Crypto Hipster Podcast

This is the forty-seventh episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:Bill Laboon, Director of Education and Governance Initiatives @ Web3 Foundation (3/23/2024, Season 7)Jim Myers, CTO and co-founder @ Flipside Crypto (2/10/2024, Season 6)Lucy Coulden, Global Program Director @ Polkadot Ambassador Fellowship (3/7/2025, Season 8)Joe Andrews, co-founder and President @ Aztec Labs (3/11/2025, Season 8)

This is the forty-sixth episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:Stefan Rust, CEO @ Truflation (1/28/2024, Season 6)Jeroen Offerijns, CTO @ Centrifuge (5/16/2025, Season 8)Miguel Buffara, Lead Financial Engineer @ RACE (10/30/2024, Season 8)Jonny Fry, CEO @ Team Blockchain & Group Head of Digital Assets Strategy @ ClearBank (3/31/2024, Season 7)

This is the forty-fifth episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:Jakub Ondrasek, CEO @ Clore.AI (11/26/2024, Season 8)Ben James, Founder @ 404-GEN (3/5/2025, Season 8)Yaroslav Writtle, Core Contributor @ Yelay (3/29/2025, Season 8)Jason Teutsch, founder and Chief Scientist @ Truebit (5/15/2025, Season 8)

This is the forty-fourth episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:Jiahao Sun, CEO @ FLock.io (6/22/2024, Season 7)Wei Xie, COO @ ArenaX Labs (6/20/2024, Season 7)Brendan Playford, co-founder @ Masa (10/18/2024, Season 8)Erick Ho, CEO and co-founder @ Function Network (5/24/2025, Season 8)

This is the forty-third episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:James Toledano, COO @ Savl (4/7/2024, Season 7)Dylan Dewdney, CEO and co-founder @ Kuva.ai (5/13/2025, Season 8)Alvin Kan, COO @ Bitget Wallet (6/1/2024, Season 7)Georgi Koreli, founder @ Hinkal (3/3/2025, Season 8)

This is the forty-second episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:Mike Romanenko, CVO and co-founder @ Kyrrex (8/31/2024, Season 8)Danny Chong, co-founder @ Tranchess (7/13/2024, Season 7)Kurapika, founder and CEO @ Factor (10/24/2024, Season 8)Alex Botte, Partner @ Hack VC (3/13/2025, Season 8)

This is the forty-first episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:Oleg Fomenko, co-founder @ Sweatcoin and CEO @ Sweat Economy (8/26/2023, Season 6)John Wingate, CEO @ Bank Social (6/6/2024, Season 7)Terence Kwok, CEO @ Humanity Protocol (7/1/2024, Season 7)John Vibes, Chief Vibe Officer @ Somnia (6/8/2024, Season 7)Cyrus Taghehchian, co-founder @ Aces.Fun (2/27/2025, Season 8)

This is the fortieth episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:JB Benjamin, founder and developer @ Vox Messenger (4/5/2024, Season 7)Javier Castro-Acuna, Head of Crypto and Web3 @ Bitnovo (9/16/2023, Season 6)Ugochukwu Aronu, founder @ Wicrypt (11/17/2023, Season 6)Ibrahim Mustapha, founder @ Me For Africa (3/23/2024, Season 7)

This is the thirty-ninth episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:TJ Chang, Founder @ SHOPX (11/11/2023, Season 6)Matthew Le Merle, CEO @ Blockchain Coinvestors (6/29/2024, Season 7)Sean Mackay, co-founder @ CoinPayments (10/30/2023, Season 6)Agustin Liserra, CEO and co-founder @ NUM Finance (5/19/2024, Season 7)Kyle Reidhead, co-founder and Head of Research @ Milk Road (3/15/2025, Season 8)

This is the thirty-eighth episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:Deniz Kalaslioglu, co-founder and CTO @ Soarchain AND Marko Baricevic, Product Lead @ Cosmos-SDK (5/13/2024, Season 7)Cy Li, Director @ Ethereum Collective Foundation (1/10/2025, Season 8)David Bchiri, President @ XRPL Commons (11/19/2023, Season 6)Firdosh Sheikh, founder and CEO @ DRIFE (9/27/2024, Season 8)

This is the thirty-seventh episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:Casey Grooms, co-founder @ Soulbound (8/13/2024, Season 7)Ryan Davis, founder @ People First (6/3/2025, Season 8)Kelsey McGuire, Chief Growth Officer @ Shardeum (5/25/2024, Season 7)Jaime Schwarz, founder @ MRKD (4/4/2024, Season 8)

This is the thirty-sixth episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:Chilip Lai, Director of Business Development and Alliances @ LeapXpert (4/19/2024, Season 7)Tom Kiddle, co-founder @ Palisade (5/21/2024, Season 7)Gijs Op De Weegh, CEO and founder @ StablR (7/21/2024, Season 7)Emeka Mgbenu, Senior Product Manager @ Sumsub (12/23/2024, Season 8)

This is the thirty-fifth episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:Ramon Recuero, co-founder @ Kinto (10/26/2023, Season 6)Amy Kalnoki (co-founder and COO) and Pat White (co-founder and CEO) @ Bitwave (6/12/2024, Season 7)Nikolay Denisenko, co-founder and CTO @ Brighty (8/28/2024, Season 8)Norman Wooding, co-founder and CEO @ SCRYPT (6/3/2024, Season 7)

This is the thirty-fourth episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:Tyler Adams, co-founder and CEO @ COZ (10/29/2023, Season 6)Rusty Matveev, Chief Strategy Officer @ Calaxy (12/10/2023, Season 6)Ricardo Capone, Chief Technical Officer @ Dr. Green NFT (4/26/2024, Season 7)Dr. Alun Evans, co-founder @ LAOS Network (3/15/2024, Season 7)Zain Talyarkhan, CEO and founder @ Notable.art (3/12/2024, Season 6)Aka Leung, Regional Director MENA @ Bitget (9/28/2024, Season 8)

This is the thirty-third episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:David Johansson, CEO, co-founder, and Creative Director @ BLOCKLORDS (2/17/2024, Season 6)Tomer Pascal, CEO and co-founder @ OwnPlay (5/5/2024, Season 7)Timothy Tello, CEO and founder @ 3thix (3/8/2025, Season 8)Ilman Shazhaev, CEO and founder @ Dizzaract (3/9/2025, Season 8)Daniel Anthony, head of Developer Relations @ ZKcandy (3/16/2025, Season 8)

This is the thirty-second episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:Mary McGilvray, Product Marketing Lead @ Interchain GmbH (12/2/2023, Season 6)Angus Tookey, Marketing and Communications @ Chronicle (6/7/2024, Season 7)Chris Hermida, co-founder and CEO @ Switchboard (5/20/2024, Season 7)Benedetto Biondi, CEO @ Folks Finance (10/28/2024, Season 8)

This is the thirty-first episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:Nikita Ovchinnik, co-founder @ Barter DeFi (4/16/2024, Season 7)James Lucas, COO and co-founder @ Lamina (8/12/2024, Season 7)Jonathan Thomas, CEO and co-founder @ Blueberry Protocol (5/12/2024, Season 7)Jacob Margulies, Senior Business Development Executive @ Galxe (1/27/2024, Season 6)

This is the thirtieth episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:Dr. Drew Miller, founder and CEO @ Fortitude Ranch (12/8/2023, Season 6)Sipan Vardanyan (co-founder and CEO) and Vahe Karapetyan (co-founder and CTO) @ Hexens (3/30/2024, Season 7)Michael Cunningham, Head of Digital Assets @ io.finnet (7/14/2024, Season 7)Kitty Horlick, Director @ Rarify Labs (9/1/2023, Season 6)

This is the twenty-ninth episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:Kurt Ivy, advisor @ HumanizedAI (2/13/2024, Season 6)Ahmad Shadid, founder @ O.xyz (2/8/2025, Season 8)Chen Feng, Head of Research @ Autonomys (4/16/2025, Season 8)Michal "Mehow" Pospieszalski, CEO, co-founder and co-inventor @ MatterFi (12/25/2024, Season 8)

This is the twenty-eighth episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:Max Galash, CEO @ Coinchange (7/28/2024, Season 7)Hedi Navazan, Chief Compliance Officer @ 1inch Group (2/9/2025, Season 8)Nick Motz, CIO @ Soil (5/29/2025, Season 8)Cecilia Hsueh, co-founder and CEO @ Morph (2/14/2025, Season 8)

This is the twenty-seventh episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:Konstantin Andriotis (Chief Operating Officer) and Eliis Norman (Chief Revenue Officer) @ Hexens (10/27/2023, Season 6)Julian Deschler, co-founder @ Elusiv (9/4/2023, Season 6)Riad Wahby, co-founder and CEO @ Cubist (8/30/2024, Season 8)Dan Hughes, founder @ Radix DLT (6/23/2024, Season 7)

This is the twenty-sixth episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:Hind Kurhan, co-founder @ Thesis* Defense (11/25/2023, Season 6)Rich Zhou, founder @ Aquifer (1/14/2025, Season 8)Patrick Camuso, CPA and founder @ Camuso CPA (3/18/2025, Season 8)Jeff Owens, co-founder @ Haven1 (2/4/2024, Season 6)

This is the twenty-fifth episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:Lucas Fulks, CPO @ Helika (6/4/2024, Season 7)Luke Barwikowski, founder and CEO @ Pixels (5/25/2024, Season 7)Max Fu, co-founder and CEO @ Nyan Heroes (5/10/2024, Season 7)Marc Mercuri, Chief Blockchain Officer @ Shrapnel (9/30/2023, Season 6)

This is the twenty-fourth episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:Kyle Tut, co-founder and CEO @ Pinata (5/11/2025, Season 8)Harrison Seletsky, Director of Business Development @ SPACE ID (11/1/2024, Season 8)Neil Twa, co-founder and CEO @ Voltage Holdings (3/27/2025, Season 8)Ryan Levy, Head of Business Development @ DataHaven / Moonbeam (3/21/2025, Season 8)

This is the twenty-third episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:Justin Melillo, founder and CEO @ MONA (4/24/2024, Season 7)Armel Leslie, Executive Managing Director @ RF | Binder (12/10/2024, Season 8)Bhaji Illuminati, CMO @ Centrifuge (2/15/2025, Season 8)Samantha Yap, founder and CEO @ YAP Global (6/7/2025, Season 8)

This is the twenty-second episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:David Lancashire, co-founder @ Saito (4/20/2024, Season 7)Rajiv Khemani, co-founder and CEO @ Auradine (1/20/2024, Season 6)Taha Abassi, CTO @ Ferrum Network (7/12/2024, Season 7)Adam Bergman, Esq, founder @ IRA Financial (6/4/2025, Season 8)

This is the twenty-first episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:Johanna Rose Cabildo, founder and CEO @ Data Guardians Network (D-GN) (5/9/2025, Season 8)Rowan Stone, CEO @ Sapien (5/20/2025, Season 8)Karan Sirdesai, co-founder and CEO @ Mira Network (2/27/2025, Season 8)Oleg Fomenko, co-founder @ SWEAT (5/23/2025, Season 8)

This is the twentieth episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:Johnny, founder and lead developer @ Empyreal SDK (9/16/2024, Season 8)Vakeesan Mahalingam, founder and CEO @ Torram (4/16/2025, Season 8)Cyrus Taghehchian, advisor and executive @ SHOPX (1/14/2024, Season 6)Darren Carvalho, co-founder and CEO @ MetaWealth (8/16/2024, Season 7)

This is the nineteenth episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:Anthony Rodriguez, founder @ Lineage and The Digital Spenders Club (5/26/2025, Season 8)Zach Bruch, founder and CEO @ MyPrize (5/17/2024, Season 7)Chris Waters (CPO @ Playground Productions) and Neil Berkeley (Emmy-nominated filmmaker) @ Stoopid Buddy Stoodios (5/27/2024, Season 7)Stacy Spikes, founder @ Mogul by MoviePass (6/5/2025, Season 8)

This is the eighteenth episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:Mr. Blue, developer and a founder @ LEVR.bet (8/27/2024, Season 8)Kyle "Post Master", developer @ Karate Kombat (6/15/2024, Season 7)Peter Argerakis, CEO & Co-founder @ Six Sigma Sports (9/24/2023, Season 6)

This is the seventeenth episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:Carlos Balbin, Venture Partner (3/10/2024, Season 6)Niklas Kunkel, Founder @ Chronicle (5/31/2025, Season 8)Graeme Moore, Head of Tokenization @ Polymesh Association (9/13/2024, Season 8)Chris Yin, CEO & Co-founder @ Plume Network (5/18/2024, Season 7)

About informed.nowinformed.now is your news concierge to beat information overload. It provides minimal, concise, and factual daily news briefings via SMS to keep you informed without the influence of bias, sensationalism, or advertisements. Know more, read less. Get www.informed.nowAbout Kira ShishkinKira Shishkin is the CEO of informed.now, the news concierge service to beat information overload. Kira is a 4-time serial entrepreneur, strategic advisor, and investor in the technology industry. His experience spans investment banking, corporate strategy, and private equity investments in category-defining ventures. His education includes University of Chicago, Booth School of Business, and Stanford. Kira was in Forbes 30 Under 30. Connect with Kira Shishkin: https://l.informed.now/kiraGet www.informed.now

About informed.now⁠informed.now is your news concierge to beat information overload. It provides minimal, concise, and factual daily news briefings via SMS to keep you informed without the influence of bias, sensationalism, or advertisements. Know more, read less. Get www.informed.nowAbout Kira ShishkinKira Shishkin is the CEO of informed.now, the news concierge service to beat information overload. Kira is a 4-time serial entrepreneur, strategic advisor, and investor in the technology industry. His experience spans investment banking, corporate strategy, and private equity investments in category-defining ventures. His education includes University of Chicago, Booth School of Business, and Stanford. Kira was in Forbes 30 Under 30. Connect with Kira Shishkin: https://l.informed.now/kiraGet www.informed.now

This is the sixteenth episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:David Schwartz, Board Director @ Litecoin Foundation (3/30/2025, Season 8)Alon Muroch, CEO and Founder @ SSV Labs (5/2/2025, Season 8)Ganesh Swami, co-founder @ Covalent (10/1/2024, Season 8)Spring Dunn, Director of Marketing @ SKALE Labs (4/28/2024, Season 7)

Gleb Kurovskiy, Luminary Chief Digital Officer (PhD)Gleb Kurovskiy is a leading fintech innovator and Chief Digital Officer at Luminary Bank, specializing in blockchain, AI, and payments. With 8 years of experience in finance, including a tenure as Lead Economist at the Central Bank, and a PhD from EPFL, one of the world's top technical universities, Gleb combines deep academic expertise with hands-on experience in building high-impact financial systems.As a forward-thinking leader, Gleb has successfully driven the implementation of crypto lending, staking, and blockchain protocol integrations, achieving in months what traditional banks often take years to build. He believes in leveraging the best of traditional finance and blockchain to create efficient, interoperable systems, redefining the way modern financial infrastructure is designed and operated.Gleb is widely recognized for his vision at the intersection of finance and technology. A finalist of the Econometric Game — World Championship in Econometrics, he continues to shape the future of digital finance, exploring the programmability of money and building next-generation financial systems that are fast, yield-bearing, and reliable.Gleb has a publication at the Swiss National Bank FinTech Conference on Crypto assets and Financial Innovation: “How algorithmic stablecoins fail”.LinkedINTwitter

Gleb Kurovskiy, Luminary Chief Digital Officer (PhD)Gleb Kurovskiy is a leading fintech innovator and Chief Digital Officer at Luminary Bank, specializing in blockchain, AI, and payments. With 8 years of experience in finance, including a tenure as Lead Economist at the Central Bank, and a PhD from EPFL, one of the world's top technical universities, Gleb combines deep academic expertise with hands-on experience in building high-impact financial systems.As a forward-thinking leader, Gleb has successfully driven the implementation of crypto lending, staking, and blockchain protocol integrations, achieving in months what traditional banks often take years to build. He believes in leveraging the best of traditional finance and blockchain to create efficient, interoperable systems, redefining the way modern financial infrastructure is designed and operated.Gleb is widely recognized for his vision at the intersection of finance and technology. A finalist of the Econometric Game — World Championship in Econometrics, he continues to shape the future of digital finance, exploring the programmability of money and building next-generation financial systems that are fast, yield-bearing, and reliable.Gleb has a publication at the Swiss National Bank FinTech Conference on Crypto assets and Financial Innovation: “How algorithmic stablecoins fail”.LinkedINTwitter

Chris Kim is the Co-Founder and CEO of Axis. Prior to Axis, Chris co-founded Alphanonce in 2018, growing it into a leading quantitative hedge fund with $400 million in AUM. Chris entered the digital asset industry as the first hire at QCP Capital, where he ran the firm's most profitable arbitrage book, specializing in cross-currency arbitrage strategies. He was a leading early market maker for stablecoins in regional markets and among the first to trade non-USD stablecoins. Before transitioning to digital assets, Chris built his foundation in FX and cross-border payments, developing deep expertise in currency markets and international financial flows that would later inform his approach to digital asset trading.

Chris Kim is the Co-Founder and CEO of Axis. Prior to Axis, Chris co-founded Alphanonce in 2018, growing it into a leading quantitative hedge fund with $400 million in AUM. Chris entered the digital asset industry as the first hire at QCP Capital, where he ran the firm's most profitable arbitrage book, specializing in cross-currency arbitrage strategies. He was a leading early market maker for stablecoins in regional markets and among the first to trade non-USD stablecoins. Before transitioning to digital assets, Chris built his foundation in FX and cross-border payments, developing deep expertise in currency markets and international financial flows that would later inform his approach to digital asset trading.

Ivan co-founded Fortytwo, a planetary-scale intelligence network designed for next-generation AI applications and services. Fortytwo connects nodes running on consumer hardware with small AI models that collectively can outperform the reasoning capabilities of frontier AI (e.g.,centralized large models by OpenAI and Anthropic), creating a permissionless, scalable layer of community-driven intelligence free from intermediaries.Ivan graduated from DePaul University and, early in his career, co-founded Temporal Games, where he served as CEO, focusing on AI projects in games and entertainment. He led the creation of autonomous, self-learning AI agents using Genetic Algorithms and Reinforcement Learning, which outperformed humans in classic games. In 2018, he developed a Conversational AI service leveraging some of the earliest LLMs to enhance game character interactivity. In 2023, he collaborated with NEOM to develop a state-of-the-art generative 3D graphics model and the industry's first LLM capable of spatial reasoning. His more recent workincludes research on Animated Gaussian Splatting for capturing and reconstructing volumetric video content, followed by ongoing efforts in AI decentralization, which led to the research on swarm inference and the creation of the Fortytwo network.

Ivan co-founded Fortytwo, a planetary-scale intelligence network designed for next-generation AI applications and services. Fortytwo connects nodes running on consumer hardware with small AI models that collectively can outperform the reasoning capabilities of frontier AI (e.g.,centralized large models by OpenAI and Anthropic), creating a permissionless, scalable layer of community-driven intelligence free from intermediaries.Ivan graduated from DePaul University and, early in his career, co-founded Temporal Games, where he served as CEO, focusing on AI projects in games and entertainment. He led the creation of autonomous, self-learning AI agents using Genetic Algorithms and Reinforcement Learning, which outperformed humans in classic games. In 2018, he developed a Conversational AI service leveraging some of the earliest LLMs to enhance game character interactivity. In 2023, he collaborated with NEOM to develop a state-of-the-art generative 3D graphics model and the industry's first LLM capable of spatial reasoning. His more recent workincludes research on Animated Gaussian Splatting for capturing and reconstructing volumetric video content, followed by ongoing efforts in AI decentralization, which led to the research on swarm inference and the creation of the Fortytwo network.

Justin Hughes serves as the General Manager of Shareland, bringing deep expertise in fintech and real estate technology to the project. As a co-founder of RealtyMogul.com, he helped build one of the world's first and largest real estate crowdfunding platforms, pioneering digital access to the asset class. At Shareland, Justin leverages this background to oversee operations and product strategy, translating complex real estate models into scalable, user-friendly software solutions.

Justin Hughes serves as the General Manager of Shareland, bringing deep expertise in fintech and real estate technology to the project. As a co-founder of RealtyMogul.com, he helped build one of the world's first and largest real estate crowdfunding platforms, pioneering digital access to the asset class. At Shareland, Justin leverages this background to oversee operations and product strategy, translating complex real estate models into scalable, user-friendly software solutions.

William Vogt is a subject matter expert in China affairs. Heis a former Senior Fellow at the Digital Economist, a technology-centered policy think tank, where he produced timely research on the AI market in today's China. He has worked as a consultant supporting government andinsurance companies with insights related to Beijing's domestic and foreign policies. He is the author of Foundations of the Chinese Internet: Calculations, Concepts, Culture, a textbook designed for his former courses as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and the Catholic University of America. He also teaches an online course at Udemy about digital authoritarianism which features content about China's macroeconomy. He is a two-time graduate of Georgetown University, with a Bachelor of Science from theWalsh School of Foreign Service and a Master of Arts from the Communication, Culture, and Technology program.

William Vogt is a subject matter expert in China affairs. Heis a former Senior Fellow at the Digital Economist, a technology-centered policy think tank, where he produced timely research on the AI market in today's China. He has worked as a consultant supporting government andinsurance companies with insights related to Beijing's domestic and foreign policies. He is the author of Foundations of the Chinese Internet: Calculations, Concepts, Culture, a textbook designed for his former courses as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and the Catholic University of America. He also teaches an online course at Udemy about digital authoritarianism which features content about China's macroeconomy. He is a two-time graduate of Georgetown University, with a Bachelor of Science from theWalsh School of Foreign Service and a Master of Arts from the Communication, Culture, and Technology program.

Joris Delanoue is the CEO and co-founder of Fairmint. He builds programmable-equity infrastructure for private markets, extending beyond cap-table software to connect ownership, compliance, and capital formation on smart-contract rails. An 18-year builder, he previously founded and sold Nexteem and has launched multiple SaaS and marketplace products. He has managed and mentored large engineering teams and today oversees Fairmint and its SEC-registered transfer agent. Trained at the intersection of finance, AI, and blockchain—and a three-time International Mathematical Olympiad finalist—Joris focuses on turning private equity operations into code so companies can raise, manage, and distribute ownership with precision.  

Joris Delanoue is the CEO and co-founder of Fairmint. He builds programmable-equity infrastructure for private markets, extending beyond cap-table software to connect ownership, compliance, and capital formation on smart-contract rails. An 18-year builder, he previously founded and sold Nexteem and has launched multiple SaaS and marketplace products. He has managed and mentored large engineering teams and today oversees Fairmint and its SEC-registered transfer agent. Trained at the intersection of finance, AI, and blockchain—and a three-time International Mathematical Olympiad finalist—Joris focuses on turning private equity operations into code so companies can raise, manage, and distribute ownership with precision.  

Joseph Onorati is CEO of Defi Development Corp (DFDV), the first Solana treasury company listed on NASDAQ. DFDV was the best performing US stock in 2025. Previously, Joseph was Chief Strategy Officer at Kraken, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges, where he worked for nearly 9 years. He started working in the crypto space in 2013, when he joined CaVirtEx, the first bitcoin exchange in Canada, where he became interim CEO and sold the company to Coinsetter, which was later acquired by Kraken.Website: www.dfdv.com

Joseph Onorati is CEO of Defi Development Corp (DFDV), the first Solana treasury company listed on NASDAQ. DFDV was the best performing US stock in 2025. Previously, Joseph was Chief Strategy Officer at Kraken, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges, where he worked for nearly 9 years. He started working in the crypto space in 2013, when he joined CaVirtEx, the first bitcoin exchange in Canada, where he became interim CEO and sold the company to Coinsetter, which was later acquired by Kraken.Website: www.dfdv.com

This is the fifteenth episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:Jonathan Padilla, CEO and co-founder @ Snickerdoodle Labs (5/11/2024, Season 7)Jerry Li, CEO and co-founder @ Artela Network (6/24/2024, Season 7)Dr. Alan Tominey, Director of Product and Technology @ Gorki (12/24/2023, Season 6)Joshua Scigala, co-founder @ The Standard (3/24/2024, Season 7)

Dave Borsh is the Founder & CMO of Giga-Mint, a Michigan-based startup making NFTs simple and accessible for everyday people. With 25+ years of experience in IT operations supporting automotive, finance, and retail customers, he brings a customer-first mindset to Web3. Dave is focused on redefining NFTs as personal digital keepsakes—not speculation—through Giga-Mint's easy-to-use minting platform.

Dave Borsh is the Founder & CMO of Giga-Mint, a Michigan-based startup making NFTs simple and accessible for everyday people. With 25+ years of experience in IT operations supporting automotive, finance, and retail customers, he brings a customer-first mindset to Web3. Dave is focused on redefining NFTs as personal digital keepsakes—not speculation—through Giga-Mint's easy-to-use minting platform.