168X

Mr. Z

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TECHNOLOGY
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168X is where frontier tech meets capital. Raw convos with the founders and funders shaping what’s next. Hosted by ex-banker turned builder, Mr. Z @168MrZ

MAR 23

Babylon Co-founder David Tse on Bitcoin Staking, Trustless Security & Bitcoin-Native Markets

David Tse, Co-founder of Babylon, discusses why Bitcoin should not be viewed as a short-term speculative asset, but as a long-term foundational layer for decentralized security, how Babylon is building a trustless Bitcoin staking marketplace, and why the future of crypto lies in connecting Bitcoin with the broader blockchain ecosystem. The conversation explores Babylon’s roadmap and product design, its integration with Aave, the concept of two-sided marketplaces in Bitcoin staking, and why long-term builders focus on resilience over price prediction. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction: Background of Babylon and its vision for Bitcoin staking 01:12 What problem Babylon is solving in the Bitcoin ecosystem 02:45 Why Bitcoin needs utility beyond store of value 04:10 Trustless Vault concept and how it works 06:30 Babylon’s architecture and security assumptions 08:44 Product roadmap: testnet launch and timeline 09:26 Integration with Aave as the first major use case 11:00 Long-term roadmap and expansion to more applications 12:44 TVL targets and early growth expectations 13:13 Bitcoin price discussion and why forecasting doesn’t matter 14:56 Babylon as a two-sided marketplace connecting Bitcoin and other chains 16:00 Trustless systems vs human preference for centralization Subscribe on Apple Podcasts 👇 https://podcasts.apple.com/tw/podcast/168x/id1829536080 Follow Mr. Z on X 👇 https://x.com/168MrZ Follow Victor on X 👇 https://x.com/vcmktasa Follow 168X on X 👇 https://x.com/168X_Fortune Subscribe to our Substack 👇 https://168x.substack.com/

17 min
MAR 18

Ex-Cypher Capital’s Bill Qian on AI Capital Rotation, Bitcoin’s Duality & Geopolitical Risk

Bill Qian, Founder of @cyphercapital Cypher Capital, discusses how capital is rotating from crypto into AI, why the Middle East safe haven narrative is breaking, and how investors should rethink Bitcoin, geopolitics, and portfolio construction in an unpredictable world. The conversation explores AI vs crypto cycles, war-driven capital shifts, Bitcoin’s role in crisis scenarios, and why survival — not prediction — is the only strategy that matters. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction: Bill Qian’s background and role at Cypher Capital 00:47 Why he moved early into the Middle East 01:36 What the dominant investment narrative was in 2021 02:35 Capital flows: why AI is absorbing attention from crypto 03:42 Is AI in a bubble? 05:49 Why he chose to “press pause” and reassess cycles 06:59 Why mega VC funds are getting bigger 10:16 Middle East conflict and the breakdown of the safe haven narrative 14:59 Why investors must always assume they can be wrong 16:52 Asset allocation: stocks, Bitcoin, gold, and portfolio construction 20:00 Bitcoin vs gold: how he thinks about the two today 22:43 Are hard assets entering a supercycle? 23:49 Is Bitcoin sentiment finally low enough? 24:21 Bitcoin resilience in crisis vs gold’s limitations 26:37 Bitcoin mining, energy, and why mining is now a financing game 28:02 2026 market outlook: volatility, macro, and why most people shouldn’t predict 30:29 Trump, war incentives, and why he believes de-escalation is likely 31:46 Final advice: margin of safety, humility, and survival Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@168X_Fortune Follow Bill Qian on X: https://x.com/billqian Follow Mr. Z on X: https://x.com/168MrZ Follow Victor on X: https://x.com/vcmktasa Follow 168X on X: https://x.com/168X_Fortune Subscribe to our Substack: https://168x.substack.com/

33 min
MAR 1

Altius Labs’ Cofounder Annabelle on Parallel Blockchains & Institutional On-Chain Trading

Annabelle, Cofounder of Altius Labs, discusses how Wall Street trading giants like Citadel and Jump are moving assets on-chain — and why blockchain infrastructure still isn’t ready for full institutional high-frequency activity. Altius is building a VM-agnostic, high-performance execution stack to upgrade L1/L2 performance, enable parallel execution, and bridge the gap between decentralization and institutional-grade speed. Timestamps: 00:23 Wall Street trading giants moving assets on-chain 01:36 The real bottleneck: blockchain infrastructure performance 02:08 Altius’ EVM stack for upgrading L1/L2 performance 03:16 Decentralization vs speed — the structural trade-off 04:26 Why VM-agnostic architecture matters 05:31 Parallel execution (Sui, Aptos, Solana comparison) 06:19 Concurrency and execution-level optimization 06:40 2026 market sentiment vs on-chain activity reality 07:40 Why bear markets are the best time to build 08:17 TradFi–crypto convergence as a “full circle” moment Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@168X_Fortune Follow Annabelle on X: https://x.com/_annabellehuang Follow Mr. Z on X: https://x.com/168MrZ Follow 168X on X: https://x.com/168X_Fortune Subscribe to our Substack: https://168x.substack.com/

9 min
FEB 22

Franklin Templeton’s Chetan Karkhanis on Bitcoin ETFs, Tokenized RWAs & Yield Innovation

Chetan Karkhanis from ⁨Franklin Templeton represents one of the largest traditional asset managers actively building in crypto ETFs and tokenized real-world assets (RWA). As one of the early Bitcoin ETF issuers and a major tokenization pioneer with Benji, Franklin is focused on institutional adoption, product innovation, and jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction expansion across Asia. Timestamps: 00:42 Competing with BlackRock — brand vs structure 01:19 Product innovation: potential income strategies (staking & beyond) 01:33 Franklin’s multi-coin ETF lineup (BTC, ETH, XRPL, SOL & multi-asset) 01:56 Benji as one of the largest tokenized money market funds 03:39 Market outlook: tokenized RWAs reaching large nine-figure scale Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@168X_Fortune Follow Mr. Z on X: https://x.com/168MrZ Follow 168X on X: https://x.com/168X_Fortune Subscribe to our Substack: https://168x.substack.com/

4 min
FEB 18

ARK's President & COO Tom Staudt on Bitcoin, Benchmarks & AI: Why Crypto Needs a Real Beta

Tom Staudt from ARK Invest is one of the leading institutional voices at the intersection of digital asset treasuries (DATs), AI, and long-term innovation investing. As a major shareholder in Bitmine and Tesla, ARK is focused on scale, consolidation, and building the financial infrastructure crypto still lacks. Timestamps: 00:55 Crypto pullback will drive consolidation 01:34 Why Bitmine is well positioned in ETH 03:33 Bull markets hide weak players; downturns reveal leaders 04:49 DAT + AI: real synergies vs buzzword risk 06:27 Scale determines who can deploy AI effectively 07:35 Tesla as the largest AI project in the world 09:53 ARK Venture Fund (ARKVX) — access to SpaceX, xAI, Neuralink 13:44 Building lower-volatility innovation exposure 14:06 Why crypto needs a true “beta” benchmark 16:18 Bitcoin is an asset, not the asset class 17:51 ARK’s mission: establish beta to demonstrate alpha Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/tw/podcast/168x/id1829536080 Follow ARK Invest on X: https://x.com/ARKInvest Follow Mr. Z on X: https://x.com/168MrZ Follow 168X on X: https://x.com/168X_Fortune Subscribe to our Substack: https://168x.substack.com

19 min
FEB 16

John D'Agostino on Regulation, Prediction Markets & Crypto Cycles: Coinbase’s Everything Exchange Vision

John D'Agostino, Head of Strategy at Coinbase Institutional, bridges traditional finance and crypto. With a background in commodities and multiple market cycles, he brings a cross-asset perspective to regulation, market structure, and crypto’s long-term role in global markets. In this episode, we go deep on: Why Coinbase is optimistic the Clarity Act could pass in 2026 — and what regulatory clarity means for stablecoins Coinbase’s ambition to become the “everything exchange,” from equities and bonds to crypto and prediction markets Why prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi are powerful information engines How open architecture allows markets to compete organically Why crypto volatility is structural — and why institutions aren’t shaken by another cycle The crude oil analogy: price swings don’t invalidate long-term value Subscribe on Youtube: https://youtu.be/AND1bSzh31o?si=v8gbCHXnibKIigtP Follow John on X: https://x.com/johnjdagostino Follow Mr. Z on X: https://x.com/168MrZ Follow 168X on X: https://x.com/168X_Fortune Subscribe to our Substack: https://168x.substack.com

4 min
FEB 14

Dovey Wan on Bitcoin, AI & TSMC: The New Global Power Structure

Dovey Wan is the Founder of Primitive Ventures, one of the most globally connected crypto-native investment firms. Since entering the industry in the early cycles, she has become a sharp observer of liquidity flows, macro regime shifts, AI × crypto convergence, and the geopolitical chessboard shaping semiconductors and digital assets. In this episode, we go deep on: Why Bitcoin structurally diverged from ARKK — and what that says about liquidity rotation How the GPT moment transformed AI from narrative to cash-flow-generating assets Why white-collar workers may be the “horses” of the AI era TSMC’s geopolitical strategy across the U.S., Japan, and Taiwan Taiwan’s role as a strategic asset in U.S.–China competition Why the real bear market isn’t loud — and why 2026 may be a volatility regime How the SpaceX IPO could become a massive liquidity extraction event The difference between surviving as a directional trader vs thriving as a vol trader Follow Dovey on X: https://x.com/doveywan Follow Mr. Z on X: https://x.com/168MrZ Follow 168X on X: https://x.com/168X_Fortune Subscribe to our Substack: https://168x.substack.com

19 min
FEB 12

Haseeb on AI, AGI Timeline, 10/11 & the Only Rule That Matters in Crypto

Haseeb Qureshi is the Managing Partner at Dragonfly, one of the leading global crypto venture firms. Since entering crypto in 2017, he has become one of the most thoughtful voices on market structure, macro cycles, AI × crypto convergence, and the long-term evolution of digital assets. In this episode, we go deep on: Kyle Samani leaving crypto and what it signals about the industry’s maturation Why crypto may have been built more for machines than for humans AI agents, smart contracts, and the future of machine-native commerce Whether we are truly near AGI — and why historical timelines matter What structurally shifted in the market after October 11 The one rule that matters most in crypto: survival Follow Haseeb on X: https://x.com/hosseeb Follow Mr. Z on X: https://x.com/168MrZ Follow 168X on X: https://x.com/168X_Fortune Subscribe to our Substack: https://168x.substack.com/

11 min
11/06/2025

EP1: Joseph Chee on Building Solana Company

"$SOL will hit $500 within six months — and reach $1,000 in the next cycle." 1:24 – Intro: Joe's Unconventional Path 2:47 – From Wall Street to China's Rise 9:18 – UBS Glory Days: China's Golden Decade 14:39 – Post-2008: From Conviction to Compliance 16:12 – Summer Capital: Banker to Entrepreneur 18:00 – Why Solana? The Data Speaks 19:29 – Solana Company $HSDT: Institutional-Grade DAT 27:48 – Deal Structure: Partnering with Pantera Capital 34:30 – Dual-Listing: Is Hong Kong Next? 35:04 – Becoming Solana's Berkshire Hathaway 38:33 – Macro & Crypto Cycles: The Setup for $SOL 40:08 – The Hidden Alpha 168X (@168X_Fortune) is where frontier tech meets capital — bridging Eastern wisdom and Western innovation. Raw conversations with the founders and funders shaping what’s next. Hosted by ex-banker Mr. Z (@168MrZ).

40 min
08/20/2025

EP3 ft. Manuel Stotz: Manny's Vision for TON Strategy (NASDAQ: TONX) & Satorica

TON of Alpha Episode 3: Manny's Vision for TON Strategy (NASDAQ: TONX) & Satorica w/ Manuel Stotz from TON Strategy (NASDAQ: TONX) 1:00 – Intro: Mr. Z @69420MrZ welcomes Manny — TON’s $558M man 1:50 – Goldman → Kingsway → Bitcoin → TON 3:00 – 3B Unbanked → Why TON = real-world crypto 4:40 – Bitcoin = New Continent → TON = Next Satorica 6:00 – Cyberspace: Property, Liberty & Proof of Work 10:00 – Altcoins, Stablecoins & @telegram's scale 11:00 – @durov = GOAT → Telegram’s edge 13:25 – Web1→Web2→Web3: Info → Financial flow 16:20 – $558M PIPE & TON DAT on NASDAQ $TONX 18:20 – Permanent Capital vs ETFs → TON playbook 20:15 – TON’s delta vs ETH & SOL → Biggest upside 21:50 – NASDAQ: TONX = Only TON DAT → Proxy stock for Telegram 24:10 – TON not in U.S. yet → ATH path 25:50 – The Playbook: Book value, staking, revenues 32:50 – Scaling TON Strategy (NASDAQ: TONX): $1B → $10B → $100B+ 36:16 – Telegram-TON stablecoin → Trillion $ vision 37:42 – TON as Telegram’s national currency 44:00 – tgBTC & Stablecoins → Path to mass adoption 55:50 – Why the TON DAT narrative matters 57:20 – Manny on leadership & freedom mission 59:00 – 🔥 The alpha no one else is talking about 💎 TON of Alpha — The Open Show for Institutions and Billions. Powered by @TONX_Studio & @kton_io, early TON miners since 2021.

1h 3m
07/30/2025

EP2 ft. Kirill Malev: Venture Building on TON

In this episode of TON of Alpha, host Mr. Z sits down with Kirill Malev to unpack the playbook for building in the TON ecosystem. From the TON Treasury Company model to the tokenization & compliance outlook, and bold predictions for TON by 2026, this conversation offers rare, insider perspectives from one of the ecosystem’s most active venture builders. Agenda: 00:00 – Intro & How Kirill Got Into Crypto 02:26 – How TOP’s $1B Raise Impacts the TON Ecosystem 03:55 – TON/Telegram Evolution Through 2026 09:14 – Deep Dive Into TON DAT 13:52 – Sustainable TON Business Models 18:34 – Kirill’s Approach to Venture Building in TON 25:15 – Tokenization vs Regulatory Challenges 29:55 – Web3 VCs → Treasuries & Builders 36:24 – Advice for TON Builders 40:42 – @wallet_tg Role & What’s Next 42:57 – One Feature to Borrow From Another Chain? 44:00 – A Contrarian Take vs Current TON Builders? 45:26 – Dream TON Project With Unlimited Resources? 45:57 – What Milestone Proves TON “Made It”? 46:51 – Alpha Leaks 🎙️ TON of Alpha — The open show for institutions and billions. Powered by @TONX_Studio & @KTON_io, early TON miners since 2021.

50 min
07/07/2025

EP1 ft. Jack Booth : What's Going On with TON NFT?

We’re kicking off our first episode with a deep dive into the booming TON NFT scene. Joining us is Jack Booth, Head of IP at the TON Foundation, to unpack the trends behind this explosive phenomenon. Why has TON NFT daily volume overtaken Solana and Ethereum? How did Plush Pepe surge 1,000x? And why are major IPs like Pudgy Penguins, Bored Ape Yacht Club, Azuki, and even Snoop Dogg making their move? Tune in as we explore the hype, the strategies, and what it all means for the future of NFTs on TON. Agenda: 00:00 – Intro 01:37 – Telegram Gifts & Stickers at All-Time High: Hype or Real Trend? 10:28 – Jack on the Future of Social Experiences 12:32 – Viktor on Orange PFP Culture 13:36 – How to Add Value to IP: Sustainable Play in the TON Ecosystem (Pudgy Penguins Case) 18:38 – Celebrity & IP Culture Flywheel: Building Long-Term Value on TON & Telegram 25:34 – Quick Fire Round 25:51 – Where Will the Next Pudgy Come From? 26:13 – If You Could Onboard Any IP Tomorrow, What Would It Be? 30:41 – What Would You Do if You Ran the TON Foundation for a Day? 33:55 – Share One Alpha No One’s Talking About 35:07 – Closing Thoughts from Jack 🎙️ TON of Alpha — The open show for institutions and billions. Powered by @TONX_Studio & @KTON_io, early TON miners since 2021.

37 min

12 Episodes

168X is where frontier tech meets capital. Raw convos with the founders and funders shaping what’s next. Hosted by ex-banker turned builder, Mr. Z @168MrZ

Creator

Mr. Z
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

12