POD OF JAKE

Latest Episodes:

#87 - ANATOLY YAKOVENKO Dec 02, 2021

Show notes

Anatoly is the co-founder and CEO of Solana Labs, the organization behind Solana. Solana aims to be the fastest and most scalable decentralized blockchain in the world. Anatoly previously spent more than a decade at Qualcomm after graduating from The University of Illinois in 2003. Follow him on Twitter @aeyakovenko and learn more about Solana at solana.com.

[2:18] - Anatoly's story and how he came to see the opportunity to build Solana

[6:51] - Carrying Qualcomm's culture over to Solana

[9:46] - Leveraging incremental software improvements to create the fastest blockchain

[14:25] - Anatoly's solution to the "clock problem" in a distributed network

[17:52] - Why Solana might not exist if not for the obscure sport of underwater hockey

[19:21] - Building through a bear market and why focus matters more than funds

[22:41] - The toughest trade-offs of maintaining a singular focus on Solana's performance

[25:58] - The importance of censorship resistance and information symmetry

[31:52] - The engineering mindset of building something useful

[32:47] - What excites Anatoly about the super connected world Solana seeks to enable

[36:45] - Advice for aspiring young founders on starting companies and biking uphill

[41:10] - Anatoly's hope for a decentralized future

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#86 - PAUL KOHLHAAS Nov 23, 2021

Show notes

Paul is the Co-Founder & CEO of Molecule as well as the Co-Initiator of VitaDAO. He has spent several years working in the blockchain space from organizing Ethereum meetups in South Africa to serving as Director of Business Development for ConsenSys. Paul is working on building a marketplace for drug discovery and development through the use of blockchain technology, enabling IP NFTs and bootstrapping DAOs to invest in them. Follow Paul on Twitter @paulkhls.

[2:18] - How online forums led Paul to drug development and cryptocurrencies

[14:34] - Paul's perspective on the US patent model and how it can be improved to foster innovation

[24:05] - Molecule's use of NFTs for intellectual property ("IP NFTs") in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries

[34:29] - Rethinking fundraising in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries

[41:10] - Democratizing access to longevity technologies

[44:12] - The future of decentralized drug development

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#85 - BORED ELON MUSK Nov 18, 2021

Show notes

Bored Elon Musk is a pseudonymous individual with over 1.7 million followers on Twitter. What began as a humble parody account tweeting complex solutions to simple problems has over several year become a highly influential and lucrative account. Today, Bored Elon is angel investing, buying and selling NFTs, and working on several projects in web3. His blockchain gaming project, MetaMars, is set to debut within months of this episode's release. Follow Bored Elon on Twitter @BoredElonMusk.

[2:18] - Bored Elon's journey from a pseudonymous parody account to his own unique brand

[5:50] - Stepping out of Elon Musk's shadow

[12:33] - Bored Elon's journey in crypto and ideas for the metaverse

[19:22] - Rethinking arcade games with MetaMars on the blockchain

[25:00] - Magic The Gathering's contribution to blockchain gaming

[30:34] - Predictions for what will allow blockchain gaming to go mainstream

[36:50] - How gaming will go from entertainment to earning opportunity

[42:38] - The pros and cons of building a pseudonymous brand

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#84 - LOLA PRIEGO Nov 12, 2021

Show notes

Lola is the Founder and CEO of Base, an app that pairs with at-home lab testing to help people improve their health in areas like sleep, stress, energy, diet, and sex drive. Prior to founding Base, Lola served as the Head of Engineering at Cor and as a software engineer at Instagram, Facebook, and Amazon. Follow Lola on Twitter @lolitapriego and learn more about her company at get-base.com.

[2:18] - How overworking forced Lola to explore her health issues

[10:24] - The complicated path to diagnosing and finding solutions to health problems today

[13:58] - Base's approach to addressing issues around diet, sleep, stress, and energy

[21:22] - My experience trying out Base for the first time

[30:38] - Lola's strategy to unwind before sleep

[33:54] - The pros and cons of trading sleep for late night work

[38:05] - Explaining the logistics of Base's blood testing process

[44:02] - Lola's experiences working in Spain and across many U.S. cities

[48:05] - Lola's favorite aspects of being a founder

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#83 - SANDEEP NAILWAL Nov 04, 2021

Show notes

Sandeep is the Co-Founder and COO of Polygon, a leading blockchain scalability platform. He is also the Founder of India Covid Relief Fund which raised over $400 million in crypto. Follow Sandeep on Twitter @sandeepnailwal.

[2:18] - How providing for his family ultimately led Sandeep to crypto

[10:45] - Sandeep's feeling of responsibility to give back to those around him

[16:46] - The creation and impacts of the India Crypto COVID Relief Fund

[23:15] - Why Ethereum originally captured Sandeep's attention

[27:38] - An introduction to Polygon and its role in scaling Ethereum to the masses

[41:28] - Polygon Studio's focus on NFTs, gaming, and increasing daily active users

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#82 - DANIEL GROSS Oct 28, 2021

Show notes

Daniel is the Founder and CEO of Pioneer. He previously created a search engine called Cue which was acquired by Apple where he went on to lead various AI and search projects. Daniel was the youngest founder to be accepted into Y-Combinator in his late teens and later returned as a Partner and started YC's AI program. He has been an early investor in companies including Uber, Instacart, Coinbase, GitHub, SpaceX, Opendoor, Airtable, Figma, Gusto, Notion, Cruise Automation, and dozens of others. Follow Daniel on Twitter @danielgross.

[2:18] - How Daniel's early interest in computer programming kickstarted his journey into entrepreneurship

[10:11] - Replacing people with software in the venture capital process and how to measure success

[16:56] - The impacts of venture capital and startup culture expanding beyond Silicon Valley

[24:33] - Living a balanced life in health and productivity

[32:58] - Daniel's perspective on longevity

[39:57] - Self-improvement and the third-person mindset

[46:07] - Optimizing for flow in designing one's days

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#81 - JEFF MORRIS JR. Oct 21, 2021

Show notes

Jeff is the Founder and Managing Partner of Chapter One, an early-stage venture capital fund with a focus on product. He previously served as the VP of Product and Revenue at Tinder as it became the #1 top grossing app in the App Store and one of the top grossing products in mobile history. Jeff's investments have included Cameo, Compound, Dapper Labs, Lambda School, Lyft, Mercury, Pipe, Ro, Roam Research, Superhuman, and many others. Follow him on Twitter @jmj.

[2:18] - How Jeff's early career moves led him to discover his passion for products

[6:32] - The art of asking for what you want in life

[12:45] - Finding the right startups to join or invest in

[16:34] - Transitioning from a world of physical serendipity to digital serendipity

[20:11] - Jeff's takeaways from beginning his career in Kansas City

[24:21] - Jeff's love for writing

[27:07] - The pros and cons of building in public and having an online presence

[35:36] - The importance of overcoming rejection and leaning into the underdog role

[39:15] - How Jeff discovered crypto in 2013 and his current perspective on the space

[43:03] - Why Dapper Labs and ENS domains are interesting

[50:04] - Chapter One's investment approach and the future of the fund

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#80 - ERIC MARCOTULLI Oct 14, 2021

Show notes

Eric is Founder and CEO of Elysium Health. Elysium's mission is to translate critical scientific advancements in aging research into accessible health products and technologies. Eric previously joined Sequoia Capital as its youngest partner to lead growth investing in mobile technologies. He earned his BA from Princeton University and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Use promo code "JAKE" to get 10% off an annual or semi-annual subscription to Basis, Matter, or Format at https://www.elysiumhealth.com. (Expires November 4, 2021)

[2:18] - How Eric's interest in entrepreneurship pulled him away from traditional career paths

[8:45] - Lessons learned from the Sirtris Pharmaceuticals case study

[19:54] - Finding the conviction to go all in on an entrepreneurial idea

[28:17] - A fundamental explanation of how Elysium's Basis works

[35:42] - Using Elysium's Index to measure biological age and potential for reversal

[40:39] - Preserving memory with Elysium's Matter

[46:54] - Introducing Elysium's Format, a new product for advanced immune support

[50:30] - The future of Elysium and longevity technology

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#79 - ERIC VERDIN Oct 07, 2021

Show notes

Eric is the President and CEO of the Buck Institute for Research and Aging. His laboratory focuses on the role of epigenetic regulators in the aging process. Personally, Eric holds more than 210 scientific papers and 15 patents. Follow him on Twitter @EricVerdin.

[2:18] - Eric's lifelong interest in science and longevity

[7:11] - Transitioning towards preventative healthcare

[15:59] - The status quo of accepting age-related diseases

[19:36] - Finding synergies between crypto and longevity

[24:44] - The role of the Buck Institute in the greater field of longevity

[31:02] - What's next in the longevity industry

[43:08] - The edge of Eric's imagination for what is possible in the future

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#78 - SCOTT FITSIMONES Sep 14, 2021

Show notes

Scott is the co-founder of AirGarage. He recently started CityDAO, a community of people interested in putting a piece of land on the blockchain. CityDAO has quickly raised over $250,000 to purchase its first plot of land in Wyoming. Earlier in his career, Scott was selected as a Thiel Fellow. Follow him on Twitter @scottfits.

[2:18] - How experimenting with parking lots introduced Scott to city building

[6:40] - Balancing the workload of AirGarage with the sudden growth of CityDAO

[10:35] - The value proposition for CityDAO

[12:32] - Why Wyoming is a hub for projects like CityDAO

[16:37] - The practicality of enforcing smart contracts in law

[18:18] - Creating a model for decentralized cities

[25:09] - Harberger tax mechanisms

[29:00] - Using quadratic funding and quadratic voting to improve resource allocation

[35:19] - Why CityDAO uses NFTs instead of tokens

[40:35] - The Wyoming land selection process and initial land distribution

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