The DCo Podcast

Saurabh Deshpande
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Stories with depth, insight & data covering all things Web3. For builders. By builders. www.decentralised.co

  1. 27 AUG

    Ep 46 — Turning a Dead NFT Collection into a $50M Empire ft. Luca Netz

    In this episode, Luca Netz shares how he took a failing NFT collection and turned it into one of the fastest-growing Web3 brands. We dive into his three-pillar model of ecosystem, attention, and revenue; and explore how Pudgy has sold over 1.5M toys through Walmart and Target, signed 45+ licensing deals, and built a business where culture and cash flow compound.In the episode, talk about: • How 80% of Pudgy’s revenue comes from licensing (45+ active deals) • Why arcade machines, toys, and games beat token drops in driving brand value • What “tokenized culture” actually means—and how it becomes a moat • The future of consumer crypto and Luca’s bet on Abstract’s Portal • Why the next big crypto success might not feel like crypto at all • How to fix crypto’s broken consumer journey • How to turn IP into retail + social currency without losing the core community. Chapters 0:00 – Intro 2:45 – Tokenising Culture, Memes & Influence 10:48 - The role of speculation 15:30 – The Three Pillars of Crypto Value: Ecosystem, Attention & Revenue 21:55 – The Pudgy Playbook: Community, Marketing & $50M Revenue 27:56 – What Luca knew when he bid $2.5 million on Pudgy IP 30:45 – What's Broken in Consumer Crypto 38:20 – Fixing Onboarding: Abstract Portal & The Future of Adoption 49:43 – Building for Gen Z & Gen Alpha 51:10 – Lessons from $PENGU Airdrop 54:09 – Is Token a Product? If you want to know more about Luca, we recently published a story on him here — https://www.thetokendispatch.com/p/the-luca-netz-story 👥 Guest: Luca Netz – CEO at Pudgy Penguins and Igloo Twitter: https://x.com/LucaNetz 🎙️ Host: Saurabh Deshpande – DCo Podcast Twitter: https://x.com/desh_saurabh 📬 Stay Updated: Subscribe to DCo Newsletter → https://www.decentralised.co/subscribe Follow DCo on Twitter → https://x.com/Decentralisedco This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.decentralised.co

    1h 1m

  2. 19 AUG

    EP 45 — Making Debt Move Faster with Androo and Andy from HypurrFi

    We sit down with Androo and Andy from HypurrFi who are building at the intersection of on-chain credit and real-world usability.While most DeFi protocols treat borrowing as a one-time action, HypurrFi is making debt dynamic. Think refinancing, real-time spending, and routing capital across markets—without closing your position. We cover: — Why HypurrFi is focused on active debt management — How they're using USDXL (a synthetic dollar) as a programmable debt rail — Why their on-chain card integration changes how crypto holders can spend — How they’re thinking about traders, tax-advantaged holders, and capital efficiency — Why building on Hyperliquid gives them a unique edge, and what the challenges are — What “debt servicing” really means (and how it differs from basic lending) Timestamps — 00:00: Introduction 01:30 Backgrounds 02:00: The Hyperliquid Ecosystem 10:20: "Everyone Is Coming" Thesis 20:00: HyperFi's Core Products & Vision 32:00: The Card & The Philosophy of Debt 46:00: Debt Servicing 58:00: Competition 👥 Guest: Androo Lloyd – Co-Founder at HypurrFi Twitter: https://x.com/androolloyd Andy – Head of Growth at HypurrFi Twitter: https://x.com/andyhyfi 🎙️ Host: Saurabh Deshpande – DCo Podcast Twitter: https://x.com/desh_saurabh 📬 Stay Updated: Subscribe to DCo Newsletter → https://www.decentralised.co/subscribe Follow DCo on Twitter → https://x.com/Decentralisedco This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.decentralised.co

    1h 5m

  3. 29 JUL

    Ep 44 — How to Stake HYPE Permissionlessly with Omnia from Kinetiq

    Kinetiq co-founder and Hyperliquid contributor Omnia joins to unpack how Hyperliquid evolved from a DEX into a liquidity layer, what HIPs unlock, and why apps like Phantom and Kinetiq are treating it as default. Chapters — 00:00 Podcast Opening & Disclaimer 00:19 Kinetic's Launch & Market Context 03:20 Hyperliquid's Core Thesis 11:33 Hyperliquid Technical Architecture 20:30 Understanding Hyperliquid Improvement Proposals (HIPs) 36:10 Kinetiq's Staking Solutions & Platform Decentralisation 46:06 Custody and Compliant Staking on Hyperliquid 01:01:24 Builder Codes and On-Chain Asset Growth 👥 Guest: Omnia – Co-founder at Kinetiq Twitter: https://x.com/0xOmnia 🎙️ Host: Saurabh Deshpande – DCo Podcast Twitter: https://x.com/desh_saurabh 📬 Stay Updated: Subscribe to DCo Newsletter → https://www.decentralised.co/subscribe Follow DCo on Twitter → https://x.com/Decentralisedco This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.decentralised.co

    1h 11m

  4. 27 JUN

    Ep 43 — Why it's not NAV but Native Yield with Leah and Max from Sol Strategies

    While everyone's been copying MicroStrategy's Bitcoin strategy, Sol Strategies took a different approach. CEO Leah Wald and CTO Max Kaplan join me to discuss why they're building actual infrastructure around Solana instead of just holding tokens. Sol Strategies is a publicly listed company (CSE: HODL) - formerly Cypherpunk Holdings - that transformed from one of the first Bitcoin treasury vehicles in North America into a comprehensive Solana infrastructure company. Sol Strategies now manages more than $500 million worth of SOL through its validators. 🎯 Inside the Episode: • Why Sol Strategies chose Solana over Bitcoin & Ethereum • How they generate yield through staking & validators • Why native yield changes everything for crypto treasury companies • Why premium to NAV won't last forever (and what comes next) • The future of tokenised stocks and Solana DeFi • Why institutional investors are finally paying attention • Breakdown of Solana's performance vs. Hyperliquid • What will change with new Solana validator clients like Firedancer & Alpenglow Timestamps — 0:00  Introduction & The Vision for Solana Investment 5:40  Sol Strategies’ Journey and Investment Thesis 11:58  Market Dynamics and Fundraising 19:16 Why Sol Strategies is Bullish on Solana 27:10 Hyperliquid vs Solana 30:33 How is Solana going to get better? 34:39  The Future of On-Chain Assets & Revenue Diversification 👥 Guest: Leah Wald – CEO at SOL Strategies Twitter: https://x.com/leahwald Max Kaplan – CTO at SOL Strategies Twitter: https://x.com/maxekaplan 🎙️ Host: Saurabh Deshpande – DCo Podcast Twitter: https://x.com/desh_saurabh 📬 Stay Updated: Subscribe to DCo Newsletter → https://www.decentralised.co/subscribe Follow DCo on Twitter → https://x.com/Decentralisedco This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.decentralised.co

    44 min

  5. 5 JUN

    EP 42 — Avoiding the Hidden Tax of DeFi with Nikita from BarterSwap

    What actually happens after you hit “swap”? In this episode, Saurabh is joined by Nikita Ovchinnik, founder of BarterSwap, to break down the mechanics of routing, MEV, solvers, and the invisible infrastructure that powers billions in DeFi volume. They explore:– Why AMMs leak value and how orderbooks are making a comeback– The role of solvers, searchers, and market makers in intent-based trading– How MEV is created, who captures it, and whether it can ever be eradicated– BarterSwap’s new product, Superposition — liquidity without TVL– Why most liquidity providers lose money, and what alternatives could work better– Expansion to Solana, L2s, and building infrastructure that scales across chains BarterSwap has routed over $11B in trades. But its model isn’t extractive — it’s about giving users more control over execution, pricing, and outcomes. This episode will make you understand how DeFi works behind the scenes. 00:18 Introduction to MEV and BarterSwap 03:52 AMMs vs Order Books 07:15 The Role of Liquidity Providers in DeFi 13:31 Exploring MEV 19:29 Barter's Approach to MEV 27:50 Liquidity Management with Barter's Superposition 31:14 Barter's Multi-Chain Strategy 33:40 MEV - Good or Bad? 33:51 How Barter is Tackling MEV 34:30 How Superposition Allows Users to Provide Liquidity Without Deploying Assets into a Pool 36:18 Future Plans to Integrate Solana? 40:47 Barter's Business Model 👉 Related reading:The Inevitability of MEV 👥 Guest: Nikita Ovchinnik – Co-founder at BarterSwap Twitter: https://x.com/novaovchinnik 🎙️ Host: Saurabh Deshpande – DCo Podcast Twitter: https://x.com/desh_saurabh 📬 Stay Updated: Subscribe to DCo Newsletter → https://www.decentralised.co/subscribe Follow DCo on Twitter → https://x.com/Decentralisedco This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.decentralised.co

    47 min

  6. 27 MAY

    EP 41 — Inside Dune with Mats Olsen

    Most discussions about crypto UX revolve around decentralisation and ease of use. Mats Olson, co-founder and CTO of Dune, dives deeper into the overlooked importance of real-time data infrastructure. Mats explains why blockchains, built as write-optimised databases, make data retrieval challenging and how Dune is solving this critical problem. We explore: • Why Dune’s community-driven approach to analytics succeeded without incentives • The pragmatic trade-offs between decentralisation and usability • How their latest product, SIM, provides real-time cross-chain data • What separates crypto teams that thrive from those that struggle with data strategyChapters — 00:00 Introduction to Dune and Its Evolution 02:56 User-Generated Content and Community Engagement 05:59 Expanding Beyond Analytics 08:58 The Role of Data in Crypto (Retail vs. Institutional Usage) 11:58 Challenges of On-Chain Data and Infrastructure 15:03 Acquisitions and Future Directions for Dune 17:47 The Future of AI in Data Analytics 21:12 Decentralisation vs. Pragmatism in Crypto Applications 👥 Guest: Mats Olsen – Co-founder & CTO at Dune Twitter: https://x.com/mewwts 🎙️ Host: Saurabh Deshpande – DCo Podcast Twitter: https://x.com/desh_saurabh 📬 Stay Updated: Subscribe to DCo Newsletter → https://www.decentralised.co/subscribe Follow DCo on Twitter → https://x.com/Decentralisedco This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.decentralised.co

    43 min

  7. 29 APR

    EP 40 — Exploring DeFi, AI Agents, and the Future of On-Chain Forecasting with James Ross

    Forecasting and prediction tools are missing links in DeFi and Mode Network is trying to fill that gap. In this episode, James Ross (co-founder of Mode and Synthdata) talks about building smarter forecasting systems for DeFi. We dig into how Mode is using BitTensor’s decentralised AI network to power real-time risk analysis, how agents could drive most on-chain activity in the future, and why better decision-making tools are critical for DeFi’s next evolution. We also cover: • Why forecasting short-term volatility matters • How Synthdata's subnet incentivises accurate predictions • The behavioural challenge of trusting agents with capital • What still needs to be proven before these systems can scale👥 Guest: James Ross – Founder, Mode Network and SynthTower Twitter: https://x.com/jrosstreacher 🎙️ Host: Saurabh Deshpande – DCo Podcast Twitter: https://x.com/desh_saurabh 📬 Stay Updated: Subscribe to DCo Newsletter → https://www.decentralised.co/subscribe Follow DCo on Twitter → https://x.com/Decentralisedco This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.decentralised.co

    44 min

  8. 23 APR

    Ep 39 — Aggregating the Trillion Dollar Stablecoin Market with Ryne and Jay

    Stablecoins are crypto’s biggest product-market fit—$230B and growing. But the pipes that move them? Broken. In this episode, Saurabh speaks with Jay Kurahashi-Sofue (CMO) and Ryne Sachs (CEO) of Eco, who are building something surprisingly rare in crypto: infrastructure that actually works. Not another stablecoin—but a liquidity layer that coordinates capital intelligently across chains. We dive into: • Fragmented across venues and pools • How Eco’s “crowd liquidity” model lets users earn yield without impermanent loss • Eco's GTM and incentive mechanisms 🎙️ Guests: Ryne Saxe – CEO, Eco Inc. Twitter: https://x.com/rynesaxe Jay Kurahashi-Sofue – CMO, Eco Inc. Twitter: https://x.com/jayks 🎧 Host: Saurabh Deshpande – DCo Podcast Twitter: https://x.com/desh_saurabh 📬 Stay Updated: Subscribe to DCo Newsletter → https://www.decentralised.co/subscribe Follow DCo on Twitter → https://x.com/Decentralisedco This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.decentralised.co

    48 min
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About

Stories with depth, insight & data covering all things Web3. For builders. By builders. www.decentralised.co

Information

  • Creator
    Saurabh Deshpande
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    46
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Decentralised.co
  • Show Website
    The DCo Podcast