The Crypto Mavericks

In this episode of Crypto Mavericks, we sit down with Anthony Anzalone, better known as Burnt Banksy, founder and CEO of Verona. After making global headlines with the Banksy NFT burn in 2021, Anthony went on to build XION, which has now evolved into Verona: a verified information layer for AI agents. We discuss the evolution from digital ownership to digital verification, why AI agents need trust...

In this episode of Crypto Mavericks, we sit down with Joe Buttram, CEO of Field Digital, to discuss why digital asset infrastructure may become the next major opportunity for public market investors. Joe breaks down what infrastructure means in crypto, why many of these companies have stayed private, and how Field is building a public operating company designed to acquire, scale, and give investor...

In this episode, we sit down with Dave Rodman of Rodman Law Group to discuss one of the most important shifts happening in crypto today: the move from regulatory uncertainty toward clearer rules for innovation. We explore why the CLARITY Act has become such a pivotal piece of legislation, what it could mean for founders, investors, and token projects, and whether the United States is finally posit...

In this episode, we’re joined by Samantha Lewis, Partner at Mercury Fund, to discuss where crypto is evolving into real financial infrastructure. We cover stablecoins, tokenized yield, real-world assets, OpenTrade, and the convergence of traditional finance and Web3 — plus what needs to happen for blockchain-based financial products to reach true institutional scale. Social Media:  Youtube: https:...

2026. Instead of relying solely on marketplace activity, the platform is experimenting with new revenue models, stronger user incentives, and token-aligned mechanics designed to create a more durable ecosystem. We explore: Why the first generation of NFT business models struggled How Top Shot's new strategy differs from the 2021 playbook The role of fees, rewards, and token economics What this...

In this episode, we sit down with the Founder & CEO of Cap, to discuss how Cap is building new infrastructure for digital dollar savings, stablecoin yield, and onchain credit. We break down how Cap connects users to trusted digital dollar assets, why stablecoins are becoming one of crypto’s strongest use cases, and what the future of onchain finance could look like as credit markets move onto...

On this episode of Crypto Mavericks, we sit down with Jerald David, CEO of Lynq, to break down one of the biggest infrastructure opportunities in crypto and traditional finance: real-time, yield-bearing settlement. Lynq is building a dedicated Avalanche L1 designed to help institutions move Treasury-backed funds instantly while still earning interest. We discuss why settlement, collateral mobility...

On this episode of Crypto Mavericks, we sit down with the team behind Decibel, a fully onchain trading engine built for the next generation of markets. Decibel is focused on bringing order matching, execution, and settlement onchain, with the goal of making trading more transparent, efficient, and verifiable. We talk about why that matters, how Decibel is approaching market structure differently,...

This week we sit down with Ovie Faruq, co-founder of REKT, to break down how REKT evolved from a crypto-native media brand into one of the strongest consumer brands in the space. We dive into the strategy behind building culture in crypto, why attention is becoming one of the most valuable assets in the industry, and how REKT is turning community into real-world products and experiences through it...

Today’s conversation focuses on one of the more unique stories in the market: a Nasdaq-listed biotech company combining its clinical-stage immunotherapy pipeline with a first-of-its-kind prediction markets digital asset treasury strategy built around the RAIN protocol. We discuss why prediction markets are gaining momentum, how Rain fits into the broader market infrastructure layer, what AI-genera...

Crypto is entering a new phase, one where growth alone is no longer enough. Platforms are being forced to balance speed with security, and compliance is becoming a core part of the infrastructure that allows the industry to scale. In this episode, we sit down with Christian Nunez from Sumsub to break down what’s really happening behind the scenes. From onboarding and identity verification to fraud...

In this episode of the Crypto 101 Podcast, Alvin from Bitget Wallet explains how crypto is returning to its original purpose—enabling global, borderless payments through blockchain infrastructure. He introduces the “on-chain payment matrix,” a system connecting stablecoins, banks, cards, and merchants to make crypto spending seamless in the real world. The conversation highlights why stablecoins a...

In this episode, we sit down with Kurt Ivy to break down how Aces.fun is bringing real-world and alternative assets onchain in a completely new way. From physical goods to attention-driven markets, Aces is exploring how traditionally illiquid assets can become liquid, tradeable, and globally accessible. We dive into what’s actually changing in crypto right now. Why RWAs are gaining momentum, how r...

In this episode of the Crypto Mavericks, we sit down with Ben Coverston, Co-Founder and CEO of Harmonic, to talk about how Solana’s infrastructure is evolving and why open block building could play a major role in the network’s future. We break down what Harmonic is building, why fairness and competition matter so much at the validator level, and how these shifts could help make Solana stronger, m...

In this episode, we sit down with Inder Phull, co-founder of KOR Protocol and Pixel Lynx, to explore how music, gaming, and blockchain are converging into a new creator economy. We break down what they’re building, how Web3 is changing monetization for artists, and why ownership and community could redefine the future of entertainment. If you’re interested in where culture, tech, and crypto collid...

In this episode of the Crypto Mavericks, we hosted Rodrigo Coelho of Edge & Node to talk about where blockchain infrastructure is headed next, from The Graph’s roots in decentralized data to Edge & Node’s newer push into enterprise-grade on-chain operations. The conversation centered on how Amp helps institutions turn blockchain activity into structured, auditable, compliance-ready data, a...

In this episode of the Crypto Mavericks, we talk with the founder and CEO of LayerLens about why AI accountability is becoming critical in the age of AI agents. We discuss how AI evaluation works, what happens when markets are designed for non-human participants, and why the winners in the next era of technology may be the companies and protocols built for autonomous systems from day one. Social M...

In this episode of Crypto Mavericks, we sit down with Dr. Manny Ahmed, Co-Founder of OpenOrigins, to discuss the growing risks of deepfakes and AI-generated media. We explore how synthetic content is moving beyond novelty into real-world threats like impersonation, financial fraud, and misinformation. Dr. Ahmed explains why traditional detection tools are falling behind and why the future may rely...

In this episode of Crypto Mavericks, we break down how TIX and KYD Labs are using Solana DeFi to challenge the legacy ticketing model dominated by companies like Ticketmaster. Instead of locking venues into long-term, capital-draining contracts, TIX gives venues access to on-chain liquidity pools, turning ticket revenue into programmable real-world assets. We explore why NFT ticketing failed, how...

In this episode of Crypto Mavericks, we sit down with Asymmetric Research, a Web3 security firm that partners long-term with L1s, L2s, and DeFi protocols to help them build safely in the open. We keep it high level and practical, covering how AR embeds with teams (not just one-off audits), how they think about security research, incident response, security engineering, and blockchain validation/in...

In this episode, we sit down with the founder of Cycles to explore how they are rethinking financial infrastructure for the onchain world. We break down the concept of clearing in simple terms, why it matters beyond traditional finance, and how Cycles brings institutional-grade clearing to digital assets while maintaining privacy and accessibility. The conversation dives into some of the biggest c...

In this episode of Crypto Mavericks, we sat down with Ryne Saxe, co-founder and CEO of Eco, to break down what stablecoins are becoming and why they matter far beyond crypto. We talked about how stablecoins are quietly turning into the default rails for moving money, what it means that Ethereum processed more stablecoin volume than Visa in a single month, and why interoperability, not launching ne...

In this episode of Crypto Mavericks, I sit down with Kean Gilbert, Head of Institutional Relations at Lido, to break down why Ethereum staking used to be a non-starter for serious institutions, and why that has changed fast. We cover what Lido actually does, how liquid staking and stETH help solve the liquidity and operational headaches that treasury mandates care about, and why more allocators ar...

In this episode of Crypto Mavericks, we sit down with David Zhao, co-founder of Chubby Cattle International, to explore how one of the fastest-growing modern restaurant groups is blending hospitality, culture, and blockchain in a practical way. Now operating 57 restaurants globally, David shares how Chubby Cattle’s vertically integrated supply chain gives them unmatched control over quality, margi...

In this episode, we sit down with Favio Velarde, VP of Strategy at Sologenic, to explore where onchain finance is headed and why tokenization may be one of the biggest shifts in markets over the next decade. We discuss why 2026 could be a breakout year for tokenized stocks, the continued growth of tokenized treasuries, and how stablecoins are becoming the gateway for capital to move into onchain m...