111 episodes

There are constantly new tokens, DeFi projects, NFTs collections and DAOs being launched – but how can you make sense of everything going on in the crypto space? From the hype to the scams, TechCrunch senior crypto reporter Jacquelyn Melinek explores the impact of crypto on finance, art, web3, and society as a whole. Whether you’re a fan or a skeptic, every Thursday, Jacquelyn chats with a crypto expert, learning alongside you to break down the nuance behind the wild world of crypto. Chain Reaction is produced by Maggie Stamets with editing by Kell Keller.

Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters

Chain Reaction TechCrunch

    • Technology
    • 4.7 • 25 Ratings

There are constantly new tokens, DeFi projects, NFTs collections and DAOs being launched – but how can you make sense of everything going on in the crypto space? From the hype to the scams, TechCrunch senior crypto reporter Jacquelyn Melinek explores the impact of crypto on finance, art, web3, and society as a whole. Whether you’re a fan or a skeptic, every Thursday, Jacquelyn chats with a crypto expert, learning alongside you to break down the nuance behind the wild world of crypto. Chain Reaction is produced by Maggie Stamets with editing by Kell Keller.

Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters

    Blockchain tech is working to combat AI-based deepfakes (w/ Melody Hildebrandt and Mike Blank)

    Blockchain tech is working to combat AI-based deepfakes (w/ Melody Hildebrandt and Mike Blank)

    For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Melody Hildebrandt, CTO of Fox Corporation and Mike Blank, COO at Polygon Labs.

    Why these two companies? Well, Polygon Labs, the layer-2 blockchain focused on scaling Ethereum, and Fox Corporation, the well-known media conglomerate, joined forces in January to tackle deepfakes as artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent.

    Fox released Verify, an open source technical protocol for media companies to register content and grant usage rights to AI platforms, while also allowing consumers to verify content through Polygon’s tech.

    This episode is a part of Chain Reaction’s monthly series diving into different topics and themes in crypto. This month we’re focusing on blockchain and AI integrations.

    • 35 min
    Blockchain could be the answer to getting AI artists paid (w/ Dee Goens)

    Blockchain could be the answer to getting AI artists paid (w/ Dee Goens)

    For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Dee Goens, the co-founder of Zora.

    Zora is a platform and protocol that helps developers and creators bring their ideas on chain and on Ethereum through an open and shared environment. The platform has minted over 4 million NFTs, has over $300 million in secondary sales and about 1 million unique collectors, according to its website.

    Dee previously worked at Coinbase for 2.5 years doing risk management, operations and brand partnerships. Before that, he analyzed emerging technologies’ risk with a focus in blockchains at KPMG.

    Chain Reaction is doing monthly series diving into different topics and themes in crypto. This month we’re focusing on blockchain and AI integrations.

    As we just wrapped up our NFT series for February, Dee is the perfect guest to transition from that topic to AI and blockchains given Zora’s focus on bringing AI on-chain.

    • 40 min
    Looking back on the NFT marketplace Magic Eden (w/ Jack Lu)

    Looking back on the NFT marketplace Magic Eden (w/ Jack Lu)

    For this week’s episode, we’re resharing a conversation I had in June 2023 with Jack Lu, CEO and co-founder of Magic Eden.

    When we recorded this episode, NFT sales were down around $640 million at the beginning of the month, compared to today where February 2023 NFT sales volume hit $1 billion, for the first time since February 2023.

    Looking back on this conversation, we decided this episode was a great addition to the NFT series to add some context for what a crazy year it has been, how much things have changed (and some things stayed the same) especially for people building in the NFT space.

    • 26 min
    Starbucks Odyssey’s community lead expects NFT brand building to expand this year (w/ Steve Kaczynski)

    Starbucks Odyssey’s community lead expects NFT brand building to expand this year (w/ Steve Kaczynski)

    For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Steve Kaczynski, co-author of the book “The Everything Token,” and co-host of a web3 morning show Coffee with Captain.

    He also co-authored the first Harvard Business Review article about NFTs and outside of that, he consults with agencies and brands about building their web3 strategies including his role with Starbucks where he is a community lead for its NFT-focused loyalty program, Starbucks Odyssey.

    Before getting into the web3 world, Steve worked in communications and marketing roles at places for over 15 years.

    • 37 min
    Web3 brands and NFTs are on a global race for adoption (w/ Yat Siu)

    Web3 brands and NFTs are on a global race for adoption (w/ Yat Siu)

    For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands.

    Yat co-founded Animoca in 2014 and since then it has invested in over 400 web3 projects across a range of sectors like DeFi, education, infrastructure, blockchain gaming and the metaverse.

    Animoca also has its own NFT collections, blockchain products and games like its web3 NFT-based community Mocaverse, the blockchain game and NFT collection REVV Racing, and The Sandbox, a decentralized virtual world with over 40 million mobile installs. The company has also worked with other well known brands and personalities like Disney, WWE, Power Rangers, The Walking Dead, Formula E and Snoop Dogg.

    • 48 min
    OpenSea’s CEO sees greater opportunity for NFT use cases to grow (w/ Devin Finzer)

    OpenSea’s CEO sees greater opportunity for NFT use cases to grow (w/ Devin Finzer)

    This year, Chain Reaction is doing monthly series diving into different topics and themes in crypto. To start things off, this month we’re focusing on NFTs.

    For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Devin Finzer, the CEO of NFT marketplace OpenSea.

    He co-founded OpenSea in 2017 and it quickly climbed to become one of the most well known – and well funded – NFT marketplaces. Two years ago, it raised $300 million in a Series C round at a $13.3 billion post-money valuation, bringing its total capital raised to over $400 million. Some of its investors include firms Andreessen Horowitz and Paradigm as well as celebrities like Kevin Durant and Ashton Kutcher.

    Despite the NFT market’s trading volume falling from all time highs in late 2021 early 2022, OpenSea is still pushing forward even though other NFT marketplaces have popped up and challenged their dominance.

    • 32 min

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5
25 Ratings

25 Ratings

SensoryOverlord ,

So good now

I’ve been a listener from the start and the conversations and production quality has only ever improved. Jacquelyn is such a researched host and has provided a lot of clarity for me in the current state of the industry. I’m always most intrigued by episodes with guests I haven’t heard of especially because it feels like an insider’s perspective on an already niche market where you need to know to ‘know.’ Chain Reaction breaks that down and keeps my finger on the pulse. Big recommend

shhhhmaggie ,

Has become a fave!

Jacquie has a way of asking every question I want to know. This podcasts definitely isn’t just for people obsessed with crypto and web3. It’s a great way to dip your toe in if you’re crypto-curious as they say!

joebell33333 ,

Awesome!

Excellent first episode! Looking forward to many more. Keep it up!

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