Arcade: Unlocking Liquidity through NFT Lending with Gabe Frank

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Philippe Schommers, the Head of Infrastructure at Gnosis, to discuss the Gnosis ecosystem and what sets the Gnosis Chain apart from the Ethereum chain. Philippe shares insights into building MEV resistance into the core protocol, the impact of governance on infrastructural development, and various technical aspects of the Gnosis Chain and the broader ecosystem.

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, Dylan Grabowski speaks with Peyman Momeni, CEO and Co-Founder of Fairblock, about the crucial need for privacy in decentralized systems. Learn about Fairblock's commitment to user-centric, cross-chain privacy solutions. Discover how these solutions aim to empower DeFi, enhance governance, and revolutionize gaming. Get insights into the challenges of building privacy-focused solutions and the importance of partnering with developers for widespread adoption.

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Sunny Lu, Co-Founder and CEO of VeChain Foundation, to discuss Sunny's journey into the blockchain space and his unwavering focus on delivering value to both new and existing enterprise entities. He delves into how Web3 technology can be utilized to enhance the world, the importance of the VeChain enterprise, and why community engagement matters. Sunny also shares his perspective on the current state of the blockchain industry and the path to mass crypto adoption.

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Parker McCurley, Co-Founder and CEO of DecentDAO, to discuss how Decent aims to develop a suite of tools focused on institutional DeFi and privacy. He delves into lessons learned from running a business through multiple crypto cycles, the inner workings of DecentDAO, and why they chose to build on the Ethereum network. Parker also recounts how he parlayed a career as a developer into co-founding and leading a blockchain collective.

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Nathan Windsor, the CEO and Co-Founder of Landslide Network, to discuss how Landslide aims to bridge the gap between the Avalanche and Cosmos ecosystems. He delves into the differences between Avalanche and Cosmos at a protocol level, the role of permissioned and permissionless blockchain networks, and the potential impact of these developments on the future of the industry. Nathan also recounts his unique journey into the blockchain world.

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Matt Bell, the CEO and Co-Founder of Turbofish, to discuss Nomic, a layer one blockchain with a mission to unlock the latent potential of Bitcoin within the DeFi landscape. He delves into the philosophy behind connecting Bitcoin with other blockchain networks, the technical intricacies of Nomic, and the broader implications of integrating Bitcoin into diverse DeFi ecosystems. Matt also recounts his unique journey into the blockchain world, starting from his early fascination with peer-to-peer networks to his significant contributions to projects like IPFS and Filecoin.

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Matthew Commons, President of the Verified USD Foundation, to discuss the inner workings of the company, its vision of building a next-generation stablecoin with the USDV token, and its mission to establish better connections between centralized entities and decentralized finance. Matthew also sheds light on the opportunities and strengths of non-traditional stablecoins, and the role they can play in bringing crypto to the next billion users. He also shares his journey into the blockchain space and the “aha moment” that led him to crypto innovation.

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Gabe Frank, the Founder of Arcade.xyz, to discuss the evolving landscape of NFT lending and its implications in the DeFi space. Gabe shares insights into the inner workings of Arcade’s platform, the evolution of Arcade into a DAO, and the potential for real-world asset tokenization. Gabe also shares his journey from third-generation pawnbroker to leading a cutting-edge blockchain platform.

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Austin Federa, Head of Strategy at Solana Foundation, to discuss the resilience and unique features of the Solana ecosystem. He weighs in on the Validator Health Report, Solana’s network performance, and recent partnerships with Visa and Shopify. Austin also highlights the importance of social consensus and governance in the blockchain industry and the potential for Solana to become a leading blockchain platform in the future.

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Fig, Co-Founder of Squid, to discuss how cross-chain infrastructure enhances the resiliency of blockchains, the challenges of multi-chain user experience, and Squid's role in connecting different chains seamlessly. They also delve into Fig's background, Squid's mission, and upcoming features. If you're interested in learning about the future of cross-chain transactions and improving user experience in crypto, this episode is a must-listen!