The SEC is "Bored Ape"-ing into NFT regulation

For this week’s episode, we're re-sharing Jacquelyn's conversation with Tiago Sada, head of product for Tools for Humanity and core contributor to Worldcoin, at TechCrunch’s Disrupt 2023 in San Francisco. The saga behind Sam Altman’s departure from OpenAI has been a whirlwind, but his involvement in his crypto project Tools for Humanity, the team building Worldcoin, is uninterrupted, a source close to the matter told TechCrunch. Given that OpenAI is the talk of the town this week — we thought it would be a great idea to resurface this episode to give listeners a refresher on Worldcoin.  In this conversation we cover we talk about Tools for Humanity, which is the team building Worldcoin, raised $115 million in a Series C round back in May with investors like Blockchain Capital, a16z, Bain Capital Crypto and Distributed Global. In March 2022, Worldcoin raised $100 million at a $3 billion valuation. The project was co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman with a three part mission to create a global ID, a global currency and an app that enables payments, purchases and transfers with its token.  Worldcoin has been on a world tour since April, hitting major cities like Tokyo, Miami, New York City and San Francisco. It has also set up shop in major cities in countries like Kenya, India and China.  We dive into why someone would scan their eyes, alternate options and privacy concerns some skeptics have about the project.  We also talked about:  Global adoption of Worldcoin Kenya 'indefinitely’’ pausing Worldcoin iris scans Projects’ biggest challenges for growth How AI can fit into Worldcoin Future opportunities and roadmaps Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on  Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Stani Kulechov, the founder of Avara, formerly known as Aave Companies.  The company is probably best known for Aave protocol, its platform-focused stablecoin GHO and its social network protocol Lens. The web3-focused software technology company announced exclusively on our podcast their rebranding as well as a strategic acquisition of an Ethereum-based crypto wallet. The name Aave will still exist, but through Aave Protocol and Aave Labs, two organizations’ under Avara’s umbrella brand.  We discussed the rebrand, acquisition, changes to projects under the Avara umbrella and content creator monetization on decentralized social media platforms and what it can look like. We also talked about:  Lens transitioning out of beta phase Decentralized versus mainstream social media  The future of social networks What’s next for Avara   Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Brendan Quigley, partner at Baker Botts law firm.  Quigley is a former U.S. Marine, now attorney who represents clients on matters related to white-collar government investigations and commercial disputes. Previously, he was a former federal prosecutor as an Assistant U.S Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, which we call SDNY. If that rings a bell it’s because one of our other guests, Josh Naftalis also had that role. Brendan has tried over 12 cases that were brought to verdicts and was a senior member of the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Unit.  We talked about SBF’s verdict and future sentencing as well as how his March 2024 trial for additional charges will pan out.  Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on  Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn is joined by TechCrunch+ Editor in Chief, Alex Wilhelm, to discuss the end of the trial for Sam Bankman-Fried, former CEO of FTX, who is facing seven charges related to fraud and money laundering.  They talked about: SBF’s testimony The prosecution’s closing arguments  The defense’s closing arguments  Key points in the case  What’s next for the trial  Keep up to date with Jacquie's coverage at techcrunch.com Here are some articles to keep you up to date:  SBF’s prosecutors emphasize the case is not about crypto: ‘It’s about lies. It’s about stealing, greed.’ SBF said nothing and everything in his testimony, all at the same time SBF’s defense puts forth a 35-minute last-ditch effort to show his goodwill Sam Bankman-Fried says he didn’t defraud FTX customers or take their funds Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on  Apple Podcasts, Spotif  or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

For this bonus episode of Chain Reaction, Jacquie is joined by TechCrunch+ Editor in Chief, Alex Wilhelm, go over the FTX/Sam Bankman-Fried trial before getting into his testimony from Thursday and Friday. They talked about: Why the judge had the jury leave the courthouse for SBF’s testimony Thursday The general feeling of the courthouse on the fourth week of the trial A possible timeline for next week and what to look out for as the prosecution gets a chance to cross-examine SBF Join us next week for another trial recap Keep up to date with Jacquie's coverage at techcrunch.com Join us next week for another trial recap. Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on  Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Josh Naftalis, partner at law firm Pallas Partners. He’s a long time attorney who represents companies, boards and executives in cases for white collar criminal defense, regulatory enforcement matters, internal investigations, crisis management and more. Prior to Pallas Partners, Josh was a federal prosecutor and served over a decade as assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. While at the SDNY he led a number of government white collar prosecutions and trials and as a senior member of SDNY’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Josh handled situations ranging from cryptocurrency to inside trading and market manipulation to corporate and accounting fraud. His work also involved coordination with other agencies like the SEC, CFTC, and FBI.  While at the SDNY, Josh secured convictions in every federal criminal trial that he led as an assistant U.S. attorney. So we saw him as the perfect person to dive into the eye grabbing trial of Sam Bankman-Fried who is fighting seven charges related to money laundering and fraud. SBF’s trial is also taking place at SDNY where Josh worked.  We talked about all the nitty gritty details of SBF’s trial: the prosecution's strategy, the defense’s strategy, how this case compares to ones that Josh previously led and how likely it is that jurors will reach a guilty verdict.   We also talked about:  How many years SBF could face Importance of jurors Best witness testimonies so far Sentencing for other FTX execs Why he thinks SBF will testify  Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on  Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Katherine Dowling, the general counsel and chief compliance officer at Bitwise Asset Management.  Bitwise is a crypto asset manager that is known for creating the world’s largest crypto index fund. The firm also filed for a bitcoin spot ETF in the U.S., making it one of a number of firms whose applications are pending after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) delayed its decisions. Katherine previously has worked in compliance at True Capital Management and Luminate Capital Partners. Before that, she spent a decade as assistant U.S. attorney, most recently in the economic crimes unit of the U.S. attorney's office for the Northern District of California.  We talked about the status of Bitwise’s bitcoin spot ETF application and how recent developments with other firms’ similar applications may bring on the momentum needed for the financial vehicle to be approved.  We also talked about:  How regulatory legal procedures affect legislation Easiest places to start for crypto regulation  Key factors for crypto companies’ compliance FTX trial being ‘baked in’ for regulators  Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on  Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

This week, we have a bonus mini episode where Jacquelyn talks with TechCrunch+ editor-in-chief Alex Wilhelm to dive back into the Sam Bankman-Fried trial and what has transpired in its second week.  Major witnesses who were involved in the downfall of FTX and its sister company Alameda testified like Gary Wang, CTO and cofounder of FTX, and Caroline Ellison, CEO of Alameda.  The two of them plead guilty to a number of charges and could face maximum sentences of 50 to 110 years, respectively. It’s also worth noting Wang and Ellison testified as part of a cooperation agreement for pleading guilty.  Jacquelyn and Alex talk about key points from the trial, anecdotes that you can’t read on a transcript and what she anticipates from both the prosecutors and defense going forward.  Want more? Here’s the latest on the SBF trial:  Former Alameda CEO Caroline Ellison explains how FTX hid losses, sandbagged lenders Alameda Research allegedly paid Chinese officials around $150M to regain $1B worth of exchange accounts Alameda Research’s ex-CEO Caroline Ellison testifies, claims SBF directed her to commit crimes Alameda had a $65B line of credit and ‘unlimited withdrawals’ As SBF’s trial heads into its second week, here’s what we know so far Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on  Apple Podcasts,   Spotify  or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Grace Torrellas, Polygon Labs’ VP of product and zkEVM product lead and co-founder and executive director of Blockchain for Humanity, at TechCrunch’s Disrupt 2023 in San Francisco. Blockchain for Humanity aims to use Bitcoin and blockchain technology to help social impact projects.  Separately, Polygon Labs is focused on the Ethereum blockchain through its own scaling protocols to make the web3 ecosystem more “affordable, secure and sustainable.” The chain also aims to grow the zero-knowledge ethereum virtual machine (zkEVM) space.  Breaking it down for you: zkEVM is just fancy jargon for scalable smart contracts that are compatible with Ethereum and supports a type of computation known as “zero-knowledge proofs,” that verify each transaction.  Polygon Labs has over 2.9 billion total transactions since inception in 2017. The Polygon network works with web3 organizations like Aave, Uniswap and OpenSea as well as big name brands like Disney and Starbucks.  We talked about her work at both Polygon and Blockchain for humanity and how humanitarian work can be advanced in the web3 space.  We also discussed:  Scaling businesses with blockchain tech ‘Aha’ moments in web3  Opportunities in social impact  Polygon’s ecosystem growth  Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

For this week’s episode, Chain Reaction (and Jacquelyn) did a crossover episode with Alex Wilhelm, editor in chief of TechCrunch+ and co-host of Equity, TechCrunch’s podcast focused on the business of startups. The highly anticipated criminal trial for Sam Bankman-Fried, former CEO of now-bankrupt crypto exchange FTX, started on Tuesday to determine whether he’s guilty of seven counts of fraud and conspiracy.  Jacquelyn has been on the ground at the Southern District of New York court house, listening in to the trial in the same room as Bankman-Fried, so there was lots to talk about.  We dove deep into what transpired the first two days of Bankman-Fried’s trial, as well as who the jurors are, the first two witnesses and who else is expected to speak. We also got into the nitty gritty details, which you can’t read about on a transcript. Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on  Apple Podcasts,   Spotify  or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

This week, we have a bonus episode where Jacquelyn and TechCrunch+ Editor in Chief Alex Wilhelm interviewed Luca Netz, CEO of Pudgy Penguins. Pudgy Penguins, originally known for its flagship collection of 8,888 NFTs that began in 2021 has expanded beyond that into a “IP and brand development company” after Luca bought the project for $2.5 million and took over as CEO in April 2022. For context, Pudgy Penguins digital collectibles have generated over $400 million in transaction volume since release. That early success in the NFT market has now been parlayed into the creation of an open-world digital player experience called Pudgy World, which integrates blockchain technology from Ethereum and zkSync Era, and through its toy line, Pudgy Toys, that launched back in May. We discussed with Luca how those toys launched in 2,000 Walmart stores across the U.S. and Smyths, one of the biggest toy stores in the United Kingdom; in addition to prior launches in Five Below, Amazon, Hot Topic and others stores.  We also talked about:  Economics of toys  Monetizing NFTs long term Demand for Pudgy Toys Bringing web3 to the real world Future plans for its digital world  Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Tiago Sada, head of product for Tools for Humanity and core contributor to Worldcoin, at TechCrunch’s Disrupt 2023 in San Francisco. Tools for Humanity, which is the team building Worldcoin, raised $115 million in a Series C round back in May with investors like Blockchain Capital, a16z, Bain Capital Crypto and Distributed Global. In March 2022, Worldcoin raised $100 million at a $3 billion valuation. The project was co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman with a three part mission to create a global ID, a global currency and an app that enables payments, purchases and transfers with its token.  Worldcoin has been on a world tour since April, hitting major cities like Tokyo, Miami, New York City and San Francisco. It has also set up shop in major cities in countries like Kenya, India and China.  We dive into why someone would scan their eyes, alternate options and privacy concerns some skeptics have about the project.  We also talked about:  Global adoption of Worldcoin  Kenya 'indefinitely’’ pausing Worldcoin iris scans Projects’ biggest challenges for growth  How AI can fit into Worldcoin  Future opportunities and roadmaps  Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on  Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn did a live interview with Chris Lehane, chief strategy officer at Haun Ventures, at TechCrunch’s Disrupt 2023 in San Francisco. Prior to joining the firm, Chris was an executive at Airbnb. He also co-founded a strategic consultancy firm, Fabiani & Lehane, that advised political, corporate, technology, entertainment and professional sports clients. In the 1990s, Chris held various government roles like press secretary to Vice President Al Gore and was special assistant counsel to President Bill Clinton. After a number of decades working across different industries, Chris landed in the world of crypto at Haun Ventures, a web3-focused venture capital firm that has two investment vehicles: a $500 million early stage fund and a $1 billion acceleration fund. Aside from Haun, he is also a member of Coinbase's Global Advisory Council. We discussed Haun’s investment strategy amid U.S. and global regulatory challenges, how the firm advises portfolio companies to navigate the ever changing environment and whether Chris find’s the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s regulation tactics productive, among other things.  Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction.  A podcast that unpacks and dives deep into the latest trends, drama and news in crypto with some of the biggest names in the industry to break things down block by block for the crypto curious.  For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn is sharing a panel she moderated live at Avalanche House, while she was in Seoul, South Korea for Korea Blockchain Week.  The panel focused on the biggest opportunities and challenges facing web3 enterprise and included the following speakers: Dan Sun, startup success manager for web3 APAC lead at Google Cloud  Gagan Mac, head of product and senior director of web3 services at Circle  Johann Eid, chief business officer at Chainlink Lihan Lee, co-CEO and founder of Xangle We discussed the state of web3 enterprise adoption today compared to past quarters and years and dove into the ripple effects that catastrophic events from 2022 had on the space.  We also talked about:  Regulatory scrutiny  Next wave of enterprise adoption  New web3 enterprise use cases  Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotif,  or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction.  A podcast that unpacks and dives deep into the latest trends, drama and news in crypto with some of the biggest names in the industry to break things down block by block for the crypto curious.  For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Charlie Shrem, founder of the Bitcoin Foundation, general partner at Druid Ventures and host of the Charlie Shrem show. Before all that, he was the co-founder and CEO of BitInstant which was a bitcoin payment processor that started in 2011. Shortly after founding the company, he was charged with operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business, and for allegedly attempting to launder over $1 million through the now defunct dark web marketplace Silk Road. He spent a little over a year in a low-security prison as a result.  Now, Charlie is a vocal advocate for clearer crypto regulation, he’s a crypto investor, podcaster, and even a movie producer. We discussed how the bitcoin and crypto ecosystem have changed (and stayed the same) over the past decade as well as how his incarceration shaped his view on the industry.  We also talked about:  Need for regulatory clarity in U.S.  Crypto projects and sectors he’s following How the bitcoin ecosystem is growing  Friend.tech Advice for listeners Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on  Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction.  A podcast that unpacks and dives deep into the latest trends, drama and news in crypto with some of the biggest names in the industry to break things down block by block for the crypto curious.  For this week’s news episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Craig Salm, chief legal officer at Grayscale Investments. Grayscale is a digital asset investment firm that aims to provide products and services, like its Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC), to institutional and individual investors. The company was founded in 2014 and is one of the world’s largest digital asset currency managers. It currently owns 3.4% of outstanding bitcoin, “worth tens of billions of dollars,” according to a recent legal filing.  The firm was making headlines this week after the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Grayscale in a lawsuit against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on the matter of a bitcoin ETF. This ruling is in response to the SEC denying Grayscale’s application to convert its GBTC product into a bitcoin spot ETF in June 2022.  We discussed why the ruling matters for Grayscale and its GBTC investment vehicle; as well as what it could mean for the crypto ecosystem and other firms like BlackRock, Citadel and Fidelity that also filed applications for bitcoin spot ETFs.  We also talked about the SEC’s argued difference between bitcoin futures ETFs, which have been approved by the agency, and bitcoin spot ETFs, which have not been approved by the agency.  Not quite caught up on bitcoin ETFs? Here’s some TechCrunch coverage: The SEC rejected bitcoin spot ETFs again. Now what? A bitcoin spot ETF could open the floodgates for wider crypto demand As appeals court rules in favor of Grayscale, a bitcoin spot ETF could be on the horizon Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on  Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

A podcast that unpacks and dives deep into the latest trends, drama and news in crypto with some of the biggest names in the industry to break things down block by block for the crypto curious.  For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Erik Svenson, co-founder, president and chief financial officer at Blockstream, a bitcoin and blockchain-focused infrastructure firm.   The company was founded in 2014 and has its own sidechain technology, Liquid Network, as well as bitcoin mining operations and hardware wallets for Bitcoin and other assets. It most recently raised $125 million in January and has raised over $400 million to date.  Erik previously worked on Wall Street as a former VP for AIG investments and was a co-founder and consultant of other startups. His last startup he co-founded before Blockstream was Dan’s Plan, a health tech company.  We discussed how the current macroenvironment is impacting Bitcoin-focused businesses and where Erik sees the most opportunities for startups today.  We also talked about:  Blockstream’s mining operations Surviving a bear market Transitioning from TradFi to crypto Advice for startups Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

A podcast that unpacks and dives deep into the latest trends, drama and news in crypto with some of the biggest names in the industry to break things down block by block for the crypto curious.  For this week’s news episode, Jacquelyn talks with Eric Balchunas, senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg, alongside TechCrunch+ editor-in-chief Alex Wilhelm. Balchunas is the author of The Institutional ETF Toolbox and The Bogle Effect. He also co-hosts Bloomberg’s Trillions podcast and ETF IQ show.  Spot bitcoin exchange traded funds, or ETFs, have been a hot topic in the crypto community for many years, but have recently gotten more attention due to Jacobi Asset Management listing Europe’s first bitcoin spot ETF, almost two years after its initial approval. Meanwhile, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently delayed deadlines for bitcoin spot ETF applications.  We dive into what’s going on with the bitcoin spot ETFs in the U.S., why it matters and the odds of the SEC approving one in the near future. We also talk about Europe’s first bitcoin spot ETF, how these investment vehicles in general could impact crypto exchanges’ trading volumes and what else is in store for them.  Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction.  A podcast that unpacks and dives deep into the latest trends, drama and news in crypto with some of the biggest names in the industry to break things down block by block for the crypto curious.  For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Robbie Ferguson, co-founder and president of Immutable.  Immutable is a web3 company consisting of two entities: Immutable Platform, a developer platform for building and scaling Ethereum-based web3 games, and Immutable Games, a web3 game developer and publisher. Some traditional gaming studios and IP holders are also building on its platform like GameStop, TikTok, Illuvium and NFT marketplace OpenSea, to name a few.  In March 2022, Immutable raised $200 million at a $2.5 billion valuation and last June it launched a $500 million developer and venture investment fund, which TechCrunch covered exclusively.  We discussed the web3 gaming market and how it’s grown in the past year and where it’s going in the future. We also talked about:  Creating value in games  Mobile gaming vs web3 gaming Global adoption  Advice for developers Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on  Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction.  A podcast that unpacks and dives deep into the latest trends, drama and news in crypto with some of the biggest names in the industry to break things down block by block for the crypto curious.  For this week’s news episode, Jacquelyn sits down with Jesse Pollak, lead for Base and head of protocols at Coinbase. You might remember him from an interview we did with him back in April.  Coinbase, which is the second largest crypto exchange by trading volume, launched Base, an Ethereum-focused layer-2 (L2) blockchain, in February. The platform was in testnet, which is a test phase of the blockchain network, until mid-July when it launched its mainnet, the fully live version of a blockchain on the main network (hence the name: mainnet), to developers.  Next week, Base is officially launching its mainnet to the public on August 9th, alongside its “Onchain Summer” initiative.  We dive into what’s going on, why it matters, where Pollak sees Base going in the future and why he’s keeping an eye on the bigger layer-2 ecosystem. Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on  Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

A podcast that unpacks and dives deep into the latest trends, drama and news in crypto with some of the biggest names in the industry to break things down block by block for the crypto curious.  For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Deana Burke and Natasha Hoskins, the co-founders of Boys Club. Boys Club is a social decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) for the “crypto curious,” originally designed to get women and non-binary people into the web3 world, it now aims to be an open space for anyone looking to get into the space.  Although it’s a social DAO, Boys Club has a handful of other ventures like their newsletter and podcast, which I was a guest on, as well as events like crypto conference parties and trivia nights.  Before Boys Club, Deana and Natasha were co-founders of a recently acquired travel platform Allcall. Deana was also a communications partner for the blockchain-based Celo Foundation and Natasha previously worked at Fora Travel as a general manager.  We discussed the origin story for Boys Club, what trends Deana and Natasha are following and how they’ve seen the industry evolve since launching their group.  We also talked about:  EthCC 2023 vibe check Inclusivity in web3  Diversifying the industry  Advice for the crypto newbies Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction.  A podcast that unpacks and dives deep into the latest trends, drama and news in crypto with some of the biggest names in the industry to break things down block by block for the crypto curious.  This week we have a bonus episode. Jacquelyn interviewed Stu Alderoty, chief legal officer of Ripple Labs.  Stu spent most of his career working for traditional financial institutions in legal roles at firms like CIT Group, American Express and HSBC and left that world in 2019 to join Ripple. Ripple has been around since 2012, but has been making headlines lately for the recent federal court ruling that stated the XRP token, which is linked to Ripple, is not a security when sold to the general public but can be treated as a security for past XRP sales to institutional clients.  We broke down the nitty gritty details of the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York federal court ruling for Ripple and what it means for the company, XRP token and crypto ecosystem.  We also talked about:  Securities vs. commodities  Ripple’s SEC lawsuit  Future regulation and clarity  Advice for other startups  Need to catch up before you listen? Read these for a quick overview: Federal court rules Ripple’s XRP token can be treated as a security… sometimes Ripple’s XRP case ‘underscores the need for regulatory clarity’ Chain Reaction comes out every other Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction.  A podcast that unpacks and dives deep into the latest trends, drama and news in crypto with some of the biggest names in the industry to break things down block by block for the crypto curious.  For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Maria Shen, a general partner on the investment team at Electric Capital, an early stage venture firm focused on crypto, blockchain, fintech and marketplaces.  Before Electric Capital, Maria was the CTO and co-founder of a startup Bambify that helped small to medium-sized businesses create more efficient supply chains with manufacturers globally. Prior to that, she worked at Microsoft.  In March 2022, the firm announced that it closed $1 billion for a pair of crypto funds – a $400 million vehicle for making equity investments in startups and a $600 million fund intended to invest directly in crypto tokens. Its website currently showcases a portfolio with about 75 investments with crypto startups like Magic Eden, ConsenSys and Bitwise, to name a few.  More recently, Electric Capital put out a report that showed the number of blockchain developers in the U.S. has declined every year since 2017, dropping to 29% last year from 40% in 2017. We dove into what that report really means and how it will affect the growth of developers domestically and internationally.  We discussed what crypto sectors Maria is watching for investments, why she’s betting big on NFTs and the general venture capital market sentiment.  We also talked about:  U.S. regulatory impact on investments  The bear market  Trends she’s following  Advice for founders  Chain Reaction comes out every other Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction.  A podcast that unpacks and dives deep into the latest trends, drama and news in crypto with some of the biggest names in the industry to break things down block by block for the crypto curious.  For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Jack Lu, co-founder and CEO of NFT marketplace Magic Eden. This is his second time on Chain Reaction, but the market has evolved a lot since the last time he came on in August 2022, so we’re excited to have him back!  Before co-founding Magic Eden in 2021, Lu worked as a product manager at Google and a consultant for Boston Consulting Group.  Magic Eden originally began as a Solana-based NFT trading platform, but has expanded its support to other blockchain networks like Polygon, Ethereum and Bitcoin. Today, it has grown into one of the largest NFT marketplaces with over 8,000 collections, about $3 billion in NFT transactions and 22 million unique monthly visitors. In June 2022, Magic Eden raised $130 million in a Series B round that granted it unicorn status. We discussed why Magic Eden expanded its support to other blockchains, adding BRC-20 token support to its secondary platform and how the company plans on staying competitive in the constantly changing market.  We also talked about:  NFT market volatility Royalty fees Web3 gaming expansion Advice for NFT community Need to catch up before you listen? Read these for a quick overview: August 2022 episode: Magic Eden threatens OpenSea’s NFT dominance (w/ Jack Lu) Magic Eden raises $130M, hitting unicorn status at $1.6B valuation NFT marketplace Magic Eden integrates with Polygon to grow blockchain gaming Magic Eden exec sees NFT gaming like the ‘early days of mobile gaming’ Magic Eden launches Bitcoin marketplace as Ordinal inscriptions continue to grow Chain Reaction comes out every other Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction.  A show that unpacks and dives deep into the latest trends, drama and news with some of the biggest names in crypto breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious.  For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Patrick Kaminski, the director of digital innovation for web3 and metaverse at L’Oreal, and Manon Cardiel, head of strategic planning and partnerships within web3 and metaverse at L’Oreal.  Patrick is the leader behind NYX Professional Makeup’s GORJS DAO, which launched in mid-January with hopes of combining the NFT world and the beauty industry in the metaverse. While Manon worked on the GORJS project, she also helped launch NFT collections for companies like Mugler and Yves Saint Laurent.  L’Oreal is best known for its beauty products, but the over 100 year old company is also home to a plethora of brands that many of us use and own like Maybelline, Yves Saint Laurent, Armani, Kiehls, Valentino, Prada, CeraVe and more.  We discussed why L’Oreal wanted to get into the web3 ecosystem, what it’s like incorporating a DAO into a traditional brand and how other brands and companies are – or aren’t – getting into the cryptosphere.  We also dove into:  Growing brand loyalty   Consumer demand and feedback Brands skepticism of NFTs, metaverse  Advice to brands looking to get into web3 Chain Reaction comes out every other Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

This week, we have a bonus episode! Jacquelyn interviewed Paul Grewal, chief legal officer at Coinbase.  Grewal has been at Coinbase, the second largest crypto exchange globally, for almost three years. Previously he was the vice president and deputy general counsel at Facebook, among other roles.  This week, Grewal has been busy testifying before Congress and addressing recent legal ramifications Coinbase faced. On Tuesday, the SEC sued Coinbase for securities laws violations, just one day after the agency sued Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange. Separately, on Tuesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit gave the SEC a deadline to respond to Coinbase to clarify its stance on a rulemaking petition that the exchange asked for in July 2022.  Jacquelyn sat down with Grewal to dive into the company’s operations going forward, how it plans to deal with the legal process, its level of confidence amid the crackdown, and plans for best and worst case scenarios. We also discussed:  Potential crypto legislation from Congress U.S. agencies sentiment toward digital assets Future of assets listed on its exchange Binance’s SEC case Need to catch up before you listen? Related articles are here:  Coinbase chief legal officer expects new crypto laws to come in wake of SEC lawsuits SEC Chair Gensler lambasts crypto industry after agency charges Binance, Coinbase After Binance, US SEC sues Coinbase for securities laws violations Chain Reaction comes out every other Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction.  A show that unpacks and dives deep into the latest trends, drama and news with some of the biggest names in crypto breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious.  For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Gary Vaynerchuk, better known as Gary Vee. He is the chairman of VaynerX and CEO of VaynerMedia and NFT collection VeeFriends.  He’s a five-time New York Times bestselling author and previously created Wine Library, one of the first e-commerce platforms for alcohol in the early 2000s. In 2009, he co-founded VaynerMedia with his younger brother AJ and fast forward today the company services clients like PepsiCo, GE, Johnson and Johnson, Chase and others.  Gary Vee is a “die hard” New York Jets fan (and wants to buy the team one day), as well as an investor in a handful of major companies like Twitter, Venmo and Facebook – which we talk about in the episode.  We dove into a handful of topics surrounding the NFT ecosystem, how Gary Vee got into the space and gained traction for his collection and where he sees the sector going long term.  We also talked about:  VeeFriends origin story Importance of intellectual property  Mainstream adoption What NFT collections are getting wrong  Advice for NFT projects  Chain Reaction comes out every other Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

A show that unpacks and dives deep into the latest trends, drama and news with some of the biggest names in crypto breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious.  For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Sergey Nazarov, co-founder of Chainlink, a protocol that provides an oracle network to power smart contracts.  Chainlink is also known as a web3 services platform that connects people, businesses and data with the world of web3. And for good reason - it has enabled over $7 trillion in transaction volume across DeFi, gaming, NFTs and other major industries.  Prior to co-founding Chainlink, Nazarov co-founded four other businesses, most recently SmartContract - which focused on smart contracts.  We discussed a number of things surrounding smart contracts, technological guarantees, cross-chain interoperability, and Nazarov’s long-term vision for Chainlink. We also dove into:   Unexpected smart contract use cases Cryptographic guarantees How traditional companies can tokenize assets  AI and blockchain technology  CCIP updates  Chain Reaction comes out every other Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction.  A show that unpacks and dives deep into the latest trends, drama and news with some of the biggest names in crypto breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious.  This week we have a bonus episode from a fireside chat Jacquelyn did with Nadya Tolokonnikova, the creator of the protest art collective Pussy Riot, at NFT NYC in April.  Tolokonnikova was sentenced to two years of imprisonment in 2012 after being found guilty of “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred,” but was released early under amnesty.  Fast forward to 2023 and Tolokonnikova has continued to use the Pussy Riot name to fight  in favor of women and LGBTQ people’s rights and against Russia’s control under President Vladimir Putin.  As of March, Tolokonnikova was added to Russia’s most wanted criminals list.  Tolokonnikova has also spoken before the U.S. Congress, British Parliament, European Parliament and has also appeared on TV shows like House of Cards.  We dove into a deep conversation surrounding Tolokonnikova’s mission, how she uses NFTs as a form of activism and how she got into the space.  We also discussed:   How others can use NFTs for activism Future visions for NFT utility  Advice for projects in the space  Chain Reaction comes out every other Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction. A show that unpacks and dives deep into the latest trends, drama and news with some of the biggest names in crypto breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious.  For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Jake Chervinsky, the chief policy officer at Blockchain Association, a non-profit organization focused on promoting “pro-innovation” policy for the digital asset world. He is also a board member of the DeFi education fund and advisor for a web3 seed stage fund Variant. Prior to his work with the Blockchain association, Chervinsky began his attorney career in private practice with a focus on anti-money laundering and anti-corruption compliance and investigations, financial services litigation and government enforcement defense. He spends a lot of time in DC, testifying at hearings to help provide clarity on the crypto industry in hopes to guide it in the right direction.  We dove deep into conversations about all things regulation from how Chervinsky views the current regulatory landscape to whether or not we’re in a “crackdown” era as people call it.  We also discussed:   Regulators views changing American crypto companies  Are cryptocurrencies commodities or securities   Stablecoin legislation Future legal frameworks and guidelines  Chain Reaction comes out every other Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction.  A show that unpacks and dives deep into the latest trends, drama and news with some of the biggest names in crypto breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious.  For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Jesse Pollak, the lead for Base and head of protocols at Coinbase. Base is an Ethereum-focused layer 2 blockchain launched by Coinbase in February of this year.  Pollak previously led all retail engineering at Coinbase, including building Coinbase, Coinbase Pro, and Coinbase Wallet. In a past life, Pollak started Clef, a 2FA mobile app and was an engineer at BuzzFeed.  A number of crypto businesses, platforms, marketplaces and infrastructure firms have committed to building on Base. Those that plan to be involved include Blockdaemon, Chainlink, Etherscan, Quicknode, Aave, Animoca Brands, Dune, Nansen, Magic Eden, Pyth, Rainbow Wallet, Ribbon Finance, The Graph, Wormhole and Gelato, to name a handful. Of course, we talked a lot about Base and where it’s headed in the future, as well as how regulation could affect the blockchain and the timeline for its Mainnet launch; Pollak shared it’s aiming for 2023. We also dove into:  Decentralizing Base Blockchain inspiration Coinbase’s role in Base Advice for developers Chain Reaction comes out every other Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action. The TechCrunch Podcast Network has been nominated for two Webbys in the Best Technology Podcast category. You can help TechCrunch win by voting for Chain Reaction, which digs into the wild world of crypto. Or Found which brings you the stories behind the startups by sitting down with the founders themselves. Please take a few moments to vote here. Voting closes April 20. (Obviously, I host Chain Reaction, so vote for my show!) Mentioned in the show:  https://techcrunch.com/2023/02/23/coinbase-launches-blockchain-base-to-help-developers-build-dapps-on-chain/

We’re thrilled to be nominated for a Webby award in the Best Technology Podcast category. You can help Chain Reaction win by voting here. Voting closes April 20. Chain Reaction’s most recent season has brought on a number of crypto industry experts, be they an investor, founder, personality or skeptic. Our goal is to learn alongside readers and listeners about a budding industry with potentially huge implications for the future of everything — from finance to art to the internet itself. Chain Reaction is produced by Yashad Kulkarni and Maggie Stamets. Subscribe to Chain Reaction on  Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the latest episodes, and please leave us a review if you like what you hear.

Welcome to Chain Reaction.  A show that unpacks and dives deep into the latest trends, drama and news with some of the biggest names in crypto breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious.  For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Arianna Simpson, general partner at Andreessen Horowitz (commonly known as a16z).  Prior to joining the a16z family, Arianna founded Autonomous Partners, an investment fund focused on crypto. She also helped launch Crystal Towers Capital, which is an early-stage fund investing primarily in YC companies.  A16Z has dug deep into the crypto space after launching four funds dedicated to the industry, with the most recent one being about $4.5 billion in May 2022. Some of its portfolio companies include big crypto players we’ve interviewed in the past like Alchemy, Avalanche and Aptos. We talked about Simpson’s background, how her strategy has changed over the years, what she looks for in founders and whether she would launch another VC firm in the future.  And we also discussed: The current investing climate Web3 gaming space  Where founders are building  Regulatory landscape  Advice for founders  Chain Reaction comes out every other Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action. The TechCrunch Podcast Network has been nominated for two Webbys in the Best Technology Podcast category. You can help TechCrunch win by voting for Chain Reaction, which digs into the wild world of crypto. Or Found which brings you the stories behind the startups by sitting down with the founders themselves. Please take a few moments to vote here. Voting closes April 20. (Obviously, I host Chain Reaction, so vote for my show!)

Welcome to Chain Reaction.  A show that unpacks and dives deep into the latest trends, drama and news with some of the biggest names in crypto breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious.  For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Emin Gün Sirer, the founder and CEO of Ava Labs. Ava Labs created the layer-1 blockchain Avalanche, a platform that lets developers build Solidity-compatible multi-functional blockchains and dApps with a focus on speed and low transaction costs. Hundreds of projects are a part of the Avalanche ecosystem, ranging from decentralized exchanges like 1inch to digital asset security firms like BitGo.  Ava Labs has raised a total of about $640 million, according to Crunchbase and is backed by firms like a16z and Polychain Capital, among others. In recent months, Ava Labs has announced a number of partnerships with major brands and companies like Amazon Web Services, which TechCrunch covered exclusively.  We talked about Gün Sirer's background, why he launched the layer-1 blockchain, Avalanche, in 2020, whether the space has too many L1s and how blockchains can scale more efficiently.  We also discussed:  How the layer-2 vision is broken U.S. regulatory crackdown on crypto  Ava Labs’ growth in Asian markets  The blockchain’s partnerships and business development  Ava Labs’ focal point for 2023 and beyond  Articles mentioned during the episode can be found here:  https://techcrunch.com/2023/01/11/aws-partners-with-avalanche-to-scale-blockchain-solutions-for-enterprises-governments/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/09/13/kkr-dives-into-avalanche-blockchain-to-tokenize-and-democratize-financial-services/ Chain Reaction comes out every other Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.  TechCrunch is coming to Boston for our Early Stage event. You can use code CHAIN for 40% off founder and investor passes, we'll see you there!

Welcome to Chain Reaction.  A show that unpacks and dives deep into the latest trends, drama and news with some of the biggest names in crypto breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious.  For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Jack Mallers, the founder and CEO of Strike, a bitcoin-based payment network and financial app that is trying to grow cross-border payments and remittance markets. Last year, Mallers’ company raised $80 million in a Series B round to grow into that space and also has partnered with major companies like Visa, Clover and Fiserv.  Mallers is also the CEO of Zap, a bitcoin investment and payments company that transacts on the Lightning Network, which is a second layer on Bitcion’s blockchain that allows for off-chain transactions between parties. We discussed Mallers backstory, how he got into the Bitcoin scene in his late teenage years, whether the lightning network could be better than the payment networks that exist today and how big players could get into the space. This episode was heavily focused on Bitcoin, so buckle up. We also dove into:  Lightning Network’s global potential   El Salvador’s adoption of Bitcoin  Creating new infrastructure to make Bitcoin more accessible Future of Strike and the Bitcoin ecosystem  Chain Reaction comes out every other Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.  TechCrunch is coming to Boston for our Early Stage event. You can use code CHAIN for 40% off founder and investor passes, we'll see you there!

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for—the winner is announced! In this episode, we get to know the winner of the 2022 Startup Battlefield competition. We’ll hear what’s next for their company and get insight from TechCrunch staff, VCs, and audience members on why they were the right choice. Be sure to check out all of the other podcasts in the TechCrunch Podcast Network: Found, Equity, The TechCrunch Podcast, Chain Reaction and The TechCrunch Live Podcast.

Inside Startup Battlefield is back in our feed with episode three. There are 180 companies solving crucial problems that didn’t make it to the Disrupt stage, but that doesn’t mean they’re making any less of an impact. TechCrunch writers Devin Coldewey and Harri Weber take us on a walk through the Expo Hall and let us listen into their conversations with a handful of the most interesting companies in the Battlefield 200. New episodes of Inside Startup Battlefield drop every Monday. Be sure to check out all of the other podcasts in the TechCrunch Podcast Network: Found, Equity, The TechCrunch Podcast, Chain Reaction and The TechCrunch Live Podcast.

Welcome to Chain Reaction.  A show that unpacks and dives deep into the latest trends, drama and news with some of the biggest names in crypto breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious.  For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn interviewed Alex Adelman, the co-founder and CEO of Lolli. Founded in 2018, Lolli is a bitcoin rewards app that lets people earn bitcoin or cash back when they shop online or in-person at over 10,000 stores like McDonalds, Starbucks, Dunkin, CVS, Costco and so on.  Adelman previously was on the team that built a commerce gateway Cosmic that was acquired by PopSugar in 2015 then Ebates and Rakuten in 2017. And similar to Jacquelyn, Adelman also went to UNC-Chapel Hill – go Tar Heels!  The platform has grown significantly over the past few years from partnerships with less than 1,000 stores and to over 10,000 stores, to date. Adelman dived into the rewards system in the crypto ecosystem and how it has evolved over the years – and what the future holds for Lolli.  We also dived deep into the topic of Bitcoin NFTs and Ordinals, which is the latest craze for the community. We discussed whether Bitcoin NFTs are good for the ecosystem, how the technology can grow long term and possibilities for these digital inscriptions to potentially fit into Lolli’s business model.  Chain Reaction comes out every other Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.  TechCrunch is coming to Boston for our Early Stage event. You can use code CHAIN for 40% off founder and investor passes, we'll see you there!

Inside Startup Battlefield is back in our feed with episode two. In the second episode of Inside Startup Battlefield, we take a trip to TechCrunch Disrupt 2022 to hear pitches from the top five companies: Aaron Hall from Intropic Materials, Elizabeth Lawler from App Map, Chad Mason from Advanced Ionics, Sheeba Dawood from Minerva Lithium, Tim Lichti from Swap Robotics. We get to know the companies and the unique problems they’re solving through their pitches and the judges’ follow-up questions. Plus we hear from our host and Battlefield Editor, Neesha Tambe, about what working with each company was like. New episodes of Inside Startup Battlefield drop every Monday. Be sure to check out all of the other podcasts in the TechCrunch Podcast Network: Found, Equity, The TechCrunch Podcast, Chain Reaction and The TechCrunch Live Podcast.

Check out the newest podcast from the TechCrunch Podcast Network: Inside Startup Battlefield, the four-part series that takes you behind TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield competition. In this episode, our host and Startup Battlefield Editor Neesha Tambe breaks down how the Battlefield companies are selected for the TechCrunch Disrupt stage. Then we take a deep dive into what makes a pitch perfect with pitch coach and TechCrunch writer Haje Jan Kamps and Startup Battlefield judge and VC Nisha Dua. You’ll also hear from: Julia Somerdin from Labby, Young-Jae Kim and Tara Peters from Anthill, Quddus Pativada from Digest AI, Blessing Adesiyan from Mother honestly, Hikari Senju from Omneky, Mitch Tolson from Ally robotics, Elizabeth Lawler from App map, Aaron Hall from Intropic materials. Sheeba Dawood from Minerva. New episodes of Inside Startup Battlefield drop every Monday. Be sure to check out all of the other podcasts in the TechCrunch Podcast Network: Found, Equity, The TechCrunch Podcast, Chain Reaction and The TechCrunch Live Podcast.

Welcome to Chain Reaction.  A show that unpacks and dives deep into the latest trends, drama and news with some of the biggest names in crypto breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious.  For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn talked to Gwendolyn Regina, investment director at layer-1 blockchain BNB Chain. Prior to her current role, Gwen worked at Facebook, or as some call it now - Meta, building up a new business unit for venture capital partnerships and startup growth. She’s also a founder of a few different businesses and a founding team member for an early stage tech investment firm Thymos Capital. BNB Chain was launched in 2020 and initially kicked off by Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange by trading volume. Since then, BNB Chain aims to be a decentralized, community-owned separate entity from Binance with a focus on three audiences: retail markets, builders and developers and bridging Web2.0 businesses to web3, Regina shared.  Gaming on BNB Chain also has grown “organically through robustness and cheaper fees,” but the blockchain’s team is now “doubling down” in that sector to encourage more gamers and developers to play and build on its chain, Regina added. We also discussed:  The dApps developers are building on-chain  BNB’s investing strategy  What investors look for in founders Advice to startups launching in a bear market Chain Reaction comes out every other Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.  TechCrunch is coming to Boston for our Early Stage event. You can use code CHAIN for 40% off founder and investor passes, we'll see you there!

Welcome to Chain Reaction.  A show that unpacks and dives deep into the latest trends, drama and news with some of the biggest names in crypto breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious.  For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn talked with Mo Shaikh, co-founder and CEO of the layer-1 blockchain Aptos. Shaikh is a three-times founder with over a decade of experience in financial services as well as blockchain technology and crypto. He also worked on blockchain strategic partnerships for Novi, Facebook’s wallet and was the strategy director at Consensys.  Last year was huge for Aptos – as the blockchain launched publicly and raised about $400 million in funding, amid a bear market. The new layer-1 got backing from major investors like Andreessen Horowitz, Circle Ventures and the now-defunct FTX Ventures, to name a few. Looking forward, Aptos plans to focus on making 2023 its year of “intention,” Shaikh said.  We also discussed:  What it’s like to launch in a bear market Builders on the blockchain Business development plans for 2023 Onboarding people not in the space Future of interoperability and the multichain world Chain Reaction comes out every other Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction.  A show that unpacks and dives deep into the latest trends, drama and news with some of the biggest names in crypto breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious.  For this week’s episode, Jacquelyn talked with Ryan Wyatt, president of Polygon Labs, one of the biggest market shakers and layer-2 blockchains in the crypto space that’s building on top of the Ethereum ecosystem. The past year has been huge for Polygon as it partnered with big-brand names like Starbucks, Disney and Mastercard to launch loyalty rewards and accelerator programs. Now, Polygon is looking to 2023, new opportunities and Wyatt shares what’s in store for it and how the space still has room to grow. We also discussed:  Polygon’s big themes and product vision for 2023  Mass adoption of crypto and what it takes to get there Wyatt’s outlook for the gaming and NFT market What real world use-cases may arise in the future  Chain Reaction comes out every other Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

For this week’s Tuesday episode where we chat with a web3 expert, we’re playing a recording of our discussion live on stage with Alchemy’s CEO Nikil Viswanathan at TechCrunch Sessions: Crypto 2022. We chatted about: How the industry and developer’s focus on infrastructure has shifted Developers focus amid the crypto market chaos What will drive the next wave of consumer interest Advice for developers, builders and founders alike Which smaller blockchains are seeing the most activity and interest from developers Why Alchemy named itself Alchemy Subscribe to Chain Reaction on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the latest episodes, and please leave us a review if you like what you hear. This was Chain Reaction's last episode for this season and we’ll be taking a break for the month of December, but catch up with us in the New Year where I’m sure there will be a lot to talk about!

For this week’s Tuesday episode where we chat with a web3 expert, we’re playing a super timely recording of our discussion live on stage last week with Binance founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao, known as “CZ.” CZ sent shockwaves through the crypto world last week, so we jumped at the chance to ask him about: His tweets about rival exchange FTX that set off a firestorm and whether he anticipated their impact What Binance is doing to gain user trust and demonstrate transparency despite its regulatory troubles across the globe Binance’s revenue streams and strategy to weather a crypto downturn that just got much, much worse Subscribe to Chain Reaction on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action, and please leave us a review if you like what you hear!

Welcome to Chain Reaction, where we unpack and explain the latest in crypto news, drama and trends, breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious. Web3 this week really reminded us that even the best-laid plans aren’t always reliable. We tore up the script for our Thursday episode this week, which we recorded live on stage at our TechCrunch Crypto conference in Miami, and talked instead about the leaked DMs between Sam Bankman-Fried and a Vox reporter.  We shared some of the most notable quotes from the surreal, absurd exchange and unpacked why they matter. Besides what went down in the DMs, we also talked through a couple of major topics related to the FTX fallout, including: The contagion that’s unfolded among other market makers and fund managers What proof of reserves actually means and whether it is a viable solution for transparency from crypto companies ICYMI, you can use the promo code REACT to get 25% off an annual subscription to TechCrunch+, where we’ve been diving deep into all the latest drama going down in the cryptoverse. Chain Reaction comes out every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

For this week’s Tuesday episode where we chat with a web3 expert (or three), we’re playing a recording of our discussion live on stage with Brett Harrison, former president of FTX, Mary-Catherine Lader, COO of Uniswap and Cuy Sheffield, head of crypto at Visa, at TechCrunch Disrupt. We chatted about:  Brett Harrison’s next plans  How the crypto startup world is evolving Advice for founders amid a bear market  Regulatory gaps and current hurdles  Ways Web2 and Web3 businesses are working together  If you enjoyed this interview, you’ll have a chance to hear us talk with some of the biggest names in crypto at our event in Miami this week on November 17th.  Chain Reaction comes out every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on  Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction, where we unpack and explain the latest in crypto news, drama and trends, breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious. We had to talk about the news that rocked the crypto world this week in our Thursday episode: the Binance/FTX deal that never was. To begin, we gave you a rundown of WTF just happened with the beef between two of the largest crypto exchanges in the world and how Sam Bankman-Fried’s storied exchange fell so far so fast, bringing down investors, cryptocurrencies and other companies in the space tumbling down with it. Once we ran through the background behind the situation that’s been unfolding in real-time this week, we shared our thoughts on the massive implications this fiasco might have for the rest of the crypto industry, from venture capitalists and startups to regulation across the globe. It’s a fascinating backdrop for our conversation at our crypto event in Miami next week, where we’ll be chatting with Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the billionaire who is seen as the catalyst for FTX’s downfall. You can use the promo code REACT for 15% off a General Admission ticket to the event to hear from CZ and plenty of other crypto market players about what the future of this tumultuous industry might hold in the coming months. Chain Reaction comes out every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

For this week’s Tuesday episode where we chat with a web3 expert, we’re playing a recording of our discussion live on stage with Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of the Solana blockchain, at TechCrunch Disrupt. We chatted with Yakovenko about: Solana’s plans to launch a web3-focused smartphone and whether it can take on tech giants Apple and Google in mobile The lack of women in the web3 space and what blockchain leaders could (and should) be doing to fix that Whether Yakovenko is more afraid of competition from new layer-one upstarts or incumbent market leaders such as Ethereum If you enjoyed this interview, you’ll have a chance to hear us talk with some of the biggest names in crypto at our event in Miami on November 17th.  You can use the promo code, REACT, for 15% off a General Admission ticket to hear from speakers including FTX’s Amy Wu and Binance’s Changpeng Zhao. Chain Reaction comes out every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction, where we unpack and explain the latest in crypto news, drama and trends, breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious. For our Thursday episode where we discuss the latest in crypto news, we talked about a string of troubles that have unfolded for various bitcoin mining companies over the past month, from Argo Blockchain to Core Scientific, and what it would take to unearth (ha ha, get it?) the sector from its woes. We also discussed: Binance’s $500 million investment in Elon Musk’s Twitter deal and what’s in it for the crypto exchange NFT marketplaces such as LooksRare and Magic Eden pulling the plug on creator royalties and how the decisions could affect web3 artists Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao is one of the speakers set to join us at our upcoming crypto event in Miami on November 17th, and we’ll be sure to ask him about his plans for Twitter. If you’re interested in hearing more, you can use the promo code REACT for 15% off a General Admission ticket to the event. And if you can’t join us in person we have a sweet deal for you to access our exclusive membership content — use the promo code REACT to get 25% off an annual subscription to TechCrunch+. Chain Reaction comes out every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction, where we unpack and explain the latest in crypto news, drama and trends, breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious. For this week’s Tuesday episode where we chat with a web3 expert, we’re playing a recording of our discussion live on stage with a16z GP Chris Dixon that took place at Disrupt last month. We chatted with Dixon about: The venture firm’s new creator economy-focused crypto accelerator program Why a16z backed controversial WeWork founder Adam Neumann Where he’s seeing opportunity across the web3 landscape in this bear market Also, we’ll be hosting our first dedicated crypto event in Miami for just one day on November 17th — you can use the promo code, REACT, for 15% off a General Admission ticket to hear from speakers including FTX’s Amy Wu and OpenSea’s Devin Finzer. Chain Reaction comes out every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction, where we unpack and explain the latest in crypto news, drama and trends, breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious.For our Thursday episode where we discuss the latest in crypto news, we talked about Apple’s new App Store guidelines announced this week and how they could make life harder for NFT exchanges and crypto companies looking to grow through mobile adoption. We also discussed: Reddit’s surprisingly successful foray into the NFT space in light of new metrics the company shared on stage at Disrupt The U.K.’s new prime minister, Rishi Sunak, and whether he’ll live up to the hype he’s received from the crypto community BTW, we’re getting closer to our crypto event in Miami on November 17th! If you want to join us to hear from web3 leaders at firms such as OpenSea, FTX and Haun Ventures, you can use the promo code REACT for 15% off a General Admission ticket.If you can’t join us in person in Miami, you can use the promo code REACT to get 25% off an annual subscription to TechCrunch+ for web3 deep dives, exclusive interviews and analysis.Chain Reaction comes out every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction, where we unpack and explain the latest in crypto news, drama and trends, breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious. For our Tuesday episode where we chat with a web3 expert, we talked to Andrei Brasoveanu, a venture capital investor at Accel, about his web3 investments in companies such as Nansen and Sorare and how the firm competes with crypto-native VC players for top deals in the blockchain space. We also chatted with Brasoveanu about: His background as a high-frequency trader on Wall Street and how it informs his approach to crypto investing Trends in developer infrastructure and tooling, where he’s invested across both web2 and web3 startups We’ll be hosting our first dedicated crypto event in Miami for just one day on November 17th — you can use the promo code, REACT, for 15% off a General Admission ticket to hear from speakers including FTX’s Amy Wu and OpenSea’s Devin Finzer. Chain Reaction comes out every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction, where we unpack and explain the latest in crypto news, drama and trends, breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious. We shook things up this week and recorded our Thursday episode live from stage at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco. We talked through the Aptos mainnet launch snafu and what this hyped, VC-backed blockchain’s starting troubles mean for other layer-ones. We also chatted about Twitter’s decentralized social plans and Mastercard launching crypto trading for banks. As a fun bonus, we grabbed our crystal ball and each shared our predictions for where in web3 we think money will (and won’t) flow in the next year. Tune in for our takes on the future of web3 gaming, crypto infrastructure and more! Disrupt has been awesome, but in case you missed us here, you can still join us at our first dedicated crypto event in Miami for just one day on November 17th. You can use the same promo code, REACT, for 15% off a General Admission ticket.Chain Reaction comes out every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action. We’ll also be hosting our first dedicated crypto event in Miami for just one day on November 17th — you can use the same promo code, REACT, for 15% off a General Admission ticket. And even if you can’t join us in person, you can use the promo code REACT to get 25% off an annual subscription to TechCrunch+. Chain Reaction comes out every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction, where we unpack and explain the latest in crypto news, drama and trends, breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious. For our Tuesday episode where we interview a guest in the web3 space, we sat down with Jesse Powell, founder and CEO of Kraken, one of the largest crypto exchanges in the world. Powell announced last month that he is stepping down from the top spot at the company he built 11 years ago and transitioning to the chairman role. We heard from Powell about the reasons behind why he is ceding the CEO title. We also discussed: The notorious manifesto Powell released outlining Kraken’s “crypto-first,” libertarian values Recent headlines in the New York Times revealing Powell’s controversial Slack messages to employees The path ahead for the crypto exchange under its new CEO, Dave Ripley ICYMI, you can use the promo code REACT for 15% off tickets to TechCrunch Disrupt next week (excluding online and expo) where we’ll be chatting with industry experts such as a16z’s Chris Dixon and Solana Labs’ Anatoly Yakovenko. We’ll also be hosting our first dedicated crypto event in Miami for just one day on November 17th — you can use the same promo code, REACT, for 15% off a General Admission ticket. And even if you can’t join us in person, you can use the promo code REACT to get 25% off an annual subscription to TechCrunch+. Chain Reaction comes out every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction, where we unpack and explain the latest in crypto news, drama and trends, breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious. For our Thursday episode, where we discuss the latest in crypto news, we had a long conversation about whether Kim Kardashian really deserved that $1.26 million fine that she got from the SEC for advertising an unregistered security, in this case a token called EthereumMax. We also discussed: Crypto happenings surrounding Elon Musk’s renewed bid for Twitter and how crypto markets are responding. The dropping amount of crypto being lost to hacks, thefts and accidents and how that’s a good signal for the space. ICYMI, you can use the promo code REACT for 15% off tickets to TechCrunch Disrupt this October (excluding online and expo) where we’ll be chatting with industry experts such as a16z’s Chris Dixon and Solana Labs’ Anatoly Yakovenko. We’ll also be hosting our first dedicated crypto event in Miami for just one day on November 17th — you can use the same promo code, REACT, for 15% off a General Admission ticket. And even if you can’t join us in person, you can use the promo code REACT to get 25% off an annual subscription to TechCrunch+. Chain Reaction comes out every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction, where we unpack and explain the latest in crypto news, drama and trends, breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious. For our Tuesday episode where we interview an expert in the web3 space, we sat down with Fable founder Edward Saatchi, who also previously co-founded Oculus Story Story. We talked about how emerging technologies can enable new forms of storytelling and how sectors like crypto and AI are changing what the metaverse might look like. We also discussed: The challenges facing DAOs, which are being forced to streamline operations and missions amid the bear market.  How the intertwining of metaverse and crypto boosterism is leading to a very narrow popular view on the future of online social interaction. ICYMI, you can use the promo code REACT for 15% off tickets to TechCrunch Disrupt this October (excluding online and expo) where we’ll be chatting with industry experts such as a16z’s Chris Dixon and Solana Labs’ Anatoly Yakovenko. We’ll also be hosting our first dedicated crypto event in Miami for just one day on November 17th — you can use the same promo code, REACT, for 15% off a General Admission ticket. And even if you can’t join us in person, you can use the promo code REACT to get 25% off an annual subscription to TechCrunch+. Chain Reaction comes out every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction, where we unpack and explain the latest in crypto news, drama and trends, breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious. For our Thursday episode where we discuss the latest in crypto news, we hashed out some of FTX’s latest potential M&A actions, executive departures and fundraising plans. We dug into FTX’s purchase of Voyager’s assets in a bankruptcy auction. We also discussed. Crypto lender Nexo running into some issues with US state legislators on “unqualified securities” offerings.  Fed Chair Jerome Powell throwing water on expectations that the Fed will make an imminent announcement around the Digital Dollar, and some of his comments on the challenges in creating such a currency in the first place. ICYMI, you can use the promo code REACT for 15% off tickets to TechCrunch Disrupt this October (excluding online and expo) where we’ll be chatting with industry experts such as a16z’s Chris Dixon and Solana Labs’ Anatoly Yakovenko. We’ll also be hosting our first dedicated crypto event in Miami for just one day on November 17th — you can use the same promo code, REACT, for 15% off a General Admission ticket. And even if you can’t join us in person, you can use the promo code REACT to get 25% off an annual subscription to TechCrunch+. Chain Reaction comes out every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction, where we unpack and explain the latest in crypto news, drama and trends, breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious. For our Tuesday episode this week, where we interview an expert in the crypto space, we chatted with Kevin Owocki. He is the founder of Gitcoin and an outspoken proponent of both open source software and decentralized governance. We spoke with Owocki about whether the crypto community is living up to its lofty ideals and what comes next for Ethereum after The Merge. We also discussed: How venture capitalists should be incentivizing the creation of more publicly beneficial blockchain infrastructure, and what still needs to be built. Whether technology is enough to solve some of the societal problems blockchain developers and advocates are frequently passionate about. ICYMI, you can use the promo code REACT for 15% off tickets to TechCrunch Disrupt this October (excluding online and expo) where we’ll be chatting with industry experts such as a16z’s Chris Dixon and Solana Labs’ Anatoly Yakovenko. We’ll also be hosting our first dedicated crypto event in Miami for just one day on November 17th — you can use the same promo code, REACT, for 15% off a General Admission ticket. And even if you can’t join us in person, you can use the promo code REACT to get 25% off an annual subscription to TechCrunch+. Chain Reaction comes out every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction, where we unpack and explain the latest in crypto news, drama and trends, breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious.  For our Thursday episode where we discuss the latest in crypto news, we talked about the recent steep decline in Ethereum prices following its major network upgrade. We also discussed: The latest regulatory drama surrounding stablecoins: including a draft House bill that would ban algorithmic stablecoins, some legal action against Tether and a big move in the sector from Robinhood. Recent movements from the United States federal government to embrace a digital dollar, and who Biden has tapped to prepare for any potential decisions from the Federal Reserve. ICYMI, you can use the promo code REACT for 15% off tickets to TechCrunch Disrupt this October (excluding online and expo) where we’ll be chatting with industry experts such as a16z’s Chris Dixon and Solana Labs’ Anatoly Yakovenko. We’ll also be hosting our first dedicated crypto event in Miami for just one day on November 17th — you can use the same promo code, REACT, for 15% off a General Admission ticket. And even if you can’t join us in person, you can use the promo code REACT to get 25% off an annual subscription to TechCrunch+. Chain Reaction comes out every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction, where we unpack and explain the latest in crypto news, drama and trends, breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious.For our Tuesday episode where we chat with a web3 expert, we talked to Seth Ginns, head of liquid investments and a managing partner at crypto venture firm CoinFund, about the state of different aspects of the crypto market today, from tokens to layer-ones to startups. Ginns used to work at an asset management firm investing in public growth stocks, so he also shared some insight on: His predictions for where token prices are headed If people who recently pivoted careers into web3 are ready to jump ship during the bear market Why early-stage crypto startups have been able to avoid some of the markets’ recent carnage ICYMI, you can use the promo code REACT for 15% off tickets to TechCrunch Disrupt this October (excluding online and expo) where we’ll be chatting with industry experts such as a16z’s Chris Dixon and Solana Labs’ Anatoly Yakovenko. We’ll also be hosting our first dedicated crypto event in Miami for just one day on November 17th — you can use the same promo code, REACT, for 15% off a General Admission ticket. And even if you can’t join us in person, you can use the promo code REACT to get 25% off an annual subscription to TechCrunch+.Chain Reaction comes out every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to a Chain Reaction bonus episode! On Thursday, Anita and Jacquie went live with Equity's Alex Wilhelm and Natasha Mascarenhas to talk all about the Ethereum Merge. Pulling off the Merge was an event requiring such technical coordination and rigor that it's been compared to the moon landing. Now that it's happened, what will be the impacts on web3 startups? What about the rest of the tech industry, or large financial institutions, or Chinese crypto miners? They walked through all these questions and more, trying to address both what the Merge is and why it matters through as holistic a lens as possible. For more on the Merge, required reading can be found here, here, and here. Equity drops every Monday at 7 a.m. PDT and Wednesday and Friday at 6 a.m. PDT, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. Chain Reaction comes out every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PDT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast and Spotify to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction, where we unpack and explain the latest in crypto news, drama and trends, breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious.For our Thursday episode this week, we dug into the institutional embrace of blockchains by stodgy financial powerhouses -- including mega PE firm KKR, which announced this week that they were tokenizing one of their latest funds to provide access to a slightly less rich class of wealthy investors. While it’s far from pervasive financial democratization, the move attracted a lot of attention, which we dissected. We also covered: A Supergroup of financial institutions including Fidelity, Schwab and Citadel are teaming up to build a new digital asset exchange called the EDXM. Is this a signal of institutional fervor or just more groupthink? The White House’s Office of Science and Tech Policy released a sweeping report on the energy usage of the cryptocurrency industry. The report signals future pressures on Bitcoin miners to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or else. Join us at TechCrunch Disrupt this October to hear from speakers including a16z’s Chris Dixon and Solana Labs’ Anatoly Yakovenko — use the promo code REACT for 15% off, excluding online and expo. And even if you can’t join us in person, you can use the promo code REACT for 25% on an annual pass for our TechCrunch+ membership service. Chain Reaction comes out every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction, where we unpack and explain the latest in crypto news, drama and trends, breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious. For our Tuesday episode where we chat with a web3 expert, we talked to Meltem Demirors, chief strategy officer at publicly-traded digital asset manager Coinshares. Demirors was a core team member at crypto investment firm Digital Currency Group in 2015, we discussed: The upcoming Ethereum merge and what it means for the brawl between the chain and its biggest competitors Why investors are increasingly apathetic toward the asset class and how crypto companies are fighting that sentiment How Demirors has seen web3 grow more ideologically fractured over time while maintaining its cultlike following Join us at TechCrunch Disrupt this October to hear from speakers including a16z’s Chris Dixon and Solana Labs’ Anatoly Yakovenko — use the promo code REACT for 15% off, excluding online and expo. We’ll also be hosting our first crypto event in Miami this November with plenty of web3 experts — you can use the promo code REACT for 15% off a General Admission Ticket. And even if you can’t join us in person, you can use the promo code REACT for 25% on an annual pass for our TechCrunch+ membership service. Chain Reaction comes out every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction, where we unpack and explain the latest in crypto news, drama and trends, breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious. For our Thursday episode focused on major news topics this week, we discussed the latest drama surrounding crypto mega exchange Binance which is making its presence known in the stablecoin game and shaking up the ecosystem as it looks to muscle its way to supremacy. We also covered: Sorare gets into NBA fantasy sports thanks to a new partnership with the league. Can Sorare beat out Dapper’s NBA Top Shot? MicroStrategy ex-CEO and Bitcoin bull billionaire Michael Saylor sued for tax fraud by DC Attorney General; the government estimates Saylor may owe as much as $100 million in income taxes to DC. Join us at TechCrunch Disrupt this October to hear from speakers including a16z’s Chris Dixon and Solana Labs’ Anatoly Yakovenko — use the promo code REACT for 15% off, excluding online and expo. And even if you can’t join us in person, you can use the promo code REACT for 25% on an annual pass for our TechCrunch+ membership service. Chain Reaction comes out every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction, where we unpack and explain the latest in crypto news, drama and trends, breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious. For our Tuesday episode where we chat with a web3 expert, we talked to James Zhang, founder and CEO of Concept Art House, a consultancy that creates and advises on art for web3 video games and NFT collections. The company raised $25 million in funding last October from investors including Animoca Brands and Dapper Labs but faces a slumping NFT market today. We talked to Zhang about: How artists behind popular NFT projects are compensated for their work — and whether it’s enough Zhang’s experience navigating the often-sticky issues of intellectual property and ownership surrounding NFT art What impacts the recent dropoff in NFT trading volume means for artists and creators Join us at TechCrunch Disrupt this October to hear from speakers including a16z’s Chris Dixon and Solana Labs’ Anatoly Yakovenko — use the promo code REACT for 15% off, excluding online and expo. We’ll also be hosting our first crypto event in Miami this November with plenty of web3 experts — you can get 2 passes for the price of 1 if you buy them before September 7th at techcrunch.com/tccrypto. And even if you can’t join us in person, you can use the promo code REACT for 25% on an annual pass for our TechCrunch+ membership service. Chain Reaction comes out every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction, where we unpack and explain the latest in crypto news, drama and trends, breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious. For our Thursday episode focused on major news topics this week, Anita and Lucas unpacked the good, the bad and the downright confusing as they relate to the long-awaited Ethereum network upgrade -- The Merge -- starting this month. Jacquie has been out on vacation, so we're sure she'll be returning with lots to say next week. We also covered: Meta's announcement that it will allow users to post their NFTs on Facebook and Instagram, and how the tech giant is positioned compared to competitors like Reddit in the NFT space -- as well as what this means for the mainstream embrace of crypto Tune in on Tuesday for an interview with James Zhang, founder and CEO of Concept Art House, an NFT and web3 gaming-focused art and design studio. Join us at TechCrunch Disrupt this October to hear from speakers including a16z’s Chris Dixon and Solana Labs’ Anatoly Yakovenko — use the promo code REACT for 15% off, excluding online and expo. We’ll also be hosting our first crypto event in Miami this November with plenty of web3 experts — you can get 2 passes for the price of 1 if you buy them before September 7th at techcrunch.com/tccrypto. And even if you can’t join us in person, you can use the promo code REACT for 25% on an annual pass for our TechCrunch+ membership service. Chain Reaction comes out every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome to Chain Reaction, where we unpack and explain the latest in crypto news, drama and trends, breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious.  For our Tuesday episode where we chat with a web3 expert, we talked to Jack Lu, the co-founder and CEO of fast-rising NFT marketplace Magic Eden. The venture-backed startup was founded last year and has already reached unicorn status -- raising at a $1.6 billion valuation. In our conversation, we discussed: Why the startup is looking to take on OpenSea on its home turf as Lu and his team build out Ethereum support? The state of blockchain gaming and whether game studios are  eager to diversify their in-game revenues will embrace an open vision of crypto collectibles and assets. Whether the race to zero trading fees in crypto token exchanges will find its way to NFT markets where players like OpenSea and Magic Eden primarily monetize through transaction fees. (Lu hopes not!) Chain Reaction comes out every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome back. Earlier this week, Anita caught up with two investors at Haun Ventures, partner Sam Rosenblum and associate Breck Stodghill, live on Twitter Spaces. All eyes are on the lean venture firm, led by former a16z crypto and U.S. Department of Justice official Katie Haun, as it deploys a whopping $1.5 billion fund in web3 startups. We recorded the casual conversation as a bonus episode so you can hear Rosenblum and Stodghill share their thoughts on where they’re seeing opportunities in crypto these days, how they approach the diligence process, and what they’re listening to and reading outside of web3. Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters Helpful links: https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/16/a-dive-into-haun-ventures-with-the-firms-first-deal-lead-sam-rosenblum/

Welcome to Chain Reaction, where we unpack and explain the latest in crypto news, drama and trends, breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious. For our Thursday episode focused on major news topics this week, the crew broke down the latest blockchain happenings and volatility including SEC Chairman Gary Gensler’s open letter to the crypto industry which has web3 insiders fuming.  We also covered: A new report into the financials behind crypto exchange FTX, detailing how the rising giant stacks up to top competitors while offering insight into why investors are giving it a private valuation that’s twice the size of Coinbase’s public market cap. We had a lot to unpack! The chaotic court proceedings around Celsius’s bankruptcy woes and how the crypto lender is lashing out at previous partners through legal action as the company looks to shift blame for the way things went down.   Tune in on Tuesday for an interview with the CEO of fast-rising NFT marketplace Magic Eden, which is doing its best to tackle OpenSea's domination of JPEG trading. Chain Reaction comes out every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts,  Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome back. This week while Lucas was out, Anita caught up with Devin Lewtan, cofounder and CEO of web3 media production studio Mad Realities. Mad Realities is the team behind “Proof of Love,” a dating show that allows its audience to vote and engage with its content using NFTs. Lewtan talked about how accidentally creating the viral Clubhouse show “NYU Girls Roasting Tech Guys” led her to launching a Paradigm and Paris Hilton-backed web3 startup. She also shared her insights on building community through web3 among people who might otherwise roll their eyes at that term. Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters

Welcome back. This week, Jacquelyn and Anita ran the show while Lucas was out. We recapped a must-watch interview by Coinage with Do Kwon, the now-infamous founder of Terraform Labs whose algorithmic stablecoin de-pegged from the U.S. dollar, sending the crypto markets into chaos. This was Kwon’s first interview since the coin’s collapse in May, which wiped out some $60 billion in value. Is he remorseful? Aren’t the authorities after him? We got into all those questions and more. We also discussed acquisition drama for the second week in a row, this time between Galaxy Digital and crypto custodian BitGo. Finally, we went through news of recent, highly secretive layoffs at Crypto.com as the exchange looks to expand its user base abroad. Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters Helpful links: https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/16/cryptos-emphasis-on-community-could-lead-followers-off-a-cliff/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/25/terra-community-passes-proposal-to-revive-luna-cryptocurrency-following-stablecoin-led-implosion/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/27/ftx-ceo-leads-trustless-medias-seed-round-to-help-build-community-owned-web3-shows/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/15/galaxy-digital-calls-off-its-1-2-billion-acquisition-of-bitgo/

Welcome back, this week Anita and Lucas interviewed Li Jin, cofounder of crypto venture firm Variant, which just raised $450 million for its third fund. Jin, formerly a solo GP at Atelier Ventures, is known for developing an investment thesis around the “passion economy” that eventually led her down the rabbit hole of web3. A backer of companies such as Magic Eden and Mirror, Jin talked about the ethics behind onboarding cash-strapped creators into crypto, why she’s no longer a solo investor and how she balances new investments and supporting her existing portfolio companies through a downturn. Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters Helpful links: https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/19/variant-debuts-a-new-110m-fund-for-crypto-startups-announces-li-jin-has-joined-as-a-general-partner/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/30/khaby-lame-crypto-binance-christiano-ronaldo/

Welcome back. This week, Jacquelyn and Anita ran the show while Lucas was off on vacation. We got up to speed on the U.S. government’s crackdown on cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash because of its role in facilitating money laundering. While it’s true that hackers have long used Tornado to fuel illicit activity, we tried to answer some bigger questions: what is a mixer in the first place, and what exactly would someone use one for if not crime? This week’s episode comes just after Coinbase announced its long-awaited, ultimately disappointing second-quarter results, so we ran through the numbers and what they mean for the industry. We also talked about Binance and Indian exchange WazirX, which might never, ever, ever be getting back together. Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters Helpful links: https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/08/ethereum-co-founder-sees-role-diminishing-as-blockchain-becomes-increasingly-decentralized/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/08/treasury-tornado-cash-laundering-stolen-crypto/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/09/coinbases-earnings-fall-short-of-expectations-as-crypto-winter-rages/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/06/binance-says-it-doesnt-own-indian-exchange-wazirx-years-after-acquisition-announcement/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/08/binance-tells-estranged-partner-wazirx-customers-to-move-funds-to-discontinue-off-chain-transfer/

Welcome back, this week Anita and Lucas interviewed MC Lader, COO of Uniswap Labs, the entity managing the world’s largest decentralized crypto exchange. A former managing director at asset management firm BlackRock, Lader explained how her management team oversees a fully decentralized protocol and shared her thoughts on the exchange’s future path to profitability. Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters Helpful links: https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/21/uniswap-acquires-nft-marketplace-aggregator-genie/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/04/15/uniswap-labs-coo-says-mainstream-crypto-adoption-hinges-on-accessibility-and-ease/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/04/11/defi-giant-uniswap-launches-venture-arm-to-invest-in-other-crypto-companies/

Welcome back, this week Lucas and Anita welcome Jacquelyn Melinek as a new permanent co-host on Chain Reaction. They dove into the hot crypto topics of the week, including the $190 million draining of the Nomad bridge by both ‘black-hat’ and ‘white-hat’ hackers. They also discussed the widespread Solana wallet attack and a particularly deep round of layoffs at Robinhood. You’ll notice something different about the show this week besides a new co-host -- we’re splitting up the news analysis and interview segment into different episodes! On Tuesdays you’ll hear us sit down with experts in the crypto space and on Thursdays, we’ll dive into the hottest web3 topics of the week. Catch us early next week for an interview with Uniswap COO MC Lader. Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters Helpful links: https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/03/solana-wallet-hack/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/02/nomad-chaotic-exploit-crypto/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/02/robinhood-23-layoff-vlad-tenev-responsibility-hiring/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/27/the-outlook-is-getting-more-complicated-for-metas-virtual-reality-dreams/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/03/upstreams-new-vault-could-help-nft-holders-sleep-at-night/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/03/solanas-speedy-approach-to-crypto-is-attracting-developers-despite-hiccups/

Welcome back, this week Lucas and Anita dive into a conversation around Coinbase’s legal woes and the insider trading scandal surrounding an employee at the firm. We also discussed Elon Musk’s bitcoin sale and Minecraft’s ban of NFTs from its platform.   In their interview this week, Anita and Lucas interviewed David Nage. Nage is a portfolio manager at Arca where he makes early-stage bets on crypto startups. We talked about finding hot opportunities in seed stage crypto and then broke into a wide-ranging conversation on crypto regulation and what comes next.   Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters Helpful links: https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/25/crypto-valuations-may-sink-until-september-as-vcs-play-a-waiting-game/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/20/tesla-dumped-75-of-its-bitcoin-holdings/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/20/minecraft-says-no-f-ing-thanks-to-nfts/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/26/if-it-walks-like-a-dog-and-barks-like-a-dog-perhaps-its-actually-a-non-security-crypto-digital-asset/

Welcome back, this week Lucas and Anita dive into a conversation around OpenSea’s significant layoffs, how Binance is taking on Coinbase in a stateside battle royale and why the Bored Apes creators are trying to outdo Meta with their own metaverse. In their interview this week, Lucas and Anita chat with Alexander Taub. Taub is the founder of DAO tooling startup Upstream which lets people spin up their own decentralized governance organizations. DAOs were the space to be this year, but how many of them will stick around through a crypto winter? Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters Helpful links: https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/14/nft-marketplace-opensea-lays-off-20-percent-of-its-staff-we-have-entered-crypto-winter/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/14/crypto-us-market-as-coinbase-falters-binance-us-is-waiting-in-the-wings/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/19/bored-apes-founders-on-their-plans-for-otherside-metaverse/ https://techcrunch.com/2021/11/18/constitutiondaos-bold-crypto-bid-for-us-constitution-falls-short/

Welcome back, this week Lucas and Anita return to discuss the ultimate meme investing crossover episode with GameStop launching an NFT marketplace. We also break down this week’s latest drama with the liquidation of crypto hedge fund 3 Arrows Capital. It wasn’t all doom and gloom as we discussed some of the new crypto funds injecting fresh capital into the space.   In their interview this week, Lucas and Anita chat with Naveen Jain. Naveen is the founder of web3 startup Yat which lets people buy their own emoji URL. The marketplace saw some wildly expensive sales this year, but when can pricey emojis tell us about the future of identity? Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters Helpful links: https://techcrunch.com/2021/07/30/yat-thinks-emoji-identities-can-be-a-thing-and-it-has-20m-in-sales-to-back-it-up/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/13/celsius-one-of-cryptos-biggest-lenders-files-for-bankruptcy/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/12/crypto-focused-multicoin-capital-launches-430m-venture-fund/

Welcome back. Lucas was out sick this week, so TC crypto reporter Jacquie Melinek subbed in as co-host to talk with Anita about the biggest stories in web3 this week. They discussed whether Sam Bankman-Fried is the savior crypto needs as more and more companies declare bankruptcy and unpacked the drama behind the fight for a U.S. Bitcoin spot ETF. In this week’s interview, Anita chatted with Tux Pacific, the founder and CEO of Entropy, a startup that just raised a $25 million seed round led by a16z for its decentralized crypto custody solution. Pacific, one of the rare trans and queer founders to have raised institutional funding, dropped out of college to teach themselves cryptography. They describe themselves as an “anti-capitalist anarchist” and spoke with Anita abut why they think decentralization is the only way crypto can succeed. Subscribe to Chain Reaction on Apple, Spotify or your alternative podcast platform of choice to keep up with us every week. Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters Helpful links: https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/08/the-trans-queer-anarchist-crypto-founder-seed-round-a16z-andreessen-horowitz/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/01/crypto-mega-hedge-fund-three-arrows-capital-reportedly-files-for-bankruptcy-in-new-york/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/01/ftx-us-deal-with-troubled-crypto-lender-blockfi-floats-acquisition-with-up-to-240m-purchase-price/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/30/the-sec-rejected-bitcoin-spot-etfs-again-now-what/

Welcome back, this week Anita was off on vacation so Lucas was joined by TC crypto reporter Jacquie Melinek to discuss what happened in the crypto world this week. They dove into the topic of the Solana Saga phone, discussed FTX's alleged interest in buying up Robinhood, and chatted about some of the crypto financial firms that are currently in deep... trouble. In this week’s interview, Lucas chatted with Julian Holguin, the CEO of Doodles. Doodles is a very popular NFT project that has done just over $500 million in total sales volume. Holguin was previously a big exec at Billboard and has taken on the task of scaling the Doodles brand into an intellectual property powerhouse. The firm just banked its first round of venture funding from Alexis Ohanian and is gearing up for some big new NFT launches as it looks to keep the party going even amid a crypto downturn. Subscribe to Chain Reaction on Apple, Spotify or your alternative podcast platform of choice to keep up with us every week. Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters Helpful links: https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/27/ftx-says-no-active-talks-to-buy-robinhood/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/23/osoms-ov1-is-now-solanas-web3-android-handset-saga/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/30/north-korea-lazarus-harmony-theft/

Welcome back, this week Anita and Lucas discuss the $258 billion Dogecoin lawsuit facing Elon Musk, how crypto collectible lovers are partying through the pain at the NFT NYC event and how some DAOs are showing the dark side of digital democracy. In their interview this week, Lucas and Anita got the chance to talk with musician and visual artist Latashá. In addition to creating crypto art, Latashá is the Head of Community at NFT startup Zora which recently raised a big round of funding. We talked with her about how the downturn will impact crypto creators and what web3 really has to offer artists. Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters Helpful links: https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/16/dogecoin-investor-sues-elon-musk-tesla-and-spacex-for-258-billion/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/20/afropolitan-raises-2-1m-to-build-a-digital-nation-backed-by-balaji-srinivasan/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/21/magic-eden-raises-130m-hitting-unicorn-status-at-1-6b-valuation/ https://twitter.com/regiscake/status/1539338847829782528?s=20&t=gxtu5vdu6FyYcGw-LpT_bg

Welcome back, this week Anita and Lucas discuss another stressful week for crypto markets which has pushed even bullish investors into bearish territories. We also chatted about growing crypto regulation efforts and Jack Dorsey’s latest effort called “web5”. In their interview this week, Lucas and Anita chat with Aaron Levie. Levie is the CEO of enterprise software company Box. While his day job doesn’t have anything to do with the blockchain, he has attracted the ire of plenty of crypto VCs for sharing thoughts on Twitter about why web3 won’t work. We caught up with Levie about some of his biggest complaints and what it would take for him to angel invest in a crypto startup. Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters Helpful links: https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/14/coinbase-ceo-says-it-is-laying-off-18-of-its-workers/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/13/as-celsius-accelerates-the-crypto-sell-off-who-pays-the-price/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/14/binance-crypto-exchange-hiring-plans-fight-crypto-winter/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/13/crisis-on-the-blockchain/ https://twitter.com/levie/status/1477052989881782272

Welcome back, this week Lucas and Anita discuss investor drama facing blockchain startups during the market crash and the major piece of crypto legislation that just went live on the US Senate floor.In their interview this week, Anita and Lucas chat with Sriram Krishnan. Krishnan is a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), which he joined after a trifecta of senior roles at Twitter, Facebook and Snap. Krishnan recently joined the crypto team at a16z, which recently debuted a new $4.5 billion crypto mega fund. We chatted about crypto controversy and opportunities in web3 social with Krishnan. Our interview was edited for length and clarity. Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters Helpful links: https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/08/proposed-bipartisan-us-crypto-bill-could-be-sigh-of-relief-for-the-industry/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/25/amid-crypto-downturn-a16z-debuts-4-5-billion-web3-mega-fund/ https://twitter.com/levie/status/1531498735137476608

Welcome back, this week Lucas and Anita argue about Coinbase’s latest management strategies, whether Do Kwon being called the new Bernie Madoff is a fair comparison, and why the OnlyFans founder is the latest web2 entrepreneur pivoting to crypto. In their interview this week, Anita and Lucas chat with Ty Haney. Haney is the founder of athleisure empire Outdoor Voices, though she’s recently departed the company to start a new effort around getting brands to embrace NFTs. We chatted with her about founding a crypto startup in a downturn, keeping her company well-capitalized and how she pivoted from yoga pants to non-fungible tokens. Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters Helpful links: https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/28/coinbase-real-time-feedback-dot-collector-ray-dalio/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/26/onlyfans-founder-crypto-debut-influencer-trading-cards/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/26/longtime-bitcoiner-dan-held-says-this-crypto-winter-wont-be-as-harsh-as-others/

Welcome back, this week Lucas and Anita dive into the latest mega-fund from venture giant Andreessen Horowitz and some of the… interesting bets that they’re making, including one in disgraced WeWork founder Adam Neumann’s new crypto startup. Lastly, they recap crypto exchange FTX’s big entry into stock trading, which comes just a week after the firm’s young CEO made a massive bet on Robinhood. In their interview this week, Lucas and Anita talk to Grace Isford. Isford is an investor at Lux Capital where she focuses on the infrastructure and security opportunities for blockchain startups. We talk about some of the recent big hacks and whether consumers can feel safe betting on crypto. Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters Helpful links: https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/25/amid-crypto-downturn-a16z-debuts-4-5-billion-web3-mega-fund/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/24/flowcarbon-wework-adam-neumann-blockchain-crypto-carbon-credit-startup-raises-funding-from-a16z/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/19/crypto-exchange-ftx-expands-into-stock-trading-retail-investors/

Welcome back, this week Lucas and Anita discuss the continued fallout from the broader market crash and how life is going for crypto giants on the public markets. We chat about FTX’s 30-year-old billionaire CEO buying up a big chunk of Robinhood, which is pumping the gas on crypto even as the market cools. We also discuss trouble at Coinbase and the continued fallout from the collapse of Terra.   In their interview this week, Lucas and Anita chat with Mercedes Bent. Bent is a venture capitalist at Lightspeed Venture Partners where she places bets on consumer products in  cryptoland. Before joining Lightspeed, Bent spent some time in the VR world, so we picked her brain on where crypto fits into this metaverse future everyone is clamoring about.   Helpful links: https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/17/robinhood-lets-users-manage-their-own-crypto-wallets-in-push-to-spur-trading/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/17/coinbase-backtracks-hiring-plans-crypto-market-turmoil/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/17/encode-club-is-minting-new-web3-developers-amid-crypto-talent-war/   Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters

Welcome back, this week Lucas and Anita discuss turmoil and heartbreak in the crypto markets as Bitcoin and Ethereum get hit hard, a number of other popular tokens get crushed, and crypto-aligned public stocks like Coinbase and Robinhood see their share prices tank. What caused this bloodbath? Well, a major catalyst was the disastrous implosion of Terra’s Luna token as a result of ongoing stablecoin woes. In their interview this week, Lucas and Anita chat with Kevin Rose. Kevin is a serial entrepreneur who founded Digg in the early 2000s and is now an investor at True Ventures and a co-founder of the Proof Collective. His startup recently raised $10 million from Seven Seven Six and launched its NFT project Moonbirds, which has quickly become one of the most popular NFT efforts out there. Listen along as we discuss the crypto crash and its fallout, and the challenges up ahead for NFTs. Helpful links: https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/10/bitcoins-backers-trying-to-turn-it-into-one-blockchain-to-rule-all-crypto/ 11:09 https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/11/ust-founder-do-kwon-shares-plan-to-save-its-stablecoin-from-mass-destruction/ 11:09 https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/11/terras-ust-crash-will-make-life-harder-for-crypto-as-regulation-looms/ Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters

Welcome back, this week Lucas and Anita break down the chaotic rollout of Ethereum’s biggest drop yet — a virtual land sale for the Bored Apes metaverse. The startup behind it banked more than $400 million in the sale, but the auction of land tiles called Otherdeeds brought the Ethereum blockchain to a crashing halt, leaving users paying exorbitant transaction fees worth thousands and tens of thousands of dollars just to buy themselves some monkey land. Beyond that, they discuss Wikipedia’s abandonment of crypto donations after a vote from the Wikimedia Foundation’s editors and how the SEC is bulking up its crypto crime division with a few new hires that are tasked with the daunting challenge of policing web3. In their interview this week, Lucas and Anita chat with Jill Gunter. Jill is a crypto VC at Slow Ventures and the co-founder of Espresso Systems — a startup building a privacy-centric blockchain. Listen along as they get her take on why there are so many blockchains out there and whether we’re headed towards a future where one blockchain rules them all. Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters

Anita and Lucas discuss whether it’s wise to YOLO your 401(k) on crypto, why Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong is throwing shade at Apple and what Elon Musk’s $44 billion acquisition means for “Crypto Twitter.” Sequoia partner Shaun Maguire joins us for a conversation on crypto investing in 2022 and the value of partially decentralized web. Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters

In our inaugural episode, we discuss Coinbase’s big art gamble, North Korea’s record-breaking crypto hack and Meta’s hefty income tax. We interviewed electronic DJ and Royal CEO Justin Blau on where the NFT industry moves beyond pricey JPEGs. Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters

Introducing Chain Reaction - a TechCrunch podcast breaking down what's happening in the wild world of crypto. Each week, Lucas Matney and Anita Ramaswamy will unpack and explain the latest crypto news, drama, and trends, breaking it down block-by-block for the crypto-curious. They’ll be learning alongside you about the industry that's captured the attention of some of Silicon Valley’s most influential players by interviewing some of the savviest investors, entrepreneurs, and skeptics. Alongside the podcast, we’ll also be sending out a weekly Chain Reaction newsletter digging into the week’s web3 happenings with more granular detail, highlighting notable funding rounds, acquisitions, heists, personnel moves and spicy tweets. You can sign up for the newsletter here.