Flippening - For Crypto Investors

Latest Episodes:

How to Recruit or Get Hired in Crypto in 2020 w/ Rob Paone From Proof of Talent (Ep. 0067) Jan 14, 2020

Show notes

This crypto podcast was recorded live. To attend a live recording and submit interview questions to guests, enter your email address here & subscribe.

Today's guest is Rob Paone, founder of Proof of Talent, a recruiting firm focused on the blockchain and crypto industries. Because he specializes in blockchain and crypto hiring, Rob is able to offer precise insight into recruiting top talent and getting hired in these verticles.

This conversation with Rob is split into 3 chapters:

The state of hiring and recruiting in the blockchain/crypto space
How to get hired by a crypto company
A Q&A covering networking, trends in remote hiring, and Rob's competition

The episode also covers the following:

How blockchain-related job searches tend to be correlated with Bitcoin
Hiring in a competitive market
Rob’s concept of risk squared: startup risk + technology risk
Where the blockchain/crypto jobs are
The benefits of networking – both online and in-person
How to stand out as a job-seeker

Sponsors:

Crypto Loans by Nexo

Nexo is the only lender offering INSTANT crypto credit lines, which let you use digital assets as collateral to get cash in 45 fiat currencies and stablecoins. Annual interest rates for credit lines are now starting at just 5.9% - which may very well be the lowest borrowing rate in the whole industry. Nexo is also a strategic partner of exchanges, OTC desks, and crypto funds through its portfolio of structured financial products. Institutional counterparties can earn up to 8% annually on their idle stablecoins, enter into asset swap agreements, or directly borrow crypto. Individuals can also park their cash and stablecoins at Nexo's Interest-Earning account to get an annual return of 8%. So if you are looking to borrow, lend, or swap digital assets, Nexo is your GO-TO PARTNER. Definitely explore nexo.io or reach them at institutions@nexo.io.

CryptoTrader.Tax

CryptoTrader.Tax makes the excruciating task of reporting your cryptocurrency gains and losses a breeze. Sorting through transaction records from exchanges and reporting each trade in USD terms is not how most crypto investors want to spend a weekend. CryptoTrader.Tax is a software platform that automates the entire cryptocurrency tax reporting process. It's basically TurboTax for cryptocurrency investors. Just connect your exchanges and import your trade history and CryptoTrader.Tax will do all of the number-crunching and spit out your auto-filled tax reports with the click of a button. Tell them that Clay from the Flippening Podcast sent you to get a discount.

Nomics' Cryptocurrency API

Spend too much time cleaning up and maintaining datasets & ingesting crypto market cap data from crypto exchanges? We offer the most accurate and transparent crypto data in the space. For example, see our Litecoin Price / LTC page.

P.S. If you've read this far, consider signing up for our Popular Crypto newsletter.

A Cryptoeconomic Designer's View of Markets w/ Matt Chwierut From Smith + Crown (Ep. 0066) Jan 07, 2020

Show notes

This cryptocurrency podcast was recorded live. To attend a live recording and directly submit interview questions to guests, go here, enter your email address and subscribe.

Welcome to this conversation with Matt Chwierut, co-founder and Director of Research at Smith + Crown (S+C), a blockchain research organization that regularly publishes on cryptoassets and cryptoeconomic systems. This episode is special because it’s one of the few times that Matt has shared his thoughts in public. Much of what S+C does takes place behind the scenes.

This conversation with Matt is split into 3 chapters:

An intro to cryptoeconomic design
How S+C applies cryptoeconomic design principles
A Q&A covering S+C's advisory work, the evolving case for Bitcoin & more

The episode also covers the following:

Today’s BTC-dominated market
Why cryptoeconomic design goes unappreciated
How a utility token can become valuable
Cryptoeconomics and stablecoins
Ethereum and the Fat Protocol thesis

Sponsors:

CryptoTrader.Tax

Crypto Loans by Nexo

Nomics' Cryptocurrency API

Spend too much time cleaning up and maintaining datasets & ingesting crypto market cap data from cryptoasset exchanges, then check us out. We offer the most accurate and transparent crypto data in the space; see for example our Litecoin Price / LTC page.

P.S. If you've read this far, please consider signing up for our Popular Crypto newsletter.

Ethereum Name Service & The Internet Naming Revolution w/ Brantly Millegan (Ep. 0065) Dec 31, 2019

Show notes

This cryptocurrency podcast was recorded live. To attend a live recording and directly submit interview questions to guests, go here, enter your email address and subscribe.

Welcome to this conversation with Brantly Millegan, Director of Operations at Ethereum Name Service (ENS), a non-profit that allows users to register human-friendly addresses for sending money and interacting with smart contracts. For example, ENS lets Alice shorten her 0x-prefixed Ethereum address (something like “0x4cbe58c50480…”) to “alice.eth."

This conversation with Brantly is split into 3 chapters:

An explanation of what naming systems are
How ENS works and what users can do with it
A Q&A covering ENS' competitors, future use cases & more

The episode also covers the following:

How blockchain makes ENS censorship-resistant
Programming ENS names with smart contracts
The difference between .eth and ENS
Why ENS is no longer creating new TLDs
How ENS is funded
Trading a .eth name like any other NFT

Sponsors:

Crypto Loans by Nexo

CryptoTrader.Tax

Nomics' Cryptocurrency API

P.S. If you've read this far, please consider signing up for our Popular Crypto newsletter.

The Evolution of Crypto-Backed Loans w/ Antoni Trenchev from Nexo (Ep. 0064) Dec 11, 2019

Show notes

Welcome to this conversation with Antoni Trenchev, co-founder and Managing Partner at Nexo, a provider of instant cryptoasset-backed loans and high-yield savings products. Since the April 2018 ICO of their NEXO token, the company has processed over $1 billion dollars in transactions.

My conversation with Antoni is split into 5 chapters:

Chapter 1: Nexo’s business model and some of its products
Chapter 2: The lifecycle of a Nexo loan
Chapter 3: A history and evolution of cryptoasset-backed lending
Chapter 4: The present state of crypto-backed lending
Chapter 5: The future of the space

In this episode, we discuss:

Antoni’s background prior to Nexo
Nexo's origin as a hand-drawn graphic on a piece of paper
Bitcoin (BTC) forums & the early days of crypto-backed lending
The mechanics of serving customers in 200+ jurisdictions
The challenge of complying with diverse US state laws
Nexo's zero-fee model – they only make money from loan interest
Why Nexo doesn't pay interest on crypto – yet
The fortuitous timing of the NEXO token sale
Common uses cases for cryptoasset-backed loans
Pledging crypto as collateral to minimize taxes
How to apply for a Nexo loan
Consumer benefits of dynamic credit lines
The Nexo credit card
The size of the cryptoasset-backed lending space
Extending loans against tokenized physical gold
KYC and AML for crypto-backed lending
Why Antoni sees Nexo as a financial institution and a software company
The importance of simple, transparent regulation

Sponsor: Nomics’ Cryptocurrency Market Data API

If you spend too much time cleaning up and maintaining datasets & ingesting crypto market cap data from cryptoasset exchanges, then check us out.

Part 2: Decentralized Exchange in 2019 w/ 0x Founders Will Warren & Amir Bandeali - (Ep. 0063) Dec 06, 2019

Show notes

This episode is the second of a two-part conversation with Will Warren and Amir Bandeali, co-founders of 0x (which issues the ZRX token), an open-source protocol that powers the decentralized exchange of tokens on Ethereum.

This interview is part of a series with exchange operators. We've interviewed Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ), Binance CFO Wei Zhou, Ivan Poon from Switcheo, Alex Wearn from IDEX, Sam Bankman-Fried from FTX, John Jansen from Deribit, and Mario Lozada from Liquid.

My conversation with Will and Amir is split into 4 chapters:
- Chapter 1: Decentralized exchange before DEXs
- Chapter 2: A short history of DEXs and 0x
- Chapter 3: The current state of DEXs and 0x
- Chapter 4: An exploration of the future

In this episode, we finish chapter 3 and cover chapter 4.

We discuss:

Ways that 0x relayers can compete for users
How 0x Mesh enables a more efficient marketplace
KYC and AML on DEXs
The introduction of bridge contracts in v3
Lesser-known use cases for 0x
Why DEXs are suited for security tokens
The potential of prediction markets like Augur and Gnosis
Launching a 0x relayer in just a couple of minutes

Sponsors

Crypto Loans By Nexo
Nexo is the only lender offering INSTANT crypto credit lines, which let you use digital assets as collateral to get cash in 45 fiat currencies and stablecoins. And Nexo has a BIG announcement related to credit lines: annual interest rates for credit lines are now starting at just 5.9% - which may very well be the lowest borrowing rate in the whole industry. Nexo is also a strategic partner of exchanges, OTC desks, and crypto funds through its portfolio of structured financial products. Institutional counterparties can earn up to 8% annually on their idle stablecoins, enter into asset swap agreements, or directly borrow crypto. Individuals also park their cash and stablecoins at Nexo’s Interest-Earning account to get an annual return of 8%. What’s more - interest is paid out daily and you can add or withdraw funds at ANY time. So if you are looking to borrow, lend, or swap digital assets, Nexo is your GO-TO PARTNER. Definitely explore nexo.io or reach them at institutions@nexo.io.

Nomics’ Cryptocurrency Market Data API
If you spend too much time cleaning up and maintaining datasets & ingesting crypto market cap data from cryptoasset exchanges, then check us out.

The State of Decentralized Exchange in 2019 w/ 0x Founders Will Warren & Amir Bandeali - Part 1 (Ep. 0062) Dec 02, 2019

Show notes

This episode is the first of a two-part conversation with Will Warren and Amir Bandeali, co-founders of 0x. 0x is an open-source protocol that powers the decentralized exchange of tokens on Ethereum.

In this episode, we cover chapters 1, 2, and part of chapter 3. In the next episode, we finish chapter 3 and cover chapter 4.

In this episode, we discuss:

How Amir and Will got into cryptocurrency
Why Ethereum needed a protocol like 0x
Why 0x decided to open source
The early days of decentralized exchange
The benefits of moving order books off-exchange
Obstacles to the mass adoption of DEXs
Present-day DeFi vs. ICO Mania
0x's corporate structure
Changes to token economics in v3

Sponsors
Crypto Loans By Nexo
Nexo is the only lender offering INSTANT crypto credit lines, which let you use digital assets as collateral to get cash in 45 fiat currencies and stablecoins. And Nexo has a BIG announcement related to credit lines: annual interest rates for credit lines are now starting at just 5.9% - which may very well be the lowest borrowing rate in the whole industry. Nexo is also a strategic partner of exchanges, OTC desks, and crypto funds through its portfolio of structured financial products. Institutional counterparties can earn up to 8% annually on their idle stablecoins, enter into asset swap agreements, or directly borrow crypto. Individuals also park their cash and stablecoins at Nexo’s Interest-Earning account to get an annual return of 8%. What’s more - interest is paid out daily and you can add or withdraw funds at ANY time. So if you are looking to borrow, lend, or swap digital assets, Nexo is your GO-TO PARTNER. Definitely explore nexo.io or reach them at institutions@nexo.io.

Nomics’s Cryptocurrency Market Data API
If you spend too much time cleaning up and maintaining datasets & ingesting crypto market cap data from cryptoasset exchanges, then check us out.

Nomics’ Lead Investor on Growing Startups Outside the Valley w/ Patrick Meenan of Arthur Ventures Nov 20, 2019

Show notes

I'm joined by Patrick Meenan, General Partner at Arthur Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in B2B software companies located outside of San Francisco. Patrick has been with Arthur Ventures since 2012. He's also a board member at Nomics, the company that produces this podcast.

This interview is relevant to blockchain startups. Indeed, most blockchain startups are not in the Valley and even if they were, the standard playbooks wouldn’t apply to many of them because of the unique dynamics of this space. In this episode, we discuss methods and approaches for funding, growing, and operating a company outside Silicon Valley or even the United States.

As a side note, Patrick and I go back quite a bit. He was involved in the first round of funding for my previous company, LeadPages, which went on to acquire an email service provider called Drip. We’ve sat on a board together for over six years.
My conversation with Patrick is split into 4 chapters:
- Chapter 1: Lessons learned investing outside the Valley
- Chapter 2: Business operations
- Chapter 3: Fundraising outside the Valley
- Chapter 4: Blockchain-based investment opportunities
In this episode, we discuss:

Patrick's background prior to joining Arthur Ventures
The origin of Arthur Ventures
The first thing Patrick learned about early-stage investing
The danger of using a Bay Area playbook outside the Valley
How good companies share common characteristics
How Patrick finds opportunities outside of San Francisco
Different reasons why companies take capital
How Patrick evaluates a company's growth prospects
Why Arthur Ventures prefers to be the lead - or only - investor
Mistakes that can derail a company's growth
The right and wrong times to take liquidity
How entrepreneurs can find VCs outside the Valley
What to pay attention to in a term sheet
How to run an effective board meeting
Why it's an encouraging time to be in blockchain

Sponsors

Why Institutional Investors Are Flocking to Liquid (Crypto Exchange) w/ Mario Lozada, Sponsored by Nexo - (Ep. 0060) Nov 12, 2019

Show notes

Welcome to this conversation with Mario Lozada, co-founder, President, and CTO at Liquid , a cryptocurrency exchange .

Liquid launched in 2014. In 2017, they raised over $100 million in an ICO for their utility token, QASH . In the past year, they've done nearly $100 billion in real volume.

This interview is part of a series with exchange operators. We've interviewed Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) , Binance CFO Wei Zhou , Ivan Poon from Switcheo , Alex Wearn from IDEX , Sam Bankman-Fried from FTX , and John Jansen from Deribit .

My conversation with Mario is split into 5 chapters:

- Chapter 1: The current state of Liquid
- Chapter 2: Revenue sources
- Chapter 3: Liquid’s product roadmap
- Chapter 4: Branding
- Chapter 5: The future for Liquid and the crypto space

In this episode we discuss:

Mario’s background
Working with Japanese regulatory agencies
The value of customer feedback
Why spot markets outnumber derivatives platforms
Exciting new products

Sponsors

Crypto Loans By Nexo

Nexo is the only lender offering INSTANT crypto credit lines, which let you use digital assets as collateral to get cash in 45 fiat currencies and stablecoins. And Nexo has a BIG announcement related to credit lines: annual interest rates for credit lines are now starting at just 5.9% - which may very well be the lowest borrowing rate in the whole industry. Nexo is also a strategic partner of exchanges, OTC desks, and crypto funds through its portfolio of structured financial products. Institutional counterparties can earn up to 8% annually on their idle stablecoins, enter into asset swap agreements, or directly borrow crypto. Individuals also park their cash and stablecoins at Nexo’s Interest-Earning account to get an annual return of 8%. What’s more - interest is paid out daily and you can add or withdraw funds at ANY time.

So if you are looking to borrow, lend, or swap digital assets, Nexo is your GO-TO PARTNER. Definitely explore nexo.io or reach them at institutions@nexo.io .

Nomics’s Cryptocurrency Market Data API

If you found that you or your developer have to spend too much time cleaning up and maintaining datasets & ingesting market cap data , instead of identifying opportunities then check out the Nomics API .

Crypto Exchange Volume Spamming w/ Rob Paone of the Crypto Bobby Podcast - (Ep. 0059) Nov 02, 2019

Show notes

My guest today is actually me, Clay.

In this episode, I am interviewed by Rob Paone. Rob is the host of the Crypto Bobby Podcast. He’s also the founder of Proof of Talent, a boutique recruiting firm that helps companies fill positions in the blockchain and cryptocurrency space.
A few months ago, Rob interviewed me for his podcast and I liked the content so much that I asked Rob if I could air a modified version of that conversation here on the Flippening. He generously said yes, so here we are. By the way, this is the second time I’ve been on Rob’s show. You can listen to my first interview with Rob at episode #11.
In this conversation, Rob and I explore:
- How and why crypto exchanges spam aggregators like CoinMarketCap
- What ticker stuffing is and how it works
- Why referring to fake volume as wash trading is an inaccurate description of the problem
- Why liquidity providers that are really just providing volume as a service to exchanges and crypto projects are hurting the space
- What the crypto data ecosystem needs if it really wants to grow up
In this episode we discuss:

The impact of the BitWise report
What is driving fake volume on exchanges
The difference between exchange spamming, volume spamming, and ticker stuffing
Why fake volume matters and who it impacts the most
How retail traders can protect themselves from fake volume
How Nomics is combatting exchange spam with transparency ratings
Why keeping up with exchange spam will be an ongoing battle

Sponsors

Crypto Loans By Nexo

Nexo is the only lender offering INSTANT crypto credit lines, which let you use digital assets as collateral to get cash in 45 fiat currencies and stablecoins.

Nexo is also a strategic partner of exchanges, OTC desks, and crypto funds through its portfolio of structured financial products. Institutional counterparties can earn up to 8% annually on their idle stablecoins, enter into asset swap agreements, or directly borrow crypto.

Individuals can also park their cash and stablecoins at Nexo’s Interest-Earning account to get an annual return of 8%. What’s more - interest is paid out daily and you can add or withdraw funds at ANY time.

So if you are looking to borrow, lend, or swap digital assets, Nexo is your GO-TO PARTNER. Definitely explore nexo.io or reach them at institutions@nexo.io.

Nomics’s Cryptocurrency Market Data API

If you found that you or your developer have to spend too much time cleaning up and maintaining datasets & ingesting market cap data, instead of identifying opportunities, or if you’re tired of interpolated data and want raw primary source trades delivered simply and consistently with top-notch support in SLAs, then check out the Nomics API.

Part 2: The Fascinating History of Crypto Exchanges w/ Nathaniel Whittemore (Ep. 0058) Oct 26, 2019

Show notes

This episode is the second and final installment of our two-part series on the history of crypto exchanges. Once again, I'm joined by Nathaniel Whittemore, a freelance crypto communications strategist.

This conversation is part of a larger series we’re doing on crypto exchanges. As part of this series, we’ve already interviewed Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao and John Jansen from Deribit, among others.

Nathaniel and I are teaming up to write an article about the history of cryptocurrency exchanges. In this two-part series, we explore the main ideas from that article and share our understanding of how the crypto exchange ecosystem has evolved over time.

This conversation is broken up into 5 chapters:

- Chapter 1: The pre-history of Bitcoin and how regulation from that era still affects us today
- Chapter 2: An exploration of the first crypto exchange that launched only a year after Bitcoin went live
- Chapter 3: The Mt. Gox story and the fallout caused by that hack
- Chapter 4: The rise of ICOs and how that led to the ascendancy of Binance
- Chapter 5: Current trends in the crypto exchange ecosystem

In last week's episode (#57), we covered chapters 1 through 3. In this episode (#58), we cover chapters 4 through 5.

In this episode we discuss:

The ICO boom
How tokens allow you to bootstrap the value of the network
The rise of BitMEX and derivatives trading
Initial Exchange Offerings (IEOs)
How custody and trading are being centralized
Why exchanges are spamming aggregator sites like Nomics and CoinMarketCap

Sponsors

Crypto Loans By Nexo

Nexo is the only lender offering INSTANT crypto credit lines, which let you use digital assets as collateral to get cash in 45 fiat currencies and stablecoins.

So if you are looking to borrow, lend, or swap digital assets, Nexo is your GO-TO PARTNER. Definitely explore nexo.io or reach them at institutions@nexo.io.

Nomics’s Cryptocurrency Market Data API

If you found that you or your developer have to spend too much time cleaning up and maintaining datasets & ingesting market cap data, then check us out.

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