Empire Blockworks
-
- Business
Empire features interviews with top crypto founders to get the real stories that aren’t shared elsewhere. Empire is your look behind the curtain of the crypto industry.
We release two episodes per week: guest interviews on Tuesday and a weekly roundup on Friday.
-
Kraken: The Crypto Native's Powerhouse Exchange | Dave Ripley
In this episode, Jason is joined by Dave Ripley, CEO of Kraken. They discuss the challenges and opportunities of operating a major crypto exchange over the past year. Dave dives into Kraken's focus on professional traders, their expansion into retail markets, and the importance of building a bridge between traditional finance and the crypto ecosystem. Dave also shares insights on navigating market cycles as a crypto business, the value of hiring crypto-native talent, and his thoughts on the future of centralized exchanges as more activity moves on-chain.
- -
Follow Dave: https://twitter.com/DavidLRipley
Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz
Follow Santiago: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel
Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod
Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j
Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7
Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw
Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/
- -
Arbitrum is a game-changer for daily Ethereum's users and developers, offering top applications and lower fees. As the leading scaling solution with 600+ apps, explore Arbitrum’s Portal to find your perfect fit. Interact with the home of DeFi, a flourishing NFT and creator ecosystem, and a rapidly growing Web3 gaming hub – Arbitrum has it all.
Get started at:
portal.arbitrum.io
- -
This episode is brought to you by Aura, the AI-powered digital security protection app that keeps your personal information, passwords, online activity, and tech safe from digital threats. It’s all-in-one protection from identity theft, financial fraud, malware, scams, and more.
For a limited time, Aura is offering our listeners a 14-day FREE trial plus up to 55% off an Aura subscription.
Visit aura.com/blockworks to sign up for your free trial.
- -
SKALE is a modular, AppChain network that offers zero gas fee transactions and instant finality. Tailored for ease of development and onboarding, SKALE's configurable EVM chains enable next-gen use cases in gaming, AI, DePin, and others. With over 20,000,000 users having saved over $6 Billion on gas fees, SKALE is the blockchain for mass adoption.
Bridge to SKALE at portal.skale.space and stay up to date with the gasless blockchain at @skalenetwork
- -
Marinade is the leading Solana staking service that spreads your stake across 100+ top validators, distributes MEV rewards, and provides automatic downside protection with new Protected Staking Rewards. Choose to liquid stake for mSOL for use in DeFi, or delegate your stake through Marinade Native, which gives you full custody of your SOL and no smart contract risk. Max performance for you, max performance for Solana.
https://blckwrks.co/Marinade
- -
Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
02:18 Dave's Kraken Origin Story
11:07 Kraken User Strategy
23:12 Kraken's 5 Year Business Model
32:02 Arbitrum Ad
32:49 Aura Ad
33:38 Marinade Ad
34:42 Skale Ad
35:59 Regulatory Concerns of L2s
43:40 24/7 NYSE
51:30 Operating in Market Cycles
58:28 Best People to Hire
01:02:01 This Cycle's Expectation
- -
Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.t -
Movement & Aptos: Making Security Sexy Again | Rushi Manche & Neil Harounian
In this episode, Santi is joined by Neil, head of ecosystem at Aptos, and Rushi, founder of Movement Labs, to discuss the Aptos ecosystem and the Move programming language. They dive into the unique features and benefits of Move, the importance of security in blockchain development, and the collaborative efforts to grow the Move ecosystem. Neil and Rushi also share insights on the impressive growth and adoption of Aptos, as well as their focus on empowering builders and democratizing access to Move. Thanks for tuning in!
- -
Follow Rushi: https://twitter.com/rushimanche
Follow Neil: https://twitter.com/neilhar_
Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz
Follow Santiago: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel
Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod
Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j
Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7
Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw
Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/
- -
Sei Labs believes the EVM is here to stay.
By providing the fastest time to finality of any chain, thousands of transactions per second and full backwards compatibility with the EVM, Ethereum developers can try out a brand new design space for their applications.
Try out sei v2 devnet - visit the new sei.io to find out more.
- -
This episode is brought to you by Aura, the AI-powered digital security protection app that keeps your personal information, passwords, online activity, and tech safe from digital threats. It’s all-in-one protection from identity theft, financial fraud, malware, scams, and more.
For a limited time, Aura is offering our listeners a 14-day FREE trial plus up to 55% off an Aura subscription.
Visit aura.com/blockworks to sign up for your free trial.
- -
Mantle Network is an Ethereum Layer 2 that aims to bring super-scalability to Ethereum by taking a modular approach that offers low fees and high security.
Mantle recently launched their airdrop program "Rewards Station" to holders of its native token, $MNT. The Rewards Station program distributes pre-sale token allocations or listed token to $MNT holders who stake their $MNT.
Check out the rewards station: https://www.mantle.xyz/rewards-station
- -
Marinade is the leading Solana staking service that spreads your stake across 100+ top validators, distributes MEV rewards, and provides automatic downside protection with new Protected Staking Rewards. Choose to liquid stake for mSOL for use in DeFi, or delegate your stake through Marinade Native, which gives you full custody of your SOL and no smart contract risk. Max performance for you, max performance for Solana.
https://blckwrks.co/Marinade
- -
Timestamps:
(00:00) Introduction
(06:26) Why Aptos & Move Language
(19:18) Institutional Support
(29:00) Aptos Roadmap
(35:06) Sei ad
(36:04) Aura Ad
(36:52) Marinade Ad
(37:57) Mantle Ad
(38:54) Onchain User Behaviors
(46:05) TVL Growth Strategy
(59:56) Move Alternative Chains
(01:09:11) Integrated vs Modular
- -
Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed. -
Time To Buy The Dip? | 1000x
This week we discuss is it time to buy the dip? After calling the local top at $70k, is the setup more bullish now for a continued bull market post halving? We deep dive into the bull case for ETH, finding the next big trade, structuring a trade & finding alpha. Enjoy!
--
Follow Avi: https://twitter.com/AviFelman
Follow Jonah: https://twitter.com/jvb_xyz
Follow 1000x: https://twitter.com/1000xPod
Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/
--
Perennial is an on-chain derivatives protocol built from first principles to be a DeFi primitive. The core protocol is minimalist, flexible, and efficient, allowing Perennial to mold to the needs of many different users & use cases.
Perennial has a super efficient core protocol that lets LPs use native maker leverage — allowing $1mn in TVL to back to $5-10mn in Open interest.
Trade and LP at: https://perennial.finance/1000x
Social: https://twitter.com/perenniallabs
--
Timestamps:
(0:00) Turning Bearish At $70k, Time To Flip Bullish?
(12:45) Perennial Ad
(14:17) The Bull Case For ETH
(23:16) Beaten Down Projects, Supply Unlocks & Finding The Next Big Trade
(30:51) Staking vs Supply Dilution
(32:30) TradFi Risk-Off
(38:26) Trade Structure & Grok For Alpha
--
Disclaimer: Nothing said on 1000x is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Avi, Jonah and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed. -
Building the Perfect Crypto Portfolio | Avi Felman & Roshun Patel
In this episode, Santi & Jason talk with Avi and Ro about the current state of the crypto market cycle in both private and liquid markets. They discuss Avi's "bearish" outlook driven by diminishing ETF inflows and stablecoin market caps, Ro's perspective on crywpto venture investing, and how this cycle compares to the last one. The conversation dives into the Solana IOUs auction, the upcoming Ethereum ETF catalyst, and the (un)productive nature of assets like Eigen Layer's restaking product and Bitcoin DeFi. Avi and Ro also outline their framework for crypto portfolio construction and the key indicators they watch. The episode concludes with their 12-month price predictions for BTC, ETH and SOL.
- -
Follow Avi: https://twitter.com/AviFelman
Follow Ro: https://twitter.com/roshunpatel
Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz
Follow Santiago: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel
Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod
Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j
Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7
Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw
Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/
- -
Arbitrum is a game-changer for daily Ethereum's users and developers, offering top applications and lower fees. As the leading scaling solution with 600+ apps, explore Arbitrum’s Portal to find your perfect fit. Interact with the home of DeFi, a flourishing NFT and creator ecosystem, and a rapidly growing Web3 gaming hub – Arbitrum has it all.
Get started at:
portal.arbitrum.io
- -
This episode is brought to you by Aura, the AI-powered digital security protection app that keeps your personal information, passwords, online activity, and tech safe from digital threats. It’s all-in-one protection from identity theft, financial fraud, malware, scams, and more.
For a limited time, Aura is offering our listeners a 14-day FREE trial plus up to 55% off an Aura subscription.
Visit aura.com/blockworks to sign up for your free trial.
- -
SKALE is a modular, AppChain network that offers zero gas fee transactions and instant finality. Tailored for ease of development and onboarding, SKALE's configurable EVM chains enable next-gen use cases in gaming, AI, DePin, and others. With over 20,000,000 users having saved over $6 Billion on gas fees, SKALE is the blockchain for mass adoption.
Bridge to SKALE at portal.skale.space and stay up to date with the gasless blockchain at @skalenetwork
- -
Marinade is the leading Solana staking service that spreads your stake across 100+ top validators, distributes MEV rewards, and provides automatic downside protection with new Protected Staking Rewards. Choose to liquid stake for mSOL for use in DeFi, or delegate your stake through Marinade Native, which gives you full custody of your SOL and no smart contract risk. Max performance for you, max performance for Solana.
https://blckwrks.co/Marinade
- -
Timestamps:
(00:00) Introduction
(04:28) Avi's Bearish Take
(09:41) Ro's Private Market Perspective
(16:42) Ethereum's Bull Case
(27:42) Private & Liquid Ratio
(36:49) Arbitrum Ad
(37:26) Aura Ad
(38:25) Marinade Ad
(39:29) SKALE ad
(40:46) Solana's Trade
(45:44) Cycle Timing & Comparison
(54:23) Fundamentals of DeFi
(01:01:06) What Everyone is Missing?
(01:11:14) Price Predictions
- -
Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed. -
How to Value L1s, L2s, and Crypto Assets | Kyle Samani
In this episode of Empire, Jason and Santi are joined by special guest Kyle Samani to dive deep into valuing L1 and L2 crypto assets. The conversation covers the importance of MEV as the primary value accrual mechanism rather than transaction fees, the challenges in standardizing valuations across different blockchain architectures, and the evolving fee market designs. They also discuss the true costs and benefits of token airdrops for bootstrapping ecosystems. Thanks for tuning in!
Sign up for the Empire newsletter: https://empire-31ed59.beehiiv.com/subscribe
- -
Resources
https://youtu.be/aCHY9iPS8sI?feature=shared
https://x.com/kylesamani/status/1721964311008956809
- -
Follow Kyle: https://twitter.com/KyleSamani
Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz
Follow Santiago: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel
Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod
Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j
Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7
Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw
Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/
- -
Sei Labs believes the EVM is here to stay.
By providing the fastest time to finality of any chain, thousands of transactions per second and full backwards compatibility with the EVM, Ethereum developers can try out a brand new design space for their applications.
Try out sei v2 devnet - visit the new sei.io to find out more.
- -
Mantle Network is an Ethereum Layer 2 that aims to bring super-scalability to Ethereum by taking a modular approach that offers low fees and high security.
Mantle recently launched their airdrop program "Rewards Station" to holders of its native token, $MNT. The Rewards Station program distributes pre-sale token allocations or listed token to $MNT holders who stake their $MNT.
Check out the rewards station: https://www.mantle.xyz/rewards-station
- -
Monad is a fully EVM compatible Layer 1 blockchain that can support 10,000 real transactions per second. Monad aims to open up the design space for the EVM to support high fidelity defi, consumer facing applications, and more generally allow crypto to scale to the masses.
If you are interested in participating in Monad's journey, follow: https://twitter.com/monad_xyz and join: https://discord.gg/monad
- -
Marinade is the leading Solana staking service that spreads your stake across 100+ top validators, distributes MEV rewards, and provides automatic downside protection with new Protected Staking Rewards.
Choose to liquid stake for mSOL for use in DeFi, or delegate your stake through Marinade Native, which gives you full custody of your SOL and no smart contract risk.
Max performance for you, max performance for Solana.
https://blckwrks.co/Marinade
- -
Timestamps:
(00:00) Introduction
(02:43) Crypto as Commodities
(08:50) MEV Fee Stream for Networks
(18:53) L1 Token Valuation
(21:31) Updated Solana Thesis
(33:160 SEI Ad
(34:14) Monad Ad
(35:12) Marinade Ad
(36:17) Mantle Ad
(37:14) Fee Markets & Performant Infra Valuations
(42:40) Income Statements of L1s & L2s
(58:10) Cost of Airdrops
- -
Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed. -
Behind the Scenes of Restaking | Brandon Curtis & Myles O'Neil
In this deep dive episode, Brandon Curtis (Rio), Myles O'Neil (Reverie), and Ryan West (Blockworks Research) unpack the emerging world of restaking on Ethereum. The conversation starts with a detailed look at the restaking supply chain, from ETH deposits in LRTs to securing AVSs. The group discusses the key differences between LRTs and LSTs, yield strategies, and fragmented user preferences. They also explore the dynamics between LRTs and AVSs, including the leverage AVSs currently have and the challenges with off-chain "handshake" agreements. Thanks for tuning in!
- -
Follow Myles: https://twitter.com/MylesOneil
Follow Brandon Curtis: https://twitter.com/bcmakes
Follow Westie: https://twitter.com/WestieCapital
Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz
Follow Santiago: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel
Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod
Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j
Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7
Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw
Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/
- -
Arbitrum is a game-changer for daily Ethereum's users and developers, offering top applications and lower fees. As the leading scaling solution with 600+ apps, explore Arbitrum’s Portal to find your perfect fit. Interact with the home of DeFi, a flourishing NFT and creator ecosystem, and a rapidly growing Web3 gaming hub – Arbitrum has it all.
Get started at:
portal.arbitrum.io
- -
Monad is a fully EVM compatible Layer 1 blockchain that can support 10,000 real transactions per second. Monad aims to open up the design space for the EVM to support high fidelity defi, consumer facing applications, and more generally allow crypto to scale to the masses.
If you are interested in participating in Monad's journey, follow: https://twitter.com/monad_xyz and join: https://discord.gg/monad
- -
SKALE is a modular, AppChain network that offers zero gas fee transactions and instant finality. Tailored for ease of development and onboarding, SKALE's configurable EVM chains enable next-gen use cases in gaming, AI, DePin, and others. With over 20,000,000 users having saved over $6 Billion on gas fees, SKALE is the blockchain for mass adoption.
Bridge to SKALE at portal.skale.space and stay up to date with the gasless blockchain at @skalenetwork
- -
Marinade is the leading Solana staking service that spreads your stake across 100+ top validators, distributes MEV rewards, and provides automatic downside protection with new Protected Staking Rewards. Choose to liquid stake for mSOL for use in DeFi, or delegate your stake through Marinade Native, which gives you full custody of your SOL and no smart contract risk. Max performance for you, max performance for Solana.
https://blckwrks.co/Marinade
- -
Timestamps:
00:00 intro
02:37 Restaking Supply Chain
10:56 Restaking Today
18:11 LRTs & AVS Dynamics
30:54 LRT Selection Process
41:21 AVS Leverage Advantage
45:21 Arbitrum Ad
46:09 Monad Ad
47:07 Marinade Ad
48:12 Skale Ad
49:28 AVS Security
55:09 LRTs vs LSTs
01:07:06 LRT Risk & Yield Strategies
01:17:07 Native vs External Staking
01:26:26 Eigen Layer Competitors
- -
Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.