The Buildooor

In this session, Catherine sits down with Tre Upshaw (Founder/CEO) and Justin Lin (Head of Growth) from Polysights. They pull back the curtain on the psychological warfare of startup fundraising, the transition from Intern to Head of Growth, and why they’re building an intelligence layer to track "insiders" on-chain. If you’re a builder navigating a term sheet or a user trying to find th...

“Bitcoiners don’t leave Bitcoin” says OP_NET co-founder Chad Master to chief buildooor Catherine Ross and Chainstory co-founder Tal Shmuel Harel. Watch the latest episode to find out:- why building on Bitcoin could be ‘lonely’, but still crucial- how to maximize your crypto conference hustle- and why you should hire the “Taylor Swifts” of crypto developers for your startup___________Timestamps:0:0...

"I read the news and just slid onto the floor under my desk." What happens when you’re closing your first funding round the exact week the industry’s biggest exchange implodes? Aya Kantorovich (Co-Founder & Co-CEO of August Digital and UpShift) joins Catherine Ross-Mychka to share the "unfiltered" reality of building in the trenches. From surviving the FTX contagion to mana...

"The banking system isn't just outdated, it’s a cartel." Panos Mekras (CEO, Anodos Finance) joins Catherine Ross-Mychka to discuss why the "crypto" label is a marketing liability in 2026. From surviving the Greek financial crisis to building "invisible" tech on the XRP Ledger, this is a masterclass in building utility that legacy systems can't ignore. Chapters...

"You can’t build the product without the team." In this episode, Catherine sits down with Fredrik Haga , the mind behind Dune . We dive into the "Hard Truths" of being a founder: the regret of scaling too fast, the friction of government policy, and the personal habits that keep a unicorn CEO sane. What we cover: 01:32 - Spotify, Bach & Rap for deep work 13:48 - Why AI isn&...

"If you're a solo founder, one day you will give up." Itamar Lesuisse (CEO of Ready) doesn't build for the bull market; he builds for the decade. From accidentally running up a $1M monthly gas bill to surviving multiple bear cycles with a mandatory 3-year runway , Itamar has seen the "broken dreams" of the 2017 era and lived to tell the tale. In this episode of The Buil...

Catherine sat down with Philipp Zentner, CEO of LI.FI Protocol , to reveal the side of building that rarely gets told. What started as an idea now powers $50B+ in swaps for Meta Mask, Phantom, Robinhood Wallet, and 650+ teams. In this episode, Philipp shares his journey, the immense pressure of scaling, and the most crucial lessons worth learning for any founder or builder in the space. Learn abou...

Ryan is the resident memecoin degen reporter at Decrypt, and how of What's The Meta? podcast.  In this episode of Beyond the Beat, host Pedro Solimano speaks with Ryan about the bizarre and often disturbing trends in internet culture, particularly in the realm of live streaming and meme coins.  They discuss the extremes people go to for money, the emergence of AI in the crypto space, and the divid...

In this episode of Beyond the Beat, Pedro Solimano and Veronica Irwin discuss the recent turmoil at CoinDesk, the evolving landscape of stablecoins, CBDCs, and the implications of regulation in the cryptocurrency space. The two articles: - "Billionaire Justin Sun allegedly pushed CoinDesk’s new owners to remove banana article, editorial chair Matt Murray resigns," by Leo Schwartz. - "U.S. Stableco...

Beyond the Beat THE EXPERIMENT! In episode 26, I and I alone dive into two fascinating topics that tore through the Bitcoin and crypto ecosystem last week.  A reminder that from now on, myself and my guests will review two stories that made the headlines in crypto. We look for clues in the writing, storytelling, and diving into what's shaping the narratives in crypto.  This week I talk about a con...

Beyond the Beat begins to pivot! We've got a new format to our episodes, and it kicks off with the great Jon Rice. From now on, my guests and I will each bring an article they found interesting during the week, and analyze it. Looking for clues in the writing, storytelling, and diving into what's shaping the narratives in crypto.  This week, Jon and I discuss an article from Unchained's Veronica I...

Joon is the founder of Cryptographic Media and was one of the first journalists to join CoinDesk. This week, Pedro Solimano chats to Joon about crypto's dominating narrative and how they're falling apart. The two dive into Malaysia's HUGE crypto scene, and how tariffs are shaping crypto economics. Imagine getting emails from the Ethereum Foundation and saying "What sort of scam is this?" That's ju...

Roger Huang is the author of "Would Mao Hold Bitcoin" and a Forbes contributor. He has been writing about Bitcoin since early 2014. In episode 23, Pedro Solimano talks to Roger about his recent visit to El Salvador. He draws back the curtain, and tells his boots-on-the-ground experience in Bitcoin country! We dive into NOSTR, why the media is fading into a truly decentralized social media platform...

This is one of the few times I've actually seen a project go full Web3.  We kick off the conversation talking about the Trump victory, what's in store for crypto now, and the US keeping its potential dominance over the world economy.  Then Zack and I dive into Coinage's unique community-owned model, and what it means for a world severely desiring trust. Transparency, accountability, and Zack's fre...

Isabelle Castro is the Future of Finance reporter at Digital Frontier. Today, Pedro Solimano talks to Isa about the intersection of technology and society. they kick it off about having a print magazine in today's hyper digitalized world, and discuss how DF is exploring the opportunities technology presents (if it does...). Isabelle shares her pragmatic approach to crypto, emphasizing the importan...

Olivia Capozzalo and Pedro Solimano go deep into her story in crypto media and how she views the whole mess of it. They explore the current state of crypto media, the balance between traffic and reputation, and the evolving models of content consumption in the digital age. Olivia discusses the evolution of crypto media, emphasizing the importance of building an in-house research and analysis team...

David Canellis is an editor at Blockworks and longstanding adversarial thinker when it comes to crypto. In Episode #19, Pedro Solimano and David Canellis discuss the challenges of virality, and the importance of building a dedicated audience.  David shares his journey from a crypto trader to a prominent writer and editor in the crypto media space, highlighting the disconnect between mainstream med...

Erika is a freelance journalist who covers digital art, NFTs, and crypto. She works at Decrypt, and was until recently a Senior Editor at NFT Now. She's a University of Southern California alum and has reported for Business Insider, CBS News, Glamour, and more. In episode #18 of Beyond the Beat, Erika and I explore the integration of AI tools in writing processes, the importance of personal narrat...

In episode #17, Pedro Solimano interviews Mitchell Moos, former CEO of Crypto Briefing. They discuss the challenges of crypto journalism, including the commodification of news, the role of AI, and the importance of traffic analytics. Mitchell highlights the economic struggles of investigative journalism, the lack of brand loyalty, and the career shifts journalists make—often to PR—due to financial...

In episode #of 16 Beyond the Beat, Pedro interviews Sam Kessler, Deputy Managing Editor at CoinDesk, discussing his journey from tech to journalism, the intricacies of writing headlines, and the challenges of investigative reporting in the crypto space. They delve into the EigenLabs investigation, the ethics of journalism, and the pervasive conflicts of interest within the industry. Sam shares ins...

Mat is a Colombia-based reporter for Decrypt and one of the best journalists in crypto. This week, we dive into a whole series of topics, from writing the perfect headline (which neither has come even remotely close to), an epic rant about AI, why the media is pretty much [redacted], and what's up with journalists becoming PR people? This one comes with some editorial fun! Episode chapters: 0:00 i...

Aaron Stanley is the Founder of the  Brazil Crypto Report, and is building Filecoin Foundation. He is also a fellow board member of the Association of Crypto Journalists and Researchers (ACJR).  We fly over the region and ask: - Why is the media overlooking us - How journalism in crypto is like forging things in Mordor - What are the new types of news coverage we need in our industry - How advocat...

Ben is a Dubai-based correspondent for DL News, Ben has reported on crypto for Fortune and has published work with WIRED, the Guardian, Slate, PBS NewsHour, Gizmodo, among other publications. In Episode 13, Pedro Solimano sat down with Ben Weiss, a true blue scooper, to talk about what two journalists talk about: - His first feature for slate - Thinking about “internationalized tech” - Can journal...

Laura is CMO and Editor at Criptotendencias, an Argentinean crypto media outlet. She has a long-standing career in PR, and has worked as sales director for DecentralMind. In episode 12, Pedro Solimano and Laura Massina discuss how Latin America gets tossed aside from the crypto media landscape, how to improve coverage in the region, why Argentina is crushing the crypto scene, how Crecimiento is sh...

Tom is an internet coin enthusiast, and Cointelegraph reporter from Australia. He hosts the NGMI podcast, and is Chief Executive Top Signal at Brotato Capital. "Reporting on crypto is an ADHD person's dream," Tom Mitchelhill said. In Episode 11, Pedro Solimano talks to Tom Mitchelhill about his journey reporting on crypto, what it takes to be an investigative journalist, media covera...