Liquid Culture

In this episode we are joined by Poof , who currently works as founder of DX Research Group , a new research lab accelerating creative experimentation at the intersection of AI and Crypto. We dive into the org’s first release, DX1: Singularity and its development, the origins & inspirations behind the founding of DX Research, the “ systems economy ” and Poof’s unique view on the utility of AI,...

In this episode we are joined once again by friends of the pod, Smac - Partner @ Compound VC and Jon Moore - Advisor @ TCG Crypto . We riff on the current state of markets & reflections on 2025 so far, the durability of 4-year cycles, exciting emergent trends, the potential for “super apps” in the West, and much more. 

In this episode we chat with Austin Hurwitz , who currently leads Strategy & Business Development for Doodles . We dive into how Austin’s thoughts on the current NFT landscape, defining Doodles’ brand identity, managing scarcity vs. participation, community input vs. top-down leadership, recent leadership changes, token launch, “ghibligate” and the future of IP, and much more.

In this episode we chat with Timmu Tõke , founder & CEO of PlayerZero and ReadyPlayerMe . We dive into Timmu’s early fascinating with gaming and customizable avatars, the growing challenge & cost of user acquisition for games, the evolution of the “metaverse,” thoughts on AR & VR development, the founder’s journey, and much more. 

In this episode we chat with close friends of the pod, Cheryl Douglass (Seed Club) and LDF (LayerZero). We dive into their respective origin stories & how they stumbled into crypto, their latest vlog series Zero Knowledge , launching $BLONDE, perspectives on “web3 marketing,”  mainstream appeal, and much more.

In this episode we chat with Backseats and Marka , the creators behind the Chonks PFP collection. We dive into their individual journeys as developers & how they began working together, the original idea and vision for Chonks, taking inspiration from Jack Butcher’s Opepen , composability in crypto art, current state of NFTs, hot takes, and much more. 

In this episode we chat with Malte , who serves as Head of Artist Relations at Tribute Labs as well as a curator with Glitch Marfa . We dive into his background as an art historian & how he first discovered crypto, the early days of the crypto art scene, curating at Glitch Marfa, the World Computer Sculpture Garden show, the evolution of collecting as a user behavior, developing “taste,” and m...

In this episode we chat with a previous guest from episode #2, Dani Loftus , as well as a new guest, Gala Vrbanic , who currently work as COO and Founder of Tribute Brand (respectively). We dive into Gala’s background as a designer & how she met Dani, the current state of digital fashion, the future of self-expression, exclusivity in a world of digital abundance, the increasing impact of AI on...

In this episode we chat with Sergio Silva — known to many as Sergito — who recently became CEO of Meebits . We dive into Sergio’s origin story and how he discovered crypto while working in TradFi, making friends in the Meebits Discord, reflections on balancing business & community, lessons from his previous startup Popset, the current state of the NFT market & much more.

In this episode, Natalie chats with Calvary Rogers — Product Manager at Google AI, musician, artist & founder of Seneca Labs . We dive into Cal’s non-traditional path into AI research, his experimentation with AI as a creative medium prior to the public release of commercial models, the importance of accessible & human-centered AI, self-hosted exhibits, the deep religious themes in his wor...

In this episode, we chat with Zaheer Ebtikar — long-time trader & founder of Split Capital . We dive into Zaheer’s background and introduction to trading, the growing importance of liquid funds in crypto markets, understanding LPs and institutional interest, financial nihilism, crypto culture through the trader lens, lending, stablecoins & much more.

In this episode, Natalie chats with Mat Dryhurst — long-time musician, technologist and artist advocate. We dive into Mat’s early background and initial forays into blending frontier technology with creative practices, how & why Art is becoming increasingly intertwined with technology, “Protocol Art,” what it means to be creative in the age of AI, spawning vs. sampling, reviving the ethos of “...

In this episode we chat with Max Segall , COO of Privy . We dive into the world of crypto wallets & onboarding infrastructure, embedded wallets & Privy’s perspective on the market, the evolution of crypto’s application landscape, new emerging use cases for Privy, minting as a new user behavior, network effects in crypto infrastructure, and much more.

In this episode we chat with Charli Cohen , long-time fashion designer & founder of RTSLSS . We dive into Charli’s original vision for RSTLSS and digital fashion, working with legacy brands & IP, influences & opportunities beyond the world of gaming, the baggage around the term “metaverse,” and much more.

In this episode we chat with Funghibull , co-founder of SHILLR and very close friend of the pod. We dive into Fungi’s current focus and view on the market, the latest consumer apps & tools, the evolution of collecting culture, how to discovery great new art, the ethos & culture of different chains, the role of media in crypto, maintaining integrity in marketing & community building, an...

In this episode we chat with Teng Yan , founder of Chain of Thought , a research firm focused on exploring the intersections of Crypto and AI. We talk about Teng’s journey from health tech startups into crypto, what “Crypto <> AI” really means and looks like, compute markets, decentralized training, how to think about “AI agents,” and much more.

In this episode we chat with Ben. ZZZ , onchain gaming aficionado & founder of Cambria . We dive into Cambria’s origin story, “risk-to-earn” & unique game modes, the nostalgia of the Runescape Era, how to think about retention for games, designing in-game economies, the challenges of building onchain games & much more!

In this episode we are joined once again by friends of the pod, Smac - partner @ Compound VC and Jon Moore - advisor @ TCG Crypto . We dive into the crazy year of 2024, recapping the highest highs and lowest lows, before making predictions for 2025.  

In this episode we chat with Leighton Cusack , who currently leads Ecosystem development at Tools For Humanity , more commonly known as World (aka “Worldcoin). We dive into Leighton’s early fascinating with social entrepreneurship, discovering crypto & founding PoolTogether , joining World, the importance of privacy & identity in a world of AI, launching World’s developer ecosystem & m...

In this episode we chat with Achilleas Sarantaris , who leads ecosystem efforts around Art, Games & Worlds at Celestia . We dive into his time pursuing a professional music career, discovering crypto & NFTs during the pandemic, early experiments and lessons from Async Art, why he joined Celestia, his thesis around Artchains , and much more.

In this episode we chat with Joey Iny , founder of onchain music trading platform, Crate . We dive into Joey’s background as a successful music producer, royalties and the brokenness of the music business, discovering crypto but not aligning with “collector culture,” the original idea for Crate, learnings & feedback from artists, Crate’s V2 launch & more. 

In this episode we chat with Martin Antequil , the creator behind onchain brand HIGHER as well as the onchain agent Aether . We dive into Martin’s early work on NBA Top Shot at Dapper Labs, his thoughts on the evolution of the NFT market, his time building within the Nouns DAO community, “headless brands” and the emergence of HIGHER, building Aether, personality design & much more.

In this episode we chat with Brandon Tory , co-founder & CEO of Formless . We dive into his early passions for engineering and music, managing the duality of corporate life & creative life, discovering crypto & the original vision for SHARE Protocol, tradeoffs between PMF and decentralization, self-funding media & much more. 

In this episode we chat with Brian Flynn , founder of Boost Protocol , and Jon Moore , investor at TCG Crypto and longtime friend of the pod. We dive into the origins of Rabbithole and its evolution into Boost Protocol, how token distribution mechanisms have changed over time, the emerging concept of “onchain virality,” patterns in how users are leveraging Boost today, identify & sybil resista...

In this episode we chat with Chris Osborn , founder of Dialect . We dive into his background in physics & quantum computing, how he discovered and transitioned into crypto, the original vision for Dialect and “smart messaging,” Blinks & Solana Actions , crypto as a novel UX paradigm, reflections on crypto’s superpowers, and more.