Episodes

Will McEvoy, CIO of Cypherpunk Technologies, joins David Grider and Sean Farrell to discuss why privacy is becoming one of the most important investment themes in crypto. The conversation explores Cypherpunk's thesis around Zcash, how AI is accelerating the need for privacy-preserving technologies, the evolution of digital asset treasury companies, and what could drive the next wave of adoption for private digital money. View the Full Level Up Podcast Disclaimer Here : https://level-up-podcast-d...

Recorded live at Medici LA 26 and released as a special episode, David and Sean sit down with Barry Silbert, founder and CEO of Digital Currency Group (DCG), to discuss his journey from discovering Bitcoin in 2011 to building one of the most influential companies in digital assets. Barry reflects on the early days of Bitcoin, the creation of Grayscale and GBTC, the maturation of institutional digital asset investing, and the regulatory milestones that helped pave the way for Bitcoin ETFs. The co...

In this episode of Level Up, David Grider and Sean Farrell sit down with Jack Platts, Founder, CEO, and CIO of Hypersphere, to discuss how digital asset investing has evolved over the last market cycle. Jack shares lessons from launching funds during the 2020 bull market, adapting investment strategies after the 2022 downturn, and expanding beyond crypto into broader technology themes like AI, rare earths, and brain-computer interfaces. The conversation also examines portfolio construction, conc...

In this episode of LevelUp, David and Sean sit down with Illia Polosukhin, co-founder of NEAR Protocol and co-author of the Transformer model. Illia shares his journey from AI research at Google to building NEAR, a blockchain designed to integrate artificial intelligence with financial infrastructure. The conversation covers NEAR’s architecture, Intents, chain abstraction, and the role of AI agents in commerce. Illia also addresses security risks, token dynamics, and how NEAR is positioning itse...

In this episode of Level Up, hosts David and Sean speak with Mark Wendland, CEO, and Mark Toomey, President of Canton Strategic Holdings. They break down the Canton Network’s focus on institutional blockchain adoption, including tokenized real-world assets, intraday repo markets, and privacy-enabled infrastructure. The conversation covers Canton Network's architecture, tokenomics, and governance model, as well as how Canton Strategic Holdings is building a differentiated DAT model through valida...

In this episode of Level Up, David and Sean sit down with Xiao-Xiao J. Zhu, President of Jupiter, to discuss the evolution of Jupiter from a DEX aggregator into a full-scale DeFi super app on Solana. Xiao Xiao shares his background from KKR to crypto and outlines Jupiter’s product suite, including trading, lending, mobile, and more. The conversation covers growth metrics, token design, competition, and the long-term vision for on-chain finance, including omni-chain infrastructure and expanding r...

In this episode of Level Up, David and Sean speak with Paul Faecks, Founder of Plasma, a stablecoin-focused Layer 1 blockchain. Paul shares his background in early crypto/DeFi, why Plasma is optimized for stablecoin payments, and how Plasma One (a stablecoin neobank with cards and ramps) is intended to drive long-term value beyond blockchain fees. They also discuss token value accrual, validator decentralization, regulatory risks, and more. View the Full Level Up Podcast Disclaimer Here : https:...

In this episode of Level Up, David and Sean sit down with Yair Cleper, Co-Founder of Magma Devs and contributor to the Lava Network. Yair shares his entrepreneurial journey and how Lava Network is building a decentralized RPC protocol that ensures uptime, reduces fragmentation, and supports blockchain infrastructure. He also discusses Lava’s smart routing technology, token economics, the long-term vision of establishing a resilient access layer for Web3 applications, and more. View the Full Leve...

In this episode of LevelUp, David and Sean sit down with Amir Haleem, co-founder of Helium and CEO of Nova Labs. Amir shares Helium's decade-long evolution from IoT infrastructure to a decentralized 5G network powering real-world wireless coverage. He breaks down the Helium Mobile business model, how token incentives drive hotspot deployment, and why carrier offload could transform the economics of telecom. The discussion covers network growth, tokenomics, governance, and the future of decentral...

In this episode of Level Up, David and Sean speak with Jansen Teng, Co-Founder of Virtuals Protocol. Jansen breaks down how Virtuals is pioneering the agent-to-agent economy by combining AI agents with blockchain infrastructure. The conversation explores agent tokenization, commerce protocols, and the vision for a fully autonomous digital and physical agent-driven marketplace. They also examine Virtuals' revenue models, current use cases, and future expansion plans. View the Full Level Up Podcas...

In this episode of Level Up, David and Sean speak with Marcin Kaźmierczak, co-founder of RedStone Finance. They explore RedStone’s modular oracle architecture, its staking model as an EigenLayer AVS, and how the team is positioning across DeFi and institutional markets. Marcin walks through the business model, token utility, and RedStone’s approach to gaining market share in the decentralized oracle space. The conversation also covers near-term catalysts, including RedStone’s acquisition of Cred...

In this episode of Level Up, David and Sean are joined by Nick White, COO and founding team member of Celestia. Nick shares how Celestia is building a modular blockchain architecture that separates execution, settlement, and data availability to scale Web3 applications. The discussion explores Celestia’s growth strategy, competitive positioning, and the evolving data availability landscape – including insights on throughput, token economics, revenue, and adoption trends. View the Full Level Up P...

In this special Singapore conference edition of Level Up, David and Sean speak with three influential voices across digital assets and institutional investing. Rebecca Woo, Managing Director at Farro Capital, discusses how traditional allocators are approaching digital assets within long-term portfolios. Arthur Cheong, founder of DeFiance Capital, shares perspectives on emerging DeFi opportunities and brand-driven digital assets. Finally, David Schamis, Founding Partner of Atlas Merchant Capital...

In this episode of Level Up, David and Sean sit down with Andrew Keys, co-founder and chairman of Ether Machine. Andrew discusses why Ethereum is positioned as the backbone of the next internet iteration and breaks down Ether Machine’s unique approach to yield generation, risk management, and growth through strategic M&A. He also compares the DAT landscape, explains Ether Machine’s SPAC strategy, and shares his take on staking, re-staking, and low-risk DeFi. This conversation is essential for an...

Recorded live at Medici SG 25 and released as a special episode, David and Sean sit down with Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum. Vitalik discusses the evolution of Ethereum’s ecosystem from experimental innovation to “low-risk DeFi”, and how commercialization is shaping its next phase. He also highlights projects like Uniswap, Polymarket, and decentralized social networks as milestones in Ethereum’s growth, and shares his perspective on Layer 2 rollups, institutional participation, and the...

Captured live on stage at Medici SG 25 and presented as a special episode, David and Sean sit down with Arthur Hayes , co-founder of BitMEX and CIO of Maelstrom, for a candid discussion on market structure, crypto cycles, and today’s allocation playbook. Arthur breaks down Maelstrom’s multi-pronged investment approach, shares thoughts on Bitcoin, Ethereum, perps DEXs, and explains why liquidity drives everything. From market predictions to meme coins, Arthur offers a sharp take on where crypto i...

In this episode of LevelUp, David and Sean sit down with Tom Lee, Head of Research at Fundstrat Global Advisors and Chairman of Bitmine. They explore Ethereum’s positioning in global finance, the rise of Bit Mine as a leading Ethereum treasury, and the broader macro environment shaping digital assets. Tom also shares his views on crypto’s long-term potential, decentralization, and how Bit Mine is tackling treasury growth at scale. View the Full Level Up Podcast Disclaimer Here : https://level-up...

In this episode of Level Up, David and Sean speak with Alex Cutler, Co-Founder of Aerodrome, and Austin Barack, Founder of Relayer Capital. They examine Aerodrome’s unique approach to decentralized exchange (DEX) design and token economics. They cover the Medex model, emissions, token locking mechanics, and Aerodrome’s role as a core infrastructure layer on Base. Austin also shares Relayer’s investment thesis and why Aerodrome stands out in a competitive landscape. View the Full Level Up Podcast...

In this episode of Level Up, David and Sean sit down with Sidney Powell, Co-Founder and CEO of Maple Finance, alongside Felipe Montealegre from Theia Research. Sidney shares Maple’s journey from tokenized bonds to becoming a major on-chain asset manager offering over-collateralized lending and Bitcoin yield products. Felipe adds an investor’s perspective on Maple’s positioning within decentralized credit markets and what sets it apart from traditional and DeFi lending platforms. Together they an...

In this special episode of Level Up, David and Sean chat with Adam Winnick, founder of The Medici Network and Finality Capital . Adam shares how Medici grew from a visionary idea into a global community focused on institutional digital asset adoption. He breaks down what sets Medici events apart, explores the evolution of allocators in digital assets, and highlights emerging investment thesis around real-world use cases, re-staking protocols, and digital asset treasuries. Adam also explains how ...

In this episode of LevelUp, co-hosts David and Sean speak with TN Lee, CEO and co-founder of Pendle, and Louis Thomazeau, Investment Partner at L1D. TN shares how Pendle enables fixed yield and yield speculation through PT and YT token mechanics. Louis outlines L1D’s thesis around Pendle’s resilience, product-market fit, and unique token design. The discussion also explores Pendle’s future product roadmap, the upcoming launch of Boros, evolving stablecoin markets, and how Pendle positions itself...

In this special conference edition of Level Up, David and Sean broadcast live from Medici LA 25, diving into conversations with top voices in digital asset journalism, institutional allocators, venture fund managers, and blockchain innovators. Guests include Charlie Gasparino from Fox Business Network, Eleanor Terrett from Crypto in America, Ben Jacobs from Scenius Capital, Joe Marenda from Cambridge Associates, Paul Veradittakit of Pantera Capital, Alex Pack of HackVC, Smokey from Berachain, an...

In this episode of Level Up, hosts David and Sean Farrell speak with David Tse, Co-Founder of Babylonchain, and Ted Breyer of Breyer Capital. David shares how Babylon introduces a trustless, slashable Bitcoin staking primitive—creating a native, self-custodial use case for Bitcoin that expands its utility beyond store of value. Ted offers his perspective as an early investor, reflecting on the protocol's technical depth, market potential, and long-term vision. They discuss Babylon’s role as a se...

In this episode of Level Up, David and Sean sits down with Lucas Bruder, Co-Founder and CEO of JITO Labs , and Tushar Jain, managing partner at Multicoin Capital. They dive deep into JITO’s innovative approach to MEV infrastructure, liquid staking, and restaking, explaining how these components work together to boost transaction efficiency and unlock value for validators and stakers. The conversation also covers token economics, governance, and the broader impact of JITO’s technology on network ...