Overnight Success

Chris Joannou

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Entrepreneurship

Connecting you with the Creators and Entrepreneurs Shaping Tomorrow. Presented by Draper University and Hosted by Chris Joannou.

Aug 28

Pioneering Play-to-Earn w/ Gabby Dizon (Co-founder ‪@YieldGuildGames‬ )

Episode Summary Today, I sit down with Gabby Dizon, co-founder of Yield Guild Games (YGG). We talk about Gabby’s journey from building the first games in the Philippines to pioneering the concept of play-to-earn and Web3 gaming. Gabby shares the early days of Web3 gaming, how AI and decentralized work models are converging, and why starting with community-first was essential for YGG’s growth. We also discuss the challenges of building a web3 company during crypto cycles, crypto Twitter, and the future of online on-chain work opportunities in emerging economies. If you're interested in the intersection of gaming, blockchain, and the future of work, this episode is a must-listen. About Our Guest Gabby Dizon is the co-founder of Yield Guild Games (YGG), the world's largest Web3 gaming guild. A pioneer of play-to-earn gaming, Gabby is passionate about the intersection of community, gaming, and blockchain. He is also an active investor in the decentralized gaming ecosystem and a strong advocate for creating online and on-chain earning opportunities for communities across Southeast Asia, Latin America, and beyond. Resources & Links Mentioned Gabby Dizon's Twitter [https://x.com/gabusch] Yield Guild Games [https://yieldguild.io/] Axie Infinity [https://axieinfinity.com/] CryptoKitties [https://www.cryptokitties.co/]
Aug 28

Will AI kill your job—or make it effortless? (Kobie Fuller - GP @ Upfront Ventures

In this episode of Overnight Success, I sit down with Kobie Fuller, General Partner at Upfront Ventures—the most iconic VC firm in Los Angeles and a cornerstone of the city’s startup ecosystem. We explore why AI is entering its most explosive chapter yet, how the knowledge layer is becoming the next frontier for enterprise software, and why “just a wrapper” might be the biggest unlock in this new wave of applications. Kobie shares what it's like investing from the frontlines—alongside teenage founders rewriting reality—and reflects on his early experience scaling a fashion brand with data-fueled influencer marketing before it had a name. If you’ve ever wondered: • How AI agents are reshaping venture capital • Why the real disruption is happening above the LLMs • Whether AI will eliminate jobs—or make us superhuman • What makes LA’s venture scene unlike anywhere else • How Upfront turned Coachella parties into a growth engine • Why VCs are racing to keep up with 18-year-old Stanford dropouts This one’s live from Las Vegas—and it’s a glimpse into the future. About Our Guest Kobie Fuller is a General Partner at Upfront Ventures, the most established VC firm in Los Angeles. With a background as an entrepreneur, operator, and investor, Kobie has backed companies like The Wave, Bevy, Cordial, and Oculus. Before joining Upfront, he was Chief Marketing Officer at REVOLVE, where he pioneered data-driven influencer marketing. He also spent time at Accel and Insight Partners, investing in breakout companies like ExactTarget (acquired by Salesforce). Kobie is a thought leader on the intersection of culture, data, and emerging tech—and a driving force in shaping LA’s startup ecosystem. LinkedIn: / kobiefuller
Aug 28

Can AI understand emotions and help us connect better? (Savannah Kunovsky - MD @IDEO )

In this episode of Overnight Success, I sit down with Savannah Kunovsky – Partner @ IDEO, where she leads innovation at the intersection of emotional intelligence, speculative design, and emerging technologies. We unpack how IDEO helps some of the world’s biggest companies design AI products rooted in human connection, why Gen Z is rejecting hyper-optimization in favor of messier, more meaningful experiences, and how sci-fi and art can shape enterprise strategy. Savannah shares her perspective on designing for futures that haven’t happened yet—and why emotional resonance may be the killer feature of next-gen tech. If you’ve ever wondered: • How emotional intelligence can be built into AI and tech products • Why Gen Z prefers “bad vacations” over perfect ones—and what that means for product design • What speculative design is (and why major companies are using sci-fi to plan their strategy) • Why most enterprises still don’t talk to their customers—and how that’s holding them back • How IDEO builds for futures that don’t exist yet This one is not to be missed. About Our Guest Savannah Kunovsky is a Partner at IDEO and the Co-Lead of IDEO’s AI & Systems Futures Lab. With a background in physics and design, Savannah works at the intersection of emerging technologies, ethics, and experience design. She advises global organizations on how to integrate AI and complex systems thinking into their product strategies—often by applying speculative design, futures thinking, and human-centered research. Her work spans edtech, healthcare, quantum computing, and beyond. LinkedIn: / savannahkunovsky
Aug 28

The Creator Economy Is Broken in Asia—Can Decentralization Fix It? (w/ Feng Chiu - CEO of WAZCHER)

In this episode of Overnight Success, I’m speaking with Feng Chiu – CEO @ Wazcher, a Web3 "watch-to-earn" video platform redefining content ownership and monetization for both influencers and viewers. We dive into the bold vision behind Wazcher—from using NFTs to enable true channel ownership, to building a video compression system faster than TikTok and YouTube. Feng shares how embedded e-commerce inside video could reshape creator economics, and why decentralization gives power back to the people who create and watch content. If you’ve ever wondered: • Why Asian influencers are underpaid—and how TikTok donations changed the game • What happens when viewers earn crypto for watching content • Could NFTs give creators full ownership over their channels—and even let them sell them like digital businesses? • How does e-commerce inside a video actually work—and why is it already doing $100M+ in Taiwan? • Why mindset—not money or infrastructure—is often the biggest thing holding Asian founders back —then this episode is a must-listen. About Our Guest Feng Chiu is the founder and CEO of Wazcher, a Web3 video platform reimagining how content is owned, watched, and monetized. With a background spanning video tech, e-commerce, and decentralization, Feng is on a mission to build tools that empower influencers and viewers—especially across Asia—to think and earn globally. Resources & Links Mentioned- Feng Chiu - / fengweb3 WAZCHER LinkedIn - / wazcher WAZCHER - https://wazcher.io/
Aug 28

What if blockchain wasn’t built for humans—but for AI? (w/ Gerald Heydenreich - Founder @ Ethermail)

In this episode of Overnight Success, I sit down with Gerald Heydenreich, Founder & CEO of EtherMail—the wallet-to-wallet email protocol redefining how brands and communities connect in Web3. We unpack why luxury brands struggled to build meaningful communities on Discord during the NFT boom, how wallet-based email is emerging as the “new cookie,” and why email—not Telegram or Discord—remains the default channel for brand communication. Gerald shares his vision for how blockchain can become the privacy-preserving foundation that enables AI agents to transact, communicate, and operate independently on the internet. If you’ve ever wondered: • Why Discord failed luxury brands during the NFT rush • How email is making a comeback in Web3 through wallet identity • What role AI agents will play in blockchain’s future • Why EtherMail believes mass adoption starts with communication infrastructure This one is not to be missed. About Our Guest Gerald Heydenreich is the Co-Founder of EtherMail, the first Web3 email solution allowing wallet-to-wallet communication. With a background in scaling B2B marketplaces and venture-backed tech startups, Gerald is passionate about solving real-world problems through user-centric blockchain infrastructure. At EtherMail, he’s building the bridge between email, wallet identity, and next-generation communication for both humans and AI. Resources & Links Mentioned EtherMail Website [https://ethermail.io] Gerald Heydenreich on LinkedIn [ / gerald-heydenreich-a79125 ] a16z State of Crypto Report [https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/article/...]
Aug 28

How “Bad Games” Became Big Business on Facebook in the 2010s w/ Vanessa Larco

Episode Summary: In this episode I sit down with Vanessa Larco, formerly a partner at New Enterprise Associates (investors of Robinhood, ByteDance & Box). She is a former product leader at Box, Twilio and Microsoft. In our conversation we talk about Silicon Valley’s startup culture, how to spot real disruption in consumer startups & why more people should be joining big tech if they want to build their own company. If you’ve ever wondered: • What it was like to ride the Facebook gaming wave in the 2010s • Why GenAI is a once-in-a-decade opportunity for consumer startups • The pros and cons of joining Big Tech vs startup life • What creates the biggest tailwinds for innovation in consumer & gaming. —then this episode is a must-listen. About Our Guest Vanessa Larco was a Partner at New Enterprise Associates (NEA) at the time of recording. Some of their most notable investments include Robinhood, ByteDance, and Box. Prior to investing, Vanessa was a product leader at Twilio, Box, and Microsoft. She was also a founder of a mobile gaming startup, FunLoop. She draws from deep operational experience in product management and software development to guide early-stage companies as they scale. Resources & Links Mentioned: Vanessa’s LinkedIn: / vanessalarco New Enterprise Associates - NEA: / new-enterprise-associates NEA (New Enterprise Associates): https://www.nea.com/
Aug 28

How are we going to put trillions of dollars on-chain? w/ Sheldon Hunt (Founder @ Sundial Protocol)

Episode Summary In this episode of Overnight Success, I sit down with Sheldon Hunt, a founding member of EMURGO—one of Cardano’s original entities. We unpack the philosophical and technical rifts between Ethereum and Cardano, trace the evolution from Bitcoin to Ethereum to Cardano, and dive deep into what true decentralization really looks like—especially in Cardano’s approach to governance. If you’ve ever wondered: What really happened when Vitalik pitched Ethereum in Hong Kong What it takes for blockchains to handle trillions on-chain Why scarcity matters (and why Ethereum doesn’t have it) —then this episode is a must-listen. About Our Guest Sheldon Hunt was part of the founding team at EMURGO—one of Cardano’s three core entities alongside IOG and the Cardano Foundation. Today, he’s building Sundial Protocol, a Layer 2 solution bringing programmability to Bitcoin by bridging it with Cardano. The focus: secure, decentralized, cross-chain interoperability between BTC and ADA. Resources Mentioned: Cardano [https://cardano.org/] Sundial Protocol [https://www.sundialprotocol.com/] EMURGO Website [https://www.emurgo.io/] Cardano Foundation [https://cardanofoundation.org/] Midnight Privacy Chain [https://midnight.network/] Intersect: Cardano’s Member-Based Org [https://www.intersectmbo.org/]
Aug 28

From Wall Street to VC: Why DeepSeek is enabling the global AI race w/ Esther Wong (3C AGI Partners)

Episode Summary Today, I sit down with Esther Wong — Founding Partner @ 3C AGI Partners and former Managing Director at SenseTime. In this conversation, we discuss why AI inferencing could break the grid, the global race for sustainable AI infrastructure, and why DeepSeek completely enabled the rest of the world to catch up in the AI race. If you ever wondered about: • Why AI infrastructure — not applications — is the real opportunity • How unsustainable our electricity usage is if everyone uses AI daily • Why AI models, chips, and data centers must all evolve to scale • And how a 90% pay cut to join a startup could be the best decision of your life — this one’s for you. About Our Guest Esther Wong is the founder and CEO of 3C AGI Partners, a venture firm focused on global AI opportunities. She was a founding member of SenseTime, where she led capital markets and helped raise over $5B. With 20+ years in finance, she’s held senior roles at Cazenove, CICC, Barclays, and Bocom. Esther holds an Executive MBA from the University of Chicago Booth and serves on youth development boards in Hong Kong. Resources & Links Mentioned Esther’s LinkedIn [ / esther-wong-76a6a410a ] 3C AGI Partners Linkedin [ / 3cagi ] 3C AGI Partners Website [https://3cagi.vc/]
Aug 28

How Helium Could Decentralize the $9 Trillion Mobile Industry w/ Frank Mong (COO @ Helium)

Episode Summary In this episode, we sit down with Frank Mong to unpack the rise of Helium and what it means to decentralize wireless infrastructure. Frank shares the origin story of Helium, what it took to scale during the crypto boom, building open-source hardware, what it means to truly own infrastructure, and how crypto can be the foundation for everyday consumer experiences—even if they don’t know it. About Our Guest Frank Mong is the COO of Helium, a decentralized wireless network that aims to replace traditional telcos with community-built infrastructure. With over two decades in cybersecurity and enterprise tech, Frank now leads Helium’s mission to democratize mobile infrastructure—starting with IoT and now cellular. Previously, he held leadership roles at companies like Palo Alto Networks and Hortonworks. Resources & Links Mentioned Frank’s Twitter [https://x.com/fmong] Frank’s LinkedIn [ / frankmong ] Helium’s Twitter [https://x.com/helium] Helium’s Linkedin [ / heliumnetwork ] Helium’s Website [https://www.helium.com/]
Aug 28

AI & Decentralized Storage w/ Clara Tsao (Filecoin Foundation)

Episode Summary In this episode, we sit down with Clara Tsao—entrepreneur, former CTO of the US department of Homeland Security, and founding officer of the Filecoin Foundation. Clara dives deep into the role of decentralized storage in preserving critical data, from archiving freedom of information requests to combating link rot. We talk about AI, attribution, and how decentralized infrastructure can help creators and institutions alike build a more transparent internet. This one’s for the builders who care about transparency, digital preservation, and building a better internet from the ground up. Episode Highlights with Timestamps [00:00] Intro — Clara’s family roots and uploading her grandmother’s music to Filecoin [08:00] From tech policy to crypto: The early days [16:00] Joining the U.S. government and working on election security [21:00] Why decentralized storage matters: link rot, public archives, and global data access [32:00] Use cases in war zones and journalism — capturing truth [34:00] Attribution, cold cases, and surfacing lost information with AI [55:00] How to get started building on Filecoin & grants available [56:30] Final thoughts — why great talent flocks to decentralized infrastructure About Our Guest Clara Tsao is a founding officer at the Filecoin Foundation and former Chief Technology Officer at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. A longtime advocate for a safer and more open internet, Clara has co-founded the Trust & Safety Professional Association, advised global initiatives like Tech Against Terrorism, and worked with Mozilla on emerging tech policy. Her work sits at the intersection of digital rights, open data, and decentralized technology. Resources & Links Mentioned Clara’s Twitter [https://x.com/tweetclarita] Clara’s LinkedIn [ / claratsao ] Filecoin Twitter [https://x.com/filecoin] Filecoin Foundation Twitter [https://x.com/filfoundation] Filecoin Foundation Website [https://fil.org/] IPFS
Mar 20

Who Owns Your Data in the AI Era?

Fahmi Syed explores the growing convergence of AI and blockchain and why privacy must be foundational to the next generation of digital infrastructure. He explains how Midnight is designed to enable confidential smart contracts, giving users greater control over their data while allowing developers to build privacy-preserving applications. The conversation also examines enterprise adoption challenges, digital identity, and the importance of simplifying Web3 so more developers and users can participate in decentralized ecosystems.
Mar 13

Cardano to Midnight: The Future of Privacy

Charles Hoskinson discusses his unconventional path from medicine to founding Cardano, reflecting on the early days of Bitcoin and Ethereum and the lessons learned building one of the world’s largest blockchain ecosystems. He shares insights into privacy technology, zero-knowledge proofs, and selective disclosure, and explains why Midnight is designed to bring confidential smart contracts to real-world applications. The conversation also explores how AI and blockchain may converge to reshape the future of digital systems.

12 Episodes

Connecting you with the Creators and Entrepreneurs Shaping Tomorrow. Presented by Draper University and Hosted by Chris Joannou.

Creator

Chris Joannou
Years Active

2026
Episodes

12
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© 2025 Chris Joannou
Show Website

Overnight Success