops an absolute masterclass on what true decentralization really means. We explore how Minima flips the script on traditional blockchain architecture with a protocol so light, it runs entirely on your phone — yet so powerful, it could out...

Summary In this episode, we sit down with Andrew Hemingway, founder of the DeSci Alliance, to explore how Web3 is transforming how science is funded, shared, and collaborated on - from breaking pharma’s data monopoly to onboarding citizen scientists from Reddit. Whether you're curious about DeSci, a startup founder in healthtech, or just want to understand how blockchain and science can finally co...

Research suggests that there are only two crypto assets that can protect you from geopolitical risk - Swiss Franc (CHF) and Bitcoin (BTC). Now, you find both onchain for DeFi, thanks to Frankencoin. This is a conversation with Johannes (MD of Frankencoin Association), where we discuss the Swiss Franc stable coin called Frankencoin, its decentralized nature, and the role the Swiss franc should play...

To find love you should not need to have public profile and swipe left/right like on the beauty market. Btw, there are many forms of love! In this conversation, I dive with Amelia her innovative project called Soulmates which is all about creating authentic connections through technology.  We cover the unique framework of Soulmates, the role of AI in facilitating connections, and signalling utilit...

PolitiFi, i.e. tokens or coins launched by political figures and celebrities are here to stay. At least we agreed on it with Konstantin from Mezen. In this conversation, we discuss the evolving landscape of Web3 with focus on tokenomics, the rise of celebrity tokens, and the importance of understanding business fundamentals in the crypto space.  Konstantin shares his journey into crypto, insights...

Trading meme coins is where many retail users start their Web3 journey, outside of centralized exchanges like Coinbase. Today, I talk with Oxana, the founder of the Bolide app. Bolide is a meme coins trading supermarket in your pocket. We discuss (as always) her journey into the crypto world (spoiler: she was early!), previous projects, and how they all led to the founding of Bolide. We also touch...

We talk about the importance of setting realistic and measurable fitness goals for 2025 and explore the common pitfalls of unrealistic expectations. Chose performance-based goals over aesthetic ones. I talk with Alyna Han, a multi-talented personal fitness coach about the importance of understanding one's needs and emphasizes the significance of habit-building, especially for beginners. She also s...

Summary Jimmy, the founder of TreeGens, shares his quite fascinating journey into the crypto space and his mission to promote tree planting and our planet's regeneration. TreeGens is a decentralized platform that rewards individuals for planting trees, starting with mangroves. The platform uses Web3 technologies to track and verify tree planting, and participants earn tokens for verified actions....

Summary In this wide ranging chat with big talker - Anjali Young, co-founder of Collab. Land - she shares her journey into the crypto space and the importance of online communities in her own life. She discusses her early experiences in digital communities and the evolution of online interactions from early bulletin boards to today's token gated groups.  Anjali explains that Collabland is an autom...

Summary ASDF, the co-founder of Megapot, shares his journey into crypto, it's loooong - brace yourself - it took Asdf time at Amazon, Coinbase and startups, plus own failed bitcoin wallet project to land on the co-founder and idea to develop the onchain lottery platform.  We talke about the legality of the project, the mechanics of the lottery, and future plans for Megapot. Asdf also talks about e...

Summary In this conversation, I talk with Jonny about his journey into the world of crypto, his transition from working at Google, and Coinbase, to founding his own company - called Fabric and their development of Hypersub; an onchain subscription service. You could say Hypersub is NaaS product - NFTs as a subscription (NaaS).  We touch on many things, including the concept of subscription fatigue...

Summary I talk with Billy Luedtke, from the project Intuition about his short journey to crypto and long journey in crypto :) We both agree on the importance of decentralized identity and Intuition aims to create a trusted interaction layer in the blockchain space, allowing users to make better decisions by providing more data for humans and things as well.  The platform Intuition is building will...

Summary Today it's a colorful chat about underground music and art discovery and support. UNDRGRND's journey is a testament of passion and persistence of NFTJoe. Listen as he shares his journey into Web3 and crypto, starting with his interest in NFTs and writing about them. He discusses the early days of UNDRGRND, the project focused on featuring (new & up'n'coming) independent artists in Web3...

Summary In this episode, BFG talks with Evin, CEO of Disco.xyz about why are digital identity and onchain credentials important to individuals and how it can be useful for companies and brands, especially in the crypto space. Evin shares her background, including her experiences working at ConsenSys and Berkshire Hathaway, and how she got into crypto. We dive into the concept of the data backpack,...

Summary Zak discusses his journey into crypto and his background in consulting. He introduces Sukuri, a crypto-native tool for startups that aims to provide a comprehensive business dashboard.  The platform enables startups to accept crypto payments, automate back-office operations, and manage treasury and payroll. Zak emphasizes the focus on self-sovereignty and decentralization in building the p...

Summary In this episode, we discuss with Oren Fine, co-founder of SphereX, the importance of security in the crypto space and how SphereX is on a mission to bring proactive protection to protocols and smart contracts.  Oren shares his background in cybersecurity and how he became interested in Web3 and also explains how Spheerex protects protocols by blocking malicious transactions in real-time be...