Blockchain Won't Save the World

Latest Episodes:

S3E22 Draft Kings: Blockchain, Sports & Digital Collectibles w. Matt Kalish (Co-Founder & President) Sep 15, 2023

Show notes

How did a sports betting company become a world leader in Blockchain? Co-founder Matt Kalish explains how NFTs and the Reignmakers fantasy sports experience are unlocking entirely new business models...
This is one of those shows that will make things 'finally click'...
When you see a business with high digital penetration, based on real-world events and data feeds, and with high levels of fan engagement, there's a strong basis for fast-paced innovation.
Matt and the Draft Kings team have captured the imagination of thousands of fans and consolidated the 'fantasy sports' category. They're publishing content licensed by top sports associations like the PGA, UFC and NFL, with individual player NFTs selling for thousands of dollars.
On this episode we find out why and how Draft Kings have been thriving in Web3, and cover:
- The origins of DK's interest in Web3
- An introduction to the Reignmakers products

- How to combine the best of sports, gaming and NFTs
- What's coming in Reignmakers Football Season 2
- How DK measure the impact of Blockchain and NFT tech
- The challenges of working with Web3 technology
- The response of 'traditional' customers of DK as well as of the wider Web3 and NFT communities

S3E21 Gamifying Exchanges with Blocktrade CEO, Christian Niedermueller Sep 01, 2023

Show notes

Crypto exchanges have created some drama in Web3 lately. Can we do better? Christian and Blocktrade believe so, and have a plan for disrupting the 'traditional' role that exchanges play... through play!On this show, Christian Niedermueller, CEO of Blocktrade, shares his views on the world of exchanges, and why he and the Blocktrade team are going to transform the customer experience, and bring trust back to crypto.Two major parts of the recipe will. be 'gamification' and 'education'. There is still a big gap in peoples' understanding of how Web3 works and given exchanges are typically one of the first touchpoints with crypto, there is a responsibility to help educate customers. But this doesn't have to be a dull, bank-esque experience, and the Blocktrade team are pioneering new ways to make learning and engaging with crypto fun and memorable. On this episode we'll discuss: - Christian’s Blockchain origin story and the founding of Blocktrade- The role and importance of exchanges in Web3 (and Web2)- How Blocktrade is differentiated from other exchanges- The role exchanges play in educating people and businesses about Crypto- The power of gamification in customer education and retention- What is needed to see wider adoption of Web3

S3E20 Canton: The World's Most Ambitious Blockchain Network w. Yuval Rooz (CEO, Digital Asset) Aug 18, 2023

Show notes

One of the most insightful shows EVER! Web3 is not about siloed, slow, monolithic databases. It’s about open, interoperable, innovative platforms available to all. And Canton Network promises to be the missing link to connect the world’s global financial system with Blockchain.
Canton only recently announced its whitepaper and vision, but has already made quite an impact. With tech companies and financial giants like Goldman Sachs, Deloitte and Microsoft as founding members, there’s some serious scale and value already accessible to the network.
I’m joined by Yuval Rooz, CEO of Digital Asset, and one of the architects of Canton, who will give us the full story of how Canton was formed, how he plans to construct a decentralised network of DLTs across the globe, and what’s in it for the average citizens of Earth…
In this show we talk about:
- The history of Digital Asset and recent DA projects
- Canton’s vision and how the consortium was started
- The Canton problem statements: 1. Lack of privacy (all data published to all nodes) 2. Unpredictable fees / competition for block space
- How Canton technology compare to other options for Financial Services e.g. DLTs (Corda, Fabric), Public Chains (Ethereum, Ripple), or traditional APIs
- How Canton creates value for consortium members
- How Canton can foster open innovation, in the spirit of DeFi / Public networks
- The next steps on the Canton roadmap

S3E19 Helium: Broadband on the Blockchain w. Abhay Kumar Aug 04, 2023

Show notes

'Decentralise everything' they say... Helium accepted the challenge. How do you decentralise wireless telecoms to allow anyone or any device to connect to the internet? Listen in to find out more...
On this show we discuss how a 10-year old silicon valley project pivoted to Blockchain, then made a full migration from roll-your-own protocol to Solana, and a lot more besides!

- The history of Helium Network and the DePIN network
- What makes the combination of IOT and Blockchain so powerful
- Early applications for Helium
- Plans for migration to Solana
- What it takes to grow an ecosystem like Helium and the challenges of working with physical hardware
- Advice to others building with Web3 and Blockchain tech

S3E18 Playing Blockchain Games on LinkedIn w. Alex Altgausen, Founder of Banksters Jul 20, 2023

Show notes

For the first time EVER, we play a Blockchain game LIVE on the Blockchain Won't Save the World podcast!... This was serious fun. Seriously... Web3 gaming is not 'owning your NFTs'. Alex will explain why Blockchain infrastructure and gamification can transform more than just casual gaming... With a background in trading, exchanges and multi-technology innovation, Alex Altgausen has a broader outlook on Web3 than many. He pioneered the launch of StormGain (a sophisticated competitor to traditional crypto exchanges) and recently founded Banksters: a game and innovative gamification infrastructure combined. Games are about fun, and providing meaningful experiences and rewards for users' commitment and engagement with their games. They rarely care about what technology is under the hood, and we'll explore this deeper on the show. We talk about:- What it takes to build and grown a Web3 game like Banksters- The potential for Blockchain to disrupt the Gaming industry- How to think objectively about the value in the technology- How major game developers are looking at Web3 tech today- Advice for others game developers based on the Banksters experience

S3E17 Kaleido: Plug & Play Blockchain (Web3 Doesn't Have to be Hard) w. Sophia Lopez & Steve Cerveny Jul 07, 2023

Show notes

Kaleido has been consistently making it easier for anyone to use Web3 technology: multi-chain, across the stack, for B2B and B2C, but what more is needed to see Web3 scale if the technical barriers are being removed?... I'm joined by Sophia Lopez and Stephen Cerveny, the co-founders of Kaleido, who have been working relentlessly since 2015 to make it as easy as possible to stand-up Web3 tech. Just a few clicks and you're running and Ethereum node. A few more clicks are you've created a private network using Hyperledger Fabric. And more recently, Kaleido have included Polygon, Avalanche, ISO compliance, SOC2 compliance, and a whole lot more. There is literally no excuse for saying that setting up Blockchain technology is 'hard' any more...
In this episode we will talk about:
- The history of Kaleido, for those who don’t know
- What the team has been working on over the past few months
- Learnings from the past 12 months’ of Web3 (FTX, 3AC, Luna etc.) and the imperatives they give us for scaling Web3 in future
- The current state of ‘Enterprise Blockchain’ and emerging pockets of growth
- What went wrong with well know 'Gen 1' DLT projects that were shut down (SGX, B3i, We.Trade) and how we overcome similar challenges
- How can we enhance Developer Experience and make it easier for anyone to build in Web3
- How far we are away from delivering fully decentralised websites, apps and e-commerce

S3E16 Planet Algorand - Purpose to Post-Quantum w. Staci Warden (CEO, Algorand Foundation) Jun 23, 2023

Show notes

What an episode! One of the most insightful and enjoyable so far, and Staci is the first guest on the show to throw me off my intro game!

Don’t miss Staci Warden, CEO of Algorand Foundation, sharing her insights for how Blockchains and Web3 can aim higher, solve real-world problems, and pass the test of time… Staci is one of the most respected leaders in Web3. She has overseen the growth and expansion of the Algorand ecosystem, new technology, new team and some exciting recent announcements.
It’s so important to have experienced leaders identifying and addressing the challenges of Web3 today. We have incredible technology but it take more than that to drive change. On this episode we discuss:
- Staci’s path to becoming CEO of Algorand Foundation
- What it takes to build and scale a protocol like Algorand in 2023
- What Staci has observed from Web3 in the past year, and the imperatives that give us for Web3 going forward
- How Enterprises or industrial applications play a role in scaling Web3

- The issues and importance of Quantum computing-resistant Blockchains
- Verticals or geographies where Algorand is seeing strong adoption
- The importance of tooling for a Blockchain ecosystem - Python, Python, Python
- Advice for anyone building with Web3 tech today ('Easy internet money is gone')

S3E15 The Importance of Privacy in Web3 w. Harry Halpin (CEO, Nym Technologies) Jun 09, 2023

Show notes

Blockchains are immutable, transparent and pseudonymous. But do they protect your privacy? We get a data protection masterclass from Harry Halpin who has been leading Nym and championing this domain for years... I've said it to anyone who will listen for the past few years that while we're open to mass adoption of the decentralised internet, not all of Web3 is going to blend well with existing Web2 technologies and business models.
And for goodness sake, do not connect your crypto wallet to your doxxed facebook account! But the issues around data protection and privacy go far deeper than this.
In this show we talk about:
- A brief history of Nym, ''mixnets' and how they led to Bitcoin
- The importance of privacy-preserving technology in Web3 and Web2
- The particular areas, problems or industries where the need for privacy chains is more prevalent
- The issues with Meta and Amazon offering NFT and Web3 integrations
- New technologies around identity and zero-knowledge, incl. zk-nym (privacy-enhanced attribute-based credentials)
- How individuals can get more agency and confident in managing privacy
- What more is required to scale Web3 in a privacy-preserving way
This is a topic that everyone should feel the need to level-up on, and I can assure you, this will be a great place to start!

S3E14 Foundations in Web3 w. Frederik Gregaard (CEO, Cardano Foundation) May 26, 2023

Show notes

Cardano has one of the strongest ecosystems in Web3, but why? Frederik, the CEO of Cardano Foundation will help to explain all... With a Market Cap of $14Bn (at time of recording) and seen by many as the largest competitor to Ethereum as a smart contract Blockchain, there's good reason to follow the growth of Cardano to-date. It has been a story of pragmatic, peer-reviewed and largely hype-free development since it was founded in 2015 and launched in 2017. But that's just the tech side. What about the 'ecosystem'?As CEO of Cardano Foundation, Frederik is responsible for a non-profit organisation whose mission is to advance operational resilience, education, and adoption of the Cardano Blockchain and the tools and dApps built around it. But how does that work in practice? We talk about:- The role of Foundations in Web3, and what do they do on a day-to-day basis- The challenges and imperatives for growing Web3 ecosystems- The verticals that will drive adoption of decentralised technology- The interaction between Blockchains, AI and the Metaverse in our future- Advice to anyone building with Web3 tech today

S3E13 Onboarding Enterprises to Web3 w. Alan Vey (CEO of Aventus) May 12, 2023

Show notes

Enterprises could bring 1 Billion users to Web3. But how do you get them excited about decentralised tech? Alan Vey and the Aventus team know exactly how... Aventus have worked with a wide range of ‘Web2’ companies, from cargo tracking at Heathrow Airport, to loyalty management with Cashback app, to helping Beatport launch music NFTs to 50m users and over 100k record labels.So they know a thing or two about what enterprises do and don’t want when it comes to Web3, and what are the biggest challenges that come up along the way. On this show we discuss:- What enterprises really think of Blockchain and Web3- How to look for valuable use cases for enterprises- Use cases in supply chain, music, art and loyalty- How enterprises really feel about crypto- Advice for anyone building with Blockchain

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Blockchain Won’t Save the World

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected