WAGMI Ventures Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Revolutionizing Onchain Data Infrastructure for AI, IP, and Consumer Apps, with Josh Benaron (Irys) Jul 30, 2025

Show notes

Josh Benaron is the Founder & CEO of Irys (https://irys.xyz), the world’s first programmable Layer-1 datachain designed to integrate low-cost, scalable storage with high-performance, EVM-compatible execution via IrysVM. Backed by Lemniscap, Framework Ventures, and Primitive Ventures, Irys is revolutionizing onchain data infrastructure for AI, IP, and consumer applications. In this episode, Josh shares his journey from building Bundlr Network to launching Irys, overcoming challenges in transaction scalability on Arweave, and creating a network where data is not just stored but programmable—embedded with instructions to automate AI workflows, enforce ownership, and trigger smart contracts. He discusses Irys’s innovative multi-ledger system, hybrid consensus model, and strategic partnerships, which enable composable utilities and cost-efficient data solutions. Josh also highlights Irys’s testnet achievements, positioning Irys as the future of trust and scalability in decentralized ecosystems.

Crypto and AI Visionary Insights, with Yat Siu (Animoca Brands) Jul 22, 2025

Show notes

Yat Siu is Co-Founder and Chairman of Animoca Brands (https://www.animocabrands.com), a global leader in blockchain gaming, investing and web3, championing digital property rights through decentralized ecosystems. Yat shares his thoughts on stakeholder capitalism, redefining economic models by empowering users as network owners, as well as groundbreaking initiatives like Open Campus, which integrates blockchain into education to revolutionize student loan financing. He discusses the emergence of AI crypto use cases, and its role in enhancing transparency, reflections on the positive developments in the evolving U.S. regulatory landscape, and his vision for a decentralized future where crypto fosters equitable digital economies and cultural innovation. Yat's insights are some of the most valuable in the world.

Revolutionizing Internet Access through Blockchain-based, Community-Driven Networks, with Deborah Simpier (Althea) Jul 17, 2025

Show notes

Deborah Simpier is Co-Founder and CEO of Althea (https://althea.net), a decentralized infrastructure platform revolutionizing internet access through blockchain-based, community-driven networks. Deborah shares her journey from advocating for net neutrality and running a rural IT business to co-founding DePIN network, Althea, a company pioneering multi-stakeholder networks with innovative products like KeyLTE and Liquid Infrastructure. She discusses Althea’s milestones, including deploying networks in rural Oregon, powering connectivity in the Arctic Circle, and enabling the first ApplePay transaction on CBRS spectrum. Deborah dives into how Althea’s price-aware routing protocol and blockchain-based payment system empower communities to build affordable, resilient internet infrastructure, challenging legacy telecom models. She also shares her vision for a decentralized future where blockchain and 5G converge to democratize connectivity, foster equitable digital access worldwide, and usher the convergence of DeFi, DePIN, and real-world utility pushing forward the vision of democratized, autonomous infrastructure.

Simplifying Web3 Authentication and Onboarding, with Itai Turbahn (Dynamic) Jun 30, 2025

Show notes

Itai Turbahn is Co-Founder and CEO of Dynamic (https://www.dynamic.xyz), a Web3 authentication platform that simplifies wallet-based login and onboarding through a flexible SDK, combining authentication, smart wallets, and secure key management. Itai shares his journey from product management leadership roles and consulting at the Boston Consulting Group to co-founding Dynamic, a company backed by a16z crypto, Founders Fund, and others. He discusses how Dynamic’s growth, milestones, including sponsoring six major hackathons, supporting 400 teams, and powering millions of monthly user logins, has advanced Web3 adoption. Itai dives into the platform’s role in simplifying developer workflows, enhancing user onboarding with features like social logins and Global Identities, and his vision for a more intuitive crypto future where wallet infrastructure empowers seamless cross-chain interactions.

Building Modular Smart Account Infrastructure, with Kurt Larsen (Rhinestone) Jun 28, 2025

Show notes

Kurt Larsen is Co-Founder of Rhinestone (https://www.rhinestone.wtf), a platform revolutionizing Web3 by building modular smart account infrastructure to enhance interoperability, security, and developer accessibility. Kurt shares his journey from a banker to launching markets for Deliveroo and leading a machine learning product division, to co-founding Rhinestone, which recently raised $5 million in a seed round led by 1kx, with support from CoinFund, Lattice, Heartcore, Circle Ventures, among others. He discusses how his early fascination with crypto in 2017, coupled with insights from building Deliveroo’s marketplace algorithms, exposed the flaws of centralized networks and fueled Rhinestone’s mission to create user-friendly, self-sovereign tools that rival Web2 simplicity. Kurt dives into Rhinestone’s platform for developers to build and monetize smart account modules, the challenges of improving Web3 UX, and his vision for smart accounts as the dominant interface for users, AI agents, and blockchain-integrated systems in the next three to five years.

Monetizing Intellectual Property On-chain with AI Agents, with Nirav Murthy (Camp Network) Jun 11, 2025

Show notes

Nirav Murthy is CEO, Co-Founder of CAMP Network (https://www.camp.network), a Layer-1 blockchain designed to modernize intellectual property (IP) infrastructure, empower decentralized identity and data sovereignty, and power the next generation of AI Agents on verifiable IP. In this episode, Nirav shares his journey from advising global media and tech brands at The Raine Group to co-founding CAMP Network’s modular platform that empowers creators to own and monetize their IP. He discusses how CAMP’s Proof of Provenance (PoP) Protocol and zero-knowledge technology tackle scalability and privacy challenges, his insights on bridging social media data with on-chain value creation, and driving innovation to deliver intellectual property (IP) infrastructure, enabling user owned IP.

Powering the Complete BTCfi Ecosystem, with Rich Rines (CoreDAO) May 31, 2025

Show notes

Rich Rines is a Initial Contributor at Core DAO (https://www.coredao.org), the first proof-of-stake (PoS) layer for Bitcoin, pioneering self-custodial Bitcoin staking and hosting the largest Bitcoin DeFi ecosystem. In this episode, Rich shares his journey from re-discovering Bitcoin in 2013, captivated by its potential as a non-sovereign store of value, to becoming a key figure in Core DAO’s mission to bridge Bitcoin’s security with DeFi innovation. He dives into how Core DAO’s layer-1 revolutionary infrastructure leverages the complementary qualities of proof-of-stake (PoS) alongside proof-of-work (PoW), and discusses his prior experience leading money movement engineering at Coinbase. He provides insights into how Core DAO’s Satoshi Plus consensus mechanism integrates Bitcoin miners and non-custodial Bitcoin staking to unlock Bitcoin’s potential for DeFi applications. He also addresses navigating technical challenges, his vision for user-friendly decentralized solutions, and driving global adoption to make Bitcoin-powered Web3 accessible to all, no matter where they are.

Removing Barriers to International Commerce with Stablecoins, with Ezra Kebrab (Caliza) May 26, 2025

Show notes

Ezra Kebrab is CEO and Co-Founder of Caliza (https://www.caliza.com), a platform leveraging stablecoin infrastructure to revolutionize cross-border payments, enabling instant, cost-effective international transactions, with a focus on Latin America. Ezra shares his journey from leading fintech initiatives at Visa and Intuit to building Caliza’s API-driven platform that bridges the gap in global finance. He also discusses how Caliza is reshaping the future of stable finance in Latin America, tackling regulatory and compliance challenges, his thoughts on the on-chain settlement buildout - DREX in Brazil, and driving innovation to make digital dollar accounts accessible to all, no matter where they are.

Pioneering Decentralized Cloud Computing, with Tom Trowbridge (Fluence Labs) May 21, 2025

Show notes

Tom Trowbridge is CEO and Co-Founder of Fluence Labs (https://fluence.network), a decentralized, enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure with global compute. Tom dives into Fluence’s mission to reshape the future of the internet through its cloudless computing platform, offering resilient, low-cost, and open alternatives to traditional cloud services. He discusses how Fluence’s DePIN platform, governed by the Fluence DAO and powered by FLT on Ethereum, delivers cheaper decentralized compute compared to conventional providers while enhancing security, scalability, and censorship resistance. Tom shares his journey from launching Hedera Hashgraph to building Fluence Labs, addressing challenges like customer acquisition and simplifying messaging for non-crypto audiences.

Unpacking the Vision for User-Owned AI, with Illia Polosukhin (NEAR) May 18, 2025

Show notes

Illia Polosukhin is Co-Founder of NEAR, (https://www.near.ai), a high-performant, AI-native blockchain platform that provides the infrastructure needed for AI applications and agents to transact, operate, and interact across both Web2 and Web3. With a deep background in machine learning and software engineering, Illia shares his journey into crypto, from early contributions in tech to co-founding NEAR, where he focuses on building an accessible Web3 ecosystem. He emphasizes the importance of user-centric blockchain infrastructure, the modularity of NEAR’s design, and its role as a leading stack for creating decentralized applications, empowering developers to innovate seamlessly.

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