The Defiant

In this episode of The Defiant podcast, Camila Russo sits down in Buenos Aires (Devconnect) with Marissa Foster (Product, Ethereum Foundation) and Yoav Weiss (security researcher, Ethereum Foundation) to unpack The Trustless Manifesto and the Ethereum Interop Layer (EIL), why “trust assumptions” are quietly creeping into Ethereum’s stack, and what it will take to preserve Ethereum’s core values wh...

In this episode of The Defiant podcast we speak with Morgan Krupetsky, VP of OnChain Finance at Ava Labs, to break down one of the most significant shifts happening in crypto today: the rapid institutionalization of blockchain and Avalanche’s strategy to lead it. Morgan walks us through Avalanche’s “real-world adoption first” ethos, explaining how its unique architecture enables enterprises, finte...

Robert Leshner — the mind behind Compound, and now the founder of Superstate — believes the next trillion-dollar shift will come from bringing the world’s assets on-chain. In this episode, Cami sits down with one of DeFi’s earliest pioneers to unpack: Why DeFi itself shouldn’t change — but assets will How tokenized T-bills, basis strategies, and even equities are finally getting institutional trac...

In a world of fast-advancing technology, we are told to trust in our own research. But as the crypto space matures, scams and exploits remain a constant presence. When your assets are gone, they are gone forever, with a near-zero chance of recovery. The old mantra of "Do Your Own Research" falls short against sophisticated threats like address poisoning, advanced malware, and convincing...

In the second episode of Ecosystems: Avalanche, we track the protocol’s trajectory, which included a peak valuation of $13 billion, followed by a period of consolidation and strategic redevelopment. The Defiant founder Camila Russo and Ava Labs' Chief Strategy Officer Luigi D’Onorio DeMeo are joined by founders from BENQI, Euler Labs, and LFJ, who are building on the Avalanche protocol. The co...

In this conversation, May Zabaneh breaks down PayPal’s move into stablecoins with PYUSD and why it matters for financial inclusion. We explore how PYUSD could lower costs for cross-border payments, deliver faster settlement, and plug directly into PayPal’s existing ecosystem. The discussion covers why PayPal built a proprietary stablecoin, early adoption and real-world use cases, and plans for int...

In Web3, we find ourselves in an age of digital phantoms, a "click-farm" era where identity is flimsy and easily fabricated. But what if reputation could be real, portable, and valuable? Animoca Brands co-founder Yat Siu returns to explore this very question, detailing a vision for a trust layer built on zero-knowledge proofs. He reveals plans for a Hong Kong dollar stablecoin, a joint v...

In this episode of The Defiant Podcast, Vinny sits down with Ahmad Shadid—former quant trader turned founder—who redirected the 2022 GPU crunch into a decentralized GPU network and now leads a bold push toward “sovereign superintelligence”: an AI CEO framework that can govern, fund, and scale itself transparently.  We unpack vibe coding (building with AI at 20x speed), how zero-knowledge proofs an...

Avalanche says it can finally square the circle: sub‑second finality, a large decentralized validator set, and thousands of sovereign L1s connected through native messaging for shared liquidity. In the genesis episode of our new ECOSYSTEMS podcast, Camila Russo and guest cohost Luigi D’Onorio DeMeo of Ava Labs unpack the Avalanche story—from Team Rocket’s probabilistic consensus and the stadium sa...

Crypto’s next chapter isn’t a shinier coin—it’s invisible rails. In this episode, we sit down with Aryan Sheikhalian, Research Lead at CMT Digital, to unpack the shift from “crypto as an asset” to crypto as infrastructure: 24/7 markets, instant clearing and settlement, and new structured products that couldn’t exist before.  We talk about tokenized equities (wrappers vs. native tokenization and wh...

In this episode of The Defiant Podcast, we sit down with Paul Veradittakit, Managing Partner at Pantera Capital, to discuss the explosive growth of Solana, the future of stablecoins, and the evolution of digital asset treasury companies. Paul shares insights on Pantera's $1.2 billion Solana fund, the role of institutional capital in this crypto cycle, and why he believes Solana is poised to ou...

In this episode of The Defiant Podcast , we sit down with Ben Nadareski, CEO and Co-Founder of Solstice Labs, to explore DeFi on Solana and why it’s becoming a magnet for institutional adoption. Ben shares how Solstice Labs is pioneering permissionless, institutional-grade yield strategies and launching the US token, a fully collateralized stablecoin designed to unlock new levels of trust and scal...

In this episode of The Defiant Podcast , we sit down with Eli Ben-Sasson, co-founder and CEO of StarkWare, to explore how StarkNet is revolutionizing blockchain scalability with ZK proofs. From Bitcoin staking to the creation of an "integrity web," Eli shares groundbreaking insights into the future of decentralized finance, Bitcoin's execution layer, and the role of StarkNet in shaping the blockch...

Why did Game Square, the Jerry Jones-backed media powerhouse, bet $100 million on Ethereum instead of Bitcoin? In this episode of The DeFiant Podcast , Vinny sits down with crypto pioneer Ryan Zurrer to explore the strategy behind this bold move. Ryan, who co-wrote the MakerDAO whitepaper and now leads Dialectic, shares why Ethereum dominates 5 out of 6 real-world crypto use cases, from stablecoin...

In this episode of  The Defiant Podcast , Paul Faecks, CEO of Plasma Chain, discusses the platform’s approach to stablecoin payments and its potential to reshape global financial infrastructure. From gasless USD transfers to a $2 billion liquidity launch, Paul explains how Plasma Chain plans to compete with established players like Tron and Ethereum while focusing on emerging markets and decentral...

Stablecoins are no longer just a buzzword—they’re transforming the way the world moves money. In this episode of The Defiant Podcast , we sit down with Reeve Collins, co-founder of Tether, co-founder of WeFi, and chairman at STBL, to explore the groundbreaking evolution of stablecoins. From their early days as a simple payment solution to their role in reshaping global finance, Reeve shares inside...

In this episode of The Defiant Podcast , we sit down with Joseph Onorati, CEO of DeFi Development Corp, the second-largest Solana treasury company. Joseph shares the journey of transforming DeFi Development Corp into a Solana-focused treasury powerhouse, their innovative yield strategies, and why Solana's volatility and native yield make it a compelling treasury asset. We also dive into the br...

In this episode of The Defiant Podcast , we sit down with Fakhul Miah, Managing Director of GoMining Institutional and former Morgan Stanley executive, to explore the rapidly evolving world of Bitcoin mining in 2025. From the rise of AI hyperscalers competing for energy resources to the financial engineering transforming miners into sophisticated operators, this conversation dives deep into the ch...

Ondo Finance is at the forefront of the real-world asset (RWA) revolution, bringing traditional financial products like U.S. treasuries, stocks, and ETFs onto blockchain rails. In this episode of the Defiant Podcast, Ian De Bode, Chief Strategy Officer at Ondo Finance, dives into democratizing access to financial markets for a global audience. By tokenizing assets, Ondo enables 24/7 mobility, seam...

What if blockchain technology could be as seamless as swiping a credit card or streaming your favorite show? In this episode of The Defiant Podcast , we sit down with Prabal Banerjee, co-founder of Avail and Former Research Lead at Polygon, to explore how he’s working to make that vision a reality. Prabal shares his insights on tackling some of the biggest challenges in the blockchain space, from...

In this episode of The Defiant Podcast , we sit down with Ellio Trades, Co-Founder of BlackHole, the fastest-growing decentralized exchange on Avalanche. Ellio shares his insights on the current state of the crypto market, including whether we're entering a new altcoin season or witnessing a slower, more sustainable growth cycle. He dives deep into the maturation of the crypto space, the role...

Step into the evolving world of virtual environments, where Decentraland is at the forefront of innovation. In this episode, we explore how interoperability is transforming the metaverse, enabling seamless integration across platforms and unlocking creative possibilities for users and developers alike. From NFTs and digital wearables to virtual real estate, we discuss how these advancements are re...

In this episode, we’re joined by Marta Belcher, President and Chair of the Filecoin Foundation, to dive deep into the transformative potential of decentralized storage and its role in shaping the future of technology. Marta shares her insights on how Filecoin is enabling decentralized AI, preserving humanity’s most important data, and creating alternatives to big tech. We explore the incentives an...

In this episode of The Defiant Podcast , we sit down with Adrian Brink, Co-Founder of Anoma and Namada, to explore the intersection of privacy, sovereignty, and resilience in Web3. Adrian shares his journey from the early days of building Cosmos to building intent-based systems that empower communities and protect dignity at scale. We dive into the challenges of designing for a fragmented world, t...

In this episode of The Defiant Podcast, Paul Frambot, Co-Founder of Morpho, details how DeFi is transforming the financial industry by intersecting with fintech, shifting value to network users, and reshaping how lending protocols work. He outlines the evolution from early peer-to-peer lending to today's permissionless, immutable infrastructure, highlighting Morpho's product design, its ap...