What happens when you take the discipline of an Oxford-trained surgeon and apply it to crypto? You get Nic Roberts-Huntley, founder of Concrete and Glow, two of the fastest-growing DeFi protocols. In this episode, Nic and Charlie dive deep into the frameworks, philosophies, and practical decisions that turn ideas into billion-dollar realities. From early mornings at 4:30 AM to late-night calls across continents, Nic’s journey shows how rigor, kindness, and a surgeon’s precision can reshape digital finance. 🔑 What You’ll Learn in This EpisodeFrameworks that scale: How lessons from medicine and private equity apply to building DeFi products. Concrete & Glow explained: Institutional-grade yield tools and Solana’s first “margin-first” liquidity engine. Funding playbook: Why the best founders raise on milestones, not desperation. AI + blockchain: Are we building better AI with crypto, or crypto that powers better AI? Team building: The human capital edge — why your first hires define your destiny. Investor relations: Managing Polychain, VanEck, Tribe Capital, and more on your cap table without losing your sanity. Tokenization’s future: From side letters to employee incentives, why tokens are the new equity. Morning routines matter: How Nic structures his 4:30 AM wake-ups, workouts, and workdays to stay sharp. The acquisition story: How Jet Protocol became Glow, and why consolidation is a sign of DeFi’s maturity. 🧭 Episode Highlights“**Never raise capital because you need the money. Only raise it because you deserve it.**” — Nic Roberts-Huntley The dangers of “vibe coding” in Solidity and how to protect users from liquidation risks. Why DeFi protocols live or die by trust — rugged users rarely return. How Glow is pioneering liquid restaking ($glowSOL) on Solana. The inside story of raising $17M+ and building with backers like Polychain, VanEck, and Portal Ventures. 🎙️ About the GuestNic Roberts-Huntley is the founder of Blueprint Finance, the company behind Concrete and Glow. A former Oxford surgeon (MD, MBA) turned Point72 investor, Nic has built a reputation for bridging worlds — from the operating room to private equity to DeFi infrastructure. Concrete: Tokenized DeFi-native asset management and yield optimization on Ethereum (now with $650M+ TVL). Glow: Margin-first liquidity engine and liquid restaking on Solana, acquired from Jet Protocol. 🔖 Tags / KeywordsDeFi, Concrete, Glow Finance, Solana, Ethereum, Yield Farming, Tokenization, Restaking, Venture Capital, Polychain, VanEck, Tribe Capital, Crypto Investing, AI + Blockchain, Startups Thank you for listening to The Charlie Shrem Show. For more free content and access to over 400 episodes, visit www.CharlieShrem.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
