Lightspeed

Latest Episodes:

Is Solana the Consumer Chain? | Kash Dhanda, Brandon Potts Oct 31, 2023

Show notes

Kash Dhanda and Brandon Potts join us to discuss how builders can leverage Solana's unique value proposition to be the go-to ecosystem for crypto's next wave of users. Kash is a founding member of Superteam, where he helps Solana projects launch and grow their community, and Brandon is a Principal at Framework Ventures. In this conversation, we cover Solana's resurgence and payments narrative, crypto business models, Solana's shortcomings, whether Solana will be the default consumer chain, crypto's emerging market opportunity and more!

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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 LIGHTSPEED20 to get 20% 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

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Timestamps

(00:00) Introduction

(00:59) Solana’s Resurgence

(07:34) The Payments Narrative: Solana’s Schelling Point

(14:03) Content Creation + Solana's Value Prop

(18:13) Crypto Business Models

(23:06) The Importance of Community

(27:22) Web2 vs Web3

(32:25) DAS London Plug

(33:33) The Most Exciting Things in Solana Right Now

(40:16) A Solana Roast: What Needs to Improve?

(45:33) Is Solana the Consumer Chain?

(50:36) Crypto’s Emerging Market Opportunity

(56:49) Abstract the Tech, Focus on Outcomes

(01:01:36) Hyperdrive: Solana’s Hackathon

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Follow Kash:https://twitter.com/kashdhanda

Follow Brandon: https://twitter.com/b_potts23

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

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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

Superteam

https://superteam.fun/

Framework Ventures

https://framework.ventures/

Hyperdrive

https://solana.com/hyperdrive

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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.

Solana's Compounding Advantage | Joel Monegro Oct 26, 2023

Show notes

Joel Monegro, co-founder of Placeholder, joins us to discuss Solana's compounding advantage. Joel is a crypto OG, a prolific writer (wrote The Fat Protocol Thesis in 2016) and co-founded Placeholder with Chris Burniske. In this episode, we cover Joel's Solana thesis, upcoming infrastructure consolidation, app-specific L2 use cases, Joel's updated thoughts on The Fat Protocol Thesis, finding your investment edge and more!

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

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Timestamps

(00:00) Introduction

(01:20) Ethereum vs Solana: Two Design Approaches

(09:45) Solana Pre and Post FTX

(15:30) A Consolidation of Infrastructure

(23:24) DAS London Plug

(24:33) The Fat Protocol Thesis

(39:01) Investment Philosophies & Application-Specific L2s

(45:07) Joel’s Path to Venture Capital

(53:24) How to Improve Your Writing

(59:57) Finding Your Investment Edge

(01:04:42) Rapid Fire

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Follow Joel: https://twitter.com/jmonegro

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

Placeholder

https://www.placeholder.vc/

Ethereum and Solana by Joel

https://www.placeholder.vc/blog/2023/10/10/ethereum-and-solana

The Fat Protocol Thesis by Joel

https://www.usv.com/writing/2016/08/fat-protocols/

Joel's Website

https://monegro.org/work/2018/2/1/fat-protocols

Carlota Perez

https://www.amazon.com/Technological-Revolutions-Financial-Capital-Dynamics/dp/1843763311

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Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Solana vs Ethereum: Two Paths, One Endgame | Jon Charbonneau Oct 24, 2023

Show notes

Jon Charbonneau joins us to discuss how integrated and modular chains are on an inevitable path toward the same endgame. Jon is an investor and the most prolific researcher in the space who understands the nuances and tradeoffs of the Solana and Ethereum ecosystems. In this episode, we cover what SVM adoption means for Solana, if rollups scale Ethereum, why Jon is spending more time in Solana and the SVM, the convergence of the integrated and modular roadmap, how rollups will leverage Solana and more!

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Timestamps

(00:00) Introduction

(01:13) The Rollup Debate

(10:31) Modular vs Integrated: The Great Convergence

(18:06) The Appchain Thesis

(26:31) What SVM Adoption Means for Solana

(29:54) DAS London Promo

(32:53) Why Solana?

(34:02) What Ethereum & Solana Can Learn From Each Other

(37:49) The Value of End-User Verification

(40:45) Lido’s Dominance, Nakamoto Coefficients & Social Pressure

(46:14) Ethereum Aligned

(50:07) What Keeps You Here & The State of Crypto

(55:35) Solana as a Settlement and Sequencing Layer

(58:47) Why You Should Write

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Follow Jon: https://twitter.com/jon_charb

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

DBA's Website

https://dba.xyz/

Do Rollups Inherit Security by Jon

https://dba.xyz/do-rollups-inherit-security/

Jon's Substack

https://joncharbonneau.substack.com/

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Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

The Rise of Crypto's Superapp | Fiskantes, Matti (Zee Prime Capital) Oct 19, 2023

Show notes

Fisk and Matti, from Zee Prime Capital, join us to discuss the rise of crypto's first superapp. In this episode, we cover the Fappening Thesis (superapp), why everyone invests in middleware, how protocols establish moats, the future of Web3 social, how crypto will impact equality and more! Fisk and Mattie have some of the most eccentric and prescient ideas in crypto - you won't want to miss this one.

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Timestamps

(00:00) Introduction

(00:54) The Dev2Dev Thesis

(08:13) The Fappening: Rise of the Superapp

(15:02) How Apps Establish Moats

(18:45) Is Blockspace Commoditized?

(30:44) Uniswap’s New Fee: Protocols vs Frontends

(36:24) Web3 Social: Status vs Utility

(47:31) Equal Opportunity vs Equal Outcomes

(55:58) Advice: Think Different

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Follow Fisk: https://twitter.com/Fiskantes

Follow Matti:https://twitter.com/mattigags

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

Zee Prime

https://zeeprime.capital/

The Future of OwnyFans

https://zeeprime.capital/the-future-of-owny-fans

The Fappening

https://zeeprime.capital/the-fappening

The Middleware Thesis

https://zeeprime.capital/infrastructure-lego-the-middleware-thesis

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Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Solana's Path to Mass Adoption: Gradually, Then All At Once | Mert Mumtaz, Garrett Harper Oct 17, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to Lightspeed's second "Roundup" episode, where Mert and Garrett discuss the top stories of the week and trends they are seeing in crypto. In this episode, we discuss Solana disinformation, the increasing adoption of the SVM, why DePIN could be crypto's next narrative, the ETH vs SOL debate, the power of permissionless frontends and more!

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Timestamps

(00:00) Introduction

(00:36) Solana Misinformation

(08:26) Why Crypto Needs to Focus on Distribution

(21:56) SVM Adoption, Integrated vs Modular Ecosystems & DePIN

(31:56) Web3’s Social Opportunity

(38:54) ETH vs SOL: Scarcity vs Abundance

(45:25) The Permissionless Frontend Thesis

(52:54) Today’s Fundraising Environment

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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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Resources

Zero to One by Peter Thiel

https://www.amazon.com/Zero-One-Notes-Startups-Future/dp/0804139296

Ethereum and Solana by Joel Monegro

https://www.placeholder.vc/blog/2023/10/10/ethereum-and-solana

Anatoly's episode on Validated

https://spoti.fi/3RZqZ0g

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Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

How Onchain Attribution Will Catalyze Crypto's Growth | Antonio García Martínez (Spindl) Oct 12, 2023

Show notes

Antonio García Martínez joins us to discuss why onchain attribution and advertising are crucial to crypto's growth. Antonio is a prolific ad tech entrepreneur, the author of Chaos Monkeys and now the founder of Spindl. In this episode, we discuss the evolution of Web2 advertising, crypto's massive onchain attribution opportunity, data privacy and ownership, potential catalysts for crypto's adoption, how AI will impact advertising and more!

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(00:56) The Evolution of Ad Tech

(13:47) How Spindl Brings Attribution to Web3

(22:11) Crypto’s Publisher Problem and Discovery

(25:38) The Importance of Being Native to the Medium

(33:19) Data Privacy and Ownership

(35:55) Antonio’s Web3 Thesis

(41:03) Should DAOs Exist?

(44:24) What Will Catalyze Crypto's Adoption?

(48:09) AI’s Impact on Advertising

(51:10) Advice for Startup Founders

(54:20) Rapid Fire

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Follow Antonio: https://twitter.com/antoniogm

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

Spindl

https://www.spindl.xyz/

Chaos Monkeys

https://www.amazon.com/Chaos-Monkeys-Obscene-Fortune-Failure/dp/0062458191

Stratechery (Ben Thompson)

https://stratechery.com/

Mobile Dev Memo

https://mobiledevmemo.com/

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Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

The dYdX Appchain Vision: One of Crypto's Boldest Bets | Antonio Juliano Oct 10, 2023

Show notes

Antonio Juliano, the founder of dYdX, joins us to discuss why dYdX is launching an appchain. dYdX has over $1T in exchange volume, 50%+ market share of onchain perps market, and is one of the few crypto products that's found a semblance of product-market fit. Despite this, dYdX is moving from Starkware (an Ethereum L2) to a Cosmos-based appchain, officially launching this month! In this episode, we cover why dYdX is launching an appchain, finding product-market fit, decentralization vs immutability, branding and distribution, why Antonio is now against horizontal integration and more!

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Timestamps

(00:00) introduction

(00:57) dYdX: Crypto’s Leading Perpetuals Exchange

(04:50) Why dYdX is Launching an Appchain

(17:07) Choosing the Right Tech Stack

(20:59) The L2 Landscape

(24:52) Jito Midroll

(25:57) Does Cosmos Have to Succeed for dYdX to Succeed?

(28:51) Decentralization and Immutability

(33:24) Why Should People Care About DeFi?

(39:10) The User-Generated Value Thesis

(43:55) What Antonio Has Learned as a Crypto Founder

(49:29) Committees Can't Make Big Bold Decisions

(55:30) Discovery and Branding

(57:09) Horizontal vs Vertical Integration

(01:01:13) Rapid Fire

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This episode is brought to you by Jito.

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Follow Antonio: https://twitter.com/AntonioMJuliano

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

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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

Jito

jito.network

dYdX

https://twitter.com/dYdX

https://dydx.exchange/

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Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Solving Crypto's Onboarding Problem | Arianna Simpson, Riyaz & Nass (Bastion's Founders) Oct 05, 2023

Show notes

Arianna Simpson, Riyaz Faizullabhoy and Nass Eddequiouaq join us to discuss how crypto needs to shift its focus back to the user experience. We cover crypto's friction points, the application vs infrastructure phase, how Bastion can enable simple onboarding and a Web2-like user experience, crypto's misplaced defaults, over-indexing on decentralization and more!

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(00:26) What Problem Is Bastion Solving?

(06:57) Have We Over-Indexed on Decentralization?

(10:04) Building Infrastructure vs Consumer-Facing Products

(14:26) How Transaction Routing Works

(18:18) Why Should Consumers Care?

(21:49) Unique Use Cases Enabled by Web3

(28:24) The Infrastructure vs Application Phase

(30:34) Will Users Self-Custody in the Future?

(32:00) How Crypto Can Rebuild Trust

(35:54) Interoperability and Bridge Risk

(40:38) How Developers Choose Where to Build

(44:34) Crypto's Misplaced Defaults

(49:36) The Insane Challenge of NFT Projects

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Follow Arianna: https://twitter.com/AriannaSimpson

Follow Nass: https://twitter.com/nassyweazy

Follow Riyaz: https://twitter.com/riyazdf

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

Bastion

https://www.bastion.com/

https://twitter.com/BastionPlatform

a16z

https://a16zcrypto.com/

https://twitter.com/a16zcrypto

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Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Permissionless Frontends: The Rise of Crypto's Aggregators | Kain Warwick (Infinex) Oct 03, 2023

Show notes

Kain Warwick, the founder of Synthetix and Infinex, joins us to discuss how permissionless frontends are crypto's next battleground. Crypto has the infrastructure to support the next wave of users, but the user experience is lightyears behind Web2. What can solve this? Permissionless frontends. In this episode, we cover why Kain is building Infinex, the missing piece to get users onchain, crypto's new aggregators, Kain's multichain strategy, where DAOs fail to innovate and more. This might be my favorite episode yet!

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Timestamps

(00:00) Introduction

(02:04) A Shift from Infrastructure to the User Experience

(05:03) Why Synthetix Chose Optimism

(09:11) The Missing Ingredient to Compete with Binance

(11:53) L2 Liquidity Fragmentation

(14:51) Should Projects Launch on Multiple Chains?

(17:18) Why Synthetix Might Launch an Appchain

(19:10) How to Build Brand Trust & Bring Users Onchain

(32:57) Jito MidRoll Plug

(34:02) Crypto’s New Aggregators: Permissionless Frontends

(43:06) Taking Speculation Too Far

(51:16) L2 Centralization Vectors & Progressive Decentralization

(57:06) Will L2s Have a Power Law Outcome?

(59:54) Why Kain is Still in Crypto

(01:05:26) Where DAOs Succeed and Fail

(01:12:44) Rapid Fire

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This episode is brought to you by Jito.

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Follow Kain: https://twitter.com/kaiynne

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

Synthetix

https://twitter.com/synthetix_io

https://linktr.ee/synthetix

Infinex

https://twitter.com/infinex_app

https://infinex.io/

Kain's Writings

https://mirror.xyz/kain.eth

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Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

How Helium Is Leading Crypto's DePIN Revolution | Abhay Kumar Sep 28, 2023

Show notes

Abhay Kumar, the CEO of the Helium Foundation, joins us to discuss how DePIN and Helium are bringing undeniable utility to crypto. Helium is a DePIN protocol that coordinates and incentivizes the buildout of wireless infrastructure around the world. In this episode, we discuss the secret to Helium's success, why Helium migrated to Solana, DePIN competition and moats, the value of onchain identity and more!

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(00:16) What is DePIN?

(02:18) The Secret to Helium’s Success

(09:23) Why Helium Migrated to Solana

(19:02) Onboarding Users, Hotspots and Oracles

(26:39) Helium Mobile and Go-to-Market Strategies

(43:41) Nova Labs and the Helium Foundation

(46:36) Competition and Moats

(49:33) Does Solana Have a DePIN Network Effect?

(55:01) Demand Catalysts