The Fintech Blueprint Lex Sokolin

Lex chats with Dan Finlay, co-founder of MetaMask, and Dean Tribble, CEO of Agoric, about the future of wallet strategy and the underlying technological changes in the Web3 space. They discuss the growth and usage of MetaMask, the philosophy behind its development, and the core dimensions in which they have tried to grow the wallet. They also talk about the concept of "Snaps," which allows developers to extend the functionality of MetaMask using JavaScript. The conversation touches on the potential of interconnecting different blockchains and the importance of user consent and security in the Web3 ecosystem. They also discuss the role of AI in wallets and the potential for users to have their own trusted AI companions. Overall, the discussion highlights the importance of building a more seamless and secure infrastructure in Web3 and the potential for innovation and integration in the space.

MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION

Agoric's Website: https://bit.ly/3GnHcFo
MetaMask's Website: https://bit.ly/3T1vGqY
Dean's LinkedIn profile: https://bit.ly/3Rptf03
Dan's LinkedIn profile: https://bit.ly/3RoPpjb

Topics: Web3, wallet, blockchain, interoperability, AI, smart contracts

Companies: MetaMask, Agoric, Snaps, Cosmos, JavaScript, Secret Network

ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT

🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2

🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV

👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin

TIMESTAMPS

1’46: Web3's evolution and challenges: A conversation with Daniel Finlay on MetaMask's progress and future

6’52: Exploring Web3's potential: The role of MetaMask’s developer focus, safety, and the innovative Snaps platform in shaping the future

11’20: Revolutionizing wallets and Web3: Breaking down the role of JavaScript and secure confinement in enhancing user experience and innovation

17’32: Expanding Web3 development: How JavaScript and lightweight sandboxing in MetaMask unlock new possibilities for developers

19’52: Enhancing Web3 security and usability: The role of hardened JavaScript in simplifying and securing the development process

24’00: Expanding developer horizons in Web3: Understanding the impact of Snaps in MetaMask for creating diverse and innovative applications

28’20: Unifying Web3 ecosystems: How MetaMask and Agoric facilitate seamless integration and cross-chain functionality for developers and users

37’12: Crafting the future of Web3 interfaces: How MetaMask, Snaps and Agoric are paving the way for advanced cross-chain connectivity and AI integration

Lex chats with Christopher Pallotta - founder and CEO of Templum, a company focused on alternative investments and private markets. Pallotta discusses his background in technology and investing, as well as the journey of Templum and its transformation into becoming the operating system for private markets and alternative assets. He explains how Templum's technology, broker-dealer and alternative trading system (ATS) capabilities enable the trading of regulated private securities in a compliant manner. Pallotta also discusses the growing demand for alternative assets and the role of liquidity in driving adoption. He highlights the potential for alternative assets to outperform traditional markets and the need for liquidity mechanisms in the alternative asset space. Finally, Pallotta shares his vision for the future, where alternative assets become more accessible and investing in them becomes as ubiquitous as investing in public equities.

MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION

Templum's Website: https://bit.ly/3GfLr63
Christopher's LinkedIn profile: https://bit.ly/47O2sjy

Topics: fintech, hedge fund, REIT, ETF, finance, real world assets, RWA, tokenization, alternative assets

Companies: Templum, Raptor Group, Eniac, 8VC, New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ

ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT

🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2

🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV

👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin

TIMESTAMPS

1’22: From business school to blockchain: A journey into tech and investment

6’12: The liquidity journey: Navigating markets from illiquid to fractionalized assets

8’47: Templum today: Powering alternative asset markets and beyond

12’13: Demystifying infrastructure: Public equities vs. alternative asset markets

14’57: Revolutionizing private asset markets: Templum's Shopify-inspired solution

17’12: Unifying the world of alternative assets: Templum's central operating system

20’03: Unlocking demand: The shift towards alternative assets in investment portfolios

22’18: Democratizing investment: The rise of alternative assets in retail portfolios

26’18: The expanding alt-finTech ecosystem: Templum's position in liquidity and access

28’39: Unlocking liquidity: The market implications of tradable alternative assets

31’16: The evolution of portfolio composition: A future with 60% alternatives and 40% ETFs?

33’10: The future of real-world asset tokenization: Trends, insights, opportunities, and challenges

37’50”: The channels used to connect with Chris & learn more about Templum

Lex chats with Eva Shang, CEO of Legalist - a technology-powered investment firm specialising in alternative assets. Shang discusses her company's strategies in litigation finance, bankruptcy, and government receivables. She explains that Legalist uses technology and data analysis to identify investment opportunities in the legal space. Shang also discusses the challenges and complexities of underwriting litigation cases and the importance of human judgment in the process. She highlights the need for uncorrelated sources of return in the investment landscape and the potential for technology to transform other asset classes. Shang also expresses caution about retail investors entering alternative investment spaces without proper knowledge and understanding of the risks involved.

MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION

Legalist's Website: https://bit.ly/46masHp
Eva's LinkedIn profile: https://bit.ly/49GENmD

Topics: fintech, hedge fund, litigation finance, asset management, alternative investments, AI, artificial intelligence, underwriting, investment

Companies: Legalist, Y-Combinator, LexisNexis

ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT

🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2

🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV

👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin

TIMESTAMPS

1’23”: Overview of Legalist's Asset Management Strategies

2’31”: Litigation Finance: Core Strategy and Operation

6’20”: Integration of Data Analysis and Technology in Litigation Finance

9’37”: Early Development of Legalist’s Technology at Y-Combinator

14’59”: Transition from Legal Analytics to Litigation Finance

18’22”: Investment Process and Decision Making in Legalist

24’33”: Challenges and Innovations in Data-Driven Litigation Funding

27’24”: Growth and Expansion of Legalist Since 2019

31’51”: The Future of Alternative Investments and Legalist's Role

35’09”: The channels used to connect with Eva & learn more about Legalist

Lex chats with Guy Young - the CEO and Founder of Ethena Labs, the crypto infrastructure company building USDe which is the first-ever scalable stablecoin not reliant on existing banking institutions alongside a permissionless 'internet bond'. They discuss Ethena, a new protocol for the synthetic dollar, and the market dynamics around Ethereum and the concept of the internet bond. Young explains his background in distressed investing and the risks and mistakes commonly seen in financial services. They also delve into the mechanics of the perpetuals market and the funding rates, as well as the scalability and risks associated with Ethena. Young highlights the potential for the synthetic dollar to replace bonds in traditional bank accounts and the value of a crypto-native solution with different risk profiles.

MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION

Ethena's Website: https://bit.ly/3MDR1Td
Guy's LinkedIn profile: https://bit.ly/46gDDM4

Topics: crypto, blockchain, defi, ethereum, perpetual swaps, stablecoin, synthetic dollar, steth, usde

Companies: Ethena Labs, Ethena, Cerberus, BitGet, Binance, ByBit

ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT

🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2

🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV

👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin

TIMESTAMPS

1’20”: Strategic Investments: Distressed Assets and Value Opportunities in Financial Services

4’19”: Analyzing Collapse: The Underlying Mistakes Leading to Financial Institution Failures

6’22”: Market Missteps and Innovation: The Human Element in Financial Risks and the Allure of Crypto Markets

9’37”: Decoding Value and Innovation: The Dynamics of Ethereum Economics and the Future of DeFi Tokens

16’40”: Balancing Returns and Risks: Understanding Ethereum's Capital Market Structure and the Role of Perpetual Swaps

21’47”: Synthetic Leverage in Crypto Markets: Analyzing the Persistent Tilt in Funding Rates and the $30 Trillion Perpetuals Phenomenon

25’26”: Strategic Hedging with ETH: Understanding the Perpetual Market Mechanics and Identifying the Risks

28’30”: Exchange Relations and Risk Mitigation: Balancing Volume and Counterparty Exposure in Perpetual Markets

31’42”: Impact of Scale on Ether: Assessing the Price Dynamics of Synthetic Assets and Their Influence on the Underlying Market

36’23”: Exploring Synthetic Stability: The Mechanics of Crypto-Native Dollars and the Potential for Traditional Market Integration

40’50”: The channels used to connect with Guy & learn more about Ethena

Lex chats with Sam Bobley, founder and CEO of Ocrolus - a fintech infrastructure company that powers underwriting processes for lenders like SoFi, Lending Club, and Enova. In this episode Sam starts off by sharing how he got started in entrepreneurship at a young age and the influence of his father, who was a serial entrepreneur. Bobley explains how Ocrolus focuses on document automation using OCR technology and the challenges they faced in the early days. He also discusses the evolution of machine vision and the improvements in handling semi-structured and unstructured documents. Bobley highlights the importance of vertical-specific solutions and the integration of AI technologies into financial services. He shares the company's experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and the pivot they made to focus on the Paycheck Protection Program. Bobley emphasizes the need for transparency, focusing on the big picture, and having a support system to navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship. He rounds off the episode discussing the trends he sees in the industry, including the rise of large language models and the adoption of cashflow-based underwriting.

MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION

Ocrolus's Website: https://bit.ly/3QHYoeN
Sam's LinkedIn profile: https://bit.ly/3SrC7TU

Topics: artificial intelligence, ai, machine vision, OCR, LLM, machine learning, automation, fintech, embedded banking

Companies: Ocrolus, Plaid, OpenAI, Google, Amazon, AWS, OnDeck

ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT

🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2

🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV

👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin

TIMESTAMPS

1’22”: Early entrepreneurial insights: Money's role Sam’s upbringing and fintech's influence

5’15”: The dawn of image recognition: Founding a company on the cusp of AI advancements

12’23”: Building the ideal product: The journey to a four-hour turnaround time

19’48”: The evolution of machine vision: From early days to cutting-edge capabilities

26’34”: Enhancing the developer experience: A deep dive into integration and seamless interactions

34’02”: Navigating the journey of building Ocrolus: Inflection points, growth, and challenges

38’48”: Staying resilient through business challenges: Advice for entrepreneurs from a seasoned founder

40’28”: Maintaining leadership resilience: Strategies for navigating the roller coaster of entrepreneurship

44’42”: Future trends in AI and embedded finance: Insights from a tech entrepreneur

46’21”: The channels used to connect with Sam & learn more about Ocrolus

Lex chats with Matt Bivons, the founder and CEO of Canopy, a modern digital lending company. Bivons discusses his background in fintech and his journey from being a product designer to starting his own company. He explains the importance of designing products for others and how he identified a gap in the market for a lending infrastructure solution. Bivons also talks about the evolution of the digital lending sector and the role of infrastructure companies in enabling fintech innovation. He shares his vision for the future of Canopy and the opportunities in the commercial lending space.

MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION

Canopy's Website: https://bit.ly/3Fwvg3Y
Matt's LinkedIn profile: https://bit.ly/3QyIu6x

Topics: fintech, lending, API, Paas, credit, loan servicing, digital lending

Companies: Canopy, Earnest, GreenSky, Stripe, Kabbage, YC

ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT

🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2

🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV

👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin

TIMESTAMPS

1’37”: From self-design to universal solutions: A founder's journey

7’01”: Fostering empathy in product design: Balancing personal and market problems

10’25”: Marketing strategies & cost of acquisition in fintech: Insights from Earnest and GreenSky

17’45”: Expanding horizons: Gaining experience and expertise at GreenSky

22’24”: From insight to action: Building Canopy from scratch

25’58”: Navigating the go-to-market challenge: Insights from Canopy's founding journey

31’25”: Canopy's current landscape: Scale, competencies, and customer base

34’20”: Shaping the future of digital lending: Market evolution and exciting prospects

40’02”: The channels used to connect with Matt & learn more about Canopy