Empire

4.8 (165)
Investing
Updated Weekly

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 Monday and a weekly roundup on Friday.

1d ago

Blockworks Acquires Messari

In this special episode, Blockworks announces its acquisition of Messari and unpacks what it means for crypto’s next phase. Michael and Jason explore why Messari’s breadth of data, APIs, and research complement Blockworks’ deep on-chain analytics, investor relations, and disclosure products. They also address crypto’s trust problem, the need for standardized data and disclosures, and how Blockworks aims to become the trusted data layer connecting issuers, investors, exchanges, regulators, and AI agents in on-chain markets. Learn more: https://blockworks.com/insights/blockworks-acquires-messari Follow Blockworks on X: https://x.com/Blockworks Follow Messari on X: https://x.com/MessariCrypto Follow Michael on X: https://x.com/MikeIppolito_ Follow Jason on X: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz

29 min
5d ago

CFTC Chair Michael Selig On Perps, Prediction Markets & Crypto In The U.S

This week, CFTC Chair Michael Selig joins the show to discuss the CFTC's recent policy announcement on perps in the U.S. We deep dive into how to regulate crypto in the U.S, prediction markets, 24/7 markets, working with the SEC and more. Enjoy! -- Follow Michael: https://x.com/MichaelSelig Follow Rob: https://x.com/HadickM Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod -- Robots will soon outnumber humans onchain. peaqOS turns them into a new trusted liquid asset class, with yield tied to real-world workloads. It gives robots all they need to do business on any chain — and lets humans earn from automation. Explore the Machine Economy: https://peaq.xyz -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (04:20) Working With The SEC (08:40) Bringing Perps To The U.S (19:03) peaq Ad (19:49) How To Regulate DeFi? (26:08) Becoming The Crypto Capital of The World (29:10) Prediction Markets (45:28) 24/7 Capital Markets (56:39) The Clarity Act (01:00:14) Final Thoughts -- 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, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

1h 3m
Jun 5

SpaceX’s $1.75T IPO, Strategy Sells Bitcoin & Crypto’s Hard Reset

This week, we’re back with another weekly roundup to discuss the upcoming SpaceX IPO with early investor Ryan Zurrer. We deep dive into how to value SpaceX, why this crypto bear market feels worse than others, opportunities in DeFi today, Strategy selling Bitcoin and more. Enjoy! -- Follow Ryan: https://x.com/kukulabanze Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel Follow Rob: https://x.com/HadickM Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod -- Robots will soon outnumber humans onchain. peaqOS turns them into a new trusted liquid asset class, with yield tied to real-world workloads. It gives robots all they need to do business on any chain — and lets humans earn from automation. Explore the Machine Economy: https://peaq.xyz -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:52) Takeaways From Money 2020 & All-In Summit (07:50) The Bull vs Bear Case For SpaceX (19:02) peaq Ad (19:48) Why This Bear Market Feels Worse Than Others (30:17) The Aftermath of SpaceX’s IPO (36:20) DeFi Opportunities In 2026 (48:50) Strategy Sells Bitcoin, Will BTC Hit $40k? (01:10:40) Content of The Week -- 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, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

1h 17m
Jun 1

Avichal Garg On Investing in Crypto, AI and Ethereum’s Path Forward

This week, Avichal Garg joins the show to discuss how he is currently allocating to crypto in 2026. We deep dive into the opportunity in crypto and AI venture, how to build a breakout app, the future path for Ethereum, why Avichal is still bullish on SOL & ETH, why tokens trade at a discount and more. Enjoy! -- Follow Avichal: https://x.com/avichal Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (13:58) How To Build A Breakout App (21:46) Where Electric Sees the Most Opportunity (33:35) Why Do Tokens Trade At A Discount? (39:42) Why Avichal Is Still Bullish On SOL & ETH (42:46) Who Wins The Crypto Exchange Wars? (48:10) The Ethereum Roadmap (54:16) How To Make DeFi Safe Again (57:50) Final Thoughts -- 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, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

1h 1m
May 29

Why’s Everyone So Bearish, Robinhood's AI Agent and SoFi's Stablecoin Launch

This week, we’re back with another weekly roundup to discuss why everyone in crypto feels so bearish. We then dive deep into whether stablecoins significantly improve payment rails, Robinhood’s AI agent announcement, Rob’s takeaways from a trip to D.C., MicroStrategy and RoboStrategy NAV premiums, and more. Enjoy! -- Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel Follow Rob: https://x.com/HadickM Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:50) Why’s The Timeline So Bearish? (22:12) Robinhood Launches AI Agents (32:23) Morpho Midnight (44:27) Is DeFi Uninvestable? (49:15) Takeaways From D.C. (54:14) MicroStrategy & RoboStrategy NAV Premiums (58:22) Content of The Week -- 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, Rob, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

1h 2m
May 22

Hyperliquid Just Had It's Breakout Moment

This week, we’re back with another weekly roundup to discuss why Hyperliquid is having its breakout moment by capitalizing on the trillion dollar IPO wave. We then deep dive into whether we’re entering a new bull market, if Ethereum is overvalued, SpaceX’s IPO, and more. Enjoy! -- Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel Follow Rob: https://x.com/HadickM Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (02:20) Hyperliquid’s Breakout Moment (23:38) SpaceX's IPO (29:15) Are We Entering A New Bull Market? (36:15) Why Ethereum Is Overvalued (53:28) Content of The Week -- 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, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

58 min
May 19

Figure Co-Founder: How Figure Became A $10B Business | Mike Cagney

This week, Mike Cagney joins the show to discuss Figure and how it became the leading non-bank HELOC lender in the U.S. We deep dive into how Figure leverages blockchain rails to scale the next evolution of capital markets before Mike shares his thoughts on tokenization, being a public vs private company, how to fix tokens and more. Enjoy! -- Follow Mike: https://x.com/mcagney Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (03:20) How Do Blockchains Disrupt Capital Markets? (09:28) Why Did Mike Build Figure? (27:00) Will Figure Launch a Wallet? (38:05) SoFi’s Superbowl Ads (45:42) Tokenizing Equities (55:08) The Provenance Blockchain (01:01:46) Being a Public vs Private Company (01:07:18) How To Fix Tokens (01:12:27) What’s Next For Crypto In 5 Years? -- 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, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

1h 15m
May 14

AI Feels Like Crypto In 2017, Circle Raises $222M and Anthropic Cracks Down On SPVs

This week, we’re back with another weekly roundup to discuss the current AI mania and how it feels similar to crypto in 2017. We then deep dive into Circle's $222M raise, expectations for the Clarity Act, Anthropic's crackdown on SPVs and more. Enjoy! -- Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel Follow Rob: https://x.com/HadickM Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (05:44) AI Today Feels Like Crypto In 2017 (27:12) Circle Raises $222M (46:15) The Clarity Act (59:03) Anthropic Cracks Down On SPV’s (01:10:30) Content of The Week -- 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, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

1h 16m

See All (649)

4.8

out of 5

165 Ratings

Accessible, clear fun

02/17/2023

Losangelessunset

As someone serving brands in Web3, Empire is my favorite spot to learn and stay in the know. Yanowitz brings it!
1000x

01/22/2025

0010010

I wish 1000x had its own feed. Those guys are genuinely smart and insightful. The other shows on this feed are very broey and kind of just mid-curve.
It gives me hope as an investor

01/08/2025

Rscat

Regularly listening to Avi and whatever the other guys name is, knowing that not only do they remain confident to continue publishing content but also put their money into markets lets me know that there are market participants less sophisticated than I. I especially enjoy how they see their own conjecture as some sort of fundamental thesis. The only thing I enjoy more is how often they are wrong; I guess if you always call for a bottom you’ve got to nail it sometimes but I guess I missed those episodes. Special stuff here.
10/10 Listen

02/16/2023

Nick2187

One of the best crypto pods out there! Highly recommend for anyone interested in the space.

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 Monday and a weekly roundup on Friday.