Unraveling Crypto

Vane Vargas
  • 5.0 (8)
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Unraveling Crypto

Unraveling Crypto is an exploration of the expansive space of web3 with an array of experts sharing what they love for people who are curious about crypto, but have a full life and don't know where to start. Through easy conversation we cover topics like financial literacy, blockchain, and how to use these in practical ways. It's not just about technology but about who is building it and why it’s being built.

  1. 05/25/2023

    The Passport to a Wealthy Digital Nation with Amanda Terry, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Metagood (Ep. 26)

    In the buzzing world of NFTs and blockchain, Amanda Terry's proven superpower of community building and connection comes into play big time. She is one of the driving forces behind Metagood, a company that strives to build a better future for Web3. One of Metagood's most notable projects is Onchain Monkey. With an artful stroke of genius, they launched the first 10K NFT PFP (profile picture) collection in a single Ethereum transaction and inscribed the first 10K collection on Bitcoin in a single inscription. The result? One of the most vibrant and active digital communities in the space. But here's where it gets even cooler: Onchain Monkey isn't just about turning a quick profit. They have not just created financial wealth for their community, but also fostered physical health, social connectivity, and impactful social actions. They have innovatively used secondary trading revenues from NFTs to aid causes globally. What we unraveled — 2:06 - Meet Amanda Terry, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Metagood. 5:02 - OCM's community resembles more of a family. They are creating wealth that enables people to do real-world good. 6:43 - Making big moves into Ordinals: They were the first to inscribe a 10K collection on Bitcoin in a single inscription. Their Dimensions collection is the first 3D animated collection on Bitcoin. 10:48 - Attracting new people into the community with their new collection. Dimensions will be using Onchain Monkey’s genesis metadata (DNA) from the Metagood collection. This collection features high-end art 3D-generated animated NFTs. 12:24 - Short-term and long-term goals: They aim to be a passport to a wealthy digital nation. Creating value for their holders is the top priority. Long term, their goal is to be the leading Bitcoin company for high-value digital assets. 16:40 - The perks of being part of the community: If you like technical innovation, this is probably one of the strongest technical teams in the space. There's always something that will draw you in, and then you go down the rabbit hole. 19:30 - OCM's DAO is a hub of creativity and social impact: birthing new businesses, inspiring art and music, and backing global environmental and community projects. 21:27 - Biggest wins and lessons coming into Web3 for Amanda and OCM: Having one of the strongest communities in Web3. Finding a balance in life is important too. 26:53 - Lightning Round: A series of questions we ask all of our guests. Unravel Further — Links Mentioned in this Episode - OnChain Monkey Metagood ACTAI Ventures Bill Tai Danny Yang Danny Yang's Op-Ed for Bitcoin Magazine: Ordinals are Good for Bitcoin, but More Standards are Needed The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Listen Next -  Bitcoin Gains Momentum: The NFT Boom, Startups, and VC Funding with Trevor Owens (Ep. 21) The Art of Bitcoin: Ordinals, NFTs, & Gamma with Nick Sainato (Ep. 18) More of Amanda...

    30 min

  2. 05/17/2023

    Breaking Down Financial Barriers for Women in Web3 with Maggie Love (Ep. 25)

    Before deciding to join the crypto space in 2017, Maggie kept finding herself either locked out of the club when it came to financial literacy, or in the room, but drowning in jargon that no one was willing to explain. The moment Maggie realized that crypto would allow her to be sovereign over her own resources was not only personally empowering, but also opened the door for that would eventually lead her to become a leader in crypto and web3 education. Maggie’s three pillars are education, experimentation, and community; as a woman in crypto, she holds a deep belief that she can learn anything, make meaningful connections, and have a good time all while working to build true financial accessibility. Her company, SheFi, is a crypto and web3 educational initiative that has onboarded and empowered over 1,500 women and non-binary folks to Web3 since launching in 2020. What we unraveled — 4:12 - Maggie’s journey from being a dance and theater nerd to learning about blockchain, and eventually founding her first web3 company in 2018 8:47 - Maggie’s ‘aha’ moment with finance, crypto, and realizing that she didn’t have to wait for an invitation to be sovereign over her own money 12:31 - The SheFi origin story from first inspiration to launching during lockdown, and why your product doesn’t have to suit everyone to be ready for launch 19:06 - Maggie’s take on building something you’re not an expert in, and why starting small and being committed to learning is a huge part of the process 24:57 - The unique way they’re engaging in NFTs with newly minted, participate-to-earn collection, Robo Novas  32:47 - Maggie speaks on the future of SheFi, including the first ever SheFi Summit in Paris scheduled for July 2023 37:34 - Maggie’s take on feminine led business, trusting intuition, seeing the vision, and empowering her team Unravel Further — Links Mentioned in this Episode - SheFi W3BCLOUD Andre Serrano Blockchain Revolution by Don Tapscott Consensys UniSwap Brenner Spear Alyssa May Tolos Meltem Demiors Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin Listen Next -  Building Things That Don’t Exist With Blockchain, and Rethinking Money and Education with Brittany Laughlin (Ep. 15) Reimagining Institutions for the Modern Era with Andre Serrano (Ep. 20) More of Maggie - Maggie Love is the Co-Founder and Director at W3BCLOUD and the Founder at SheFi. She is committed to using blockchain to build new business and societal models that promote inclusiveness, interconnectedness, and resilience. Passionate about meaningful work, she aims to positively impact and empower others, while constantly learning and connecting people, ideas, and technology for the common good. Connect with Maggie on Twitter:...

    48 min

  3. 05/07/2023

    The Sticky Road Ahead for DeFi with Orlando Cosme (Ep. 24)

    Like a lot of people, Orlando thought crypto was pretty much just internet money for people looking to do illegal things online. The 2017 ICO boom piqued his curiosity a little, but it wasn’t until 2020 with the increased interest in DeFi that Orlando started to really pay attention and had his light bulb moment and realized that crypto and web3 are actually revolutionary. The innovative and disruptive nature of crypto and DeFi naturally bring about questions of legality and consumer protection, there is perhaps no one better positioned to navigate these dense but important conversations than Orlando. With his background as a startup and VC lawyer, securities and government enforcement litigator, and trader, Orlando’s knowledge is second to none, but it’s his innate aptitude for breaking down complex concepts and figuring out the way forward that makes the Lexproof founder and CEO a leading voice of reason in the space. What we unraveled — 7:00 - What helped Orlando to see crypto was far more than sketchy internet money, and held incredible possibility for changing the world 11:59 - Orlando’s diverse career journey and what prompted him to take the plunge from being a lawyer to founding his own crypto startup 18:58 - Orlando breaks down the concept, practical applications and conflicts that arise with DeFi (decentralized finance) 22:16 - Orlando’s take on the US Treasury’s assessment of crypto, why a significant number DeFi applications aren’t truly decentralized and how that relates to criminal actions in relation to KYC laws 36:42 - What the future of DeFi looks like in light of the KYC, and what Orlando sees as the best path forward to prevent money laundering while still allowing innovation in the space to move forward  43:03 - The proposed SEC rule changes for communications protocols, what it means for crypto, and how it’s related to free speech 51:23 - Orlando’s company Lexproof does how they help businesses navigate compliance infrastructure 52:21 - Zero Knowledge technology, how it relates to NFTs, and why it’s used for privacy as well as scalability 57:06 - Orlando’s take on AI and the impact it will have Unravel Further — Links Mentioned in this Episode - Lex Proof Helium  Orlando’s DeFi Breakdown on Twitter Listen Next -  CBDCs, the Banking Crisis, and Being a Leading Voice in Crypto with Thinking Crypto Host, Tony Edward (Ep. 19) More of Orlando - Orlando is the founder & CEO of Lexproof, a startup building web3 native compliance infrastructure. He is also an attorney and represents web3 startups and organizations in corporate and regulatory matters. Connect with Orlando on Twitter

    1h 3m

  4. 05/03/2023

    Sending Crypto & NFTs to the Moon on a SpaceX Rocket with Ian Tidwell (Ep. 23)

    Ian Tidwell will tell you he’s not a rocket scientist or billionaire, but that hasn’t stopped him and the team at LunarCrush figuring out how to put Bitcoin on the moon (literally) for you to find in the world’s first, NFT planetary treasure hunt.  Ian first heard about Bitcoin around 2017, but brushed it off as a bit of a non-starter. However, his exposure to NFTs in 2020 opened his mind to the realities of digital ownership and monetization in the influencer space, and being a serial entrepreneur, Ian put pen to paper and devised a business plan for a crypto venture to pitch to the only person he knew in crypto. He didn’t land any funding but he did secure a job at world leading social analytics firm LunarCrush, where he now serves as the head of NFTs, which has turned out to be far more exciting than he could imagine as their NFT project Nakamoto_1 is kicking off an innovative, boundary pushing treasure hunt. Nakamoto_1 will mint for the first time on May 5th, 2023. What we unraveled — 5:20 - Ian's crypto origin story, and how NFTs opened his mind to digital ownership 7:43 - What LunarCrush is and the assets they deal with 9:24 - Ian’s thoughts on AI and how it improves the web3 space 11:48 - Ian explains the Nakamoto_1 NFT project with Lunar Outpost minting May 5th 2023, what it has to do with SpaceX the moon 20:22 - Ian explains what the Nakamoto_1 community fund is and how contributions will be distributed 25:42 - Why LunarCrush decided to build Nakamoto_1 on Stacks 26:51 - The crazy steps LunarCrush are taking to ensure the privacy of the private key going to the moon 30:55 - Ian’s take on why it’s taken so long to return to the moon, and why the private sector has really stepped up with space exploration 34:53 - Why Ian is so excited to be building the Nakamoto_1 community with people who push boundaries 37:32 - How Ian strikes a balance between his personal life and working in tech Unravel Further — Links Mentioned in this Episode - Nakamoto_1 on Twitter Nakamoto_1 on Web LunarCrush Joe Vezzani GameStop Lunar Outpost SpaceX Blue Origin Golden Wolf Doodles Gamma A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle Listen Next -  The Art of Bitcoin: Ordinals, NFTs, & Gamma with Nick Sainato (Ep. 18) Building the Future of Technology and Redistributing Power with Chris Castiglione (Ep. 6) NFTs, Blockchain, and Making The Biggest Impact with Jamil (Ep. 4) More of Ian...

    44 min

  5. 04/26/2023

    Thriving as a Creative with AI and Web3 with Taylor Peterson (Ep. 22)

    Taylor built a highly successful branding and design career working in the corporate sphere before moving into journalism, and eventually joining creative collective Food Fight Studios. With more than a decade working behind the scenes supporting businesses with marketing and design, she recently saw the writing on the wall and made the leap over to stand front and center with The Sauce - and we’re all the better for it. So many leaders in the web3 space were an easy yes to working in the new frontier of technology, but not Taylor. After spending more than a decade working in branding and tech spaces, she was apprehensive about jumping into a world known more for being a Wild West for ‘crypto bros’ than anything actually useful. It wasn’t until she had the opportunity to work directly on an NFT project that she saw the true value in web3 and crypto for creatives and entrepreneurs building community, and it wasn’t long before she was leaning into the space herself as well as utilizing the unique tools that AI offers, too. Now she’s teaching others how to use these game changing tools to become more efficient, enable deeper levels of creativity responsibly and ethically. What we unraveled — 7:12 - Taylor’s journey from climbing the corporate ladder in marketing and design roles and reporting on the industry, to joining forces with a decentralized creative collective 14:32 - Moving from behind the camera to building a personal brand 18:55 - The web3 project that shifted Taylor’s perspective on crypto and NFTs from ‘just crypto bros’ to identifying major benefits for creators 21:48 - Taylor’s take on how web3 creates a new layer in business and community building that is unique to the space 25:12 - Why understanding that web3 is a tool to enable creativity like any other technology 28:13 - Why Taylor loves AI, the ethical issues she has, and how she uses it as a creator and in business 38:59 - The parallels between AI and web3, and how they work beautifully together 42:45 - Taylor’s upcoming course on visual branding for people who aren’t designers, including utilizing AI tools to support the process Unravel Further — Links Mentioned in this Episode - More about Taylor Food Fight Studios The Sauce Podcast The Sauce on Substack The Battle Bunnies Jon Briggs Frank La Natra Bored Ape Yacht Club Chat GPT Copy AI Jasper Midjourney Assembly AI Sam Ewen Orbify 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer...

    49 min

  6. 04/19/2023

    Bitcoin Gains Momentum: The NFT Boom, Startups, and VC Funding with Trevor Owens (Ep. 21)

    Trevor has been building businesses since university, and with a background in education and full stack development it’s easy to see why he’s found a perfect fit as CEO of Ninja Alerts and Managing Partner of Bitcoin Frontier Fund where he invests in exceptional teams building new use cases for Bitcoin through BTC L1 and scaling layers like Stacks. Not all of Trevor’s ventures have been successful, in fact he would be the first to tell you that his last one was basically a failure, but having been in the entrepreneurial game a long time he’s learned a thing or two about adaptability, persistence, and where to spot red flags. Now he’s grateful for the opportunity to be able to invest in, and guide other founders across an extensive portfolio of nearly 50 startups in the DeFi, NFTs, and Web3 sectors, passing on the wisdom he’s garnered from direct experience so they don’t make the same mistakes. What we unraveled — 1:33 - Trevor shares a brief overview of his career and insight into why he’s so grateful to be where he is today 8:04 - Why Trevor’s previous venture was a failure, and what it taught him about running a startup and raising VC funding 15:46 - Playing the long game, staying humble, and why later successes can be much more valuable 22:20 - Trevor’s explains what role VC funding plays in the startup success of a startup 26:23 - The projects and teams Bitcoin Frontier Fund is looking to support in the space, and why three is a magic number for co-founders 31:05 - How to evaluate if a web3 project is a good fit for you to join 36:50 - Trevor’s take on how ordinals shifted the momentum for Bitcoin, and why Ethereum isn’t going away 40:54 - Why Trevor is excited about ordinals, Stacks, and experiments people are doing on Bitcoin 42:55 - Why cognitive dissonance is a huge red flag in an entrepreneur 46:23 - Why Trevor believes education in building on Bitcoin L1 is key to drawing more people to the web3 space 51:02 - Trevor’s top advice for new founders in the current market   Unravel Further — Links Mentioned in this Episode - Ninjalerts Muneeb The Ordinal Show NFTNYC Eli Herf Gamma Nostr Michael Saylor Crash Punks How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie  On Writing Well by William Zinger  Listen Next -  NFTs, Blockchain, and Making The Biggest Impact with Jamil (Ep. 4) The Art of Bitcoin: Ordinals, NFTs, & Gamma with Nick Sainato (Ep.18) More of Trevor - Trevor is a multifaceted entrepreneur, author, and early stage startup investor. He is the CEO of Ninjalerts, an Ethereum-based wallet tracker, and also serves as the Managing Partner at Bitcoin Frontier Fund, where he invests in exceptional teams building new use cases for Bitcoin through BTC L1 and scaling layers like...

    1 hr

  7. 04/12/2023

    Reimagining Institutions for the Modern Era with Andre Serrano (Ep. 20)

    After taking some time to dive deep into the crypto ecosystem when he found Bitcoin in 2017, it was clear to Andre that digital currency was the future of economic empowerment. Having weathered numerous bear market cycles since then, Andre’s more excited than ever to see web3 learn from web2’s mistakes and make real, meaningful impact over the next 20 years. Andre’s diverse background in philosophy, political science, and economics, may not have pointed him toward an obvious career path in the crypto space. However, it was precisely this unique, multidisciplinary informed insight that enabled him to connect the dots, and easily see the incredible potential of a world that trusts math and code over a fiat system.  Soon, after finding Bitcoin he began his crypto education journey by reading books, engaging in the ecosystem, and making personal investments in projects he believed were making impact for what he saw for the long term vision of the industry. Now, having worked with various companies in the space, he’s now proud to be the sBTC Resident at the Stacks Foundation where he’s responsible for product and partnerships of sBTC.  What we unraveled — 5:07 - Andre’s crypto journey, and how diving deeper when he started in 2017 made him realise he wanted to devote his career to the space  7:07 - Why Andre says the experience of crypto’s natural cycles of bear and bull markets becomes easier over time and how to navigate them 8:41 - Andre’s professional background since joining the crypto space, and why the issue of privacy in web3 became the problem he wanted to focus on 12:38 - Unlocking the full potential of Bitcoin with sBTC, and why that’s so important for economic empowerment in a fragile time for the macro economy 18:21 - Andre’s take on what’s ahead for the long term for crypto and experimenting on blockchains other than Bitcoin 21:24 - Why ordinals and identity are exciting to Andre 24:37 - Why Andre believes infrastructure being built today on blockchain will replace all of our exisiting systems 29:17 - Andre’s take on governmental involvement in crypto and why he’s fundamentally optimistic   Unravel Further — Links Mentioned in this Episode - Bitcoin Stacks Andre’s Newsletter Zcash Electric Coin Company Lightning Network Litecoin Ethereum Hayley Carr The Creative Act by Rick Rubin More of Andre - Andre Serrano is a community builder, investor and strategist passionate about empowering people through technology and entrepreneurship. Currently, he is the sBTC Resident at the Stacks Foundation focused on enabling users to put their Bitcoin to work in a secure and trust-minimized way. Previously, he was the Business Development Lead at Zcash, one of the oldest cryptocurrencies and first to implement zero-knowledge proof encryption. Andre holds a B.A. from University of Pennsylvania in Philosophy, Political Science and Economics (PPE) Connect with Andre on a href="https://twitter.com/andrerserrano" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

    54 min

  8. 04/05/2023

    CBDCs, the Banking Crisis, and Being a Leading Voice in Crypto with Thinking Crypto Host, Tony Edward (Ep. 19)

    From being drawn to learn everything he could about tech as a kid in the 90s, to being the growth manager at Okcoin today and being a highly respected voice in crypto with his successful YouTube show Thinking Crypto, it’s safe to say Tony’s ambition to master a wide range of skill sets has been the driver an incredible career. After immigrating from South America to the US, Tony has always been driven to learn everything he could about every new environment he found himself in. From busting computers apart in the 90s to being a self-taught digital marketer and YouTuber, Tony has a lot of wisdom to share about the value of consistency, passion, and trial and error. Having started his show, Thinking Crypto, in 2017 after finding a natural fit sharing about his passion for tech and crypto, Tony has grown his community to 122K subscribers and is a go-to resource for many people in the space looking for easy to understand takes on blockchain, every changing crypto trends, and digital assets. What we unraveled — 5:40 - Tony speaks about immigrating from South America to the USA as a child, and his early drive to learn about tech in the 90s 7:41 - Tony’s career journey from marketing to crypto, starting his own podcast and YouTube channel, and working with Okcoin Exchange 8:36 - How Tony got started in building websites and digital marketing back in 2007, and the trial and error of starting different YouTube channels before finding a natural fit with tech and crypto content a decade later 11:32 - Why Tony says consistency is the critical piece to starting something new, and how valuable it is in building skillsets over time 21:09 - Tony’s transition from being the shy kid to a confident, respected public speaker 24:25 - How Thinking Crypto grew from 2017 to what it is today 26:44 - Tony’s thoughts on what’s happening in crypto right now, and why it’s helpful to understand that the ‘bad things’ happening aren’t necessarily unique to crypto 33:22 - Tony’s take on Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) and how it’s different to existing digital services like PayPal or Venmo 35:44 - What former Coinbase CTO Balaji Srinivasan has said about the banking crisis’ impact on Bitcoin, and why Tony disagrees with him 43:32 - The value of Bitcoin as a global asset class, and why diversification is crucial in creating and maintaining financial wealth 46:45 - Why Tony believes the government will use CBDCs as the new financial system Unravel Further — Links Mentioned in this Episode - Thinking Crypto Instagram Think it's Crypto Twitter Okcoin Exchange Bitcoin Vid IQ Dale Carnegie Coinbase Balaji Srinivasan Paul Tudor Jones The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien More of Tony - Tony Edward is the founder and host of the Thinking Crypto Podcast. He is also a growth manager at Okcoin Exchange, speaker, and digital marketer. Connect with Tony on Twitter

    54 min
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About

Unraveling Crypto is an exploration of the expansive space of web3 with an array of experts sharing what they love for people who are curious about crypto, but have a full life and don't know where to start. Through easy conversation we cover topics like financial literacy, blockchain, and how to use these in practical ways. It's not just about technology but about who is building it and why it’s being built.

Information

  • Creator
    Vane Vargas
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2023
  • Episodes
    27
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2023 Vane Vargas
  • Show Website
    Unraveling Crypto

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