In this episode I sit down with Ivan, the newly appointed CEO of Neon Labs, a serial‑founder with six exits and a deep background in infrastructure, distributed systems and Web3. We explore how Neon Labs is tackling the challenge of running an EVM on Solana, what “network extensions” mean and why this matters for builders, founders and the entire ecosystem.

We also dig into tokenization, open‑source business models and where the infrastructure layer of Web3 is heading. Whether you’re building a protocol, debating chain choice or simply trying to understand what’s next, there’s plenty to unpack here.

Key Learnings (with timestamps)

• 00:02:00 – Ivan’s background: from engineer to startup founder to now leading Neon Labs.

• 00:04:00 – Early Web3 attempt: building a multimedia messaging/email platform on Ethereum in 2017.

• 00:07:00 – What Neon Labs is solving: bringing EVM execution to Solana via a network extension rather than a traditional L2 or side‑chain.

• 00:10:00 – Advantages and challenges of this architecture: speed, composability, using Solana’s consensus & block‑space.

• 00:12:00 – Chain choice argument: historically Solana for speed vs Ethereum for liquidity. How this is shifting.

• 00:16:00 – Infrastructure costs of new chains: indexing, database/storage overhead, tooling.

• 00:18:00 – Vision: network extensions as the next wave of infrastructure—purpose‑built execution environments plugging into a main chain.

• 00:22:00 – Neon Labs’ focus areas: acquisition of ZK team, privacy‑scalability via off‑chain computation and proofs.

• 00:39:00 – Advice for builders & founders: build in public + join community/super‑teams + focus on solving real infrastructure problems.

• 00:42:00 – Neon’s current status & ask: financially stable, not actively raising now, looking for builders, early users and collaborators.

DisclaimerNothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. It would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend.

Connect

Ivan Bjelajac - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivanbjelajac/

NeonEVM- https://www.neonevm.org/
Be a guest on the podcast or contact us ‑ https://www.web3pod.xyz/

In this episode I sit down with Zain Zaidi, co‑founder and CEO of TransCrypts, to explore his personal story and the mission driving his startup. He shares how a misplaced grad‑school transcript sparked a blockchain solution for identity verification, how his company now serves millions of users and hundreds of enterprises, and why the deepfake era makes what they do more critical than ever. We dive into the tech, the regulatory hurdles, Web2 clients, Web3 opportunities, and what’s ahead for verified credentials across employment, health and education.

Key Learnings (with timestamps)

• 00:00:00 – Mark Cuban’s warning about digital misinformation and deepfakes; the trust crisis we face online.

• 00:02:00 – Zain’s personal trigger: grad‑school transcript error led to founding TransCrypts.

• 00:04:00 – What TransCrypts solves: giving individuals ownership of verified credentials (job, school, income).

• 00:06:00 – How the system works: integration with HR systems, issuance of on‑chain credentials.

• 00:07:00 – Focus and expansion: employment verification is central, health and education credentials coming.

• 00:12:00 – Technical and enterprise challenges: selling Web3 identity solutions to Web2 businesses.

• 00:14:00 – The synergy of AI + crypto: identity verification as the defense against AI‑driven fraud.

• 00:17:00 – Pitching and fundraising: cold‑emailing Mark Cuban, building traction, $15 M seed round.

• 00:18:00 – Humanitarian use‑case: helping Ukrainian refugees access medical records via their platform.

• 00:23:00 – If he were starting again today: focus on the solution not the tech; time your raise relative to market cycle.

• 00:34:00 – Roadmap and ambitions: becoming a major employment/income data provider, potential token launch.
  

Connect

https://www.transcrypts.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/transcrypts/

https://x.com/transcrypts_

https://www.linkedin.com/in/zainzaidi99/

Disclaimer

Nothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research.

It would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend.
Be a guest on the podcast or contact us ‑ https://www.web3pod.xyz/

In this episode I chat with Ian Brunner, co‑founder and CEO of IPTS - Interplanetary Talent Services, about how recruiting in Web3 and AI safety is changing — and how founders and job‑seekers alike can win. Ian shares how he pivoted from ad‑tech and Facebook into Web3, helped build recruiting at Protocol Labs, then spun out to form IPTS and now supports over a hundred companies placing talent across complex, frontier tech roles. We dig into real tactics for hiring: spotting fake AI‑written resumes, structuring hybrid roles, and mapping the cycles of the talent market. Whether you’re a founder scaling a startup, or a candidate trying to break into Web3/AI, you’ll pick up actionable advice you can use now.

Key Learnings

• [00:03:00] How Ian made the jump from Facebook recruiting to Web3, and why direct access to leadership mattered for his decision.

• [00:06:00] The origin story of IPTS: how the recruiting team at Protocol Labs shifted into an agency model and spun out.

• [00:08:00] What sets IPTS apart: mission‑alignment, success‑based models, network depth, and a hands‑on operations mindset.

• [00:12:00] How IPTS acquires new clients and the power of referrals in this talent market.

• [00:13:00] Two major hiring trends in Web3/AI: the lack of entry‑level roles, and the rise of "Frankenstein roles" combining multiple functions.

• [00:20:00] How AI is disrupting recruiting: job descriptions created by AI, applications written by AI, and the challenge of verifying authenticity.

• [00:22:00] Real tactics for vetting candidates: ask about team structure, who managed them, who they interacted with — questions scammers/bots struggle with.

• [00:23:00] The resurgence of reference and background checks: what was ignored in hiring booms now is mandatory.

• [00:24:00] Global hiring in Web3: remote first, equitable pay across locations, and the attractiveness of arbitrage (talent anywhere).

• [00:38:00] Advice for founders: spend time upfront clarifying what you’re hiring for; understand the hiring cycles of the year; and define what carrot you’re offering if you need hires in tight windows.

• [00:31:00] The highest‑demand roles right now: senior to staff engineering; marketing/ecosystem/community growth; and BD/sales in Web3/AI contexts.
  

Disclaimer

Nothing mentioned in this podcast is investment or financial advice and please do your own research.

Connect

https://ipts.ai/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/ipts/

https://x.com/iptsai

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianbrunner/

It would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend.
Be a guest on the podcast or contact us ‑ https://www.web3pod.xyz/

In this episode I chat with Alex (CMO) and Andrew (CPO) of Sticker Pack about how they’re turning something as simple as a sticker on Telegram into a Web3‑community powerhouse. We trace their journeys back to early crypto days, uncover how they saw the gaps in traditional NFTs, and why they believe Telegram’s built‑in ecosystem offers a unique route for mass adoption. The podcast dives into what drives Sticker Pack’s growth, how they secure IP rights, how they onboard creators and users, and what’s next for them in the next 12 months. Whether you’re a creator, collector, or just curious about where Web2 meets Web3, you’ll find plenty of practical insight here.

Key Learnings

• [00:00:30] Alex shares how he got into crypto in 2012‑13, left during the cold years, then returned when Telegram and TON showed potential.

• [00:02:00] Andrew describes his parallel journey: IT consulting, dabbling in crypto, and eventually co‑founding Sticker Pack to build something new in the Telegram/TON ecosystem.

• [00:04:00] They identify a key problem with traditional NFTs: yes you own something, but it often sits unseen and un‑validated in your wallet.

• [00:05:30] Sticker Pack aims to give “flexible ownership”: visible, usable assets inside Telegram (stickers, status, anonymous numbers) that let you show you own something.

• [00:11:00] Traction: ~172 sticker packs launched with ~40 collections; total sales around US$11‑12 million; some rare stickers traded for thousands of dollars.

• [00:13:00] Business model: IP owners partner with Sticker Pack; Sticker Pack takes a revenue share + contract fees; secondary royalties also built‑in.

• [00:15:30] Primary customer: The community/user first, then IP/partners. Building belonging, utility, gated chats, and community meet‑ups matter more than just launches.

• [00:17:00] IP rights: They only launch sticker packs after verifying the IP owner or decision‑maker. If they can’t verify it, they won’t proceed.

• [00:19:00] Undiscovered market: Alumni associations, tight‑knit communities (like universities) are strong opportunities — people already buy merch etc for identity.

• [00:20:00] Telegram features many don’t know: Gifts and anonymous numbers (NFT‑numbers) within Telegram are becoming real status and utility items. Andrew highlights a use‑case: owning an NFT number means you can log into Telegram independent of your mobile SIM.

• [00:24:30] Onboarding web2 users: Though user base is large, the uptake of Web3 features is still low; but Sticker Pack and Telegram are trying to make things “normie‑friendly”.

• [00:26:00] Product vision for next 12 months: A self‑service portal so any artist can launch their own sticker pack; community votes determine which packs get featured. Equal opportunity for creators worldwide.

• [00:29:30] Their ask: Looking for strong IP partnerships + builders who want utility around stickers. They emphasise that this ecosystem is collaborative.

• [00:30:20] Future of Telegram/TON over next year: More utilities, easier fiat payments, simplified onboarding of non‑crypto users — more mass adoption features.

• [00:31:40] Magic‑wand question: Alex would mandate banks to use stablecoins and governments to stop treating crypto as enemy; Andrew emphasised user safety and trustworthy onboarding for non‑deep‑tech users.
  

Disclaimer

Nothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research.

Connecthttps://t.me/sticker_bot

https://t.me/sticker_community

https://x.com/stickers_tg

Alex:

https://x.com/alexcrypto_buzz

https://t.me/coinfessional_booth

Andrew:

https://t.me/andrew_is_thinking

Dune dashboard

https://dune.com/telegram/stickers

A tool to analyse sticker performance

https://stickers.tools/

It would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend.
Be a guest on the podcast or contact us - https://www.web3pod.xyz/

In this episode I sit down with Grigore Roșu (Grigore Rosu), former NASA researcher and computer‑science professor, now building the Pi Squared Network. We dive into what Web3 really means (hint: it isn’t just blockchains). Grigore explains why the conventional blockchain model is inefficient, how his team is creating a parallel settlement network that scales, and what this could mean for everything from payments to gaming to AI‑agent economies. Whether you’re a founder, developer, or curious about the next wave of crypto infrastructure—you’ll get fresh insights plus a roadmap of what’s coming next.

Key Learnings

• [00:00:00] The common idea that Web3 = blockchain is flawed — blockchains are one implementation, not the only way.

• [00:05:00] How good academic ideas at university can migrate into startup innovations (Rosu’s lab → Runtime Verification → Pi Squared).

• [00:06:00] The core scalability problem in Web3: transaction throughput and cost. Why traditional chains struggle.

• [00:08:00] The paradigm shift: dropping “total order” of transactions across the network and moving to parallel, independent settlement.

• [00:09:00] How the original blockchain design (chain + blocks + ordering) addressed double‑spending, but introduces a scalability ceiling.

• [00:12:00] The potential: with massive parallelism, transaction cost could fall to “a hundredth of a cent” and throughput could reach millions per second.

• [00:15:00] What this means for layers: If the infrastructure supports massive parallelism, the whole stack changes (Layer 1, Layer 2, app chains).

• [00:21:00] Why the language ecosystem matters: restrictive smart‑contract languages (e.g., Solidity) limit developer adoption.

• [00:30:00] Why it’s taken a decade for this to shift: new scientific results, protocol research, and building the infrastructure take time.

• [00:36:00] Pi  Squared’s roadmap: upcoming network launch, opening to validators, then expanding languages, reaching decentralization at scale.

• [00:40:00] The “north star” metric: 1 million organic transactions per second. Makes everything else fall into place.

• [00:43:00] Real use‑cases unlocked: Web3 gaming, AI agents interacting at speed, truly low‑cost settlement for mass‑market.
  

Disclaimer

Nothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. It would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend.

Connect

https://x.com/Pi_Squared_Pi2

https://www.linkedin.com/company/pi-squared-inc/posts/

https://pi2.network/
Be a guest on the podcast or contact us – https://www.web3pod.xyz/

I sat down with Toby  Gilbert, co‑founder of Pact Swap, to dig into how he went from years in telecoms to building infrastructure for the Web3 era. We talk about the problems in decentralized exchanges, why cross‑chain and native Bitcoin support matter, and how Pact Swap is positioning itself to offer DEX functionality at central‑exchange price levels — without KYC and heavy overheads. If you’ve ever wondered how innovation in DEX infrastructure happens behind the scenes, this episode is for you.

Key Learnings

• [00:01:00] Toby’s entry into blockchain came via a deep infrastructure dev friend who highlighted the scaling pain‑points of incompatible chains.

• [00:02:00] Unlike many who start with Bitcoin or Ethereum apps, Toby started “far further upstream” building infrastructure.

• [00:03:00] Pact Swap is a cross‑chain DEX that supports native Bitcoin — tackling usability and cost issues with current solutions.

• [00:04:00] The architecture: Rather than locking hundreds of millions in validator collateral, Pact Swap uses per‑trade collateral and reactive smart‑contracts — making swaps ~95% cheaper than some competitors.

• [00:05:00] Their go‑to‑market is B2C + B2B (gaming companies, gateways, merchants) — enabling non‑crypto businesses to accept a variety of tokens and instantly swap to stable tokens without KYC overhead.

• [00:11:00] They’re launching a governance & utility token: holders will access fee‑pools, burn tokens to unlock collateral — adding a “gamified” arbitrage model.

• [00:13:00] Misconception: “Are cross‑chain DEXs safe?” Toby explains how Pact Swap avoids bridges and uses a new architecture to keep it secure.

• [00:17:00] Big benchmark: Toby expects $0.5 billion/day of trade volume by end‑2026 — scaling to centralized‑exchange levels.

• [00:18:00] Advice for founders: Be ready to pivot, understand regulation, budget accordingly, and build team culture with open conversation.

• [00:21:00] On DeFi’s next phase: User experience must evolve to bring in non‑crypto users and expand liquidity sources.

• [00:24:00] On raising: “Build product first, not just a pitch deck” — traction matters more than buzzwords.
  

Disclaimer

Nothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research.

It would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend.
Connect

https://pactswap.io/

https://x.com/Pact_Swap

https://x.com/TobyCoinweb

https://www.linkedin.com/in/toby-gilbert-64909855/

Be featured on this podcast

Be a guest on the podcast or contact us - https://www.web3pod.xyz/

Imagine owning your own AI. That’s exactly what David Johnston, core contributor at Morpheus believes is not just possible, but inevitable. In this episode, we go deep on smart agents, how they’re the next evolution after smart contracts, and why decentralized AI will reshape how we use intelligence. David shares why the world has now officially crossed the line where AI has more brainpower than all humans combined,and what that means for builders, entrepreneurs, and anyone online.

We cover how Morpheus is building a platform for smart agents just like Ethereum did for smart contracts, why LLMs still matter, and how tools like x402 and onchain identity are solving major AI risks. This is the future of AI, Web3, and ownership, all in one.

Key Learnings & Time Stamps

• [00:00] - AI brainpower now exceeds human brainpower, what that really means.

• [03:00] - The origin story of DApps and why decentralized software must pay for its own hardware.

• [05:30] - How Web3 evolved from protocol to user-friendly applications.

• [08:00] - What smart agents are and why they’re the natural next step after smart contracts.

• [10:00] - How Morpheus provides infrastructure and incentives for agent builders.

• [17:00] - Current limitations of autonomous agents and how intent-based agents solve real problems.

• [20:00] - How ERC-8004 and agent reputation registries change the AI trust layer.

• [22:00] - What x402 is and why it's a game-changer for onchain payments.

• [26:00] - Why rewarding developers directly makes Morpheus similar to early Ethereum.

• [32:00] - The shift from office space to data centers, what AI is really doing to work.

• [38:00] - LLMs are not enough, here’s how personal AI agents will evolve.

• [43:00] - The idea behind the Morpheus Virtual Machine.

• [47:00] - Roadmap: What’s next for Morpheus and its community-led infrastructure.
  

Disclaimer

Nothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research.

Connect

https://mor.org

https://www.linkedin.com/company/morpheusais/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidajohnston/

https://x.com/DJohnstonEC

Be featured on this podcast

Be a guest on the podcast or contact us - https://www.web3pod.xyz/

Imagine a world where your kids learn directly from Einstein in the metaverse. That’s the bold vision Mete Al is building at ICB Labs.

In this episode, I sat down with Mete live at Token2049 in Singapore to explore how ICB Labs is fusing AI, blockchain, and immersive metaverse experiences to reshape education. From building a global network of university partnerships to creating age-appropriate AI mentors for kids, Mete shares how his team is creating a safe, scalable, and gamified learning environment for the next generation.

We talk NFTs with real utility, selling $3M in an ICO, and how AI is quietly training itself through student interactions. This one is full of practical insights, bold predictions, and the clarity of a founder with a big mission: to build the future of learning.

Key Learnings + Time Stamps

• [00:00] Selling $2.5M in NFTs in 3 days — how they did it

• [01:20] How Mete got into Web3 from real estate & farming

• [03:50] The shift to AI in education: problems and promise

• [06:30] Why current AI use in schools is broken — and ICB’s fix

• [08:00] What sets ICB’s metaverse apart from Meta & others

• [10:20] How their AI matches students by age with safe, tailored content

• [12:00] B2B model: partnering with 9+ universities globally

• [14:00] The real reason previous metaverse hype failed

• [16:00] Roadmap: language learning, talent hubs, AI avatars & fashion street

• [18:30] Their monetization model: KYC, NFTs with utility, and their own token

• [20:00] What startup founders should focus on: Mete’s #1 advice

• [21:00] The upcoming “Talent Hub” to fund and build student ideas

• [23:00] Who inspires Mete in Web3: shoutout to 1inch and Sandbox

• [25:00] ICB Labs’ next big milestone: scaling to 400+ staff and beyond
  

Connect

Mete's Socials:

https://www.instagram.com/meteicb/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/meteicb/

ICB Labs:

https://x.com/ICBLabs

https://www.linkedin.com/company/icblabs/

https://icblabs.com/

ICB Verse:

https://x.com/icbverse

https://icbverse.io/

Disclaimer

Nothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. Finally, it would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend.
Be a guest on the podcast or contact us – https://www.web3pod.xyz/