Making Markets

This is Eric Golden and my guest today is Reed McGinley-Stempel . Reed is the co-founder and CEO of Stytch, which is on a mission to eliminate friction and improve security on the internet. Stytch started with passwordless authentication and Reed does a great job explaining why this is so important to businesses. We discuss the power of using Ethereum to sign on to any website and, towards the end...

This is Eric Golden and my guest today is Ryan Selkis of Messari. If you have spent any time in the crypto markets - you are likely familiar with Ryan and the Messari research platform. We cover his history in the market, including how he broke the Mt Gox story, his latest thoughts on NFTs, and finally it wouldn't be a conversation with Ryan if we didn't cover the regulatory landscape. Please enjo...

This is Eric Golden and today I am hosting Fredrik Haga - co-founder and CEO of Dune. For anyone involved in the crypto markets, you have likely come across a Dune analytics dashboard. In this podcast, we cover Fredrik's background and motivation to start Dune, why he pivoted early to offer a free service, and what he's excited to build in the future. Please enjoy my conversation with Fredrik.   F...

Today we are trying something a little different. We’re going to do a quarterly recap. Similar to investor letters that are so common in traditional finance, we thought it would be fun to cover the most interesting topics across Web3 that happened this past quarter by gathering questions from our listeners. Enjoy!   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more,...

This is Eric Golden and my guest today is Justin Waldron , co-founder and President of Playco. Justin is a pioneer of the social gaming industry, having co-founded Zynga at age 19 and then Playco, the world’s first instant gaming company. Our conversation explores the industry’s evolution from web to mobile to blockchain, the unique opportunities crypto offers game creators like Justin, and how Pl...

This is Eric Golden and my guest today is serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk , better known as GaryVee. This conversation covers why Gary has so much conviction in blockchain technology, why he sees established companies willing to embrace NFTs, and his vision for how this new medium allows him to build and distribute value today, and far into the future. Please enjoy my conversation with GaryVee...

This is Eric Golden and my guest today is Jasmine Maietta , founder of round21. Our conversation is a masterclass in brand building and collaboration. We cover how round21 was able to collaborate with large brands so early, how she builds a digital-physical model around goods, and why it’s so important to speak the same language as your partner, whether they would be a world class athlete or celeb...

I’m Eric Golden and my guest today is Matt Ballensweig , Co-Head of Trading and Lending at Genesis where he’s responsible for trading, origination and execution of all digital assets and loans. I got connected with Matt when I started trying to find out how investors are able to generate double-digit yields by lending out their crypto assets. Beyond answering this question, we also discuss how tra...

This is Eric Golden and my guest today is Tom Jessop. As President of Fidelity Digital Assets, Tom leads Fidelity’s effort to build a crypto custody solution for institutions. During our conversation, we discuss the use of custodians for blockchain assets, trends in client demand, and Tom’s perspective as an incumbent attempting to build crypto-native capabilities. Please enjoy this conversation w...

This is Eric Golden and my guest today is Jenkins , creator of Jenkins the Valet. For those unfamiliar, Jenkins was one of the first creators to explore the full potential of utilizing the IP granted by the ownership of an NFT. In this conversation, we explore how Jenkins developed the story around the digital character, how this character evolved into its own being, and how that initial act of st...

My guest today is Diogo Monica , co-founder and President of Anchorage Digital. Diogo started Anchorage in 2017 to meet the growing institutional need to custody and use crypto assets. The business has since grown into a full-service financial platform for institutions, allowing them to securely participate in web3. Our discussion breaks down Anchorage’s business, explores what great digital secur...

This is Eric Golden, and my guest today is Micah Johnson the creator and artist behind Aku Dreams. Micah’s story as a pro baseball player turned famed NFT artist and Aku’s story, are both unique and inspiring. We dive into how Micahs childhood inspired the story behind Aku, what he has learned from his success, and tips for artists in the space. Please enjoy my conversation with Micah. For the ful...

My guest today is Axie Infinity co-founder, Jeff "Jiho" Zirlin . The Colossus team covered the Axie origin story through Business Breakdowns in September of last year but we felt it was an ideal time to revisit the "play-to-earn" pioneer. Jiho and I cover his involvement with the Axie ecosystem including gameplay, the economic model, and creating a sidechain. Please enjoy my conversation with Jiho...

In November 2021, Graham Novak texted his friend Austin Cain with an idea. He wanted to buy the US Constitution. Little did they know, the next week of their lives would play out like a Hollywood movie script. When we look back on the ConstitutionDAO, I think we’ll remember it as a symbolic and historically significant event in crypto. To cover that moment, I sat down with Graham Novak and Miguel...

My guest today is Tina He . Tina is currently building Station. Express, a new blockchain-based labor marketplace. We discuss Tina’s personal journey as an online contributor, what drives her passion for creating a new future for work, and how Station. Express is differentiating itself from Web2 platforms. When I first spoke to Tina, I walked away incredibly impressed at her enthusiasm around this...

Today, I am joined by Ari Paul , co-founder and Chief Investment Officer of BlockTower; a crypto hedge fund started in 2017. Before founding BlockTower, Ari spent time at the University of Chicago Endowment and, before that, at Susquehanna as a derivatives trader. Ari has been an active voice in the crypto space for years now, including on the original Hash Power series. With BlockTower being one...

Today I am joined by Mike Colyer , the Chief Executive Officer of Foundry, one of the largest players in crypto mining, staking, and financing.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here .   -----   Web3 Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Web3 Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes .   Stay u...

Hello, this is Eric Golden and my guest today is Dan Hannum , the Chief Operating Officer of ZenLedger, a crypto tax software similar to TurboTax. Dan is here today to help us understand the evolving world of taxes and the impact on crypto, DeFi and NFTs.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here . -----     Web3 Breakdowns...

This is Eric Golden, and today I'm covering Ethereum Name Service, also known as ENS. In non-technical terms, a naming service allows you to map human-readable words to computer-based numbers. Listeners are likely familiar with Domain Name Services, DNS, which translates a website name such as joincolossus.com into an Internet Protocol address. ENS is similar, but instead of mapping to an IP addre...

Today, we are re-sharing our conversation with Devin Finzer , CEO and co-founder of OpenSea, from October this year. OpenSea is the world’s largest NFT marketplace. In a journey that started like many other founders in the space, Devin went deep down the crypto rabbit hole in 2017 and became particularly fascinated with the potential behind digital assets. During our conversation, we touch on the...

Today, we are re-sharing our conversation with Jason Citron, CEO and founder of Discord, from October last year. Discord is one of the largest and fastest growing social networks in the world. It started as a place for gamers to congregate online, but thanks to how easy it makes community building and its offering of text, audio, and video as means of communication, it has expanded far beyond gami...

Today, we are breaking down DAOs. Our new host Eric Golden is joined by Aaron Wright , a law professor at Cardozo School of Law and founder of Tribute Labs, who literally wrote the book on Blockchain and the Law. There is no better person than Aaron to help explain the purpose and power of decentralized autonomous organizations, also known as DAOs.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links...

Today we are re-sharing our September Breakdown on Solana with Kyle Samani.   Founded in 2017 by an ex-wireless engineer from Qualcomm, Solana is a layer one blockchain like Bitcoin and Ethereum that has been built to process transactions as quickly and cheaply as possible. Where Bitcoin can process about ten transactions per second and Ethereum around 30, Solana can handle over 60,000 transaction...

Today we are re-sharing our Business Breakdown from September 2021 on Axie Infinity and its creator, Sky Mavis. Sky Mavis is the company behind the NFT-based game, Axie Infinity. Built by a team with a long history in gaming, Axie Infinity was launched in 2018 with the idea that a blockchain-based “play-to-earn” model could create more aligned incentives between game creators and game players long...

Today we are re-sharing our Business Breakdown on Ethereum. This episode was originally released in May 2021 and became the inspiration for Web3 Breakdowns. Launched in 2015, Ethereum is an open-source, blockchain-based platform with a native cryptocurrency, Ether. Today, ETH stands as the second most valuable cryptocurrency to Bitcoin, and Ethereum is the preferred platform for blockchain project...