Validated
When it comes to blockchain, the thing people talk about most — the price — is actually the least interesting part. Crypto conversations are too often about who’s up and who’s down, what to buy and what to sell, and today’s drama on Twitter. Most conversations about crypto miss how it’s going to change ... everything.
On VALIDATED, we’ll be talking to the people who are rethinking the internet — and our world. No hype cycles. No financial advice. Just conversations on the biggest ideas shaping the future of the internet.
Web3 is complicated, but never boring.
- Update frequency
- every 10 days
- Average duration
- 45 minutes
- Episodes
- 162
- Years Active
- 2019 - 2025
The Enterprise Self-Custody Problem w/ Connor and Nicolas from Cordial Systems
In this episode, Austin talks with Nicolas and Conor from Cordial Systems, an enterprise custody solution initially developed for Jump Crypto. They discuss how to build a self-custody solution that s…
How DRiP Is Able to Give Away Millions of Free NFTs
In this episode, Austin chats with Vibhu Norby, CEO of DRiP, a platform that has distributed millions of digital collectibles to its community ... for free. Among other topics, Vibhu discusses the un…
A Cross-Chain DePIN Conversation w/ Alex Rawitz (DIMO)
In this episode, Austin chats with Alex Rawitz, co-founder of DIMO, a DePIN project built on Polygon which allows users to collect and monetize their car's data. Instead of pitting one blockchain aga…
The Case for Onchain Options Trading w/ Lev & Serge from DeVol Network
In this episode, Austin chats with Lev Gelfer and Serge Levin from DeVol Network, a low-cost, fully onchain option trading platform. Serge and Lev dive deep into complex trades and the advantages of …
Why Payment Processing Companies Need to Start Thinking About Blockchain w/ Nabil Manji (Worldpay)
In this episode, Austin chats with Nabil Manji of Worldpay, one of the largest payment processing companies in the world. In a recent collaboration with Worldpay, Visa expanded its USDC settlement to…
Is Bitcoin Still Relevant in a Smart Contract World? w/ Matt Luongo (Thesis)
In this episode, Austin chats with Matt Luongo (Thesis) about the role of decentralized custodial solutions for Bitcoin such as Threshold's tBTC. Beyond the technical details of how tBTC works and wh…
An Open-Source Toolset for Token Infrastructure w/ Tommy Johnson
In this episode, Tommy Johnson discusses Armada, a collaborative project between PsyFi and HXRO that provides an open-source toolkit for launching tokens from inception to full decentralization. He a…
How Justin Bons Reconsidered His Thesis About Solana
In the early days of Solana, Justin Bons (Cyber Capital) was one of the network's biggest public critics. However, in the last several months, Justin has had a change of heart. In this episode, Justi…
Live from Breakpoint: Conversation w/ Rune Christensen (MakerDAO)
In this episode live from BP 2023, Austin sits down with Rune Christensen to discuss MakerDAO's Endgame plan. Rune outlines how the concept of subDAOs will fix the current problems faced by DAOs, why…
Crypto's Killer App Is Already Here: Stablecoins w/ Dante Disparte (Circle)
In this episode, Austin is joined by Amira Valliani (Solana Foundation) to chat with Dante Disparte (Circle) about stablecoin adoption, regulation, and more. Dante envisions a promising future for st…
The Toly Episode
In this episode, Austin has a freeform conversation with Anatoly Yakovenko about the state of Solana. Beyond the cliches of the past, present, and future of the network, Austin and Toly explore highe…
What Decentralized Credit Means for Emerging Markets w/ Thomas Bohner
Private credit in emerging markets like Latin America generally lacks modern infrastructure. According to Thomas Bohner (Credix), blockchain is the perfect technology to bring these markets into the…
How Pyth Is Changing the Oracle Game w/ Jayant Krishnamurthy
Oracles are an essential part of how real-world data gets integrated into DeFi smart contracts, but historically, that process has been fraught with challenges. In this episode, Jayant Krishnamurthy …
Why Multisigs are Becoming the Default Security Paradigm
Multisigs, short for "multiple signatures," are wallets that require multiple private keys to authorize transactions. In the wake of 2022's many collapses, multisigs have increasingly become the defa…
Blockchain and AI: An Artist's POV with Lance Weiler
Technology has defined the form and function of storytelling since the beginning of time. In this episode, storyteller, artist, and professor Lance Weiler offers an optimistic perspective on how bloc…
How Compression is Changing the Way We Think of NFTs
In today's episode, Austin moderates a panel discussion about compression with Jon Wong (Solana Foundation), Noah Prince (Helium Foundation), and Ilmoi (Tensor). Compression is a way of storing data …
Can Block Explorers Work Like Traditional Search Engines?
Transparency is one of the key features of blockchain, and block explorers play an important role in that transparency. However, navigating explorers on Solana can have a high learning curve, even fo…
What It Takes to Make a AAA Game On-Chain with Michael Wagner
As of 2023, the gaming industry is worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Why disrupt something that's working so well by introducing blockchain into the equation? In this episode, Michael Wagner (AT…
From Anchor to Mad Lads and Beyond with Armani Ferrante
With Anchor, Backpack, and Mad Lads under his belt, Armani Ferrante is one of Solana's most senior and prolific developers. In this episode, Armani reflects on the values and design philosophies that…
Bringing Real World Assets on Chain
RWAs (Real World Assets) are assets that exist in the real world that are tokenized on chain. The RWA market comprises things like equity, fine art, loans, and more, all of which globally account for…