The DeadCaitBounce Experience

Crypto in the Media with Frank Chaparro, Editor-at-Large at The Block

This week’s guest is Frank Chaparro. Frank is an industry leader covering the intersection of financial markets and cryptocurrency as Editor-at-Large at The Block. Since joining the publication in 2018 as its first reporter, he has played a key role in building The Block into a leader in financial journalism and research. He leads special projects, including The Block's flagship podcast, The Scoop. Prior to The Block, Frank held roles at Business Insider, NPR, and Nasdaq.
Not only am I a huge fan of Frank, I also find the topic of crypto in the media to be CRITICALLY important. The crypto markets operate 24/7, 365, with countless new projects, and developments underway on every corner of the globe…. There is an information overload at all times… How do you filter the noise? How do you determine what news is breaking vs what’s not? There’s no better guest to unpack this with than Frank. We cover how crypto sentiment in the media has changed over time, leading narratives within the space, how to navigate the dynamic crypto space and its fleeting headlines to get to the info that truly matters, and more.
I’d be remiss if I did not mention that we recorded this upcoming episode last week, which was prior to the news about Binance’s non-binding offer to purchase FTX during the midst of a liquidity crunch. If you’d ask any crypto vet, they’ll tell you that this is without a doubt a top 5 major event to ever occur within the industry and is a LOT to unpack. I’ll do an episode to cover this in the near future, but it makes a perfect case for today's episode. Things can take a turn for the worse or the better in a manner of seconds in the crypto space, and this scenario highlights why covering crypto news can be so difficult. With that, please enjoy my conversation with Frank.
For more information about The Block, please visit: https://www.theblock.co/podcasts 
You can Follow Frank Chaparro on Twitter @fintechfrank: https://twitter.com/fintechfrank 
Show notes:
[0:07] Introduction
[3:11] Frank's Crypto journey, how he got to where he is today
[6:50] Sentiment change since Frank started covering crypto (around 2017)
[13:00] Common themes amongst crypto blow ups
[16:48] Next narrative for Crypto
[22:05] Regulation (i.e., SBF vs Voorhees)
[27:09] Crypto in the midterm election cycle; contributions from various crypto-focused institutions
[33:08] On-chain data
[35:17] Navigating all the crypto info/news - deciphering what’s important, what’s not, etc..
[42:07] Where to send folks to get trusted crypto news information (other than The Block)
[51:57] How does crypto fail and succeed?
All opinions expressed by your hosts and the podcasts guests are solely their own opinions and do not reflect the opinion of the hosts or any of their affiliates. This podcast is for commercial and informational purposes only, is not investment advice, and should not be relied upon for any investment decisions. We are not recommending any securities or cryptocurrencies, nor is this an offer or sale of a security or cryptocurrency.
 

Hash it Out: Crypto - Where to Start, Where to Go? with Producer Bobby

This week’s guest is.. Me. (and my producer Bobby Kraft) We’re shaking things up with the first edition of Hash It Out, a regular DCBE feature where we field questions from our listeners and cover the biggest breaking news across the crypto industry to make sure you stay up to date. We want to hear from you - nothing is offlimits, and, as we well know, there is never a shortage of crypto news to dive into. So with that, sit back, relax, and enjoy our conversation.
You can Follow Caitlin Cook on Twitter @DeadCaitBounce: https://twitter.com/DeadCaitBounce
You can Follow The DeadCaitBounce Experience on Twitter @DCBExperience: https://twitter.com/DCBExperience
Show notes:
[1:54] Caitlin's experience telling people that she works in crypto during this current crypto winter
[3:45] Practical take on the crypto winter from Caitlin's experiences at various crypto conferences
[5:51] Positive news in crypto that's been completely overlooked
[10:43] Caitlin's take on Regulation based on first few guests answers having to do with crypto succeeding or failing
[16:04] Trading strategies around known, upcoming catalysts, example: the Ethereum merge
[19:29] Onboarding parents into crypto from scratch
[24:18] Low-hanging fruit to onboard the masses to crypto
[28:15] Why products and services using blockchain technology are brushed to the side (for now)
[31:27] Final thoughts
All opinions expressed by your hosts and the podcasts guests are solely their own opinions and do not reflect the opinion of the hosts or any of their affiliates. This podcast is for commercial and informational purposes only, is not investment advice, and should not be relied upon for any investment decisions. We are not recommending any securities or cryptocurrencies, nor is this an offer or sale of a security or cryptocurrency.

Crypto Growing Pains with Thomas Braziel, Founder/CIO of 507 Capital

Mount Gox… Voyager… Celsius… Three Arrows Capital.. Terra / LUNA… Since crypto’s inception, these are some of the most highly publicized scandals in and around the crypto space. But what actually happened? Where did things go wrong? Most importantly… What were the results and how do we learn from these scenarios?
Historically speaking, many leaders across the space have shied away from talking about these things. If we bring these stories up, will they scare newcomers away? Do we cross our fingers and hope that everyone will simply forget as the ecosystem continues to grow? Thoughts like this have led many to sweep these situations under the rug… until the next inevitable headline. As for me… I want to take a different approach.
Why? Because if we don’t address these topics, nothing changes. Nobody learns. It looks shady on the part of leaders and educators in the space, and certainly does not instill confidence in those on the outside. In fact, these are some of the main instances that people point to as a reason WHY they won’t delve into this space. So in this episode, we’re going to talk about it.
For more information about 507 Capital, please visit: https://507capital.com/
You can Follow Thomas Braziel on Twitter @ThomasBraziel: https://twitter.com/ThomasBraziel
Show notes:
[0:05] Introduction to Thomas Braziel
[2:56] Thomas Braziel's crypto origin story
[6:12] Why distressed assets? Then, how that led to crypto
[9:49] Importance of talking about failures and risks in crypto
[12:46] Counter-party risk in crypto
[16:13] Criteria for potential new crypto investment
[23:15] Story of Mt. Gox, what happened?
[27:27] Mt. Gox unraveling still ongoing, where are we at now?
[29:37] Voyager, Celsius, TerraLuna - how are these situations different from what happened with Mt. Gox?
[33:45] With crypto becoming more mainstream, why its important to understand Voyager and Celsius failures
[39:01] Even if bullish on crypto, understanding how am I accessing this asset class?
[41:10] Difficulty in doing the research on crypto investment opportunities - white papers can be hard
[44:17] Risk management in crypto
[46:57] Behavioral aspect in crypto, don't get fooled by the "Get Rich Quick" ideas; most investments come from social proof, hacking your mind to invest in worthless opportunities
[51:01] How does crypto ultimately succeed or fail?
All opinions expressed by your hosts and the podcasts guests are solely their own opinions and do not reflect the opinion of the hosts or any of their affiliates. This podcast is for commercial and informational purposes only, is not investment advice, and should not be relied upon for any investment decisions. We are not recommending any securities or cryptocurrencies, nor is this an offer or sale of a security or cryptocurrency.

DeFi 101 with DeFi Dad

This week’s guest is the ONE AND ONLY DeFi Dad. As you might've inferred from his name, DeFi Dad is an early DeFi super-user, educator, investor, and host of the DeFi Talks with DeFi Dad… Now A Partner at 4RC (Fourth Revolution Capital) investing early stage DeFi, Web3 media, and Web3 gaming projects, DeFi Dad and I discuss what a beginners need to know about, well, DeFi… Decentralized Finance is a term used ad nauseum in the crypto space, but what is it? We define DeFi in plain English, as well as discuss the most common ways in which the crypto beginner will be exposed to DeFi innovations, current issues in the space, and more. This is often made to be an overly complicated topic, and I can confidently say that this is one of the best DeFi primers i’ve ever heard.
With that, please enjoy my conversation with DeFi Dad For more information about DeFi Dad, please visit http://defidad.com or his Lenstube channel at https://lenster.xyz/u/defidad.lens
You can Follow DeFi Dad on Twitter @DeFi_Dad: https://twitter.com/DeFi_Dad
Show notes:
[0:06] Introduction to DeFi Dad
[1:48] DeFi Dad’s crypto and name origin story
[8:22] What is “DeFi” and how does it compare to “TradFi”?
[13:35] DeFi use cases; store value that is digitally scarce (original use case)
[24:31] Opportunity when it comes to yield; how are the yields possible without being a scam? Time for some mythbusting
[38:33] How do we regulate DeFi? Current issues folks in DeFi are facing, specifically having to do with regulation
[49:15] Current market environment: how does this current crypto bear market we are in defer from past bear markets?
[55:35] Ultimately, looking ahead, how does DeFi succeed towards mass adoption and conversely, how does it fail?
All opinions expressed by your hosts and the podcasts guests are solely their own opinions and do not reflect the opinion of the hosts or any of their affiliates. This podcast is for commercial and informational purposes only, is not investment advice, and should not be relied upon for any investment decisions. We are not recommending any securities or cryptocurrencies, nor is this an offer or sale of a security or cryptocurrency.

Bringing Asset Management On-Chain with Jeremy Schwartz and Will Peck of WisdomTree

WisdomTree… Blackrock… Vanguard… PIMCO.. Invesco… Oppenheimer… The global asset management industry encompasses trillions of dollars in assets under management. But how are they engaging and innovating when it comes to crypto?  I spoke with Jeremy Schwartz and Will Peck of WisdomTree, a European based 80 billion dollar asset management firm, to find out.
Jeremy Schwartz is the Global Chief Investment Officer at WisdomTree, leading the firm's investment strategy team in the construction of WisdomTree’s equity indexes, quantitative active strategies and multi-asset model portfolios. 
Will Peck is Head of Digital Assets at WisdomTree. In this role, Will leads the firm’s Strategy Group, leads corporate development, and drives other strategic initiatives for the firm, including the launch of WisdomTree Prime, a financial services app built from the ground up on blockchain rails with DeFi concepts. Additionally, he is responsible for oversight of the firm’s investments in emerging technologies. 
Not only is Wisdomtree a leading global asset manager, but they are also one of the industry’s most forward thinking firms, heavily embracing web3, blockchain technology, and cryptoassets within their business. We cover why and how they are integrating the future of finance into their model, as well as how they perceive the broader asset management industry to acclimate to this emerging space. With that, please enjoy my conversation with Jeremy and Will.
Show notes:
[0:06] Introduction to Jeremy Schwartz and Will Peck
[2:30] Jeremy Schwartz and Will Peck crypto origin story
[5:30] Bird's eye view: Asset Management industry views towards crypto
[10:14] What does it look like from a product perspective on how folks can get exposure to crypto? ETFs, direct, etc...
[17:08] How WisdomTree leading the charge on product innovation for crypto
[21:57] WisdomTree's digital asset strategy
[27:17] Bringing 40 Act Funds on-chain
[34:23] Process for tokenizing 40 Act Funds
[36:38] For those of larger pools of money, what are folks most interested in right now in Crypto?
[38:53] Where do they see other asset managers getting involved with Crypto?
[41:15] Update on approval in the US for crypto ETF
[43:49] Roll out of financial crypto products globally
[47:03] What does success and failure look like in Crypto?
All opinions expressed by your hosts and the podcasts guests are solely their own opinions and do not reflect the opinion of the hosts or any of their affiliates. This podcast is for commercial and informational purposes only, is not investment advice, and should not be relied upon for any investment decisions. We are not recommending any securities or cryptocurrencies, nor is this an offer or sale of a security or cryptocurrency.

The $110T Whale: Onboarding RIAs into Crypto with Adam Blumberg, Co-Founder of Interaxis

This week’s guest is Adam Blumberg. He is Co-Founder of Interaxis, Co-Founder and Lead Curriculum Developer of the CDAA or Certified Digital Asset Advisor designation, and Co-Founder of PlannerDAO.
A certified financial planner who has been in Financial Services for over 12 years, Adam created and launched a company dedicated to educating financial professionals about Digital Assets, Cryptocurrency, Blockchain, and other alternative assets in 2021, a course and Certification to teach Financial Advisors how to make Digital Assets part of their practice, launched a YouTube channel that now has over 10,000 subscribers, and was one of the creators of PlannerDAO, the first decentralized community for advisors, which has grown to over 1,000 members.
It’s safe to say that Adam has been keeping himself busy lately…
He and I come from similar backgrounds of educating the financial advisor community on crypto, and I wanted to dedicate an episode to covering all things registered investment advisors. While it’s not considered to be the “sexiest” profession within financial services, advisors like the ones Adam is working to educate will play a MAJOR role in this space, whether you realize it yet or not.
Why? Crypto investments require financial planning, tax planning, and estate planning functions just like any other asset… and often with more nuance. Which is exactly why most (if not ALL) investors will benefit from having a trusted guide to help them navigate the space in the future.
Not including broker dealer firms that offer wealth management services such as Morgan Stanley, UBS, & Merrill Lynch, the RIA industry makes up over 100 trillion dollars in assets under management. This is a whale of an industry that I’d encourage my listeners to take note of as we see crypto adoption continue to grow.
For more information about Adam Blumberg and Interaxis, please visit: https://www.interaxis.io/ 
You can Follow Adam Blumberg on Twitter @Interaxis8: https://twitter.com/Interaxis8
Show notes:
[0:06] Introduction to Adam Blumberg
[3:00] Adam's crypto origin story; how he got to where he is today
[6:43] Crypto for financial advisors; why should people care about the way RIA space approaches crypto in the future?
[11:44] Crypto education for advisors; sentiment that investors are going to invest in crypto with or without their advisor
[15:25] What does a financial advisor need in order to incorporate crypto into their practice
[18:51] What should advisors consider first when looking to get informed on crypto?
[24:09] Advisors should have fiduciary responsibility to understand crypto and the importance of education
[35:30] Crypto regulation for advisors
[40:03] Bitcoin and ETFs
[44:47] What it will take for mass adoption of crypto by advisors
[47:20] What crypto financial products are available today for advisors to provide their clients exposure to the space
[50:42] What does the portfolio of the future look like?
[58:00] How does crypto succeed and fail?
All opinions expressed by your hosts and the podcasts guests are solely their own opinions and do not reflect the opinion of the hosts or any of their affiliates. This podcast is for commercial and informational purposes only, is not investment advice, and should not be relied upon for any investment decisions. We are not recommending any securities or cryptocurrencies, nor is this an offer or sale of a security or cryptocurrency.

Solving On-Chain Privacy with Jill Gunter, Chief Strategy Officer at Espresso Systems

This week’s guest is Jill Gunter. Jill is cofounder and chief strategy officer at Espresso Systems, which is building privacy and scalability solutions for Web3. Previously, she invested in crypto, blockchain, and fintech with SF-based VC fund Slow Ventures and served as an advisor to a range of projects and institutions from the IMF to startups like Zcash and Algorand. She started her career as a bond trader at Goldman Sachs in NYC.
I’m so excited to have Jill as my second guest to unpack an important and often misunderstood aspect of crypto, which is PRIVACY. This is a topic that’s commonly misunderstood on several fronts. For those outside of the industry, the common storyline has historically been that the perceived anonymity crypto provides allows it to be used as a means for performing illicit activities. Juxtapose that with what many of those in the crypto community know all too well. The data transparency that blockchain technology provides is like nothing we’ve ever seen before. In fact, transparency is often touted as one of the cornerstones of the emerging crypto space… but like anything else, enhanced data transparency is a double edged sword, and those in the crypto space, from your average retail participants, to institutional investors, to regulators, are still trying to wrap their heads around what an ideal solution looks like… How much transparency is too much transparency, and how much privacy is TOO much privacy? What data should the masses have access to, and why? We’ve seen this play out recently in the case of Tornado Cash, which Jill and I cover today. As always, the answer to the question of how we solve on-chain privacy is a nuanced one, but there’s no better person to provide clarity on this topic than today’s guest. With that, please enjoy my conversation with Jill.
For more information about Jill Gunter, please visit: https://www.jillrgunter.com/
You can Follow Jill Gunter on Twitter @jillrgunter: https://twitter.com/jillrgunter
Show notes:
[0:06] Introduction to Jill Gunter
[3:35] Jill Gunter's crypto origin story
[7:45] What Jill is building with Espresso Systems
[11:30] Problem with lack of on-chain privacy
[14:22] State of privacy and Web3 and how is Espresso solving for these issues
[20:44] What information is most important to be public to promote a more health, transparent system? Difference between what information should and shouldn't be public
[26:01] Tornado Cash case study - what happened and why it's important to understand as it relates to privacy and Web3
[33:04] OFAC guidance to Tornado Cash, and how users were affected by this
[35:24] What smart contracts are categorized as? Role that code plays in Freedom of Speech
[40:54] How do we account for core contributors to a decentralized network that could be "bad actors"?
[44:19] Where do we go from here with censorship resistance, privacy and Web3?
[48:10] What does success and failure look like in Crypto? CLIP - start at 49:19
All opinions expressed by your hosts and the podcasts guests are solely their own opinions and do not reflect the opinion of the hosts or any of their affiliates. This podcast is for commercial and informational purposes only, is not investment advice, and should not be relied upon for any investment decisions. We are not recommending any securities or cryptocurrencies, nor is this an offer or sale of a security or cryptocurrency.

Bridging the Gap with Brett Harrison, President of FTX

Brett Harrison is at the helm of one of crypto’s goliaths, and a firm that I believe will be largely responsible for onboarding the next million crypto users. He is the President of FTX US, a US-regulated cryptocurrency exchange. Prior to joining FTX US, Brett was Head of Semi-SystematicTechnology at Citadel Securities, where he managed technology for the firm’s Options, ETF, OTC, and ADR trading globally. He began and spent the majority of his career at Jane Street, where he led the firm’s algorithmic trading system development. He also previously worked at Headlands Technologies as a senior software developer. Brett received his M.S. and B.A. in Computer Science from Harvard.
I felt it was important to have Brett as my first guest on the podcast because he truly embodies everything that The DCBE is about: applying traditional subject matter expertise to a new frontier. More specifically, I have a huge appreciation for the balanced approach Brett takes when it comes to bridging the gap for the masses through advocacy, education, cooperation with regulatory bodies, and being on podcasts like this one. With that, here is my conversation with Brett Harrison.
For more information about FTX, please visit: https://ftx.us/v
You can Follow Brett Harrison on Twitter @Brett_FTX: https://twitter.com/Brett_FTX
Show notes:
[0:09] Introduction to Brett Harrison
[1:55] Setting the scene, Brett's background in traditional finance; met SBF at Jane Street and what led to Brett joining SBF at FTX
[5:45] What are the problems that Decentralized Finance (DeFi) is trying to solve for Traditional Finance (TradFi)
[9:02] How FTX is trying to solve these TradFi problems
[11:52] FTX is bridging the gap from TradFi to DeFi
[15:25] Crypto winter - how did we get here?
[21:00] History doesn't repeat, but often rhymes - how is crypto industry maturing?
[22:56] Crypto regulation - what are the issues the industry is facing from regulatory agencies and where are we at? Who regulates crypto trading and where how FTX operate in the current regulatory environment?
[31:54] Creating new regulatory regime specifically for DeFi - will that ever work?
[34:32] Timeline for clarity from regulatory agencies for Crypto
[36:27] Bipartisan support for Crypto regulation?
[38:15] What does the international regulatory landscape look like for Crypto, and where does the US fit into that narrative?
[41:51] How FTX strategy for working with international governments
[44:24] What does success and failure look like in Crypto?
All opinions expressed by your hosts and the podcasts guests are solely their own opinions and do not reflect the opinion of the hosts or any of their affiliates. This podcast is for commercial and informational purposes only, is not investment advice, and should not be relied upon for any investment decisions. We are not recommending any securities or cryptocurrencies, nor is this an offer or sale of a security or cryptocurrency.

Welcome to The Deadcaitbounce Experience - Onboarding the Future of Finance

The emerging world of crypto and DeFi is riddled with developer speak, unnecessary jargon, and seemingly complex solutions that leave newcomers’ heads spinning. While much of what’s been created thus far may appear to be smoke and mirrors, crypto, DeFi, blockchain technology and the like are not going away. As a TradFi transplant myself, I understand that the learning curve is steep in this nascent space and am making a concerted effort to bridge the gap by bringing in the brightest across the industry to talk shop at a level that even the newest of newbies can follow along with. The Deadcaitbounce Experience is here to help you bridge the gap in crypto education, and onboard you for the future of finance.