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Latest Episodes:

DRiP: Crypto's Largest Application, Built On Solana | Vibhu Norby Mar 05, 2024

Show notes

This week, Vibhu Norby CEO of DRiP joins the show for a discussion on building one of crypto's most popular applications. We deep dive into the growth & business model of DRiP, measuring real active users, building great UX in crypto & finally Vibhu shares some advice for founders looking to build a company & raise funding. To hear all this & more, you'll have to tune in!

Access Protocol is the best way to discover premium content from crypto's top publishers and independent creators. Access Protocol has reinvented content monetization, meaning you can access this premium content without endless ads or hard-to-cancel subscriptions.

Access Protocol is crypto-native, built on Solana, and already has 225K users reading content, receiving NFTs and interacting with creators! Use this link to check out Access Protocol today:https://bit.ly/AccessProtocol_Lightspeed

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:25) What Is DRiP?

(05:52) DRiP's Growth

(11:20) Access Protocol Ad

(12:08) Crypto UX

(17:44) DRiP's Mobile App

(20:24) DRiP's Active Users

(35:19) DRiP's Business Model

(44:11) Tips For Founders Raising VC Money

(50:48) Building A Start-Up

Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Dan and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Who Are The Real Users In Crypto? | Mert Mumtaz, Dan Smith Feb 29, 2024

Show notes

This week Mert & Dan discuss Colosseum's hackathon, why Solana needs to double down on building more applications, defining active users within crypto, the roadmap for Ethereum, the rollup thesis & more!

Monad is a fully EVM compatible Layer 1 blockchain that can support 10,000 real transactions per second. Monad aims to open up the design space for the EVM to support high fidelity DeFi, consumer facing applications, and more generally allow crypto to scale to the masses.

If you are interested in participating in Monad's journey, follow: https://twitter.com/monad_xyz and join: https://discord.gg/monad.

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(00:00) Introduction

(01:09) Colosseum Hackathon: Crypto's Y Combinator

(09:26) Monad Ad

(10:21) Crypto Needs More Applications

(14:44) DRiP

(17:44) Defining Active Users In Crypto

(30:51) Consensus On Solana

(40:33) Ethereum's Roadmap

(47:15) Bridging & The Rollup Thesis

(55:25) Blast L2

Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Solving Crypto's Oracle Problem | Chris Hermida & Mitch Gildenberg Feb 27, 2024

Show notes

This week, Chris Hermida & Mitch Gildenberg Co-Founders at Switchboard join the show for a discussion on how they're helping scale crypto's oracle infrastructure network. We deep dive into the origin story behind Switchboard, their V3 rollout, speed & latency, todays oracle use cases, lessons learned from the Mango exploit in 2022 and more!

If you are interested in participating in Monad's journey, follow: https://twitter.com/monad_xyz and join: https://discord.gg/monad.

Follow Chris: https://twitter.com/hermidao1

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Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/

(00:00) Introduction

(01:24) The Origin Story Behind Switchboard

(04:57) Solving Crypto's Oracle Problem

(09:34) Access Protocol Ad

(10:22) Monad Ad

(11:17) Takeaways From The 2022 Mango Exploit

(17:44) Lending Markets & Liquid Staking

(21:46) Switchboard V3

(25:01) Oracle Speed & Latency

(29:59) Oracle Use Cases

(32:09) Permissionless Oracles

(36:54) Oracle Randomness

(40:40) Switchboard Oracle Network

(42:14) Oracle Decentralization

(51:17) Final Thoughts

Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Sports Betting Built On Solana | Nigel Eccles & Varun Sudhakar Feb 22, 2024

Show notes

This week, Nigel Eccles & Varun Sudhakar Co-Founders of BetDEX join the show to discuss how they are bringing online sports betting to crypto. We deep dive into the problem BetDEX solves, finding product market fit, scaling a sports betting competitor, why BetDEX chose to build on Solana & more!

If you are interested in participating in Monad's journey, follow: https://twitter.com/monad_xyz and join: https://discord.gg/monad.

Follow Nigel: https://twitter.com/nigeleccles

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Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk

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Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/

(00:00) Introduction

(02:36) What BetDEX Solves

(06:20) How Is BetDEX Built?

(09:14) Monad Ad

(10:09) Liquidity & Market Makers

(18:06) Prediction Markets

(22:28) Betting Market Arbitrage

(26:49) Markets On BetDEX

(29:34) Scaling A Sports Betting Competitor

(36:53) Built On Solana

(46:44) Social Betting Apps

Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Solving Crypto's Scaling Trilemma | Arbitrum Feb 21, 2024

Show notes

This week, Steven Goldfeder & Rachel Bousfield join the show to discuss the Ethereum scaling roadmap, the origin story of Arbitrum, solving the scaling trilemma & what trade-offs exist between decentralization, security & scalability. To hear all this & more, you'll have to tune in!

Follow Steven: https://twitter.com/sgoldfed

Follow Rachel: https://twitter.com/CryptoIsCute

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Follow Dan: https://twitter.com/smyyguy

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Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk

Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV

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Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/

Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use LIGHTSPEED10 to get 10% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there!

Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home

(00:00) The Origin Story Of Arbitrum

(07:54) Solving The Scaling Trilemma

(11:19) Access Protocol Ad

(12:09) What Is A Rollup?

(17:48) Why Choose Optimistic Rollups vs ZK-Rollups

(23:09) Launching A Rollup Without Proofs

(30:12) Data Availability

(36:27) Scalability Trade-Offs

(46:12) Do Sequencers Need To Be Decentralized?

(56:08) The Ethereum Rollup Roadmap

Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

How Pyth Propogates Financial Data At The Speed of Light | Mike Cahill Feb 15, 2024

Show notes

Mike Cahill joins us to discuss how oracles have become the linchpin of crypto. Mike is a core contributor to Pyth, a highly optimized oracle network integrated with 50+ chains and over 300 apps. In this episode, we cover crypto's oracle problem, why Pyth launched an SVM appchain, how Pyth ensures high-quality publishers, Pyth's Wormhole integration, how to monetize financial data, the RWA opportunity, where Chainlink went wrong and more!

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(00:00) Introduction

(01:07) The Value of Financial Market Data

(06:04) Oracles: The Linchpin of Crypto

(08:21) Why Pyth Launched an SVM Appchain

(13:28) Permissionless Integrations

(15:23) DAS London Plug

(16:20) Data Publishers: Quality Control and Incentives

(20:43) Pyth’s Airdrop and Governance

(25:15) Liveness Concerns

(28:05) Economics and Trust Minimization

(36:23) The RWA Opportunity

(46:05) Where Chainlink Went Wrong

(51:41) Evaluating Crypto’s Ecosystems

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Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home

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Follow Mike: https://twitter.com/mdomcahill

Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_

Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_

Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq

Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk

Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV

Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD

Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/

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Resources

Pyth Network

https://twitter.com/PythNetwork

Douro Labs

https://twitter.com/DouroLabs

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Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

How NEAR Is Building Crypto's Interoperability Layer | Illia Polosukhin Feb 13, 2024

Show notes

Illia Polosukhin joins us to discuss how NEAR is building the blockchain operating system. NEAR first came to prominence in 2020 as an alternative Layer One that is laser-focused on abstracting the complexities of onchain infrastructure. Since then, Illia (who is one of the brightest minds in crypto) and the NEAR team have transformed NEAR into crypto's interoperability layer. In this episode, we discuss NEAR's journey from AI to crypto, why NEAR scales via sharding, NEAR's chain abstraction and account aggregation layer, the AI narrative, crypto's biggest problem and more!

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(00:00) Introduction

(00:49) NEAR's Transformation: From AI to Crypto

(03:22) Scaling via Dynamic Shards: Near’s Unique Design

(21:20) Access Protocol Ad

(22:21) DAS London Plug

(23:18) NEAR’s Data Availability Service

(27:16) Chain Abstraction and the Blockchain Operating System

(40:03) NEAR’s Missing Narrative

(43:40) Network Value Accrual

(49:18) The AI x Crypto Narrative

(59:33) What Is Crypto’s Biggest Problem?

Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home

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Follow Illia: https://twitter.com/ilblackdragon

Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_

Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_

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Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk

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Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/

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Resources

The NEAR Whiteboard Series

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9tzQn_TEuFWweVbfTbaedFdwVrvaYPq4

NEAR

https://twitter.com/NEARProtocol

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Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Farcaster: How Warpcast Could Become Crypto's First Mainstream App | Dan Romero Feb 08, 2024

Show notes

Dan Romero joins us to discuss how Warpcast could become crypto's first mainstream app. Warpcast is a crypto-enabled social app built on top of the Farcaster protocol. Warpcast offers a Twitter meets Reddit-like experience that leverages the composability, permissionless innovation and embedded finance of crypto. In this episode, we discuss how Dan decided to focus on Social, how Farcaster works, why "Frames" are a massive developer unlock, the Warpcast and Farcaster business model, the onchain vs offchain components, Dan's go-to-market strategy and more!

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Timestamps

(00:00) Introduction

(01:08) The Origin Story

(05:09) Why Focus On Social?

(08:50) Farcaster and Warpcast: What It Is and How It Works

(15:29) DAS London Plug

(16:26) Farcaster Hubs and Onchain Pragmatism

(26:37) The Technical Process Flow

(34:07) The Business Model

(39:19) Why “Frames” Are A Massive Developer Unlock

(59:03) Adding Solana Support to Warpcast

(01:03:39) The Go-to-Market Strategy

(01:10:14) The Drivers of History

(01:14:48) Founder Advice

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Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home

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Dan: https://warpcast.com/dwr.eth

Mert: https://warpcast.com/0xmert

Garrett: https://warpcast.com/gharp

Use this signup code to get started on Warpcast:

https://warpcast.com/~/invite-page/238010?id=cd17c51d

Dan: https://twitter.com/dwr

Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_

Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_

Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq

Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk

Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV

Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD

Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/

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Resources

Warpcast signup link

https://warpcast.com/~/invite-page/238010?id=cd17c51d

Why Twitter is a Big Deal (Paul Graham)

https://paulgraham.com/twitter.html

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Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Post JUP Clarity: Why Solana Needs to Double Down on Product | Mert Mumtaz, Garrett Harper Feb 06, 2024

Show notes

The most hyped airdrop in Solana's history happened last week: the JUP (Jupiter) token launch. We sit down to discuss what happened, how Solana performed, the controversy, what's next and why it's time for Solana to double down on product!

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Timestamps

(00:00) Introduction

(00:36) The JUP Airdrop: What You Need to Know

(17:03) Why Solana Needs to Double Down on Product

(24:10) Access Protocol Promo

(25:12) Is Solana’s Performance Really Needed for Every App?

(30:57) Writing, Twitter and Finding Signal in Crypto

(40:56) Solana’s Writing Hackathon

(46:14) Launching a Token Is Stressful AF

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Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home

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Resources

Solana Summer by Packy McCormick

https://www.notboring.co/p/solana-summer

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Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_

Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_

Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq

Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk

Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV

Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD

Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/

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Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

How Colosseum Will Accelerate Solana's App Ecosystem | Matty Taylor Feb 05, 2024

Show notes

Matty Taylor joins us to discuss how Colosseum, the Y-Combinator of Crypto, will find, fund and accelerate Solana's next killer app. In this episode, we discuss why Matty is launching Colosseum, tactical tips for founders, why Solana is the best ecosystem to build applications, how to participate in Colosseum and Matty's #1 advice for discovering a startup idea.

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(00:00) Introduction

(01:07) Leading Solana Lab’s Growth Team and Hackathons

(7:08) Why Are People Hyped for Colosseum?

(12:50) The Winning Formula: Team, Product, Market

(16:24) What Do Founders Often Get Wrong?

(18:31) Tactical Tips for Founders

(22:13) Jupiter’s Inspiration for Solana’s Devs

(24:48) Why Colosseum is a “Remote” Program

(26:34) Why Stay in Solana?

(28:24) Hackathon Dates: Starts March 4th!

(29:30) Matty's #1 Piece of Advice

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Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home

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Follow Matty: https://twitter.com/mattytay

Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_

Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_

Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq

Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk

Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV

Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD

Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/

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Resources

Colosseum

https://twitter.com/ColosseumOrg

https://www.colosseum.org/

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Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

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