The Optimism Show

In this episode of The Optimism Show, Kris Gligoroski talks with Willy, founder of Nounspace, a customizable Farcaster client evolving into full-stack infrastructure for token communities, DAOs, and creators. Discover how Nounspace is giving every onchain community its own branded hub—combining social, governance, and token utility in one place. Learn why governance, UX, and community coordination...

In this episode of The Optimism Show, Kris Gligoroski talks with Philip Sheldrake, founder of Adresso, a project rethinking digital identity and how we relate to systems that manage who we are online. Philip argues that most decentralized identity systems today simply digitize bureaucracy—and that could be a massive mistake. Discover how Web3 might be inheriting outdated concepts, why human identi...

In this episode of The Optimism Show , Kris Gligoroski talks with Smoke and Ryan Kagy from TheCreators.com , a collective reshaping how creators collaborate, earn, and thrive in Web3. They discuss onchain creator empowerment, open-source tools for artists and developers, and ClankerCon—the biggest metaverse event for builders and creators on Base . Learn how onchain tools can make creative work su...

In this episode of The Optimism Show, Kris talks with Hid.eth, founder of WebHash, about reshaping web ownership, decentralized hosting, and how Web3 is revolutionizing content provenance. WebHash enables seamless no-code website creation on Web3, turning ENS domains into fully functional sites and even tokenizing websites as NFTs. Learn how Web3 can eliminate centralized hosting risks, empower cr...

In this episode of The Optimism Show, Kris Gligoroski sits down with Tim Cox, the Partnerships Manager at PoolTogether, to discuss how Web3 projects can form high-impact partnerships without relying on traditional marketing playbooks. From using meme coins to drive engagement to incentivizing deposits through gamified rewards, Tim shares unique insights into growth, collaboration, and relationship...

In this episode of The Optimism Show , Kris Gligoroski talks with Philip Sheldrake , a professional engineer and social science researcher, to discuss how Web3's approach to digital identity is deeply flawed and what we can do to fix it. Unlike traditional identity models, Web3 is unintentionally recreating bureaucratic structures , which could lead to surveillance risks, limited agency, and centr...

In this episode, Tim Cox, Partnerships Manager at PoolTogether, joins us to discuss the power of partnerships in Web3, how AI is revolutionizing crypto marketing, and the unexpected role of meme coins. We explore guerrilla marketing strategies, creative incentives, and how PoolTogether is making saving fun with its no-loss prize model. 00:00 - Intro: Meet Tim Cox & PoolTogether 01:00 - Tim’s j...

In this episode of The Optimism Show, Kris Gligoroski talks with Wasabi, the founder of Kokonut Network, a DAO transforming real-world assets and agriculture through Web3. Unlike traditional RWA-backed crypto projects, Kokonut Network removes middlemen, empowers local farmers, and builds long-term, nature-backed value. Learn how coconut trees act as bear market-proof assets, why real-world agricul...

Travis, known as Earth2Travis, is a core contributor at DAOHaus and the creator of Farcastle, a project transforming Farcaster channels into DAOs. In this episode, we discuss DAO challenges, unruggable crowdfunding, and how Farcaster can revolutionize decentralized coordination. (00:07) Travis' Background & Journey into DAOs (03:02) Lessons from Getting Rugged & Building Unruggable Crowdfu...

Garm is the co-founder of Glo Dollar, a stablecoin designed to fund public goods. In this episode, we dive into the evolving landscape of public goods funding, how builders can balance sustainability with impact, and why traditional models need to be reimagined. Topics Covered & Timestamps (00:07) Introduction: The Challenges of Public Goods Funding (01:03) The Need for New Public Goods Fundin...

Lior Goldenberg is the founder of Covariance, Co-Owned Growth Studio, and most recently Product Clank. In this episode, we discuss how builders can fund experiments, the evolving venture funding landscape, and how Product Clank is bridging the gap between traders, builders, and users. (00:07) Introduction & Lior’s Background (04:41) The Zero-Cost Startup Era & The Future of Venture Funding...

Trigs is a DAO veteran, governance researcher, and expert in grant ecosystems, working with projects like Octant and Coordinate to improve decentralized structures. In this episode, we dive into DAO governance, the future of decentralized organizations, and how to break out of the dark loop of the attention economy. (00:07) Introduction & Trigs’ Background in DAOs (02:20) The State of DAOs Tod...

Zeugh is a DAO aficionado and governance researcher, deeply involved in Juicebox DAO and governance security with Blockful. In this episode, we discuss DAOs, governance security, AI, and the evolving regulatory landscape. (00:07) Introduction & Zeugh’s Background in DAOs (01:30) The State of DAO Governance & Why Most DAOs Are Stuck in Plutocracy (06:03) Alternative Governance Models &...

Arnold Almeida is the Founder of Lighthouse and Signals, two innovative projects aimed at transforming the DAO governance ecosystem by enhancing communication, decision-making, and token governance. (00:01) Introduction and background of Arnold Almeida (02:01) How DAOs can use governance to reclaim power and enhance accountability (07:04) Lighthouse: Transforming DAO communication (14:33) The futu...

Garm is the Co-Founder of Glo Dollar, a nonprofit stablecoin project designed to fund public goods and empower the crypto ecosystem through transparency and innovation. Garm's DEVCON Speech: https://youtu.be/J2aw52g_OJI?si=ptKIVfdxMauk4vyy (00:40) The vision of Glo Dollar as a nonprofit stablecoin (03:04) Garm's journey from fintech to creating Glo Dollar (08:06) Competing with giants like USDC an...

Navin Vethanyagam is the Chief Brain of IQ.wiki , the largest blockchain encyclopedia in the world. Their current focus is creating AI agents with sovereignty and composability for DeFi and beyond. (00:07) The future of AI agents and their impact on DeFi and other industries (01:30) How IQ ATP enables real-time data processing and sovereignty in AI agents (05:01) Simplifying DeFi with AI agents to...

Jack is the Co-Founder of Icebreaker.xyz , a Web3 professional network that connects exceptional individuals and enables trust, collaboration, and interoperability across multiple platforms. (00:39) Vision and goals of Icebreaker (01:49) Why focus on the Farcaster audience (03:59) The concept of a decentralized professional profile and identity verification (08:18) The hyper network: Unifying and...

Lazar Bucan is the Community Leader of Wasiona Gaming Studio, a blockchain gaming company that focuses on community-driven development and partnerships to create engaging Web3 gaming experiences. (00:26) The role of community building in the blockchain gaming industry (01:23) Lessons Web3 projects can learn from gaming studios about community management (03:32) Strategies to incentivize OG members...

Carlos Juarez is the CTO of Aragon, a decentralized governance company that provides tools to build and manage DAOs. Carlos has a strong background in blockchain, having co-founded Guesser, which was acquired by Gemini. He has helped establish over 7,500 DAOs and focuses on pushing governance and decentralization forward in the blockchain ecosystem. (00:22) The evolution of DAOs and governance cha...

Kory is the Co-Founder of Stably and a core contributor to dTrinity, a DeFi protocol that is innovating in the space by launching the first subsidized lending platform on the Fraxtal L2 network. (00:08) Introduction and Journey in Web3 Kory shares his journey from trading crypto, co-founding Stably, and navigating the stablecoin wars of 2018. (14:30) What is dTrinity? An overview of dTrinity's uni...

Jonny Mack is the Founder of Hypersub, a membership platform that helps creators and communities monetize and build together using programmable crypto assets. Hypersub gives you access to your own payment solution, so you can never get banned. (00:08) The challenge of early adoption: viral growth through community-driven value (00:50) Building sustainable products vs. fast cash in crypto (03:25) T...

Sam Kazemian is the Founder of Frax, a blockchain protocol focusing on creating a decentralized bank, leveraging AI to shape the future of on-chain finance. (00:09) Introduction to Sam's journey: From Everipedia to Frax (01:20) The birth of Frax: The vision of a decentralized central bank (10:37) The big chain thesis and its impact on Frax’s long-term goals (11:21) The role of AI in Frax's 2030 vi...

Ivan from Xocolatl Finance is building a revolutionary stablecoin based on the Mexican peso, aimed at empowering local builders and creating a DeFi ecosystem in Mexico. With a background in logistics and product management, Ivan shares his journey of building Xocolatl, navigating community-driven development, and leveraging grassroots efforts to create an impactful project without VC backing. (00:...

Limone.eth is a developer and co-founder of Urbe, a startup focused on innovating in the payments space, and a key figure in the ETH Rome community. Limone.eth shares insights on turning hackathon projects into scalable real-world products, focusing on commitment, user research, and iterative development. They highlight how hackathons can serve as a platform for experimentation, MVP testing, and f...

Antimo is the Founder of /red, a design business helping web3 startups and companies scale by simplifying design while emphasizing creativity and efficiency. In this episode we cover: (00:07) Red Design Studio's scale and the value of non-compromise (00:52) Distinction between design and art in web3 (06:10) Applying luxury strategy in design for unique branding (09:08) Challenges and rewards of un...