The Delphi Podcast

Co-founders of Offchain Labs, Ed Felten and Steven Goldfeder take us back to 2014, when a classroom idea sparked their vision for scaling before Ethereum even launched. Learn why they believe interactive fraud proofs provide unparalleled security guarantees compared to ZK-rollups, and dive into how these fraud proofs technically work. Gain valuable perspective from Felten and Goldfeder on the flaw...

Eli Ben-Sasson, Co-founder and President of StarkWare, joins this podcast episode to discuss scaling blockchains like Ethereum with ZK proofs and validity rollups. He provides an in-depth look at how StarkWare is using its Cairo language and ZK-VM to enable scalability, privacy, and computational integrity on Ethereum. Topics covered include: The role of Ethereum and validity rollups in the future...

On this episode of the Delphi Podcast, Tommy and Jose spoke with Antonio Juliano, founder of dYdX, about their goal to build the largest crypto exchange through a focus on decentralization and derivatives trading. They discussed dYdX's ambitious vision and the risks they are taking to achieve it, including building their own Cosmos-based blockchain called dYdX Chain. Antonio explained how thi...

Christopher Goes, co-founder of Anoma and Nomad, joins Tommy and Can to discuss how he envisions intents becoming the primary interface for blockchain applications. They explore how Anoma is building an architecture focused on user intents, rather than transactions, and how this enables greater composability, privacy, and flexibility. Chris provides his unique insight on the evolution of privacy,...

In this episode Tommy is joined by Travis Kling, founder of Ikigai Asset Management, he discusses his investigation into Binance. Travis breaks down the timeline of events at Binance over the past year, including large BTC transfers, executives leaving, and getting banned in multiple countries. He also explains why he believes there could be a liability mismatch and "hole" in Binance&apo...

Jose, Yan, Duncan and Ceteris discuss the craze of friend.tech, what it is, how it works and what it might bring to the table, as well as talk about Coinbase's new L2 and their views on ETFs, liquidity and the markets. Subscribe to the Hivemind podcast here Disclosures: Nothing said on The Hivemind is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. The podcast is strictly for informatio...

In this spirited debate podcast episode, Tommy is joined by Kyle Samani, Co-Founder of Multicoin Capital, and Nick White, COO of Celestia Labs, to discuss the future of blockchain infrastructure. Kyle lays out the case for integrated blockchain platforms like Solana and Aptos that optimize for scalability, while Nick argues for the flexibility of modular networks like Celestia. They dive deep into...

In this episode, Tommy speaks with James Seyffart , Scott Johnsson , and Hal Press about the latest developments in the long-running saga to get Bitcoin and Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs) approved by the SEC. They discuss the current filings from major players like Grayscale, BlackRock, and ARK Invest, provide analysis on Grayscale's lawsuit against the SEC, and debate the timeline and...

In this episode, we delve into the fascinating world of blockchain security and the intersection of artificial intelligence with the crypto space. Join us for an insightful conversation with the co-founders of Test Machine, a company dedicated to making smart contracts safer by utilizing advanced AI technology for vulnerability detection. Matt and Andrew share their experiences, insights, and expe...

In this thought-provoking podcast episode, we discuss the mysteries surrounding Large Language Models (LLMs) and their implications for the future of artificial intelligence (AI) with Stephen Wolfram, creator of Mathematica, Wolfram | Alpha & Wolfram Language. We dive into the fascinating world of Large Language Models (LLMs) and their surprising capabilities. He also discusses the underlying...

Podcast description In this episode we talk to Jesse Pollak, Head of Protocols at Coinbase where he leads the development of Base, Coinbase’s L2 built on the OP Stack. Prior to leading Protocols, he led retail engineering at Coinbase for many years, building Coinbase, Coinbase Pro, and Coinbase Wallet. We explore how Base went from idea to product inside of Coinbase, how Base and Coinbase will rec...

In this episode, we discuss the impact of AI with Andriy Mulyar, co-founder of AtlasAI and creator of GPT4All. We explore how running local private language models can provide competitive benefits over using public models like ChatGPT without confidential data. Additionally, we delve into the importance of embeddings in AI and their potential impact on understanding data semantically. Finally, And...

In this episode of the Delphi podcast, host Tommy interviews Emad, the CEO of Stability.ai, an open source AI company dedicated to democratizing access to AI tech. Emad explains how his company handles the rapidly evolving field of AI and machine learning, including their curation filtering priority setting process and the importance of building all types of models. The discussion also touches on...

We sit down with Brian Retford, founder of RISC Zero, to discuss the vision and potential of zero-knowledge (ZK) technology and its impact on the world. ZK technology, although currently in its early stages and with high costs, has the potential to fundamentally change trust assumptions and enable privacy and scalability. RISC Zero's thesis is centered around making cloud computing universall...

In this captivating episode of the podcast, we are joined by Jake Brukhman, an expert in OpenAI and large language models (LLMs), to discuss the interplay between AI and crypto. We dive into various thought-provoking topics, starting with the concept of moats in AI and whether they are sustainable in the long term. Jake shares his insights on the limits of LLMs and their future, highlighting their...

Sei is a Layer 1 blockchain built for trading. It was co-founded by Jay, who was inspired to create a decentralized trading platform after working at Robinhood during the GameStop trading fiasco. Sei is designed to offer the best trading experience possible, with fast finality, high throughput, and specialization for its core focus. Sei achieves its goals through a number of innovative technologie...

In this episode, Jose Macedo offers an inside look into the world of Delphi Labs ' recently launched Incubator and valuable advice for startups. Episode Overview Insights into project selection process Delphi Labs' multi-decade commitment to lasting legacy Comparison between Delphi Labs Incubator and Y-Combinator model Technical process to guide projects towards success Jose provided val...

Henry de Valence , one of the deepest thinkers of privacy and the founder of Penumbra joins the podcast for a comprehensive discussion on privacy. Can Gurel , a research lead at Delphi Digital, joins as a co-host given his recent in-depth Privacy report .  In this episode, we covered: The importance of privacy for humans and in crypto Financial privacy as a human right The limits of what can be bu...

Karate Combat is UFC for the next generation and is built on crypto rails. Co-Founder OnlyLarping joins the podcast to discuss the fight league, tailoring the entire sport for short and engaging experiences, catering to online fans of a younger demographic, bucking the trend by not signing exclusive distribution agreements so the sport is available everywhere and the token dynamics around UpOnly G...

Hugh Karp⁠ , Founder and CEO of Nexus Mutual , and Robert Forster, executive director of Ease , join to discuss the future of Crypto Insurance. With billions in hacks and new code released every day, insurance will be crucial for the future of Crypto. We talk about why crypto insurance hasn't taken off, how insurance should be priced, the risks of insurance, and more. Social Links ⁠Hugh Karp...

Sreeram Kannan , Founder of EigenLayer , joins this episode to talk about the innovative power that EigenLayer is bringing to Ethereum. In this episode we discuss EigenLayer’s data availability layer for ETH L2s to roll down to, which saves costs and solves congestion issues and EigenLayer’s re-staking layer which allows ETH stakers to opt in to support new use cases, earning more yield while acce...

Caitlin Long , founder and CEO of Custodia Bank , is one of the most passionate guests we’ve ever had on the podcast. In this episode we discuss: The regional banking crisis Outlook for the U.S. Dollar The government blocking deposit only banks that don’t lend out assets FDIC insurance only backing 1% of deposits Hyperinflation in Weimer Germany and comparisons to the U.S. and much more.  Social L...

SEC Commissioner Peirce joins for a conversation centered around her views on the SEC’s approach to Crypto. The conversation covers the current regulation by enforcement strategy, other countries having a more conducive regulatory environment, Commissioner Peirce’s dissenting opinions and much more. This episode is co-hosted by Gabriel Shapiro , GC of Delphi Labs, who offers his deep legal and reg...

In this episode, Delphi Co-Founder and VC Tommy hosts Anatoly Yakovenko , Co-founder of Solana , for an in-depth and energetic episode centered around the core thesis for Solana in the face of other L1 and L2 ecosystems.  Social Links Anatoly Yakovenko Tommy Shaughnessy Follow Delphi Digital Website: https://members.delphidigital.io/home Twitter: https://twitter.com/Delphi_Digital Youtube: https:/...

In this episode, we're joined by Nic Carter , General Partner at Castle Island Ventures for a far reaching discussion around Nic’s thesis on Operation Choke-Point 2.0; the effort of every U.S. financial regulator to deny crypto firms access to banking services. Social Links Nic Carter Tommy Shaughnessy Follow Delphi Digital Website: https://members.delphidigital.io/home Twitter: https://twitt...