The Blockchain VC
The Blockchain VC
Tomer Federman
Blockchain technology and digital assets are about to change the world. If you want to learn more about Bitcoin, the decentralized web and the opportunities that lie ahead, this is the podcast for you. Join blockchain-focused investor Tomer Federman as he talks with the most prominent entrepreneurs and leaders who are transforming the global financial system.
#27 Emin Gun Sirer and Kevin Sekniqi of Ava Labs: The Digitization of Assets
The Co-Founders of Ava Labs, Emin Gun Sirer (CEO) and Kevin Sekniqi (COO), talk with Tomer about how Ava differs from Bitcoin and Ethereum, why their team is focused on digitization of assets that are not yet on the blockchain, Ava's consensus algorithm and their approach to building a developer ecosystem around their protocol. Plus, they discuss the opportunities and challenges of working remotely and what compelled them to jump from academia to entrepreneurship.
Aug 26, 2020
1 hr 9 min
#26 Arthur Breitman, Co-Founder of Tezos: Why Blockchain Is About Winner Takes All
Arthur Breitman, Co-Founder of Tezos and one of the most prominent founders in crypto, joins Tomer for a lively and fascinating discussion. In this conversation, Arthur explains why he views Bitcoin and Ethereum as direct competitors? What drew him to leave his lucrative job in finance to start working on Tezos? Why so many ICO projects failed and what makes Tezos different? Why Arthur doesn’t think savings are necessarily tied to price appreciation? And, what Arthur sees as the big promise of crypto?
Jul 28, 2020
58 min
#25 Evan Shapiro & Izaak Meckler from Coda: Building Lightweight Portable Blockchain
Evan Shapiro (CEO) and Izaak Meckler (CTO) from O(1) Labs, developers of the Coda Protocol, join Tomer to discuss blockchain scalability and portability. During the discussion the Coda team explain the opportunities presented by zk-SNARKs and why it’s such an important technology, share how the blockchain ecosystem in the Bay Area has evolved over time, and reveal how adding cartoons to their deck helped them communicate their vision and secure over $18 million from investors.
Jun 22, 2020
51 min
#24 Ray Youssef, CEO of Paxful: Kicking Off Season 2 of the Podcast!
We begin season 2 of the podcast with a very special episode as Ray comes on the show to talk about all things Bitcoin. In conversation with Tomer, Ray shares the current challenges in wiring money internationally using the legacy financial system, explains how peer to peer Bitcoin marketplaces can help, and breaks-down the opportunities in emerging markets. Plus, Ray reveals why he considers himself underbanked, how he grew Paxful to 250 employees, and why they decided to bootstrap.
Jun 9, 2020
54 min
#23 Marc Bhargava, President of Tagomi: The Promise of Crypto & Facebook's Libra
Marc and Tomer talk about the reasons Tagomi recently joined Facebook's Libra Association and how institutional investors view the promise of cryptocurrencies. Having raised more than $28 million from venture capitalists, Marc shares fundraising best-practices, details what’s needed in order to make crypto more mainstream, and explains how as a prime broker they handle custody for institutional clients and which investors are currently most interested in the space.
Mar 30, 2020
48 min
#22 Dr. Steven Waterhouse, CEO of Orchid: Early Crypto Believer Push for Data Privacy
Steven and Tomer discuss the impact of coronavirus on the tech industry in Silicon Valley and the importance of privacy in today’s digital age. During the conversation, Steven shares what drew him to become a Partner at investment fund Pantera Capital early on his crypto journey, explains why application level or location based tracking are important things for everyone to be aware of, and details the opportunity in stablecoin consumer adoption and why he’s confident Bitcoin is here to stay.
Mar 23, 2020
43 min
#21 Jack O’Holleran, CEO of Skale Labs: Blockchain Scalability & Coronavirus' Impact
Jack and Tomer talk about Ethereum scalability, the delicate balance in crypto between user experience and security, and the business impact of Covid-19. During their discussion, Jack explains the concept of elastic blockchains and why users need them, shares why he’s so excited about smart contracts, details why comparing Bitcoin and Ethereum is the wrong approach, and reveals what he told his team in an all-hands meeting about coronavirus concerns.
Mar 16, 2020
1 hr 11 min
#20 Dan Doney, CEO of Securrency: How Blockchain Transforms the ETF Industry
Dan and Tomer discuss how blockchain is disrupting the global ETF industry and the $240B compliance market. During their talk, Dan shares what led him from the U.S. Navy and the Defense Intelligence Agency to blockchain, reveals how Securrency’s strategic partnership with ETF giant WisdomTree came about, breaks down the current liquidity challenges in crypto, explains why he’s convinced the security token (STO) vertical will take off, and details how he raised more than $25 million from investors.
Mar 9, 2020
1 hr 6 min
#19 Thomas Walton-Pocock, CEO of Aztec Protocol: The Need for Financial Privacy
Thomas and Tomer discuss the importance of financial privacy, the distinction between open and visible blockchain, the different types of privacy users and businesses need, and the network effects of Ethereum. Plus, Thomas reveals how his background in shadow banking led him to start Aztec, shares his vision for programmable privacy and confidential transactions, and details his top three tips for fundraising that helped him raise capital from industry heavyweights such as Coinbase and ConsenSys.
Mar 2, 2020
1 hr 4 min
#18 Mance Harmon, CEO of Hedera Hashgraph: How Businesses Use Blockchain
Mance and Tomer talk about smart contracts use-cases and opportunities, how Hedera is unifying private and public networks, and why the governance of blockchains is as important as the tech stack. Plus, having raised more than $100 million from investors Mance explains why transparency is crucial, breaks-down the token economics of Hedera’s native token, reveals how they work with Hedera council members such as IBM, Google and Deutsche Telekom, and shares his view on Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Feb 24, 2020
1 hr 15 min
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