Podcast appearances and mentions of meher roy

Welcome to Episode 12 of the Chorus One Podcast S2. In this episode our CTO and co-Founder, Meher Roy, sits down with Derek Anderson, the CTO of Blockless to discuss how Blockless provides a unique experience for developers. They discuss Blockless' core mission to empower the creation of complex applications in Web3, how it redefines blockchain applications, going beyond decentralized applications to introduce the concept of network-neutral applications. Additionally, they discuss performance issues in traditional blockchain models and offers dynamic, decentralized solutions for modern applications.  

The initial scaling roadmap for Ethereum featured execution layer sharding. However, the rapid advancements of layer 2 scaling solutions in general, and zero knowledge proofs in particular, caused a restructuring of the original plan. The reason was that rollups would have required less changes made to Ethereum's base layer, hence lower risks. On the other hand, Near Protocol was designed from the ground up as a sharded system, capable of withstanding billions of transactions simultaneously, without sacrificing decentralisation or security.Topics covered in this episode:Illia's & Alex's backgroundsSharding and blockchain scalabilityChallenges of building a sharded blockchainNear namespaceShard security & validator samplingStateless validation and data availabilityState witnesses and chunk producersBlock productionShards vs. RollupsHow Near could further improveLeaderless chunk productionChain abstractionEpisode links:Illia Polosukhin on TwitterAlex Skidanov on TwitterNear Protocol on TwitterSponsors:Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.ioChorus1: Chorus1 is one of the largest node operators worldwide, supporting more than 100,000 delegators, across 45 networks. The recently launched OPUS allows staking up to 8,000 ETH in a single transaction. Enjoy the highest yields and institutional grade security at - chorus.oneThis episode is hosted by Meher Roy.

Today I'm speaking with Meher Roy, CTO and Co-Founder at Chorus One and show host at Epicenter.tv. The opportunity to meet and interview Meher was an incredible honor - as you'll hear, he's one of the most thoughtful and insightful people ever to be featured on this podcast. Whether for his work on Epicenter or the amazing growth of Chorus One, Meher is justifiably recognized as a true thought leader in crypto. During this interview, we explore Meher's early education and career, his journey into crypto, and the origins of Chorus One and Epicenter. Throughout the conversation, Meher gives his perspective on a variety of topics, such as his thoughts on the future of validators, technology and vaccines, applying the Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger lens to the crypto industry, his vision for the future of the industry, and his experience as a validator supporting The Graph. I am also deeply humbled that Meher opens up about his leukemia diagnosis in 2021 and how it has influenced his life.Show Notes and TranscriptsThe GRTiQ Podcast takes listeners inside web3 and The Graph (GRT) by interviewing members of the ecosystem.  Please help support this project and build the community by subscribing and leaving a review.Twitter: GRT_iQwww.GRTiQ.com 

Credit is a widely used term, which could essentially be summarised as “more capital so you can do whatever you want”. In DeFi, there are numerous ways of getting exposure to an asset in a leveraged manner: from looping to perpetuals and margin trading, the possibilities are endless (especially when you also account for synthetic versions). Gearbox Protocol aims to create a universal, composable, on-chain ‘credit layer', through credit account abstraction. This approach simultaneously addresses three concerns: liquidity, security and, ultimately, user experience (UX).Topics covered in this episode:Mikael's and Ivan's backgroundsComposable leverage explainedLeveraged stakingGearbox credit accountManaging smart contract riskQuotas and rate limitsLeveraged restakingGovernance and safety parametersScaling GearboxFee structureEpisode links:Mikael Lazarev on TwitterIvan on TwitterGearbox Protocol on TwitterSponsors:Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.ioChorus1: Chorus1 is one of the largest node operators worldwide, supporting more than 100,000 delegators, across 45 networks. The recently launched OPUS allows staking up to 8,000 ETH in a single transaction. Enjoy the highest yields and institutional grade security at - chorus.oneThis episode is hosted by Meher Roy.

Blockchains are, by default, public ledgers containing every transaction recorded by the network. While this ensures transparency, it also violates users' privacy once an address is linked to an entity. Apart from creating additional risk for self-custody, institutions are also limited by what they can publicly share on a blockchain. As a result, there is great demand and utility for on-chain, compliant privacy, which still requires KYC (& KYT), but protects them through cryptographic constructs. Zero knowledge proofs attest computational integrity, allowing for transactions to be bundled together and their correctness verified, without revealing each individual interaction.We were joined by Anish Mohammed, co-founder & CTO of Panther Protocol, to discuss the importance of compliant privacy for on-chain transactions, powered by zero knowledge technology.Topics covered in this episode:Anish's backgroundPanther's value propositionUX & on-chain privacyPanther's multi-asset shielded pool architectureKYC & KYTShielded zones and transactionsZone administratorAddress mappingRoadmap & Panther mainnetTarget audience & adoptionFee model & tokenomicsEpisode links:Anish Mohammed on TwitterPanther Protocol on TwitterSponsors:Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.ioChorus1: Chorus1 is one of the largest node operators worldwide, supporting more than 100,000 delegators, across 45 networks. The recently launched OPUS allows staking up to 8,000 ETH in a single transaction. Enjoy the highest yields and institutional grade security at - chorus.oneThis episode is hosted by Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/537

Prolonged range bound markets are a hallmark of bearmarkets and they usually end up chopping inexperienced or over leveraged traders. Customised structured products offer a solution for market participants that want to limit their downside, but also the upside, by introducing knock-outs at certain levels or triggers. Such custom options, usually with lower probabilistic chances of occurring, naturally come at a discount. This allows traders to hedge their risk, while also betting on certain outcomes or market scenarios.We were joined by Zhiming Yang, co-founder of OrBit Markets, to discuss crypto derivatives and how TradFi expertise applies to customising structured products for crypto markets.Topics covered in this episode:Zhiming's background in investment bankingFX derivative productsExotic optionsCrypto structured productsCustom solutions for crypto minersHedging Uniswap V3 impermanent lossOptions based on prediction marketsManaging counterparty riskProtocolising structured productsDifferences between TradFi and DeFiEpisode links:Zhiming Yang on LinkedInOrBit Markets on TwitterOrBit Markets websiteSponsors:Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.ioChorus1: Chorus1 is one of the largest node operators worldwide, supporting more than 100,000 delegators, across 45 networks. The recently launched OPUS allows staking up to 8,000 ETH in a single transaction. Enjoy the highest yields and institutional grade security at - chorus.oneThis episode is hosted by Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/535

Fully homomorphic encryption, also known as the Holy Grail of cryptography, allows for computation to be performed on encrypted data, without the need for prior decryption. Its blockchain applications would enable programmable, institutional-grade, compliant privacy. With the addition of fhEVM libraries, solidity developers don't have to worry about the complex cryptography and only decide what layers of the UX should be private.We were joined by Guy Itzhaki & Guy Zyskind, to discuss fully homomorphic encryption and how Fhenix plans to leverage it to build an end-to-end encrypted Ethereum L2 with compliant privacy.Topics covered in this episode:Guy(s)' backgrounds and why they chose FHEThe differences between TEE, MPC, ZK and FHEThreshold decryptionThe challenges with FHE. Hardware acceleration. Zama's fhEVMFhenix architecturefhEVMUse cases for FHE & composabilityCompliant privacyFhenix roadmapEpisode links:Guy Zyskind on TwitterGuy Itzhaki on TwitterFhenix on TwitterEncryption Day @ ETH Denver (Feb. 28, 2024) registrationSponsors:Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.ioChorus1: Chorus1 is one of the largest node operators worldwide, supporting more than 100,000 delegators, across 45 networks. The recently launched OPUS allows staking up to 8,000 ETH in a single transaction. Enjoy the highest yields and institutional grade security at - chorus.oneThis episode is hosted by Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/530

What began as an AI company trying to seek solutions in order to pay remote (unbanked) workers, Near AI became, in 2018, Near Protocol. Its sharded design was inspired by modern database architecture and large language model (LLM) training. Near Protocol aimed to solve the scalability trilemma, through a modular approach, combining data availability sharding with stateless validation. By abstracting away archaic blockchain standards, Near basically enabled decentralised full stack development and, in terms of UX, a distributed custodial solution via chain abstraction and account aggregation.We were joined by Illia Poloshukhin, co-founder of Near Protocol, to discuss Near's journey, from AI company to high-throughput L1 blockchain, and how LLM training influenced the modular design choice.Topics covered in this episode:Illia's background in AI & MLScaling large language models (LLMs) and the role of attentionStochastic Parrot vs. Understanding spectrumFrom Near AI to Near Protocol and the role of LLMsHow Near abstracted the blockchain away and enabled decentralised full stack developmentDefining ecosystem standards to improve UXChain abstraction, account aggregation and interoperabilityChain threshold signatureNear's intent layerNear's modularity, Nightshade sharding & stateless validationEigenLayer integrationEpisode links:Illia Polosukhin on TwitterNear Protocol on TwitterSponsors:Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.ioChorus1: Chorus1 is one of the largest node operators worldwide, supporting more than 100,000 delegators, across 45 networks. The recently launched OPUS allows staking up to 8,000 ETH in a single transaction. Enjoy the highest yields and institutional grade security at - chorus.oneThis episode is hosted by Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/529

As Ethereum ‘merged' to its current proof-of-stake consensus model, the steep (for retail) minimum stake of 32 ETH created a serious risk of centralisation through staking delegation to centralised entities. Lido DAO was envisioned to preserve staking decentralisation, while also providing additional value for staked ETH in the form of liquid staking tokens (LST). However, as its market share reached the first threshold of 33%, concerns have started to be voiced regarding Lido's own risk of centralisation. Through its dual governance model where stakers can veto $LDO voters, and the upcoming implementation of distributed validator technology (DVT) and community staking module (CSM), the Lido DAO aims to preserve staking decentralisation.We were joined by Isidoros Passadis, contributor and Master of Validators at Lido DAO, to discuss Ethereum's current liquid staking landscape, Lido's governance model and what steps it takes to ensure staking decentralisation.Topics covered in this episode:Isidoros' background and how he started working at Lido DAOLido's core architecture and how it ensures decentralisationTransitioning from a curated node operator set to a permisionless modelDistributed Validator Technology (DVT)Lido's dual governance modelstETH bridging and use cases in DeFiHow Lido adapts to Ethereum forks & EIPsMaximum validator effective balance and minimal staking issuanceEthereum vs. Lido governanceLido's approach to MEVRestaking & EigenlayerExpanding Lido to other chainsLido's market share and other liquid staking competitorsEpisode links:Isidoros Passadis on TwitterLido on TwitterSponsors:Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.ioChorus1: Chorus1 is one of the largest node operators worldwide, supporting more than 100,000 delegators, across 45 networks. The recently launched OPUS allows staking up to 8,000 ETH in a single transaction. Enjoy the highest yields and institutional grade security at - chorus.oneThis episode is hosted by Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/528

10 years ago, Adam B Levine, the host of ‘Let's Talk Bitcoin!', decided that it was time to encourage other voices to step onto the crypto podcast scene. Among many applicants, Sebastien and Brian were the only 2 Europeans, so Adam suggested that they teamed up in order to record the pilot episode. On December 20th 2013, Sebastien and Brian released ‘Regulation and the Future of Bitcoin', which marked the beginning of a 10-year (and counting) long journey. The rest is history.On this anniversary episode, our hosts were joined by special guests and friends of Epicenter, to share their favourite moments and fun stories gathered during the 10 years of epicness.Topics covered in this episode:Adam B Levine - Epicenter's godfather & the early days of EpicenterTrent McConaghy - From Ascribe to Ocean. Ahead of the NFT and inscription hypeSebastien Buergel - How he got into crypto, early ventures and Meher's secretGriff Green & Lefteris Karapetsas - The DAO hack and Sebastien Buergel's alleged roleSam Jernigan & Anna Rose - From TradFi to ZKJordi Baylina & Ryan Zurrer - Standing in the Epicenter of the storm and the unsung hero of the DAO hackRichard Muirhead - The future of zk proofs, privacy and AIEpisode links:Adam B Levine on TwitterTrent McConaghy on TwitterSebastian Buergel on TwitterGriff Green on TwitterLefteris Karapetsas on TwitterSam Jernigan on TwitterAnna Rose on TwitterJordi Baylina on TwitterRyan Zurrer on TwitterRichard Muirhead on TwitterThis episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture, Brian Fabian Crain, Friederike Ernst, Meher Roy, Felix Lutsch and Sunny Aggarwal. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/527

Unlike Ethereum ‘programmable money', Bitcoin lacks native smart contracts by design. In an attempt to expand Bitcoin past its store of value narrative, wrapper contracts provided wBTC on other chains for DeFi applications. However, wBTC does not directly represent the native asset and it is, therefore, subject to potential exploits. DLC Link introduces a novel approach, by allowing entities (attesters) to self-wrap dlcBTC.We were joined by Aki Balogh, co-founder of DLC Link, to discuss discreet log contracts, their trust assumptions and what they mean for Bitcoin's use cases and liquidity. Topics covered in this episode:Aki's background and switching from AI to cryptoDiscrete Log Contracts (dlc)Trust assumptions in dlcBTC bridges and dlc attestersThe non-fungibility of dlcBTCPotential regulationsCurrent status and roadmapOther BTC bridges Episode links:- [Aki Balogh on Twitter](https://twitter.com/AkiBalogh)- [DLC Link on Twitter](https://twitter.com/DLC_Link)- [Epicenter's 10-year anniversary live stream](https://youtube.com/live/0DIdgO4qVsw?feature=share) Sponsors:- Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.io- Chorus1: Chorus1 is one of the largest node operators worldwide, supporting more than 100,000 delegators, across 45 networks. The recently launched OPUS allows staking up to 8,000 ETH in a single transaction. Enjoy the highest yields and institutional grade security at - https://chorus.one/?utm_source=epicenter This episode is hosted by Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: [epicenter.tv/526](https://epicenter.tv/526)

Like all great genesis stories it begins with Atom. On this episode of the Glitter Ledger, I interview the Great Meher Roy, Father, Husband, Biochemical Engineer, Writer, Podcast Host, Boss and Co-Founder and Chief Technology officer of Chorus One. 

As Epicenter hits the 500 episode milestone, our hosts look back on almost 10 years of crypto developments, analysing the good, the bad and the ugly. What projects & narratives have surprised our hosts? Has Bitcoin failed in becoming a reliable store of value? Will ZK proofs provide the much needed solution to AI's alignment problem? Last but not least, are we still early? Get ready for a fascinating discussion, albeit gloomy for this special occasion.Thank you for being part of this amazing journey! We wouldn't have made it so far without your continuous support! Looking forward to the next 500 episodes!Topics covered in this episode:Brian's health updateLooking back on 10 years of Epicenter & crypto developmentAre we still early on Bitcoin or has that ship already sailed?Stores of value: Bitcoin vs. Gold vs. Market IndexesThe need for stablecoins, including algorithmic ones!Projects & narratives that took a 180 degree turnAI vs. verifiable computation via ZK proofsThe control & alignment AI problemsDecentralised identity systems (DID)Looking forward to the next 500 episodesSponsors:CoinGecko: CoinGecko API provides access to the most comprehensive data aggregator in the market, supporting more than 10,000 crypto assets from over 700 exchanges! Visit https://gcko.io/epicenterCGpromo today and use the promo code ""EPICENTER"" to unlock an additional 10% OFF!This episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture, Brian Fabian Crain, Friederike Ernst, Meher Roy, Sunny Aggarwal & Felix Lutsch.  Show notes and listening options: [epicenter.tv/500](https://epicenter.tv/500)

Chorus One Website: https://chorus.oneStrongGate: https://blog.chorus.one/intro-solana-stronggate/Liquid Staking Working Group: https://github.com/ChorusOne/liquid-staking

We're joined by Ayo Akinyele, CEO of Bolt Labs. Bolt is building a new privacy-focused layer-2 payment channel network design. Initially designed by Matt Green and Ian Meyers, Bolt is being commercialized by Ayo and his team. Beginning with a Zcash integration, they have plans to implement on several crypto networks. We chat with Ayo about the technical design of BOLT channels, their privacy guarantees, how they complement designs like Lightning, and their synergies with the Zcash team. Topics covered in this episode: Privacy in Lightning Technical design of Bolt channels Architecture of Bolt channel networks Integrations with existing networks Synergies with Zcash project Regulatory aspect of payment channel hubs Episode links: Bolt Labs website Bolt: Anonymous Payment Channels for Decentralized Currencies (white paper_ Bolt Zcash implementation Bolt: anonymous payment channels for decentralized currencies – Part I Bolt: anonymous payment channels for decentralized currencies – Part II Ayo Akinyele on Twitter Starkware Session: September 16th in Tel Aviv – 20% off with the code EPICENTER Chain-Aviv #4: The era of new rising chains and assets – September 11th in Tel Aviv Sponsors: Cosmos: Join the most interoperable ecosystem of connected blockchains - http://cosmos.network/epicenter This episode is hosted by Meher Roy & Sunny Aggarwal. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/303

We're joined by Igor Barinov, the tech lead of the POA Network. The POA Network achieves a reduction in transaction costs by many orders of magnitude by having a set of trusted validators. All validators must be US public notaries, so their identities are known and legal recourse against them can be taken in the offchain world. We also talk about the xDai network, which enables Dai transactions on a POA chain: Dai are transferred into a smart contract on the mainnet and then become available to be transferred at much lower cost on the POA Network. Similarly, they can be transferred out of the xDai network and become available again on the mainchain. We talk about use cases, governance, and limitations. Topics covered in this episode: Igor's background and how he got into blockchain The POA network setup and how to become a validator What informs design decisions and how to find suitable notaries The consensus mechanism on the POA Network The role of the POA token The xDai network and its purpose The role of the DPOS token Use cases of POA and xDai Networks Episode links: POA Network website POA products overview xDAI Chain POSDAO White paper Ocean Protocol releases own POA network Beginners guide: What's the POA network Sponsors: StarkWare Sessions: September 16th in Tel Aviv – 20% off with the code EPICENTER - https://epicenter.rocks/starkware Trail of Bits: Trust the team at the forefront of blockchain security research - https://trailofbits.com Vaultoro: Trade gold to Bitcoin instantly and securely starting at just 1mg - http://vaultoro.com This episode is hosted by Meher Roy & Friederike Ernst. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/299

We’re joined by Jerry Brito, Executive Director of Coin Center. Having discovered Bitcoin in 2011, Jerry was among the first lawyers to talk about crypto in the U.S. capital. In 2014, he founded Coin Center, a leading research and advocacy center focussing on cryptocurrencies. In this enlightening conversation, we talk to Jerry about his paper titled “The Case for Electronic Cash,” in which he articulates why private peer-to-peer payments are essential to an open society. We also discuss Libra and the possible regulatory challenges the proposed private cash system may face. Finally, Jerry explains the recent FinCEN guidance on cryptocurrencies, which broadly follows the recommendations of Coin Center. Topics covered in this episode: Jerry’s background as a lawyer and his crypto beginnings in D.C. Coin Center, it’s mission and the primary battles which the organization is fighting “The Case for Electronic Cash” paper and why cash is vital for a free and open society The main dysfunctions of cashless societies Jerry’s high-level views on Libra How Libra is different from other cryptocurrencies and electronic payment systems The backlash immediately following the announcement and how it was received by governments Ways in which Libra could be regulated The recent FinCEN guidance and how it affects cryptocurrency users and companies Episode links: Coin Center Jerry Brito's website FinCEN’s new cryptocurrency guidance matches Coin Center recommendations The Case for Electronic Cash The differences between Bitcoin and Libra should matter to policymakers Jerry's thoughts on Libra (tweetsorm) Jerry response to Libra Association's Head of Policy on sanction's list (tweetsorm) Buidl Asia HackAtom Seoul DappCon – 20% off with the code “EpicenterDappcon2019” Announcing the Chorus One Podcast Cosmology – A newsletter about the Cosmos network Sponsors: Vaultoro: Vaultoro - Trade gold to Bitcoin instantly and securely starting at just 1mg Azure: Azure - Deploy enterprise-ready consortium blockchain networks that scale in just a few clicks This episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/296

In this episode, we caught up with Robert Leshner, founder of the Compound protocol. Compound is a fascinating smart contract protocol, running atop Ethereum, that allows users to lend and borrow specific ERC-20 tokens with a duration-free interest model. The protocol acts as a central borrower and lender of user tokens and algorithmically prices the interest charged to borrowers and lenders. Compound is one of the first examples of a well-functioning lending market built using smart contracts. Topics covered in this episode: Robert's background and how he came to found Compound The workings of the compound protocol Statistics of usage of the protocol Intended plan for governance of the protocol in the future Business model of the company and the protocol Comparison of compound to other lending protocols on Ethereum Outlook and future plans Episode links: Compound Website Compound Protocol Stats Our plan to create Compound v2 Robert Leshner on Twitter Robert Leshner on Linkedin Compound Finance on Twitter Sponsors: Cosmos: Join the most interoperable ecosystem of connected blockchains - http://cosmos.network/epicenter Vaultoro: Trade gold to Bitcoin instantly and securely starting at just 1mg - http://vaultoro.com This episode is hosted by Meher Roy & Friederike Ernst. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/295

This is the first episode of the Chorus One Podcast. In it, our team (Brian Fabian Crain, Meher Roy,Brendan Dillon, and Felix Lutsch) introduce themselves, Chorus One, the topics we plan to cover in this podcast, and the things we are most excited about in the crypto space today. We talk about topics like staking, decentralized finance, interoperability, network governance, DAOs as new organizational structures, and blockchain education. Have fun listening and subscribe if you want to learn more about projects and protocols working to create a more sustainable and open financial system using blockchain technologies. Links: Website: https://chorus.one Telegram Channel: https://chorus.one/telegram YouTube Channel: https://chorus.one/youtube

This is part one of a two-part bonus series. These sessions were recorded at the first Interchain Conversations conference which took place in Berlin on June 13th and 14th, 2019. The first part of this episode is “Epicenter Live,” a live podcast recorded on stage at the event. It features hosts Meher Roy, Sunny Aggarwal, Brian Fabian Crain, and Sebastien Couture. In this conversation, we discuss the topic of blockchain interoperability. We look at how different projects address interoperability and seek to form a picture of how these projects might interact in a multi-blockchain future. We also discuss how these protocols address application comparability and speculate on how they will remain competitive. The second segment is the opening Q&A between Jae Kwon and Sebastien Couture. Among other things, Sebastien spoke with Jae about the recent Cosmos launch, the Interchain Foundation, and the future of the Tendermint company. Subscribe to Epicenter for new episodes every week.

Human beings have a penchant for creating lists. We make lists for things like the top music artists at any given time, the best restaurants in the world, companies which people can trust, and the most wanted criminals. Lists take many forms. They can be maintained by a single authority, or curated by a crowd. But almost always, they remain in the custody of a central party. Token Curated Lists propose a model by which a) the content of lists are decentralized, and b) contributors are incentivized to curate their content according to social consensus. We’re joined by Simon de la Rouviere, an independent researcher and blogger. Previously, Simon was one of the first employees at ConsenSys and founded Ujo Music. He also contributed to the ERC20 token specification and has written about blockchain and token economics since 2014. In recent months, Simon’s research has focused on Token Curated Registries (or TCRs), and the economics of curation markets. Topics covered in this episode: Simon’s background and interest in blockchain, music, and economics Bonding curves as a mechanism for continuous token issuance Curation markets and how they relate to bonding curves Practical applications of curation markets The connection between curation markets and cultural memes Token Curated Registries and their applications The role of TCRs as a crypto economic primitive The economics and game theory of TCRs Simon’s recent project “This Artwork is Always for Sale” Episode links: Simon de la Rouviere – Medium Bancor’s Smart Tokens vs Token Bonding Curves – Medium Introducing Curation Markets: Trade Popularity of Memes & Information (with code)! – Medium Ujo Music This Artwork Is Always On Sale – Medium This Artwork Is Always On Sale Simon de la Rouviere – Twitter This episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture and Meher Roy . Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/282

From one of the main Ethereum clients, to Polkadot to Substrate; Parity has become exceptional at developing successful open-source blockchain projects. Their latest effort Substrate provides a framework to easily create custom blockchains. Building on cutting-edge technologies like Web Assembly, Substrate also offers automated on-chain upgrades. We were joined by Gavin Wood, who was previously co-founder and CTO of Ethereum and founded Parity. We talked about the early Ethereum days, how Parity got started, Substrate, Polkadot and his views on on-chain governance. Topics covered in this episode: The genesis story of Ethereum Why Gavin prefers reasoning from first principles to reading How Parity shunned Silicon Valley principles to build an developer-driven company Why they decided to work on a scalable blockchain from scratch instead of improving Ethereum An overview of Substrate The relationship between Substrate and Polkadot How Substrate allows switching consensus in a live blockchain Why Ethereum’s governance process is centralized Polkadot and the case for on-chain governance Episode links: Parity Technologies Website Polkadot Website E199 - Peter Czaban - Polkadot: The Internet of Blockchain Networks Substrate: A Rustic Vision for Polkadot by Gavin Wood at Web3 Summit 2018 Substrate in a nutshell What is Substrate? How Polkadot tackles the biggest problems facing blockchain innovators Substrate testnet launched Epicenter episode from 2014 with Gavin Wood about Ethereum & Ether Sale Thank you to our sponsors for their support: Deploy enterprise-ready consortium blockchain networks that scale in just a few clicks. More at aka.ms/epicenter. Simplify your hiring process & access the best blockchain talent . Get a $1,000 credit on your first hire at toptal.com/epicenter. This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/259

We’re joined by Monica Quaintance, Head of Engineering and Adoption at Kadena. While most companies providing enterprise solutions focus primarily on permissioned systems, Kadena is building both a public network protocol and private blockchain infrastructure. Their Chainweb protocol will soon launch as a public network and smart contract platform. The company claims their novel approach to proof of work offers enormous gains on transaction throughput, even at scale, while benefiting from the same security as Bitcoin. Alongside Chainwebs, Kadena is building a permissioned protocol more suited for enterprise applications in insurance and finance. Topics covered in this episode: Monica’s background at the SEC The genesis of Kadena and why the founders left JP Morgan Kadena’s unique approach to building both public and permissioned protocols The Chainweb protocol and it’s approach to proof of work The incentive mechanisms in Chainweb How Chainweb protects itself against common attack vectors The PACT smart contract language Kadena’s enterprise blockchain offering The company’s go-to-market strategy and business model Episode links: Kadena Website Chainweb Whitepaper ChainWeb Protocol Security Calculations White Paper Kadena White Paper Confidentiality in Private Blockchain White Paper The Pact Smart-Contract Language White Paper Thank you to our sponsors for their support: The open, decentralized trading protocol for ERC20 tokens using the Dutch auction mechanism. More at epicenter.tv/dutchx. Deploy enterprise-ready consortium blockchain networks that scale in just a few clicks. More at aka.ms/epicenter. This episode is hosted by Meher Roy and Sébastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/258

CoinFund is one of the earliest crypto-funds to have taken shape, forming in early 2016. The fund is well known for running an active Community Slack, conducting great podcast interviews with cryptocurrency projects and an emphasis on building network nodes / services. We are joined by Jake Brukhman, CEO, and Alexander Bulkin, Chief Alchemist, to discuss their latest thoughts on investing in the cryptocurrency space. We cover a wide variety of themes such as their opinions on the “fat protocol hypothesis,” thesis on value capture in the cryptocurrency space, their efforts to build network nodes; and their effort to build an open source token-less technology that allows entrepreneurs to launch their blockchains. Topics covered in this episode: Coinfund’s history What is a cryptofund? Coinfund approach to investing in the cryptocurrency space Generalised mining – what it is, and how it offers cryptofunds a competitive advantage The ADAPT toolkit – a tokenless toolkit for rapid blockchain innovation Episode links: CoinFund Slack CoinFund interviews The ADAPT project Fat protocols are not an investment thesis Generalised mining CoinFund Twitter Thank you to our sponsors for their support: Simplify your hiring process & access the best blockchain talent . Get a $1,000 credit on your first hire at toptal.com/epicenter. The open, decentralized trading protocol for ERC20 tokens using the Dutch auction mechanism. More at epicenter.tv/dutchx. This episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst and Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/256

The Tezos whitepaper, published in 2014, anticipated several areas that would become major issues for blockchain networks. Especially around governance and smart contract security, Tezos proposed original solutions. The project later went on to raise $232m in the biggest token sale at the time. Recently, the Tezos network launched as the first of a wave of innovative next-generation blockchain networks. We were joined by Tezos co-founders Arthur and Kathleen Breitman to discuss the history of the project, how the network functions today and how it could develop going forward. Topics covered in this episode: What inspired the original Tezos vision from 2014 The critical importance of formal verification and governance Why Arthur thinks the blockchain scalability problem is overrated The case against decentralized applications Why the ability to evolve and adopt new features is critical for Tezos success Tezos’ Proof-of-Stake and emerging baking ecosystem The Tezos Foundation drama and Johann Gevers The relationship between their company DLS and the Tezos Foundation Episode links: Tezos Website E136 - Tezos – A Self-Amending Crypto-Ledger Tezos Whitepaper The $1 Billion Tezos Blockchain Is Officially Launching Monday Inside the Crypto World's Biggest Scandal | WIRED Tezos Twitter Thank you to our sponsors for their support: Deploy enterprise-ready consortium blockchain networks that scale in just a few clicks. More at aka.ms/epicenter. Simplify your hiring process & access the best blockchain talent . Get a $1,000 credit on your first hire at toptal.com/epicenter. This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/255

Legendary scientist and cryptography pioneer Ralph Merkle joined us to discuss his recent paper on DAOs. Merkle examined how the voting mechanisms in today’s democracies are flawed and how a decentralized, transparent DAO making decisions using prediction markets could create more efficient democratic systems. Topics covered in this episode: Merkle proofs, Merkle Roots and his early forays into cryptography Blockchains as living organisms Why DAOs will be subject to a Darwinian evolutionary process Why voting is flawed and we need new governance methods to save democracy The concept of a DAO democracy How prediction markets and futarchy would help govern a DAO democracy Episode links: Ralph Merkle DAO Democracy Paper [PDF] Ralph Merkle's Homepage Ralph Merkle's Wikipedia page Episode 98 with Robin Hanson on futarchy & prediction markets Tim Urban: Why Cryonics Makes Sense Alcor - Life Extension Foundation Thank you to our sponsors for their support: The open, decentralized trading protocol for ERC20 tokens using the Dutch auction mechanism. More at epicenter.tv/dutchx. This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/252

Erik's guests for this episode are:- Andrew Cronk (@ajcronk), partner at Figment- Meher Roy (@MeherRoy), co-founder of Chorus One- Jake Brukhman (@jbrukh), founder of CoinFundThey talk about a number of interesting topics, including the unique way that an investment firm participates in the growth of a company in the crypto world and why it's more important to be a network participant than just a funder.The four of them go through what a validator is and what being one entails. They talk about the big differences in people composition of a crypto fund versus a typical VC fund and they explain what kind of expertise the people at a crypto fund need to have.The group also discusses evaluating crypto networks, the relative importance of "user experience" vs. "developer experience" and what it means to have LPs and institutional investors paying attention to the space.Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform. Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.Venture Stories is brought to you by Village Global, is hosted by co-founder and partner, Erik Torenberg and is produced by Brett Bolkowy.

Erik's guests for this episode are:- Andrew Cronk (@ajcronk), partner at Figment- Meher Roy (@MeherRoy), co-founder of Chorus One- Jake Brukhman (@jbrukh), founder of CoinFundThey talk about a number of interesting topics, including the unique way that an investment firm participates in the growth of a company in the crypto world and why it's more important to be a network participant than just a funder.The four of them go through what a validator is and what being one entails. They talk about the big differences in people composition of a crypto fund versus a typical VC fund and they explain what kind of expertise the people at a crypto fund need to have.The group also discusses evaluating crypto networks, the relative importance of "user experience" vs. "developer experience" and what it means to have LPs and institutional investors paying attention to the space.Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform. Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.Venture Stories is brought to you by Village Global, is hosted by co-founder and partner, Erik Torenberg and is produced by Brett Bolkowy.

Dispute resolution is the process by which contracting parties settle disagreements. Whether in the form of litigation, arbitration, or other means of mediation, every contract defines a dispute resolution mechanism and jurisdiction. It is the metaphorical Lady Justice, measuring the strength of each party’s arguments, and reaching a decision based on evidence. Smart contracts are unique in this sense. Unlike traditional contracts, they are rigid and deterministic. Written in computer code, nuances in human language and vagueness of terms do not exist in this realm. There are no judges, no jury, just calculated execution. The DOA hack and other similar events have prompted observers of the space to express the need for smart contract dispute resolution. Some have suggested “exit switches” that would allow for human intervention when edge cases appear. But could the arbitration process be integrated into the smart contract and on the blockchain? We’re joined by, Federico Ast and Clement Lessage, respectively CEO and CTO of Kleros. This dispute resolution layer provides contracting parties with a fast and secure process for arbitration. The system is broken up into courts and sub-courts, each specializing in specific matters like e-commerce, insurance, and transport. In the event of a dispute, parties submit their case to Kleros, where a crowd of expert jurors analyses the evidence. When all votes are cast, the decision is enforced by the smart contract, which may unlock funds, or provide parties with additional time to fulfill the terms of the agreement. Clever incentive mechanisms reward jurors who vote with the crowd, making Kleros resistant to bribe attacks and collusion between jurors. Topics covered in this episode: Federico and Clement’s respective backgrounds, including a crowd arbitration project called Jury. The vision behind Kleros and the problem it addresses The case for crowd-sourced jurors as a means to find the best judgment The game theory and incentive mechanisms embedded in Kleros Kleros’ hierarchical system of courts and sub-courts How jury selection works and who administers courts The system’s built-in governance mechanism and its purpose The Kleros token, Pinkaion coin, and it’s utility in the system “Doge on Trial,” a clever experiment to find authentic doges The current status of the project and roadmap Episode links: Kleros Website Kleros White Papper Doges on Trial Why Decentralization Matters by Chris Dixon This episode is hosted by Meher Roy and Sébastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/250

We are joined by Ryan Zurrer, Principal and Venture partner, at Polychain capital. Polychain capital is a breakout crypto hedge fund with over $100 million in assets under management, and large investments in major crypto projects such as Dfinity, Polkadot, Filecoin and Vest. Ryan was the first person to join Olaf Carlson Wee in managing this fund. He built multiple companies in the wind energy industry prior to making a switch to the cryptocurrencies. In this episode, we go behind the scenes of the Polychain success story. We get details on what crypto hedge funds are, how Polychain got started, reasons for its breakout success, its approach to blockchain investments and the current challenges of running a crypto hedge fund. Ryan also walks us through Polychain’s interest areas – Layer 1 blockchain protocols such as Filecoin, Dfinity and Polkadot; and financial derivative protocols. If you want to understand how some of the leading minds allocate capital at a large scale in the cryptocurrency industry, check out the episode. Topics covered in this episode: What is a crypto hedge fund? Differences between a crypto hedge fund and a venture capital firm The Polychain success story and how it played out Polychain’s approach to cryptocurrency investments and entrepreneurs Polychain’s major flagship investments – Filecoin, Dfinity and Polkadot Polychain’s perspective in the “frozen Parity ether” debate Episode links: Polychain capital website Fortune article on Polychain Previous Epicenter episode on Polychain with Olaf Carlson Wee Polychain's perspective on the “Parity frozen ether” controversy This episode is hosted by Meher Roy and Sunny Aggarwal. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/249

Until now, proposals to improve blockchain scalability have addressed the problem in one of two ways. One seeks to increase efficiency by optimizing the blockchain or improving the consensus algorithm. The other comes in the forms of layer-2 solutions such as payment channels or side chains. However, none have addressed the core bottleneck to scalability: TCP/IP network limitations. Improving the speed at which blocks propagate through the network is the layer-0 problem few people consider when thinking about scaling. Fundamentally, network bottlenecks are what prevent blockchains from increasing their transaction throughput. Raising the block size or reducing the time between blocks has devastating effects on usability as the probability of a fork increases. At a certain point, the blockchain simply breaks as forks occur faster than blocks can propagate to all validators. Remarkably, the web figured out how to scale decades ago with the invention of Content Distributions Networks, or CDN. This is what enables platforms like YouTube to steam thousands of hours of video to hundreds of thousands of people every second. However, traditional centralized scaling solutions lack the privacy and censorship resistance necessary to serve the decentralized web. We’re joined by Uri Klarman, CEO of bloXroute. Founded by a team of researchers and systems designers from Northwestern and Cornel University, including Emin Gün Sirer, bloXroute allows practically every blockchain network to “scale today.” As a scalability infrastructure service, their Blockchain Distribution Network, or BDN, sits underneath blockchain networks. Anyone operating a miner can use the BDN without any changes to their consensus algorithm or protocol. By simply pointing their software to a bloXroute node, miners immediately benefit from propagation speeds orders of magnitude higher than the time which is currently required for blocks to be seen by all validators. This global network of servers is optimized to receive and stream massive amounts of transaction data to vast networks of nodes and miners. While bloXroute relies on some level of centralization, it is provably neutral and cannot discriminate based on the contents, provenance or destination of a block. It also includes clever redundancy mechanisms which ensure availability in the event of an attack on the network. Topics covered in this episode: Uri’s journey as an academic working in the field of networking Defining the blockchain scalability problem as a networking problem Past work and attempts to scale blockchains The vision behind bloXroute and the problem it aims to solve The Blockchain Distribution Network (BDN) and its technical architecture How the BDN optimizes blocks and achieves 1,000x faster propagation times How bloXroute archives provable neutrality and ensures network resiliency The BLXR token and incentive mechanisms The project’s goals, milestones, and product roadmap Episode links: bloXroute Website bloXroute White Paper This episode is hosted by Meher Roy and Sébastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/248

Martin Becze is a researcher at Dfinity working on a next-generation “Blockchain Operating System” called Primea – a continuation of his work on the eWASM project from his time at the Ethereum Foundation. Primea is an actor based IPC layer intended for use with WebAssembly programs. Martin first learned about Ethereum in 2014 and was immediately drawn into the possibilities opened by having a contracting virtual machines on a blockchain. While the EVM was impressive, Martin saw the possibility for greater usability and efficiency by using the new WebAssembly standards being created, and so led a team at the Ethereum Foundation in the creation of a new blockchain virtual machine, called eWASM. We learn about Martin’s experience on the eWASM project and how the limitations of backwards compatibility led him to begin writing a brand new execution environment from scratch, rethinking some of the core designs and mechanics of the EVM – this project became known as Primea. Martin explains many of the fundamental design shifts involved with the Primea platform, including his focus on using the actor-based model and object capabilities (and what these even mean!). He also lays out how the Primea platform fits into the larger design of the Dfinity blockchain. Topics covered in this episode: eWASM – Ethereum flavored WebAssembly (eWASM) Design. Primea – an actor based IPC layer intended for use with WebAssembly programs. Webassembly Dfinity – blockchain-based cloud computing project. Its aim is to develop a decentralized internet computer that will become the cloud 3.0. Episode links: Primea GitHub Communication Semantics - Edcon talk Primea Technical Deep Dive - EthCC talk This episode is hosted by Meher Roy and Sunny Aggarwal. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/245

One of the key scalability challenges with public cryptocurrency blockchains is that their size grows linearly with the number of transactions. Mature blockchains such as Bitcoin and Ethereum contain >170GB and >1 TB of historical data respectively. New nodes joining these chains need to download this data and verify it in order to become a “full node”. The number of full nodes is a key measure of decentralization, and difficulty becoming a full node translates into future centralization. In this episode, we are joined by the duo of Evan Shapiro and Izaak Meckler, CEO and CTO at O(1) Labs respectively. O(1) Labs is a pioneering company that uses zkSNARK technology in order to construct a cryptocurrency blockchain, called Coda, that solves the blockchain size scalability bottleneck. New nodes joining the Coda network will be able to trustlessly boot up in under a minute by verifying cryptographic proofs that attest to the validity of the current chain. This technology has great potential to enable decentralization, and for one blockchain to be a light client of another blockchain. Topics covered in this episode: Scalability challenges of current cryptocurrencies Background on O(1) Labs and their mission statement How Coda uses succinct computational integrity technology (zkSNARKs) to enable further decentralization of blockchains Snarky – a domain specific language for zkSNARK computations Current state of Coda and roadmap Episode links: Coda protocol website Coda Whitepaper Presentation on Snarkly by Izzak Meckler zkSNARKs in a nutshell by Christian Reitweissner zkSNARKs in a nutshell by Vitalik Buterin Coda presentation at hack.summit("blockchain") 2018 This episode is hosted by Meher Roy and Sunny Aggarwal. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/243

Meher is a fellow podcaster and host of Epicenter, one of the most well respected Blockchain podcasts in the industry with guests such as Vitalik Buterin, Adam Back, Gavin Andresen, Ralph Merkle regularly featuring on his show. He has also recently started a new company called Chorus One where his company is building validator nodes for Proof of Stake Blockchain networks such as Cosmos. Meher is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology or IIT and worked in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry prior to making a switch to the Blockchain world. Tune in to hear about: His mental models and philosophies behind investing Strategy - identify investments that may grow 10x over 10 years with relatively high odds and 100x over 10 years but with relatively lower odds Strategy - identifies fundamentally good projects and holds them long term How to identify these investment opportunities that one can hold for 10 years How he held Ether through the DAO and Parity hacks Strategy - try to find opportunities through identifying what the key problems that exist today (e.g. scalability, smart contract safety) and find good projects that are addressing those However, the projects that may ‘win’ may not necessarily be the inventors of that technology which leads to further complexity How to determine ticket size or position sizing Books mentioned - Fortune’s formula What Meher’s personal portfolio looks like currently Meher’s outlook on the Blockchain ecosystem in general Link to Epicenter Podcast: https://epicenter.tv/ Youtube link to Epicenter podcast: https://www.youtube.com/user/epicenterbtc Link to his new company: http://chorus.one/

In the past few years, we witnessed the development of multiple smart contract languages – Solidity, Viper, Michelson, Scilla etc. These languages need to enable developers to write correct, predictable behavior smart contract code. Each language development effort therefore ends up spending resources into building formal verification toolsets, compilers, debuggers and other developer tools. In this episode, we are joined by Grigore Rosu, Professor of computer science at UIUC (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) for a deep dive into the K framework. The K framework is mathematic logic and language that enables language developers to formally define all programming languages; such as C, Solidity and JavaScript. Once a language is formally specified in the K framework, the framework automatically outputs a range of formal verification toolsets, compilers, debuggers and other developer tools for it. Updates to the language can be made directly in K. This technology has massive implications for smart contract programming language development, and formal verification efforts in the blockchain space. We also cover his efforts to express the Ethereum virtual machine using the K framework, and to develop a new virtual machine technology, called IELE, specifically tailored to the blockchain space. Check out the episode to understand a game changing technology in the formal verification and smart contract safety space. Topics covered in this episode: Grigore’s background with NASA and work on formally verified correct software Motivations to develop K framework Basic principles behind the operation of K framework How K deals with undefined behavior / ambiguities in a language definition The intersection of K framework and smart contract technology Runtime Verification’s collaboration with Cardano KEVM and IELE, smart contract virtual machines developed by Runtime Verification Broader implications of the K framework for the blockchain industry Episode links: Defining the undefinedness of C - formalisation of C using the K framework IELE - a new virtual machine for the blockchain Runtime verification - Grigore's company K Semantics of the Ethereum Virtual Machine Short video on Grigore's partnership with Cardano An overview of the K framework by Runtime Verification A detailed technical overview of the K semantic framework This episode is hosted by Meher Roy and Sunny Aggarwal. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/239

Meher is a fellow podcaster and host of Epicenter, one of the most well respected Blockchain podcasts in the industry with guests such as Vitalik Buterin, Adam Back, Gavin Andresen, Ralph Merkle regularly featuring on his show. He has also recently started a new company called Chorus One where his company is building validator nodes for Proof of Stake Blockchain networks such as Cosmos. Meher is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology or IIT and worked in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry prior to making a switch to the Blockchain world. Tune in to hear about: Crypto Twitter and why he went off Twitter His background and journey in the Blockchain space How he came across Bitcoin in 2012, was unsuccessful in being able to purchase it The thesis that made him purchase Bitcoin in 2013/14 and how that thesis has turned out wrong The power of compound interest First alt coin he purchased - Ether in 2015 His company (Chorus One) and what they are trying to do - Proof of Stake (PoS) validator node for the Cosmos project How validation in PoS networks is the beginning of the fixed income in the cryptocurrency market What will be the total size of the staking market and what percentage of the tokens would Chorus One look to be staked with them What would be the differentiators for validator nodes to capture a greater market share How PoS can lead to greater ‘centralisation’ but why that’s not necessarily a bad thing Link to Epicenter Podcast: https://epicenter.tv/ Youtube link to Epicenter podcast: https://www.youtube.com/user/epicenterbtc Link to his new company: http://chorus.one/

With the rise of smart contract technology, we’ve become acutely aware of the need for smart contract code to accurately reflect the intentions of its author; and for the code to have certain (safe) behaviors in all circumstances. Creating the languages and software tools to enable ordinary developers to write safe contracts has become an intense research endeavor in the cryptocurrency space. Scilla is a Turing incomplete intermediate level language; inspired from the paradigms of functional programming and formal verification; that makes it easy for smart contract developers to automatically prove statements about smart contract behavior. For example, Scilla could allow a future multi-signature smart contract author to mathematically prove that funds in that contract would always be retrievable by certain addresses (and never get stuck like the Parity incident). The ability to mathematically prove such safety properties of the smart contract has the potential to be an enabling invention prior to widescale use of this technology. In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Amrit Kumar and Dr. Ilya Sergey to discuss Scilla, the smart contract language of the upcoming Zilliqa blockchain. In a previous episode, we’ve already covered the vision and technical approach of Zilliqa to solve the transaction scalability problem of permissionless blockchains. This episode focuses specifically on their smart contract language development efforts. Topics covered in this episode: Updated on Zilliqa’s progress since our last episode The technology of mechanised proofs Dr. Ilya Serger’s effort to mechanically prove safety properties of a blockchain consensus network Aims of the Scilla language Future capabilities enabled by the Scilla language Developer experience and perspective using formal verification tools How Scilla compares to Michelson, Tezos’ approach to smart contract languages with a similar end goal Current state of development of Scilla, and next milestones Episode links: Our previous episode on the Zilliqa platform Ilya Sergey's paper on mechanising blockchain consensus Scilla whitepaper Michelson, Tezos platform's smart contract language Zilliqa blog for updates on platform development Coq, a formal proof management system This episode is hosted by Meher Roy and Sunny Aggarwal. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/238

The rise of Binance is one of the most astonishing stories in the blockchain space. Within less than a year of its launch, Binance has become the most popular crypto exchange trading over $2bn per day. In the past quarter, Binance made profits of $200m, likely the fastest company ever to reach this success. Binance Founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao (“CZ”) joined us to discuss why he started Binance and the extraordinary organization they built. We discussed the role of the Binance token, how their strong commitment to values helped build a loyal community, and how he sees the organization evolve in the future. Topics covered in this episode: CZ’s journey in the blockchain space from blockchain.info, to OKCoin to founding Binance The astonishing rise of Binance to $200m/quarter profits in less than 1 year How Binance went from deciding to do an ICO to finishing it in 2 weeks Why strong values are a key differentiator for Binance How Binance built a vibrant and loyal community The critical role of the Binance token in its success The principles CZ uses to run an efficient distributed organization How regulatory competition is rapidly improving the conditions to build crypto companies Binance’s plans to build a decentralized exchange Episode links: Binance Website From Zero To Crypto Billionaire In Under A Year: Meet The Founder Of Binance The World's Biggest Crypto Exchange Is Heading to Malta Binance CEO: The Future of Cryptocurrency - YouTube Binance Whitepaper I Don't Like Big ICOs ICOs — Not Just “Good-to-Have,” But Necessary This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/235

We are joined by Charles Hoskinson, who played an early role in developing Ethereum and BitShares, and is currently the CEO of IOHK. IOHK is an engineering company that undertakes cryptocurrency research, contributes development efforts to the Ethereum Classic ecosystem, and is spearheading the release of Cardano – a third generation blockchain protocol. IOHK has made the news recently after the publication of fundamental research papers on the Proofs of Proof of Work and the Ouroboros PoS algorithm, and its recruitment of highly rated academics. Topics covered in this episode: IOHK’s role in the Ethereum Classic ecosystem, and how Ethereum Classic differs from Cardano Cardano as a “”third generation blockchain”” and what this means Governance system of Cardano and the challenges behind developing a decentralized governance system Ouroboros PoS algorithm – why was it developed and what’s special about it Ouroboros Genesis: how full nodes can be bootstrapped without requiring checkpoints Cardano’s bet on K framework for smart contract execution Episode links: IOHK analysis of the Dash governance system Ouroboros Genesis intro by Prof Aggelos Kiayias Ouroboros technical paper Ouroboros Praos technical paper Algorand Proofs of Proof of Work K Framework formal analysis technical paper K framework website This episode is hosted by Meher Roy and Sunny Aggarwal. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/234

We are joined by Humayun Sheikh and Toby Simpson, founders of the Fetch.ai project. Humayun Sheikh is well known as the first investor in DeepMind, one of the leading AI companies in the world. This ambitious project seeks to create a self-learning blockchain network that fosters economic activity/combinations between off-chain AI agents. The fetch blockchain network will allow an AI agent, such as a delivery robot, to autonomously discover economic partners that would find its services and data valuable. Towards this goal, Fetch.ai claims to have found solutions to designing a useful proof of work system and building a scalable block chain. Topics covered in this episode: Humayun and Toby’s background at Deep Mind Toby’s background in the videogames industry building virtual worlds The vision behind the Fetch.ai project On solutions to useful PoW, salability and the complexity of the project Timelines and what to expect from Fetch Episode links: Fetch.ai white paper Fetch.ai video Documentary from DeepMind on AlphaGo Mike Hearn autonomous agents and Bitcoin talk This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/233

Ethereum Foundation researcher Karl Floersch joined us to discuss the main projects to upgrade Ethereum: Casper, Sharding and Plasma. Karl has been playing a key role in creating a new and simpler specification for Ethereum sidechains called Plasma Cash. We discussed the evolution of the Plasma project and what Ethereum’s evolution in the coming years could look like. Topics covered in this episode: How Karl originally became involved in Ethereum The role of Casper, Sharding and Plasma in the Ethereum roadmap The problems with the original Plasma concept How Plasma Cash provides a simple scalability solution The challenge of data availability Use cases and timeline for Plasma Episode links: Plasma Cash Simple Spec Ethereum Plasma MVP Overview Plasma Cash Discussion on Ethereum Research Cryptoeconomics: An Introduction Plasma & The Public Ethereum Chain - Joseph Poon (Ethereal Summit 2017) Plasma - Original Whitepaper This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/232

In just over ten years, geospatial tracking has gone from being a niche technology used by the military and outdoor enthusiasts to mass adoption, available to just about every connected device in existence. GPS and other location-tracking systems not only allows us to find our way and share our location but is critical to businesses and governments. However, while GPS has become a standard thanks to its accuracy and availability, decentralized applications can’t rely on its location data as it can be easily spoofed and lacks reliability. We’re joined by Ryan John King, CEO of FOAM, a blockchain protocol which aims to offer secure location services independent of external centralized sources such as GPS. FOAM introduces a novel crypto-spacial coordinate system that is better suited to blockchains than standard addresses or latitude and longitude coordinates. It also provides a Proof of Location Protocol, which leverages long-range low-power radio networks, and incentive mechanisms, allowing network participants to arrive at consensus on whether an event or agent is verifiably at a particular point in time and space. Topics covered in this episode: Ryan’s background and how he became involved in the space How geospatial tracking works and the pitfalls of GPS The vision for FOAM and the problem it is trying to solve The proposed Crypto-Spatial Coordinate Standard FOAM’s Spacial Index fullstack visualizer The Proof of Location Protocol proposed by FOAM Low-power radio networks and their role in the system The civil and business applications for FOAM Episode links: FOAM Website FOAM Blog This episode is hosted by Meher Roy and Sébastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/229

According to the World Bank, universal financial access is vital to reducing poverty, and lack of access to credit plays a significant role in widening inequalities between developed and developing nations. For producers at the end of the supply chain, and who typically have little access to capital, waiting for customers to pay for their products puts them at high financial risk and threatens their livelihood. What if there was a way to bring more liquidity to global supply chains, by allowing anyone to create liquidity from their existing assets. We’re joined by Bob Summerwill, Community Ambassador at Sweetbridge, an ambitious project that aims to change the way global business operates at a fundamental level. While supply chains account for about two-thirds of the World’s GDP, value is trapped in non-liquid assets sitting in warehouses, on store shelves, or in the form of outstanding invoices. Sweetbridge acts as a sort of OSI model for global business. In the Sweetbridge economy, working capital is freed up by enabling individuals and organizations to borrow from themselves interest-free. Topics covered in this episode: Bob’s background as a game developer How Bob got involved with Ethereum and his role at The Ethereum Foundation What is the Sweetbridge and how it aims to transform global business How one can use Sweetbirdge to collateralize assets and borrow money The different protocol layers of Sweetbridge How Bridgecoin and Sweetcoin work, and their respective roles The role and goals of the Sweetbridge Alliance The upcoming token sale The project roadmap and upcoming product releases Episode links: Sweetbridge Sweetbridge Whitepapers SweetTalk with Vinay Gupta & Scott Nelson This episode is hosted by Meher Roy and Sébastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/226

That decentralized networks represent a massive investment opportunity is no longer a controversial view. In the last year alone, over 200 funds dedicated to investing in cryptoassets have been created. But the principles and frameworks to understand this new world are still in its infancy. One fund at the forefront of advancing this understanding has been Multicoin Capital. Their Founders Kyle Samani and Tushar Jain joined us to discuss some of the concepts they use to invest in decentralized networks. Topics covered in this episode: Google Glass and the origin story of Multicoin Capital Why the most used smart contract platform will produce the winning store of value Why they are bearish on Bitcoin Why money is best thought of as an adjective not a noun Differentiating between work, payment and burn-and-mint tokens Why work tokens capture network value better than payment tokens The future of Multicoin Episode links: Multicoin Capital Website New Models for Utility Tokens Blockchains: A New Social Order The Smart Contract Network Fallacy The Opportunity for Interoperable Chains of Chains Multicoin Capital Podcast This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/223

Decentralized exchanges have been a holy grail in the cryptocurrency space, since at least the MtGox hack. They promise to derisk the act of exchanging cryptocurrency by leaving custody of funds in the hands of the users. And they should be resistant to regulatory pressure, creating a permissionless way to trade cryptocurrencies. Among decentralized exchange projects, 0x has gained by far the most traction in the short time since launching. Co-founders Will and Amir joined us to discuss the 0x protocol, the emerging 0x economy and the vibrant community they’ve built. Topics covered in this episode: How Will and Amir started 0x The definition of a decentralized exchange and why decentralized custody is key The 0x architecture Why 0x built a protocol and not just a decentralized exchange The role and business model of relayers The 0x token and its economy The 0x governance process Episode links: 0x: The Protocol for Trading Tokens 0x Whitepaper Front-running, Griefing and the Perils of Virtual Settlement (Part 1) Front-running, Griefing and the Perils of Virtual Settlement (Part 2) This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/222

We’re joined by Greg Meredith and Nash Foster of the RChain Cooperative. A fundamentally new kind of blockchain platform, RChain is rooted in a formal model of concurrent and decentralized computation. Powered by the Rho Virtual Machine, and secured by Casper proof-of-stake, RCain is partitioned, or shareded by default, forming a network of coordinated and parallel blockchains. The project, which is formed as a coop, leverages correct-by-construction software development to produce a concurrent, compositional, and massively scalable blockchain. Topics covered in this episode: How Rchain spun out of the Synereo project The primary objectives RChain seeks to establish The fundamental principles of RChain and RLang The concepts of concurrency and parallelism in simple terms How building concurrent systems implies scalability The unique features of Casper consensus in the context of RChain The importance of namespaces in RChain Why this project was started as a cooperative The current status of the project and roapmap Episode links: RChain Website RChain Rholang SDK (v0.1) Released A Visualization for the Future of Blockchain Consensus Introducing Rholang! at Devcon 2 This episode is hosted by Meher Roy and Sébastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/221

Hashgraph is a new consensus algorithm that radically differs from proof-of-work as well as proof-of-stake consensus algorithms. While work on Hashgraph begun in 2012, it’s design is radically different from today’s blockchain architectures. The Hashgraph team claims that it has found an optimal consensus algorithm design that will be impossible to significantly improve upon. We were joined by Mance Harmon, who is CEO of the Swirlds, the company developing Hashgraph. Our conversation covered the origin story of hashgraph, how it compares to existing consensus algorithms and how Hashgraph works. Topics covered in this episode: Leemon Baird and Mance Harmon’s long history of building companies together What motivated Leemon Baird to start working on Hashgraph in 2012 The existing categories of consensus algorithms and their problems How Hashgraph consensus combines voting and gossip protocols The performance characteristics of Hashgraph How a public Hashgraph network could look like Episode links: Hashgraph Homepage Hashgraph Whitepaper Hashgraph Consensus - Detailed Examples Sybil Attacks in Hashgraph Hidden Forces Podcast Episode on Hashgraph Lemon Baird's Talk on Hashgraph at Harvard Business School This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/219

Over the past year, cryptoassets have exploded in popularity. From a mere $18bn at the start of 2017, the aggregate market cap of all cryptoassets recently reached $820bn as interest in Bitcoin and its cousins went mainstream. Jack Tatar and Chris Burniske joined us to discuss their new book ‘Cryptoassets: The Innovative Investor’s Guide to Bitcoin and Beyond’. It is one of the first systematic views on cryptoassets from a mainstream investor’s perspective. Topics covered in this episode: How Jack and Chris originally became interested in Bitcoin and cryptoassets Why the term cryptoassets is a good umbrella term for the different kinds of tokens The different categories of cryptoassets: Cryptocurrencies, cryptocommodities and cryptotokens How cryptoassets fit into an overall investment portfolio How to value cryptoassets Whether we are in a cryptoasset bubble and expectations for the future Episode links: Cryptoassets on Amazon Cryptoassets - Book Website Cryptoasset Valuations – Chris Burniske – Medium Why I like the term, “Cryptoassets” – Chris Burniske – Medium The Crypto J-Curve – Chris Burniske – Medium Bitcoins are the best investment in my retirement account - MarketWatch This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/218

A significant part of the modern digital economy, is underpinned by machine learning models that are trained to perform tasks such as facial recognition, content curation, health diagnostics etc. Data to train machine learning models is the essential commodity of this century – a sentiment captured by epithets such as “”Data is the new oil””. Today’s dominant AI paradigm has companies focus their efforts on gathering data from their users in order to train models and monetise usage of the model. This model has many consequences such as loss of privacy for the user, consolidation of data in a handful of large companies, low access to data for startups and a fundamental impossibility of collecting sensitive data such as markers for depression. Our guest, Andrew Trask, is building OpenMined – a platform that merges cryptographic techniques such as homomorphic encryption and multi-party computation and blockchain technology to create the ability to train ML models with private user data. OpenMined will allow AI companies of the future to develop models, have them trained on user data without compromising user privacy, and incentivise users to train their model. We walk through the OpenMined vision and its potential impact on AI business models and AI safety Topics covered in this episode: Challenges with the current AI paradigm OpenMined’s vision to allow training of AI models with private user data How OpenMined works under the hood Applications enabled by OpenMined Current state and OpenMined hackathon Episode links: OpenMined hackathon OpenMined website This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/217

Neufund CEO Zoe Adamovicz joined us to discuss how Neufund is creating a platform to allow companies to sell tokens backed by actual company equity. Topics covered in this episode: Neufund’s thesis of the revolutionary implications of token equity The difference between ICOs and Equity Token Offerings (ETO) Why from a regulatory perspective ETOs are uncomplicated How Neufund’s token Neumarks serves to build a community How the Initial Capital Building Mechanism is bootstrapping the ecosystem The long-term vision of creating a global stock market Episode links: Neufund Neufund Whitepaper Neufund Light Paper Neufund | ICBM Commit Page German Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) on ICOs and cryptocurrencies This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/211