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.
