Podcast
Empire
Hosted by Blockworks · EN
Empire features interviews with top crypto founders to get the real stories that aren’t shared elsewhere. Empire is your look behind the curtain of the crypto industry. We release two episodes per week: guest interviews on Monday and a weekly roundup on Friday.
68episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Why DeFi Is Unattractive, Claude Mythos and Cryptos's Biggest Winners
Apr 1001:16:23Tap to summarizeThis week, we’re back with another weekly roundup to discuss the biggest problem within DeFi today. We then deep dive into Anthropic's announcement of Mythos, the state of crypto fundraising, the biggest winners in crypto today, are we buying the dip and more. Enjoy! -- Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod -- ZKsync is the Bank Stack of Ethereum. It is a network of chains secured by cryptography, not validators. Its cutting-edge ZK innovation enables the privacy, performance and connectivity that businesses need to thrive in the digital assets economy. To find out more visit: https://www.zksync.io/ -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (03:32) Why Is DeFi Unattractive? (26:45) ZKsync, Blockworks IR (28:16) Anthropic Announces Mythos (49:46) What’s Happening In Crypto Fundraising? (57:34) The Biggest Winners in Crypto Today (01:04:45) Are We Buying The Dip? (01:13:35) Content of The Week -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.
Transcribe →Hivemind: Ceasefire In Iran, Is AI a Bubble & Drift Exploited For $280M
Apr 901:07:42Tap to summarizeThis week, the Hivemind team breaks down the ceasefire in Iran and how it could impact markets going forward. We then deep dive into the 2026 IPO window, is AI a bubble, the fallout of Drift's $280M exploit, Polymarkets recent announcement and more. Enjoy! -- To stay up to date with future Hivemind episodes: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Delphi_Digital Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AE858NXDnaIlXP6sWfLj6?si=2019bc45ec914220 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hivemind/id1704667885 -- Follow Ceteris: https://x.com/ceterispar1bus Follow Jason: https://x.com/3xliquidated Follow Yan: https://x.com/YanLiberman Follow Jose: https://x.com/ZeMariaMacedo Follow Kevin: https://x.com/Kevin_Kelly_II Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/4jYEkBx Subscribe on Apple: https://bit.ly/3ECSmJ3 Subscribe on Spotify: https://bit.ly/4hzy9lH -- Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:50) State of The Market (09:53) Finding Opportunities In Crypto (15:15) Is AI In a Bubble? (26:35) The Return of Active Investing (37:42) Prediction Markets (51:40) The Drift Exploit Fallout -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, the Hivemind team, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.
Transcribe →Paxos CEO on Crypto Today & Why Stablecoins Are Exploding | Charles Cascarilla
Apr 601:22:27Tap to summarizeThis week, Charles Cascarilla joins the show to discuss the current state of crypto and the future of Paxos. We deep dive into Paxos’ origin story and business model, the growth of stablecoin payments, whether Paxos may look to IPO in 2027, Charles' advice for founders and more. Enjoy! -- Follow Charles: https://x.com/chadcascarilla Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod -- ZKsync is the Bank Stack of Ethereum. It is a network of chains secured by cryptography, not validators. Its cutting-edge ZK innovation enables the privacy, performance and connectivity that businesses need to thrive in the digital assets economy. To find out more visit: https://www.zksync.io/ -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (02:03) The State of Crypto Today (22:24) How To Fix The U.S Debt Problem (32:24) ZKsync Ad, Blockworks IR (33:56) Behind The Paxos Business Model (43:32) Why Binance’s $BUSD Would Have Been The Largest Stablecoin (50:12) The GENIUS Act & The Global Dollar Network (59:46) Agentic Payments (01:05:32) Will Paxos IPO? (01:17:06) Advice For Founders -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.
Transcribe →Making Tokenization a Reality: Bringing Assets Onchain | Samara Cohen
Apr 400:20:16Tap to summarizeMaking Tokenization a Reality: Bringing Assets Onchain Speakers: Samara Cohen, Jason Yanowitz This is a panel from DAS New York 2026. To explore more Blockworks events, visit blockworks.co/events
Transcribe →Western Union CEO: Western Union's Stablecoin Future
Apr 400:25:28Tap to summarizeInside Western Union's Stablecoin Fueled Future Speakers: Jason Yanowitz, Devin McGranahan This is a panel from DAS New York 2026. To explore more Blockworks events, visit blockworks.co/events
Transcribe →The Two Biggest Issues In Crypto Today | Weekly Roundup
Apr 301:14:26Tap to summarizeThis week, we’re back with another roundup covering whether it’s time to buy the dip, crypto’s VC mass extinction event, the state of secondary markets, Drift’s $280M exploit, Bitcoin’s quantum threat and more. Enjoy! -- Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Rob: https://x.com/HadickM Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod -- ZKsync is the Bank Stack of Ethereum. It is a network of chains secured by cryptography, not validators. Its cutting-edge ZK innovation enables the privacy, performance and connectivity that businesses need to thrive in the digital assets economy. To find out more visit: https://www.zksync.io/ -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (05:34) Time To Buy The Dip? (10:42) Crypto’s VC Mass Extinction Event (23:55) Crypto's Token Reset (39:25) ZKsync Ad (40:07) Blockworks Investor Relations (40:58) Drift Exploited For $280M (59:28) Bitcoin's Quantum Threat (01:10:18) Content of The Week -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.
Transcribe →Copper Founder: Building a Billion Dollar Company & Fixing Crypto Custody
Mar 3000:53:37Tap to summarizeThis week, Dmitry Tokarev joins the show to discuss how he built one of crypto's largest institutional custody platforms. We deep dive into the Copper origin story, what's broken with crypto custody today, Dmitry's new venture (Bron) and more. Enjoy! -- Follow Dmitry: https://x.com/tokarev_d Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod -- ZKsync is the Bank Stack of Ethereum. It is a network of chains secured by cryptography, not validators. Its cutting-edge ZK innovation enables the privacy, performance and connectivity that businesses need to thrive in the digital assets economy -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (05:14) The Copper Origin Story (14:55) How To Scale a Company (19:07) ZKsync Ad (19:50) Blockworks Investor Relations (20:40) Building Bron: How To Fix Crypto Custody (34:18) Why Bron Is Launching a Token (43:10) Lessons Learned From Fundraising (48:35) What To Own in 2026? -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.
Transcribe →It's Still a Bull Market, But Not The One You Wanted
Mar 2700:53:49Tap to summarizeThis week, we’re back with another weekly roundup live at DAS to discuss our takeaways from the conference. We deep dive into the institutional bull market, the state of angel and venture investing in crypto, Western Union's stablecoin pivot and more. Enjoy! -- Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Rob: https://x.com/HadickM Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod -- ZKsync is the Bank Stack of Ethereum. It is a network of chains secured by cryptography, not validators. Its cutting-edge ZK innovation enables the privacy, performance and connectivity that businesses need to thrive in the digital assets economy. To find out more visit: https://www.zksync.io/ -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:48) Takeaways From DAS (07:16) Is Crypto in a Bull or Bear Market? (13:55) Angel Investing and Crypto Venture Capital (24:48) ZKsync Ad (24:24) Blockworks Investor Relations (26:13) Western Union’s Stablecoin Flywheel (33:17) The Bear Case For Stablecoins (38:30) Final Takeaways From DAS (43:25) Sports Betting On Prediction Markets (48:15) Audience Questions (52:10) Content of The Week -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.
Transcribe →Hivemind: State of The Market, Saylor’s End Game & AI Growth in China
Mar 2601:03:31Tap to summarizeThis week, the Hivemind team breaks down the current market reaction as conflcit in Iran continues. We then deep dive into Delphi's recent trip to China, the end game for Michael Saylor, where to invest in Chinese AI and more. Enjoy! -- Follow Ceteris: https://x.com/ceterispar1bus Follow Jason: https://x.com/3xliquidated Follow Yan: https://x.com/YanLiberman Follow Jose: https://x.com/ZeMariaMacedo Follow Rawson: https://x.com/PonderingDurian Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/4jYEkBx Subscribe on Apple: https://bit.ly/3ECSmJ3 Subscribe on Spotify: https://bit.ly/4hzy9lH -- Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:16) State of The Market (17:30) What’s Saylor’s End Game? (24:55) AI Growth in China (49:37) Takeaways From Visiting China -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, the Hivemind team, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.
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Investor Relations in the Onchain Era
Mar 2400:21:59Tap to summarizeIn this special episode, we introduce Blockworks’ new investor relations platform for onchain businesses. As institutional capital continues to enter crypto markets, expectations around transparency, standardization, and professionalism are rising. But instead of replicating legacy systems, Blockworks IR takes a different approach, leveraging real-time, onchain data to create a more transparent, data-driven, and low-friction investor relations model. The platform combines curated analytics, branded investor portals, and white-glove advisory support into a single solution, helping teams tell a clearer, more credible story while giving investors a more efficient way to evaluate opportunities. Launched at the Digital Asset Summit in New York, Blockworks IR aims to fill a critical gap in the industry. Listen to learn more about the vision behind the product and what it means for the future of investor relations in crypto.
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