Tobias built Altitude Finance after running into the classic DeFi lending trade-off: either borrow conservatively and unlock very little capital, or borrow aggressively and risk liquidation when markets move fast.

In this episode, we break down how Altitude makes loans more capital-efficient while keeping users at a safer LTV, how their vault automation rebalances positions during volatility, and why their best users love the “self-repaying loan” experience.

We also cover Tobias’ take on what changes in DeFi to watch in 2026—especially around token value being tied more tightly to protocol value, and why “stablecoins backed by risky strategies” could be the next blow-up.

Key Timestamps

[00:00:00] Intro: Altitude traction, TVL, DeFi trends for 2026

[00:01:00] Tobias’ journey: Ethereum → DeFi Summer → full-time crypto

[00:02:00] The lending trade-off: capital efficiency vs liquidation stress

[00:03:00] What Altitude does: low LTV + protocol adds leverage to ~60%

[00:04:00] Differentiation: efficiency, peace of mind, simplified UX

[00:06:00] 2025 recap: whitelisted → public vaults, surviving volatility

[00:07:00] 2026 focus: simpler onboarding, wallets, on/off-ramps

[00:08:00] Automation: rebalances as prices move, keeps vaults healthy

[00:09:00] 2026 DeFi trend: tokens aligning more with “common stock” value

[00:10:00] Stablecoin warning: risky strategies behind “stable” pegs

[00:12:00] Adoption driver: the “self-repaying loan” dopamine

[00:14:00] Real-world use cases: Tesla, land, iPhone, engagement ring

[00:18:00] Founder advice: simplify, avoid overwhelming choice

[00:22:00] AI in DeFi: useful for insights, not autonomous execution (yet)

[00:26:00] GTM: reach long-term BTC/ETH holders across better channels

[00:29:00] Roadmap: wallets + off-ramps + mainstream user journey

[00:31:00] Ask: try the product, give feedback, help simplify onboarding

Connect

https://app.altitude.fi/

https://www.altitude.fi/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/altitude-labs-defi/

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

https://x.com/AltitudeFi_

https://x.com/tobiasvanamstel?lang=en

Disclaimer

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

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James Ashton is building Planet X, a new mobile-first extraction shooter that turns gameplay into a real-world treasure hunt—extract prizes, win physical rewards, and build community-driven competition.

In this episode, we unpack how Gallaxia is structured as an on-chain gaming and entertainment studio co-owned by 50+ top creators (with a combined 200M audience), why “Web3 gaming” as a label misses the point, and how Planet X plans to scale through execution, brand partnerships, and influencer distribution—without paying creators upfront.

Key timestamps

[00:00:00] Intro: Planet X + 200M creator reach [00:01:00] James’ origin story: Web2 fundraising → Web3 via digital ownership

[00:02:00] What Gallaxia is: on-chain studio co-owned by 50+ top creators

[00:04:00] Why Web3: instant revenue distribution + co-ownership model

[00:06:00] Planet X loop: extraction shooter + real-world treasure hunt

[00:08:00] Why it’s different: skill-based prizes, not “incentives to mask boredom”

[00:10:00] Creator distribution: co-owners, not paid influencers

[00:13:00] What makes games win in 2025: clippable + viral + creator-native

[00:17:00] Mobile-first thesis: the real mass market [00:19:00] Biggest challenges: rollout, optimization, scaling correctly

[00:22:00] Monetization: microtransactions + brand advertising + prize economy

[00:25:00] Roadmap: Jan showcases → open beta → launch window

[00:28:00] Ask: community co-ownership + execute the launch

Connect

https://www.playplanetx.com/

https://x.com/PlanetX

https://x.com/MrGallaxia

Disclaimer

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

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Ryan Kirkley has been building in crypto since 2013—across protocol development and regulatory compliance. In this episode, we go deep on why true asset ownership is still broken in today’s financial system, why stablecoins aren’t a long-term solution for global commerce, and how Global Settlement Network is approaching interoperability by upgrading existing infrastructure instead of trying to replace it.

Key timestamps

[00:00:00] Intro: Global Settlement Network + what we cover

[00:01:00] Ryan’s journey: crypto since 2013 + compliance background

[00:03:00] The thesis: interoperability + regulatory realities

[00:04:00] What the financial system lacks: real asset ownership

[00:05:00] Why stablecoins aren’t enough globally: autonomy + FX frictions

[00:07:00] Primary customers: governments, banks, commodity groups

[00:09:00] Why they win deals: regulatory fluency + “upgrade, not replace”

[00:10:00] Privacy + compliance: sidechains + ZK rolldowns + vault model

[00:12:00] What’s live: tokenization studio + volume metrics + testnet

[00:14:00] 2025 trend: fragmentation; 2026 trend: interoperability + consolidation

[00:16:00] Regions: HK/Singapore momentum; biggest adoption potential in Africa

[00:18:00] USD outlook: slow multipolar shift, not overnight collapse

[00:23:00] 12-month roadmap: public testnet, stablecoin studio, TGE window

[00:28:00] Ask: partnerships + top engineering talent

Connect

https://globalsettlement.com/

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

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

Disclaimer

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

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In this episode, I’m joined by Konstantin from GrantiX, a platform connecting crypto donors with social entrepreneurs who need funding to scale real-world impact.

We talk about what’s broken in traditional philanthropy (opacity, inefficiency), why Web3 tools can improve coordination, and what it takes to onboard projects that may have never used crypto before.

Key timestamps

[00:00:00] Intro: GrantiX + Web3 philanthropy

[00:01:00] Konstantin’s background: TradFi + social entrepreneurship

[00:02:00] What’s broken in philanthropy: transparency + efficiency gaps

[00:05:00] Simple explanation: GrantiX as a bridge between donors + projects

[00:07:00] Why now: market timing + growing real-world focus

[00:09:00] Early categories: education + empowering women in developing markets

[00:12:00] Biggest risk: onboarding + education for non-crypto projects

[00:13:00] Monetization: platform + services layer

[00:15:00] Why Web3: incentives + community-driven programs

[00:17:00] Hardest users: low-tech regions; onboarding plan

[00:20:00] Scaling vision: large philanthropy market opportunity

[00:22:00] How to get involved: links shared in show notes

Connect

https://grantix.com/

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

https://www.instagram.com/grantix_sofi/

Disclaimer

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

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In this episode, I’m joined by Howard Wu, co-founder of Aleo and CEO of Provable.

We dive into programmable privacy, why transparent stablecoins break real-world finance, how Aleo enables private yet compliant smart contracts, and what it will take to bring institutions on-chain. We also explore AI agents, crypto payments, and where privacy actually matters in practice.

Key Timestamps

[00:00:00] Intro: Howard’s background and Aleo’s focus on programmable privacy

[00:02:00] From Bitcoin mining to ZK research at Berkeley

[00:03:00] Aleo’s core thesis: privacy + programmability

[00:05:00] Why stablecoins need privacy and compliance

[00:09:00] The broken UX of transparent wallets [00:11:00] How Aleo’s ZK smart contracts work

[00:14:00] Provable’s role in the Aleo ecosystem

[00:17:00] Institutional use cases: payments, payroll, trading

[00:21:00] Privacy vs convenience in the real world [00:28:00] Roadmap: private stablecoins and integrations

[00:35:00] AI agents, crypto, and the future of payments

[00:40:00] Aleo’s ask: builders, partners, and collaborators

Connect

https://aleo.org/

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

https://x.com/AleoHQ

https://www.linkedin.com/in/1howardwu/

https://x.com/1HowardWu

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.
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In this episode, I’m joined by Albert Prat, founder of B Brands and BeToken.

Albert runs five profitable e-commerce brands doing ~€20M/year, and is tokenizing company equity under European regulation to raise capital, grow inventory, and expand into bigger markets like Germany. We also talk loyalty/community tokens, e-commerce growth levers, and what it takes to compete on delivery speed and supply.

Key Timestamps

[00:00:00] Intro: BeToken + €20M/year e-commerce brands [00:01:00] Albert’s background and the five brands [00:02:00] Why tokenize equity: inventory + growth capital [00:04:00] Primary market now, secondary market coming [00:07:00] Utility token idea: community + rewards across brands [00:08:00] Lockups, liquidity pool, and investor protections [00:10:00] Onboarding: custodied wallets + KYC [00:13:00] Growth plan: stock, Germany, direct website sales [00:16:00] Marketing that works: influencers for fitness brands [00:18:00] E-commerce trends: speed, logistics, competition [00:21:00] 2026 roadmap: raise, list, expand, grow revenue [00:23:00] Targets: €35M next year, €100M longer term

Connect

https://betoken.io/

https://x.com/betoken_io

https://x.com/betoken_global

https://www.linkedin.com/in/albert-prat-asensio-29980b68/

https://x.com/AlbertP0170

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.

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In this episode, I’m joined by Joe Rey (Founder & CCO), Oliver Fuselier (COO & CMO), Mykola Smorgun (CTO) from Popology Network.

We talk about why curation might matter more than AI in a world of infinite content, how Popology uses a “meta search” to pull media from multiple platforms into curated popcasts, and how they aim to decentralize digital rights management by making users the curators and ledger operators.

We also cover influencer-brand sponsorship selection, permissioned data ownership, and what they’re raising to scale the platform.

Key Timestamps

[00:00:00] Intro: Popology’s mission – redesigning the attention economy, curation, and decentralized DRM.

[00:02:00] Joe + Oliver’s background: Decades in film/music video production and why they moved into Web3.

[00:07:00] Finding the CTO: Why they needed “30,000 ft” technical architecture to scale the vision.

[00:10:00] Core product: Meta search + drag/drop curation into popcasts across multiple content platforms.

[00:11:00] DRM angle: Users become the “operators” by curating and ledgering content.

[00:14:00] “Pathologists”: Viewers earn tokens and become members by engaging and logging in.

[00:18:00] Big debate: Swipe algorithms vs intentional curation (and how they gamify adoption).

[00:31:00] Monetization: Sponsorship ads + permissioned data marketplace + subscription tier.

[00:47:00] Ask: Influencers/marketers + private sale (two rounds) leading into a larger public raise.

Connect

https://www.popologynetworks.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/popology-corporation/about/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-rey-7539415/

https://x.com/Joe_Rey

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

https://x.com/OFuselier

Disclaimer

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

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In this episode I talk with Ryan from Toroa Group, a New Zealand-based founder building across tokenised funds and vault strategies, title-backed property tokens, and NZD/AUD stablecoins.

We cover why stablecoins are still the clearest product-market fit, why non-USD stablecoins matter for smaller countries, how to tokenize title instead of fund units, and how they work with existing funds to offer tokenized fund access to DAOs, foundations and on-chain natives.

Ryan also shares his “follow the demand, don’t force education” philosophy and how tokenised assets are now able to provide utility over and above the legacy versions which is supercharging mainstream adoption.

Key Timestamps

[00:00:00] Tokenization reality: Tokens don’t create liquidity by magic – the product still has to solve a real problem.

[00:02:00] Ryan’s background: From med tech and audiology into educating NZ on Web3 and then full-time tokenization.

[00:05:00] Toroa’s focus: On-chain financial products, NZD/AUD stablecoins, property tokens and tokenized funds.

[00:07:00] Non-USD stablecoins: Why NZD/AUD stables matter for cross-border flows and monetary sovereignty.

[00:10:00] Title-based property: Tokens tied to property title, not shares, avoiding financial-product status and paying rent in stablecoins.

[00:17:00] Tokenized feeders: Letting funds offer regulated exposure in token form to DAOs, foundations and family offices.

[00:20:00] Demand > preaching: They focus on inbound demand from funds already being asked for tokenized access.

[00:26:00] Roadmap & raise: Moving group structure to the UK, aiming for a future listing, and raising a £500k pre-Series A.

Connect

https://www.toroa.xyz/

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

https://x.com/toroagroup

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

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.
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