Technology

The Rollup

Where digital assets and finance converge. Live from the financial capital of the world.

Website: https://therollup.co/

Latest Episodes:

Rich Rines on Bitcoin's Path to $1,000,000 Mar 11, 2025

Show notes

In today's episode, we talk about the Bitcoin dilemma.

Despite it being crypto's foundation, it mainly sits unused in cold storage wasting away any potential. Between high fees, slow transactions, and lack of use case, Bitcoin has struggled to evolve past being a store of value.

We sit down with Rich Rines of Core DAO to learn how they are unlocking Bitcoin's potential towards delivering structured products, derivatives, and staking.

We also cover how Core connects Bitcoin to onchain finance, their liquid staking token (lstBTC), institutional partnerships, and much more.

Let's jump in.

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𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗜𝗠𝗘𝗥: 𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘺𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘦𝘍𝘪 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬, 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳, 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘈𝘵 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘭, 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱, 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳. 𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮, 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘴.

How Kaito Built an InfoFi Economy with Yu Hu Mar 08, 2025

Show notes

In today's episode, we cover what happens when you tokenize attention.

We sat down with Yu Hu to get the inside story of how Kaito went from tracking crypto Twitter sentiment to dropping what might be the most widely distributed token in recent history. It's completely reshaping how value flows through the crypto social layer.

Kaito leans into using market forces and onchain mechanics to cut through the noise and find signal. And they're just getting started too. They have plans to move beyond Crypto Twitter into TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube as well.

While other similar project crash and burn, Kaito is positioned for longevity because there's real value being generated underneath all the hype.

Let's dive in.

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The Rollup Disclosures: https://therollup.co/the-rollup-discl

Amanda Cassatt on Crypto’s Branding Problem, Scaling Serotonin, and Yapping Mar 07, 2025

Show notes

In today's episode, we feature a conversation with the strategist behind Ethereum's early marketing initiatives—Amanda Cassatt. She covers her career progression towards becoming the influential figure who helped establish Ethereum as a recognized name in technology, rather than just a hacker project (as it was in its early days).

Amanda takes us through her professional background from serving as ConsenSys CMO to establishing Serotonin, offering valuable perspectives on the distinguishing factors between successful and unsuccessful web3 ventures.

We also discuss current landscape surrounding token launches, strategies to reach new audiences, how to think about launching brands in crypto, the problem of communication without substance in the industry, and Amanda's insights into the future technological stratification expressed as positioning "above or below the API line."

This one got spicy, and trippy. It was fun.

This discussion reveals the core components required to develop a successful crypto brand during a time where the space is littered with projects that offer surface-level activity without meaningful value or strong foundation.

We don’t love being cynical, but sometimes you need to call a spade, a spade.

We did that today. Enjoy.

Join The Rollup Edge: https://members.therollup.co

Website: https://therollup.co/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1P6ZeYd..

Podcast: https://therollup.co/category/podcast

Follow Rob on X: https://www.x.com/robbie_rollup

Follow Andy on X: https://www.x.com/ayyyeandy

Join our TG group: https://t.me/+8ARkR_YZixE5YjBh

The Rollup Disclosures: https://therollup.co/the-rollup-discl

Yat Siu on East vs. West Culture, Neo-Capitalism, and Onchain Property Rights Mar 05, 2025

Show notes

Hong Kong is strategically positioning itself as a key web3 hub, and there are good reasons to watch what's happening there.

A major highlight from Consensus Hong Kong is the quickly evolving regulatory landscape. Recently, Animoca Brands teamed up with Standard Chartered and Hong Kong Telecom to launch a regulated HKD stablecoin – one of the first with direct backing from a major bank and official HKMA regulation.

The bigger picture? Network effects drive success. Whether it's stablecoins bringing new users onboard or Web3 gaming driving engagement, long-term winners are those building lasting communities and sustainable economies.

That's what we're diving into today with Animoca Brands Chairman, Yat Siu. We get deep into Hong Kong's emergence as a web3 center, shifting views on stablecoins, and how crypto adoption in Asia differs from Western markets.

Let's jump in.

Join The Rollup Edge: https://members.therollup.co

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Podcast: https://therollup.co/category/podcast

Follow Rob on X: https://www.x.com/robbie_rollup

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Join our TG group: https://t.me/+8ARkR_YZixE5YjBh

The Rollup Disclosures: https://therollup.co/the-rollup-discl

How To Find A Massive Edge in Crypto with Akshat Vaidya Feb 28, 2025

Show notes

In today’s episode, we take a dive through the founders journey and what it’s like to run a massive crypto fund.

Clearly, crypto cycles follow a pattern.

Skepticism transforms into celebration, then a cooldown period, until something innovative emerges to change the landscape. Each of these cycle presents distinct opportunities.

That is what we discuss in today's episode with Akshat Vaidya from Maelstorm. We cover navigating from early Bitcoin through the DeFi expansion into staking infrastructure and how one's approach tends to evolve with each market phase. Akshat has spent years in onchain investing—identifying overlooked value, recognizing cycle timing, and determining which innovations demonstrate staying power.

We look at potential future directions for crypto. Liquid staking, onchain real-world assets, the increasing convergence between traditional venture capital and crypto markets.

We touch on crypto M&A, selling businesses and psychedelics as well.

Let's explore.

The Rollup

Join The Rollup Edge: https://members.therollup.co

Website: https://therollup.co/

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The Rollup Disclosures: https://therollup.co/the-rollup-discl

Kain Warwick on The Crime Cycle, Memes vs. Fundamentals, and SOL vs. ETH Culture Feb 26, 2025

Show notes

For today’s episode, we look to answer the question “Seriously. What happened to crypto?” alongside Kain.

The landscape continues to evolve rapidly as underlying dynamics shift, narratives transform, capital redirects, and new market structures emerge.

In today's episode, we sit down with Kain Warwick from Infinex to cover the state of the market and look at how low-float VC okens have declined, memes have gained massive popularity, and Solana has become a primary venue for speculative trading and, well crime.

We uncover how the Ethereum and Solana social layers adapt to these changes, analyze persistent speculative activity, and identify what cyclical patterns indicate about market development looking ahead.

This is one you won’t want to miss.

Join The Rollup Edge: https://members.therollup.co

Website: https://therollup.co/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1P6ZeYd..

Podcast: https://therollup.co/category/podcast

Follow Rob on X: https://www.x.com/robbie_rollup

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Join our TG group: https://t.me/+8ARkR_YZixE5YjBh

The Rollup Disclosures: https://therollup.co/the-rollup-discl

Is Hibachi The Next Hyperliquid? Feb 21, 2025

Show notes

Imagine Hyperliquid, but ZK.

In today's episode, we cover the evolution of onchain trading and its core challenge: balancing speed with security. It's a constant trade-off in DeFi. Faster systems, like Hyperliquid, tend to lean towards centralization, while more secure ones often sacrifice performance.

But there's a solution emerging: Boundless execution with ZK proofs.

This gives traders CEX-level execution while keeping funds verifiable. This approach also scales limitlessly with new nodes added to the system.

Join us as we chat with Hashflow CEO: Varun Kumar, Hibachi Co-Founder: Thibault Binier, and Boundless Product Lead: Jacob Everly to break down innovations in zk Apps.

If you're serious about the future of onchain trading, this one's for you.

The Rollup

Join The Rollup Edge: https://members.therollup.co

Website: https://therollup.co/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1P6ZeYd..

Podcast: https://therollup.co/category/podcast

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Join our TG group: https://t.me/+8ARkR_YZixE5YjBh

The Rollup Disclosures: https://therollup.co/the-rollup-discl

Why BlackRock’s BUIDL Fund is Going Multichain Feb 20, 2025

Show notes

In today's episode, we cover how regulation meets the greater crypto economy.

Treasury tokens have evolved from concept to reality, now trading actively in DeFi markets with BlackRock and Securitize leading the transformation. By converting U.S. treasuries into blockchain assets with institutional backing, they're laying groundwork for wider adoption.

We sat down with Robinson Burkey, Co-Founder & CCO of Wormhole and Carlos Domingo, CEO of Securitize to go over how utility drives this innovation through cross-chain accessibility and DeFi integration, establishing these tokens as foundational collateral infrastructure. Robinson highlights seamless cross-chain movement as being critical, while Carlos points out institutions shift from viewing blockchain as merely an efficiency tool to seeing it as an opportunity engine.

Though regulatory, KYC, and institutional barriers persist, the momentum continues building.

Let's explore further.

Join The Rollup Edge: https://members.therollup.co

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The Rollup Disclosures: https://therollup.co/the-rollup-discl

The Seismic Shift in Infra Investing with Wyatt Lonergan & Xiang Xie Feb 19, 2025

Show notes

In today’s episode, we explore the future of building infra for compliance, and the next era of investing following the massive infra wave of 2017-2024.

Typically, in crypto there have always been tradeoffs…

Want transparency? You lose privacy. Want privacy? Regulators get nervous.

Join us as we chat with Wyatt from VanEck Ventures and Xiang Xie from Primus dive into how Primus is using ZKTLS and ZKFHE to transform blockchain data integrity.

While traditional systems expose sensitive data through oracles, ZKTLS proves authenticity without revealing the underlying info. Add in ZKFHE's encrypted data computation, and we're looking at a game-changer for onchain finance (according to institutional investors).

We break down the investment thesis in Primus and cover insights on crypto infrastructure funding as a whole. We also explore how privacy-preserving financial infrastructure fits into the regulatory landscape, from payment systems to stablecoins and KYC.

Plus, we'll tackle the exciting fusion of ZK tech and AI in crypto, showing how it's revolutionizing everything from AI verification to streamlined, privacy-focused KYC.

Enjoy.

Join The Rollup Edge: https://members.therollup.co

Website: https://therollup.co/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1P6ZeYd..

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Follow Rob on X: https://www.x.com/robbie_rollup

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Join our TG group: https://t.me/+8ARkR_YZixE5YjBh

The Rollup Disclosures: https://therollup.co/the-rollup-discl

Justin Drake & Federico Carrone on Ethereum’s Native Rollup Roadmap Feb 17, 2025

Show notes

For today’s episode, we take a deep dive into native rollups.

While rollups improved Ethereum's scaling, they introduced key challenges like centralized control, MEV extraction, buggy execution, and fragmented liquidity across layers.

Luckily, there's a new method aiming to maintain rollup benefits while eliminating these issues.

Native rollups and based sequencing offer a solution. By integrating directly with Ethereum, native rollups simplify operations and enhance security. Based sequencing lets Ethereum validators manage transaction ordering, improving L2 coordination.

Teams are also considering shifting away from centralized sequencing for regulatory compliance.

We sat down to chat with Justin Drake from the Ethereum Foundation and Fede to discuss this rapid transition and its implications for Ethereum's future as well as key insights for anyone following Ethereum's scaling evolution.

Let's get into it.

Join The Rollup Edge: https://members.therollup.co

Website: https://therollup.co/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1P6ZeYd..

Podcast: https://therollup.co/category/podcast

Follow Rob on X: https://www.x.com/robbie_rollup

Follow Andy on X: https://www.x.com/ayyyeandy

Join our TG group: https://t.me/+8ARkR_YZixE5YjBh

The Rollup Disclosures: https://therollup.co/the-rollup-discl