Breakout Startups

EPISODE 32: SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST: LISTEN TO THE BREAKOUT STARTUPS PODCAST: Apple Podcasts Spotify Overcast Google Podcasts Youtube Stitcher Show website FOLLOW TOMER ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter Medium blog

EPISODE 31: SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST: LISTEN TO THE BREAKOUT STARTUPS PODCAST: Apple Podcasts Spotify Overcast Google Podcasts Youtube Stitcher Show website FOLLOW TOMER ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter Medium blog

EPISODE 30: SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST: LISTEN TO THE BREAKOUT STARTUPS PODCAST: Apple Podcasts Spotify Overcast Google Podcasts Youtube Stitcher Show website FOLLOW TOMER ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter Medium blog

EPISODE 29: SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST: LISTEN TO THE BREAKOUT STARTUPS PODCAST: Apple Podcasts Spotify Overcast Google Podcasts Youtube Stitcher Show website FOLLOW TOMER ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter Medium blog

John Linden, the Co-Founder and CEO of Mythical Games, talks with Tomer about what makes the gaming industry different from other industries, why gaming isn’t about one size fits all, and the opportunity to create new game economies via digital assets. Plus, John explains how they raised $35M from venture capitalists in just over 2 years, why blockchain technology is a core component of their company strategy, and shares his thoughts on how the “new normal” might look like for startups post-pandemic. SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST: LISTEN TO THE BREAKOUT STARTUPS PODCAST: Apple Podcasts Spotify Overcast Google Podcasts Youtube Stitcher Show website FOLLOW TOMER ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter Medium blog

The Co-Founders of Ava Labs, Emin Gun Sirer (CEO) and Kevin Sekniqi (COO), talk with Tomer about how Ava differs from Bitcoin and Ethereum, why their team is focused on digitization of assets that are not yet on the blockchain, Ava's consensus algorithm and their approach to building a developer ecosystem around their protocol. Plus, they discuss the opportunities and challenges of working remotely and what compelled them to jump from academia to entrepreneurship. SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST: LISTEN TO THE BREAKOUT STARTUPS PODCAST: Apple Podcasts Spotify Overcast Google Podcasts Youtube Stitcher Show website FOLLOW TOMER ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter Medium blog

Arthur Breitman, Co-Founder of Tezos and one of the most prominent founders in crypto, joins Tomer for a lively and fascinating discussion. In this conversation, Arthur explains why he views Bitcoin and Ethereum as direct competitors? What drew him to leave his lucrative job in finance to start working on Tezos? Why so many ICO projects failed and what makes Tezos different? Why Arthur doesn’t think savings are necessarily tied to price appreciation? And, what Arthur sees as the big promise of crypto? SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST: LISTEN TO THE BREAKOUT STARTUPS PODCAST: Apple Podcasts Spotify Overcast Google Podcasts Youtube Stitcher Show website FOLLOW TOMER ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter Medium blog

Evan Shapiro (CEO) and Izaak Meckler (CTO) from O(1) Labs, developers of the Coda Protocol, join Tomer to discuss blockchain scalability and portability. During the discussion the Coda team explain the opportunities presented by zk-SNARKs and why it’s such an important technology, share how the blockchain ecosystem in the Bay Area has evolved over time, and reveal how adding cartoons to their deck helped them communicate their vision and secure over $18 million from investors. SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST: LISTEN TO THE BLOCKCHAIN VC PODCAST: Apple Podcasts Spotify Overcast Google Podcasts Youtube Stitcher Show website FOLLOW TOMER ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter Medium blog

Ray comes on the show to talk about all things Bitcoin. In conversation with Tomer, Ray shares the current challenges in wiring money internationally using the legacy financial system, explains how peer to peer Bitcoin marketplaces can help, and breaks-down the opportunities in emerging markets. Plus, Ray reveals why he considers himself underbanked, how he grew Paxful to 250 employees, and why they decided to bootstrap. SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST: LISTEN TO THE BLOCKCHAIN VC PODCAST: Apple Podcasts Spotify Overcast Google Podcasts Youtube Stitcher Show website FOLLOW TOMER ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter Medium blog

Marc and Tomer talk about the reasons Tagomi recently joined Facebook's Libra Association and how institutional investors view the promise of cryptocurrencies. Having raised more than $28 million from venture capitalists, Marc shares fundraising best-practices, details what’s needed in order to make crypto more mainstream, and explains how as a prime broker they handle custody for institutional clients and which investors are currently most interested in the space. SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST: LISTEN TO THE BLOCKCHAIN VC PODCAST: Apple Podcasts Spotify Overcast Google Podcasts Youtube Stitcher Show website FOLLOW TOMER ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter Medium blog

Steven and Tomer discuss the impact of coronavirus on the tech industry in Silicon Valley and the importance of privacy in today’s digital age. During the conversation, Steven shares what drew him to become a Partner at investment fund Pantera Capital early on his crypto journey, explains why application level or location based tracking are important things for everyone to be aware of, and details the opportunity in stablecoin consumer adoption and why he’s confident Bitcoin is here to stay. SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST: LISTEN TO THE BLOCKCHAIN VC PODCAST: Apple Podcasts Spotify Overcast Google Podcasts Youtube Stitcher Show website FOLLOW TOMER ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter Medium blog

Jack and Tomer talk about Ethereum scalability, the delicate balance in crypto between user experience and security, and the business impact of Covid-19. During their discussion, Jack explains the concept of elastic blockchains and why users need them, shares why he’s so excited about smart contracts, details why comparing Bitcoin and Ethereum is the wrong approach, and reveals what he told his team in an all-hands meeting about coronavirus concerns. SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST: LISTEN TO THE BLOCKCHAIN VC PODCAST: Apple Podcasts Spotify Overcast Google Podcasts Youtube Stitcher Show website FOLLOW TOMER ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter Medium blog

Dan and Tomer discuss how blockchain is disrupting the global ETF industry and the $240B compliance market. During their talk, Dan shares what led him from the U.S. Navy and the Defense Intelligence Agency to blockchain, reveals how Securrency’s strategic partnership with ETF giant WisdomTree came about, breaks down the current liquidity challenges in crypto, explains why he’s convinced the security token (STO) vertical will take off, and details how he raised more than $25 million from investors. SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST: LISTEN TO THE BLOCKCHAIN VC PODCAST: Apple Podcasts Spotify Overcast Google Podcasts Youtube Stitcher Show website FOLLOW TOMER ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter Medium blog

Thomas and Tomer discuss the importance of financial privacy, the distinction between open and visible blockchain, the different types of privacy users and businesses need, and the network effects of Ethereum. Plus, Thomas reveals how his background in shadow banking led him to start Aztec, shares his vision for programmable privacy and confidential transactions, and details his top three tips for fundraising that helped him raise capital from industry heavyweights such as Coinbase and ConsenSys. SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST: LISTEN TO THE BLOCKCHAIN VC PODCAST: Apple Podcasts Spotify Overcast Google Podcasts Youtube Stitcher Show website FOLLOW TOMER ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter Medium blog

Mance and Tomer talk about smart contracts use-cases and opportunities, how Hedera is unifying private and public networks, and why the governance of blockchains is as important as the tech stack. Plus, having raised more than $100 million from investors Mance explains why transparency is crucial, breaks-down the token economics of Hedera’s native token, reveals how they work with Hedera council members such as IBM, Google and Deutsche Telekom, and shares his view on Bitcoin and Ethereum. SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST: LISTEN TO THE BLOCKCHAIN VC PODCAST: Apple Podcasts Spotify Overcast Google Podcasts Youtube Stitcher Show website FOLLOW TOMER ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter Medium blog

Will and Tomer discuss the opportunity to onboard new Bitcoin users and merchants, whether Bitcoin is the best settlement layer, and the paths to reduce Bitcoin volatility in order to accelerate its usage as a medium of exchange. Plus, Will explains the need for better on and off ramps, reveals why no loss lotteries and new payment solutions built on top of the Lightning Network are some of the things he’s most excited about, and shares why you shouldn’t focus on Bitcoin when pitching to investors. SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST: LISTEN TO THE BLOCKCHAIN VC PODCAST: Apple Podcasts Spotify Overcast Google Podcasts Youtube Stitcher Show website FOLLOW TOMER ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter Medium blog

Mike and Tomer talk about the crypto investment world. During their conversation, Mike reveals his passion for investing, shares the most important metrics crypto investors look at, and breaks-down the need for more in-depth data solutions for hedge fund managers. Plus, Mike shares fundraising best practices that helped him raise $9.5 million for his startup, talks about his prior experience building and selling a company, and explains what he views as the most important job of a startup CEO. SUPPORT THE SHOW: LISTEN TO THE BLOCKCHAIN VC PODCAST: Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify Youtube Stitcher Show website FOLLOW TOMER ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter Medium blog

Tomer talks with Jason about his learnings as a serial entrepreneur, who previously led a unicorn (Fab) and raised over $300 million. Jason shares a treasure trove of key insights for crypto entrepreneurs, describes how to manage relationships with investors, and reveals what’s the one thing founders can’t recover from. Plus, Jason explains why Ethereum is so far in the lead, details how Pepo helps creators build communities and monetize content via crypto, and breaks-down the micropayments opportunity. =========================== SUPPORT THE SHOW: LISTEN TO THE BLOCKCHAIN VC PODCAST: Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify Youtube Stitcher Show website FOLLOW TOMER ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter Medium blog

Alex and Tomer talk about Bitcoin's role in online and offline commerce. During their discussion, Alex shares what drew him to Bitcoin early on, why he believes Bitcoin represents the future of payments, and how Lolli helps advance Bitcoin adoption among merchants and shoppers. Plus, Alex reveals what’s next on Lolli’s product roadmap, shares fundraising best practices that helped him attract major investors and discusses with Tomer the importance of focus for entrepreneurs. =========================== SUPPORT THE SHOW: LISTEN TO THE BLOCKCHAIN VC PODCAST: Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify Youtube Stitcher Show website FOLLOW TOMER ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter Medium blog

Zac and Tomer talk about the process of bridging the worlds of traditional finance and crypto. During their discussion, Zac explains the ins-and-outs of the crypto lending business and why it’s such a crucial part of the ecosystem, breaks-down BlockFi’s marketing strategy and how they grew to tens of thousands of clients, and describes the drivers for increased institutional and retail crypto adoption. Plus, Zac reveals the products they plan to launch next and shares why he’s bullish on Bitcoin. SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST: LISTEN TO THE BLOCKCHAIN VC PODCAST: Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify Youtube Stitcher Show website FOLLOW TOMER ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter Medium blog