Medici Level Up – Live at LA 26
In this special LA 26 conference edition of Level Up, David and Sean sit down with three leading voices across institutional investing, blockchain infrastructure, and enterprise fintech. Cambridge Associates' Joe Marenda shares an allocator's perspective on blockchain venture, valuations, institutional adoption, and liquid strategies. Eigen Labs founder Sreeram Kannan discusses why blockchain is foundational to the AI agent era, the security challenges AI introduces to DeFi, and how Eigen is positioning itself for agentic commerce. Finally, Knova founder Natalya Thakur explains how financial institutions can unify traditional and tokenized assets through enterprise infrastructure designed for scalable digital asset operations.
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Key Points From This Episode:
00:00 Introduction & live from Medici LA
01:21 Joe Marenda (Cambridge Associates): allocator perspective
02:36 Blockchain venture valuations and market outlook
04:32 Why blockchain venture looks attractive today
06:42 Digital money as blockchain's clearest use case
08:47 Common institutional misconceptions about tokens
10:50 Institutional interest in liquid digital asset strategies
13:45 The future of institutional digital asset allocations
14:28 Sreeram Kannan (Eigen)
15:02 Building for the AI agent era
18:35 AI-driven security risks in DeFi
23:20 Restoring trust through security and settlement design
24:40 Eigen's business model and infrastructure roadmap
27:12 Natalya Thakur (Knova)
27:51 Simplifying digital asset operations for financial institutions
31:51 Enterprise adoption and key use cases
33:06 Distribution strategy and regulatory considerations
36:39 Knova’s business model
37:58 Closing remarks
Links:
The Medici Network: https://www.medici.network/
Podcast Site: https://levelup.medici.network/
Cambridge Associates: https://www.cambridgeassociates.com/
Eigen Labs: https://www.eigenlabs.org/
Knova: https://www.knova.finance/
Interested in being a Guest? Connect with Elmira on X: https://x.com/elmira_yilham
Co-Hosts
David Grider, Finality Capital - https://x.com/David_Grid
Sean Farrell, Fundstrat Global Advisors - https://x.com/SeanMFarrell
Guests
Joe Marenda, Cambridge Associates
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-marenda
Sreeram Kannan, Eigen
X - https://x.com/sreeramkannan
Natalya Thakur, Knova
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nthakur9
Production and editing by The Podcast Consultant - https://thepodcastconsultant.com/