Kartik Talwar, Simona Pop

ETHGlobal · Sep 9, 2026

In a live HUMAN Protocol podcast recording, host Simona Pop interviews ETHGlobal Co-Founder and CEO Kartik Talwar about the invisible work behind a durable developer community. Talwar reflects on ETHGlobal’s history, its early Ethereum Foundation support, and the standards learned from organizing events at global scale. Community quality, he explains, depends on thousands of decisions that participants rarely see: reviewing every applicant, helping teams find the right environment, gathering feedback at high volume, and creating clear pathways from a first hackathon to a serious company. Pop asks how ETHGlobal defines quality when event size, application volume, and the surrounding market continue to change. Talwar describes maintaining a consistent bar by reviewing applicants individually and creating an environment where builders can compare themselves with exceptional peers. The conversation follows projects and people from early experiments through products that shaped the Ethereum ecosystem, showing how trusted communities compound over time. Talwar discusses staying close to builders, recognizing what “good” looks like, surviving uncertainty, and expanding without abandoning careful curation. He also considers open source, software-driven business infrastructure, and the falling cost of building every layer of a business, which creates new demands for developer platforms and community operators. The central lesson is that community is not an audience metric: it is ongoing operational labor that helps talented people meet, test ideas, learn faster, and continue building through changing market cycles. They also discuss the difficult years between visible successes. ETHGlobal benefited from early timing and Ethereum Foundation support, but endurance required careful curation, staying close to builders, and continuing to serve developers through difficult market cycles. 00:00 Introduction and Live HUMAN Podcast 01:43 Kartik Talwar’s Academic Background 03:57 From University to Open Source Software 04:45 Learning Startups at SV Angel 06:40 Learning What Great Founders Look Like 08:44 Why the Hackathon Format Matters 10:51 Giving Builders Access to New Technology 11:47 Hack the North and Practical Education 13:32 Feedback Loops for Developer Platforms 14:25 Measuring Time to First Project 15:30 Hackathon Feedback Improves Products 17:22 Giving Builders More of Thirty-Six Hours 18:20 When Local Nodes Took Hours to Sync 19:27 From Better Tooling to Better Products 20:46 CryptoKitties and the First NFTs 22:09 Gitcoin Founders Meet at a Hackathon 22:53 A MetaMask Bug Fixed in the Room 23:19 How 1inch Emerged From Hackathons 26:38 Building Through Every Bear Market 28:03 Reviewing Every ETHGlobal Applicant 29:17 Helping Builders Find Their Peers 29:38 Playing the Seven-Year Community Game 30:38 Showing Real Work During Bear Markets 33:05 Reviewing Every Project and Trend 35:00 Early Ethereum Foundation Support 37:20 Scaling Events After COVID 40:33 The Clash Between Ideals and Reality 42:05 Open Source and Community Compounding 42:36 Supporting Every Layer of a Business 45:01 The Opportunity in Crypto Infrastructure 46:18 Faster Experiments and Product Feedback 48:28 Patterns Across Hundreds of Companies 49:36 Open Source as a Community Model 50:01 Why Closed Ecosystems Backfire 51:42 Competing in the Same Room 53:04 Short-Term KPIs Create Silos 53:53 Long-Term Foundations Versus Easy Wins 55:01 Final Thanks and Podcast Sign-Off _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇵🇹 *Pragma Lisbon 2026* Pragma Lisbon 2026 was held on June 25th at the Carlos Lopes Pavillion in Lisbon, Portugal and was an in-person summit for builders and leaders in the web3 ecosystem. Watch the full Pragma Lisbon 2026 YouTube Playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMxB4xW8JYdk ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ Follow Simona Pop X: https://x.com/Sim_Pop ✅ Follow Human Protocol X: http://x.com/_humanprotocol ✅ Follow Kartik Talwar X: https://x.com/TheRealKartik ✅ Follow ETHGlobal X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCfF9ZO8Ug4xk_AJd4aeT5HA _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Are you interested in Ethereum development and entrepreneurship? 👉 Sign up for the next ETHGlobal event: https://ethglobal.com/events 🎁 Get exclusive access and perks with ETHGlobal Plus! https://ethglobal.com/plus 📣 Want us to throw an event in your city? Tell us where! https://ethglobal.com/city

Kartik Talwar

ETHGlobal · Jul 9, 2026

In this fireside chat, Kartik Talwar sits down with Nemil Dalal, visiting partner at Y Combinator and former head of Coinbase's developer platform, to discuss the early days of USDC, the current state of crypto startups, and what YC is looking for from founders. Nemil walks through how he spent seven years at Coinbase leading USDC from launch in 2018, when many in crypto circles thought stablecoins were the wrong vision and Bitcoin should replace everything. He pushed against two early strategies that didn't fit Coinbase's positioning as a US based regulated company: chasing high yield Asian markets where Tether dominated, and selling to banks that only knew about Bitcoin and saw stablecoins as a beta dollar. The breakthrough insight was bootstrapping DeFi adoption through the USDC Bootstrap Fund, deploying capital into Uniswap, Aave (then EthLend), DyDx, and other early protocols. Nemil shares how YC funds about 100 crypto startups today and expects to 10x that in the next decade, since crypto is moving from a niche DGen product to something most Americans will use without realizing. He outlines what YC is excited about: stablecoins and the businesses built on top, tokenized assets including equities and debt, and AI plus crypto including X2X (which Nemil's team launched at Coinbase). He shares his controversial view that founders should launch fewer tokens, since most are incentive tokens that act like marketing schemes attracting mercenary users and worsening UX, while reserving tokens for L1s, L2s, and DeFi protocols where decentralization is genuinely core to the product. On regulation, he tells the story of Coshi spending three years suing the CFTC and winning, framing regulation as either go regulation forward and specialize per country, or follow the Binance playbook offshore first. He closes urging founders to combine crypto with AI thoughtfully and pointing to the rolling YC application deadline. 00:00 Introduction 00:08 Nemil's Background and Homecoming to Ethereum 01:08 Launching USDC at Coinbase in 2018 02:26 Why Stablecoins Were Controversial in Crypto Circles 02:41 Two Bad Early Strategies: Asia Yield and Banks 03:41 The Breakthrough: Bootstrapping DeFi 03:58 Maker DAO, Compound, and Early DeFi Signals 04:23 Launching the USDC Bootstrap Fund 05:10 Nemil's Role as Visiting Partner at Y Combinator 05:38 What YC Offers Founders 06:20 Funding 100+ Crypto Startups and 10x'ing the Pace 07:00 Why Bear Markets Are the Best Time to Build 07:32 Tourists vs Real Builders 07:50 Why ETH Global Hackathon Attendance Correlates Inversely with Price 08:46 What YC Is Looking to Fund in 2026 09:04 Stablecoins and Stablecoin Neo Banks 09:51 Tokenized Stocks, Debt, Equity, and Emerging Markets 10:12 X2X and the AI Plus Crypto Opportunity 10:50 Agentic Finance May Be Agnostic to Crypto vs Credit Cards 11:33 YC's Mindset: Make Something People Want 12:14 Where Is the Saturated Space in Crypto Startups 12:38 Common Patterns: Dev Tools, On Off Ramps, Wallets 13:08 Prediction Markets and Crypto as Core Stack 13:25 Should Founders Launch a Token 14:10 Incentive Tokens as a Marketing Scheme 14:48 Tokens Often Hurt User Experience 15:19 Where Tokens Genuinely Make Sense: L1s, L2s, DeFi 16:05 Solving Pain Points, Not Decentralizing for Its Own Sake 16:36 How Founders Should Think About Regulation 17:01 The Coshi Story: Suing the CFTC and Winning 17:39 Regulation Forward vs Binance Playbook 18:43 Onshore vs Offshore Based on Product Type 19:00 How to Apply to YC and Reach Nemil 19:35 The Magic of Crypto and AI Coming Together 20:33 Closing _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ *ETHConf 2026* ETHConf is a 3 day event for founders, industry leaders, and builders who are excited about the possibilities of building on top of Ethereum. Connect with 2,000+ top innovators in crypto, finance, technology, and policy at our inaugural three-day event packed with showcases, demos, partnerships, and conversations shaping the future of the global economy. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ *Follow ETHConf* X: https://x.com/ethconf Website: https://ethconf.com _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🎟️ Get your early bird tickets for ETHConf 2027: https://ethconf.com/2027#tickets 🎤 View the full ETHConf 2026 Speaker Schedule: https://ethconf.com/schedule _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

ETHGlobal · Nov 9, 2025

João Santos presents Livestakes, a platform designed to bring the excitement and entertainment value of sports and esports to tech contests and hackathons. Livestakes makes hackathons watchable by integrating real-time betting markets, live analytics, and media content creation. The platform tracks project progress using AI, interviews participants for storylines, and distributes engaging content across social media. Livestakes has already seen strong engagement, with thousands of views and active betting pools, and is supported by sponsors seeking greater visibility. The platform aims to transform tech competitions into spectator events, making coding and building as entertaining as traditional sports, and aspires to become the scoreboard and media hub for future tech superstars. Revenue comes from platform fees and sponsorships, with plans to expand into investment opportunities and broader tech communities. 00:00 Introduction 00:20 Identifying the Problem: Tech Contests Lack Entertainment 01:00 The Live Stakes Solution: Making Hackathons Watchable 01:55 Platform Features: Betting, Analytics, and Media Engine 02:30 Early Results and Social Media Engagement 03:27 Community and Sponsor Feedback 03:56 Market Timing and Industry Trends 05:12 Real-World Examples: AI Agent Battles & Trading Competitions 06:13 Creating a New Market for Tech Competitions 06:53 Monetization: Platform Fees and Sponsorships 07:35 Go-to-Market Strategy and Future Vision 08:07 The Future: Tech Founders as Superstars 08:47 Team Introduction and Call to Action 09:26 Conclusion _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇮🇳 *Pragma New Delhi* Pragma New Delhi 2025 was held on September 25th at the JW Marriott Hotel in Aerocity New Delhi and was an in-person summit for builders and leaders in the web3 ecosystem. Watch the full Pragma New Delhi YouTube Playlist here: ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ Follow João Santos X: https://x.com/joaointech ✅ Follow Livestakes X: https://x.com/livestakes ✅ Follow ETHGlobal X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCfF9ZO8Ug4xk_AJd4aeT5HA _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Are you interested in Ethereum development and entrepreneurship? 👉 Sign up for the next ETHGlobal event: https://ethglobal.com/events 🎁 Get exclusive access and perks with ETHGlobal Plus! https://ethglobal.com/plus 📣 Want us to throw an event in your city? Tell us where! https://ethglobal.com/city _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Austin Griffith, Kartik Talwar

ETHGlobal · Nov 9, 2025

In this fireside chat, Austin Griffith discusses developer onboarding, education, and growth in the Ethereum ecosystem, focusing on initiatives like Build Guild and Speedrun Ethereum. He emphasizes the importance of hands-on building, learning through shipping projects, and overcoming the "pit of despair" in blockchain development. The conversation covers the Ethereum Foundation's evolving role in supporting developers, from education to founder support and enterprise connections. Hackathons are highlighted as crucial for fostering innovation, collaboration, and real-world skills, but the ultimate goal is to encourage long-term impact through open source contributions and continuous learning. Austin advises developers to stay curious, build iteratively, contribute to open source, and aim for meaningful impact beyond hackathon prizes, stressing that success is a long-term journey shaped by persistent effort and community engagement. 00:00 Introduction 00:52 Advice for Early-Stage Ethereum Builders 01:39 Developer Journey in Build Guild & Speedrun Ethereum 03:08 Fundamentals vs. Discovery in Learning 05:24 Fostering Innovation and Curiosity 05:52 Ethereum Foundation’s Developer Priorities 07:24 Developer Growth and Ecosystem Support 09:01 Measuring Developer Success & Impact 11:17 The Role and Value of Hackathons 13:43 From Hackathons to Companies and Careers 15:23 Staying Curious & Embracing Challenges 16:26 Simplification, Composability, and Hackathon Strategy 18:31 Open Source Contributions and Long-Term Impact 19:51 Advice for Developers: Building, Pivoting, and Persistence 21:50 Closing Remarks _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇮🇳 *Pragma New Delhi* Pragma New Delhi 2025 was held on September 25th at the JW Marriott Hotel in Aerocity New Delhi and was an in-person summit for builders and leaders in the web3 ecosystem. Watch the full Pragma New Delhi YouTube Playlist here: ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ Follow Austin Griffith X: https://x.com/austingriffith ✅ Follow Ethereum Foundation X: https://x.com/ethereumfndn ✅ Follow Kartik Talwar X: https://x.com/TheRealKartik ✅ Follow ETHGlobal X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCfF9ZO8Ug4xk_AJd4aeT5HA _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Are you interested in Ethereum development and entrepreneurship? 👉 Sign up for the next ETHGlobal event: https://ethglobal.com/events 🎁 Get exclusive access and perks with ETHGlobal Plus! https://ethglobal.com/plus 📣 Want us to throw an event in your city? Tell us where! https://ethglobal.com/city _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Timour Kosters

ETHGlobal · Oct 9, 2025

Discover how developers and innovators are experimenting with pop-up cities, network states, and IRL gatherings in this enlightening conversation with Timour Kosters, co-founder of Edge City. Learn how multidisciplinary communities (spanning crypto, AI, biotech, governance, and more) come together to build new societal prototypes, test frontier technologies, and spark collaborative innovation. Timour explains the logistics behind popup villages, the benefits for founders and builders, and why these experimental city-building events could shape the future of urban living and community design. Key topics include: • How Edge City brings 500–1,000 people together for a month-long pop-up city • The impact of IRL experimentation on Ethereum, ZK tech, and decentralized identity • Multidisciplinary approach: bridging AI, biotech, crypto, and public governance • Residencies for teams (e.g., ZK email, DeSoc, etc.) to test products in a live environment • Lessons learned from Zuzalu, Edge City Denver, Esmeralda, and Lana • Future plans for global pop-up cities in California, Bhutan, and beyond Don’t miss Timour’s insights on how these gatherings accelerate frontier innovation, community building, and the evolution of modern cities. 00:00 Intro & Timour Kosters Welcome 00:48 Defining Pop-Up Cities & Network States 01:22 Edge City Lana Success & Community Impact 02:25 Experimenting with IRL Prototypes 03:33 From Zuzalu to Edge City: Early Inspiration 04:07 Vitalik, AI Tracks & Burning Man Moments 05:17 Evolution of Edge City Events 05:49 Esmeralda & Accelerating New Town Projects 07:30 Pop-Up Cities in Chiang Mai & Argentina 08:44 How the Logistics of Pop-Up Villages Work 09:19 Transforming Existing Towns into Live Labs 09:55 High-Agency Builders & Community Vibes 11:01 Workshop & Residency Structure 12:13 Community-Created Programming & Tracks 12:51 Post-Pop-Up City Impact & Returns 14:30 Bridging Crypto, AI, & Biotech Innovators 15:06 Real-Time Product Testing & ZK Tech 16:43 Deep Work Residencies & Demo Nights 17:17 Building a Bridge to Frontier Industries 17:53 What’s Next: California & Bhutan Plans 19:33 A New Environment for Societal Ideas _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🎤 *Pragma Bankgkok* Pragma Bangkok 2024 closed out a year of exceptional Pragma events held around the world, and offered the global Web3 community a chance to hear from founders and builders as they reflect on the past, and look to the future of Web3. Pragma Bangkok 2024 was held on November 14th at the Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit in Bangkok, Thailand. Watch the full YouTube Playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh4JNkhnsv5F95OqxT_IjCEl&si=6Tv3CvB6vrQIIjBA ETHGlobal's Pragma series, which began in Tokyo in the spring of 2023, has been fostering a curated, global community of individuals who deeply care about web3. You can learn more about Pragma and upcoming events in the series here: https://ethglobal.com/pragma _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ Follow Timour Kosters X: https://x.com/timourxyz ✅ Follow Edge City X: https://x.com/joinedgecity Website: https://www.edgecity.live/lanna ✅ Follow Kartik Talwar X: https://x.com/therealkartik Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/kartik ✅ Follow ETHGlobal X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ETHGlobal _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Are you interested in Ethereum development and entrepreneurship? 👉 Sign up for the next ETHGlobal event: https://ethglobal.com/events 🎁 Get exclusive access and perks with ETHGlobal Plus! https://ethglobal.com/plus 📣 Want us to throw an event in your city? Tell us where! https://ethglobal.com/city _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Tomasz Stanczak, Kartik Talwar

ETHGlobal · Oct 9, 2025

In this fireside chat at Pragma Prague 2025, Kartik Talwar sits down with Tomasz Stanczak, co-executive director of the Ethereum Foundation, to discuss key Ethereum initiatives, scaling strategies, and the future of L2 solutions. Topics include Ethereum’s competition with alternative L1s, the trillion-dollar security initiative, improvements to the P2P layer, and the potential for RISC-V architecture in EVM. Tomasz also shares insights from EF town halls, the importance of developer experience, and how the community can accelerate Ethereum’s growth. 00:00 Introduction and welcome to Tomasz Stanczak 00:52 Updates on Ethereum Foundation’s strategic changes 01:26 Importance of communication and leadership at EF 02:29 Ethereum’s competition with alternative L1s and L2s 04:12 Five stages of Ethereum’s long-term vision 06:28 Trillion-dollar security initiative for Ethereum 08:04 Ethereum as a global economy and store of value 09:37 Scaling L1, improving interop, and UX challenges 11:20 Ethereum’s gas limit growth and future goals 13:24 Shortening block times for better L2 settlement 15:01 Exploring RISC-V architecture and EVM improvements 17:13 Accelerating ZK-proof innovation on Ethereum 18:26 Structuring EF teams for faster execution 19:55 How the community can help Ethereum Foundation _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇨🇿 *Pragma Prague* Pragma Prague 2025 was held on May 29th at Holešovice Market in Prague, Czech Republic and was an in-person summit for builders and leaders in the web3 ecosystem. This event was in collaboration with ETH Prague. Watch the full Pragma Prague YouTube Playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh7vLS72NelQ2dOx2VgPNxJZ&si=uwzTuItQTdcQqkTE ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ Follow Tomasz Stanczak X: https://x.com/tkstanczak ✅ Follow the Ethereum Foundation X: https://x.com/ethereumfndn ✅ Follow Kartik Talwar X: https://x.com/TheRealKartik ✅ Follow ETHGlobal X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCfF9ZO8Ug4xk_AJd4aeT5HA _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Are you interested in Ethereum development and entrepreneurship? 👉 Sign up for the next ETHGlobal event: https://ethglobal.com/events 🎁 Get exclusive access and perks with ETHGlobal Plus! https://ethglobal.com/plus 📣 Want us to throw an event in your city? Tell us where! https://ethglobal.com/city _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Kartik Talwar

ETHGlobal · Oct 9, 2025

In this fireside chat at Pragma Prague 2025, Kartik Talwar sits down with Bogdan Habic, co-founder of Tenderly, to explore the evolution of Ethereum developer tooling. They discuss Tenderly's origins from a Serbian hackathon to becoming essential infrastructure, challenges in building dev tools for blockchain, and the delicate balance between open-source ideals and sustainable business models. Habic shares insights on EVM compatibility issues, contract verification challenges, and why most computation should happen off-chain while using blockchain for verification. 00:00 Introduction to Bogdan Habic and Tenderly 00:49 Origin story: From public procurement hackathon to Tenderly 01:17 Transition from Hyperledger to Ethereum tooling 01:42 Tenderly's open-source roots and pivot 02:11 Early days of EVM tooling (2017) 02:35 Challenges of building dev tools as open-source 03:04 Debugging smart contracts in 2017 03:31 Inventing missing Web2 tools for Web3 03:56 Tenderly's current product suite 04:26 Security scanning for wallet transactions 04:54 Cost challenges in Web3 developer tooling 05:22 Why dev tools are infrastructure in Web3 05:50 Collaborative nature of blockchain development 06:22 Foundry's limitations in collaborative debugging 06:50 Unique challenges of shared database paradigm 07:18 Developer tooling as infrastructure 07:47 Biggest problems in Ethereum developer ecosystem 08:18 Solidity's limitations vs ecosystem needs 08:52 Debugging symbols and ecosystem growth 09:23 Overpromised timelines vs long-term value 09:51 Generational adoption of blockchain technology 10:22 Simplifying crypto for mainstream adoption 10:58 Evolution from Truffle to Hardhat to Foundry 11:26 Importance of learning from past tools 11:53 Open-source vs closed-source tensions 12:22 Business challenges of open-source dev tools 12:47 Monetizing public goods in Web3 13:16 Tenderly's path to open-sourcing 13:45 Foundry's success factors 14:12 Founder perspectives on open-source 14:39 Sustainability in dev tool businesses 15:10 Experimentation with alternative VMs 15:40 Ethereum's stability vs innovation tradeoffs 16:06 EVM compatibility nuances 16:35 Risks of VM incompatibility 17:06 EVM equivalent vs compatible confusion 17:36 Stylus and WASM experimentation 18:06 Contract verification challenges 18:39 Importance of source code visibility 19:06 Two benefits of contract verification 19:34 Debugging across smart contracts 20:04 Web2 vs Web3 debugging comparison 20:33 Advice for building complex on-chain systems 21:03 Verification over execution principle 21:38 Balancing on-chain vs off-chain logic 22:09 Scaling TPS vs developer growth 22:38 Future of off-chain compute 23:05 Closing remarks _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇨🇿 *Pragma Prague* Pragma Prague 2025 was held on May 29th at Holešovice Market in Prague, Czech Republic and was an in-person summit for builders and leaders in the web3 ecosystem. This event was in collaboration with ETH Prague. Watch the full Pragma Prague YouTube Playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh7vLS72NelQ2dOx2VgPNxJZ&si=UsHtX5roJ4R2R4_K ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ Follow Bogdan Habic X: https://x.com/BogdanHabic ✅ Follow Tenderly X: https://x.com/TenderlyApp ✅ Follow Kartik Talwar X: https://x.com/TheRealKartik ✅ Follow ETHGlobal X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCfF9ZO8Ug4xk_AJd4aeT5HA _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Are you interested in Ethereum development and entrepreneurship? 👉 Sign up for the next ETHGlobal event: https://ethglobal.com/events 🎁 Get exclusive access and perks with ETHGlobal Plus! https://ethglobal.com/plus 📣 Want us to throw an event in your city? Tell us where! https://ethglobal.com/city _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Kartik Talwar

ETHGlobal · Oct 9, 2025

In this fireside chat at Pragma Cannes 2025, Kartik Talwar interviews Roham Gharegozlou, CEO of Dapper Labs, about the evolution and mainstream adoption of consumer crypto, NFTs, and blockchain technology. They discuss the shift from early projects like CryptoKitties to mass adoption driven by partnerships with major brands such as NBA, NFL, and Disney, highlighting regulatory clarity and improved infrastructure as key enablers. Roham emphasizes the importance of abstracting blockchain complexity for users, true digital ownership, and composability. The conversation explores the convergence of AI and crypto, with programmable on-chain agents and open data layers enabling new use cases. Hackathons and developer engagement are credited for ecosystem growth, especially with Flow’s EVM equivalence. Looking ahead, they predict a future where AI, AR/VR, and crypto create seamless, composable consumer experiences, with entertainment and co-creation at the forefront. 00:00 Introduction 00:43 Crypto Adoption Waves & Early Days 01:29 What’s Different Now: Regulation & Infrastructure 02:32 Mainstream Adoption: Games, Entertainment, and Institutions 03:28 Disney Partnership & Regulatory Clarity 04:08 Comparing Crypto to Early Internet Adoption 04:59 Brand Partnerships: NBA, NFL, Disney 05:49 Changing Brand Perspectives on Crypto 06:46 Digital Collectibles & Monetization Models 07:32 Open Ecosystems & User Ownership 08:51 Abstracting Blockchain for Mainstream Users 09:42 Platform Risk & Open Standards 11:25 Digital Identity & Interoperability 12:21 Blockchain as Immortal Software 12:47 AI and Crypto: Overlap & Opportunities 13:30 On-Chain Agents & Programmability 15:24 Smart Resources & Autonomous Agents 16:53 Scheduled Callbacks & Flow Features 18:02 Hackathons, Developer Ecosystem & EVM Equivalence 19:47 AI, Security, and Developer Tools 20:40 The Future of Consumer Crypto (5-Year Outlook) 21:30 Entertainment, AI, and Seamless Interfaces 22:24 Co-Creation, IP, and the Future of Experiences 23:45 Closing Remarks _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇫🇷 *Pragma Cannes* Pragma Cannes 2025 was held on July 3rd at the Carlton Cannes in Cannes, France and was an in-person summit for builders and leaders in the web3 ecosystem. Watch the full Pragma Cannes YouTube Playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh6jZYPY5-YIBzvMtUT3ajjI ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ Follow Dapper Labs X: https://x.com/dapperlabs ✅ Follow ETHGlobal X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCfF9ZO8Ug4xk_AJd4aeT5HA _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Are you interested in Ethereum development and entrepreneurship? 👉 Sign up for the next ETHGlobal event: https://ethglobal.com/events 🎁 Get exclusive access and perks with ETHGlobal Plus! https://ethglobal.com/plus 📣 Want us to throw an event in your city? Tell us where! https://ethglobal.com/city _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Vitalik Buterin, Kartik Talwar

ETHGlobal · Oct 9, 2025

At Pragma Cannes 2025, Kartik Talwar and Vitalik Buterin discuss evolving trends in the Ethereum and broader crypto ecosystem. They highlight regional differences in community interests—privacy in Prague, AI in Taipei, and global diversity at Cannes. The conversation covers the shift from DeFi innovation to integration, the resurgence of previously failed ideas like micropayments and tokenized stocks, and the challenge of moving from hype to actual product delivery. They debate the intersection of AI and crypto, noting limited real-world success so far. The importance of privacy, decentralization, and composability is emphasized, especially as institutions like Robinhood launch their own chains and stablecoins. They advocate for L1 asset issuance, improved L1-L2 interoperability, and formal verification for security. The session concludes with reflections on fostering a builder culture, balancing mainstream adoption with frontier innovation, and the need for practical, user-centric solutions in Ethereum’s future. 00:00 Introduction 00:42 Icebreakers & Robinhood Launch Discussion 01:48 Diversity & Culture in Ethereum Events 03:22 Pragma’s Audience & Event Structure 05:18 Regional Trends: AI, Privacy, DeFi 06:47 DeFi: Integration vs. Innovation 08:21 The Value of Experimentation in DeFi 09:42 Revisiting Old Ideas: Micropayments, Tokenized Stocks 11:49 Privacy as Feature, Not Application 12:35 Missed Opportunities: VPNs, Bandwidth Sharing 13:14 Surprising Successes & User vs. Developer Perspectives 14:18 Ethereum’s Subcultures & Community Dynamics 16:54 Builder Culture vs. Hype Cycle 18:52 Vision for ETH Pragma 2030 20:04 Lessons from Internet History & Event Curation 22:25 Economic Impact & Hackathon Metrics 23:18 Most Impactful Ethereum Applications 24:58 Distributed Compute & Idle Resources 25:18 AI & Crypto: Current State and Challenges 28:22 AI Agents, Wallet Use Cases, and Future Potential 30:14 Decentralization: Properties vs. Technology 32:26 User Attitudes Toward Privacy & Institutional Perspectives 34:40 Governments, Privacy, and Cashless Societies 36:31 Android, Linux, and Mass Adoption Lessons 38:33 Default Choices, User Education, and Crypto Values 40:26 Institutional Chains, Fragmentation, and L1/L2 Dynamics 43:02 Technical Priorities: L1-L2 Interoperability & Security 46:07 Vision for Ethereum Culture in 2027 47:37 Conclusion _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇫🇷 *Pragma Cannes* Pragma Cannes 2025 was held on July 3rd at the Carlton Cannes in Cannes, France and was an in-person summit for builders and leaders in the web3 ecosystem. Watch the full Pragma Cannes YouTube Playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh6jZYPY5-YIBzvMtUT3ajjI ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ Follow Vitalik Buterin X: https://x.com/VitalikButerin ✅ Follow the Ethereum Foundation X: https://x.com/ethereumfndn ✅ Follow ETHGlobal X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCfF9ZO8Ug4xk_AJd4aeT5HA _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Are you interested in Ethereum development and entrepreneurship? 👉 Sign up for the next ETHGlobal event: https://ethglobal.com/events 🎁 Get exclusive access and perks with ETHGlobal Plus! https://ethglobal.com/plus 📣 Want us to throw an event in your city? Tell us where! https://ethglobal.com/city _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

ETHGlobal · Oct 9, 2024

In this inspiring conversation from Pragma India 2023, Jason Goldberg, the founder of Airstack, joins Kartik Talwar of ETHGlobal to dive deep into what it really takes to build a startup in Web3. From his journey creating fab.com and OST, to navigating the early days of decentralized social networks and now building developer infrastructure for composable dApps, Jason shares hard-earned lessons on product-market fit, launching in bear markets, and staying focused. He also discusses how Airstack went from an idea to 1 billion+ API calls in 8 months, and why he believes Ethereum is the real social network. Whether you're an aspiring founder, Web3 builder, or investor, this talk is packed with real insights about scaling developer tools, building for multi-chain ecosystems, and why building something people want is more important than ever. 00:00 Intro: Jason Goldberg on stage 00:33 Early startups and founding OST 01:51 Discovering Ethereum in 2015 02:25 Attempting decentralized social in 2016 03:01 Pivot to OST and early infra building 03:37 COVID-19 and shutting down projects 05:06 Lessons from building too early 06:35 How Airstack was born 08:02 Developer pain points with infra 09:31 What is Airstack today? 10:03 AI-powered querying for Web3 data 11:03 Product iteration via ETHGlobal hackathons 12:09 Onchain graph and product-market fit 13:11 Airstack growth: 1B API calls 14:11 Web3 social as identity and behavior 16:08 Ethereum is the real social network 17:27 Building Airstack after OST: key lessons 18:59 Tokens and product utility 20:37 Building fab.com and Amazon competition 21:42 How to think about Web3 competition 23:22 Building products for developers 24:54 Advice for DevTools founders 25:53 Final startup advice for Web3 founders 26:23 2024–25: The onchain app explosion 27:26 Outro and final applause _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇮🇳 *Pragma India* The final Pragma of the year took place in Bengaluru India in December 2023 with a curated series of high-quality talks that sparked thought and discussion. Pragma India 2023 was an opportunity discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. Watch the full Pragma India 2023 playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh4rHV1H4J7y0wDok4bIS17t&si=lb8ttkU1HS2tpnUP ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ *Follow Jason Goldberg* X: https://x.com/betashop ✅ *Follow ETHGlobal* X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ETHGlobal _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Are you interested in Ethereum development and entrepreneurship?_ 👉 Sign up for the next ETHGlobal event: https://ethglobal.com/events 🎁 Get exclusive access and perks with ETHGlobal Plus! https://ethglobal.com/plus 📣 Want us to throw an event in your city? Tell us where! https://ethglobal.com/city _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Daniel Bar

ETHGlobal · Oct 9, 2024

xplore the rise of APAC in the crypto ecosystem with Daniel from Bit Ford at Pragma Sydney 2024. This talk dives into Australia’s crypto legacy, from early Ethereum contributors to modern DeFi innovators like Synthetix and Immutable. Discover how APAC’s unique blend of financial expertise, UX innovation, and community-driven events like ETH Sydney fosters blockchain adoption. Learn about the "ascending world" narrative, the importance of third places in web3 culture, and upcoming opportunities like Devcon Bangkok. Essential for builders, investors, and crypto enthusiasts in APAC and beyond. 00:00 - Introduction: APAC’s Growing Role in Crypto 00:56 - Daniel’s Background: Bit Ford & Ethereum Sydney 01:38 - Australia’s Crypto Legacy: Ethereum & Dogecoin 02:17 - Early DAOs & On-Chain Governance in Australia 02:54 - 2017 ICO Boom & BIP Puba’s Influence 03:34 - Synthetix & Australia’s DeFi Innovations 04:08 - The “Ascending World” & APAC’s Crypto Potential 04:52 - APAC’s Crypto Hubs: Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong 05:26 - Geopolitics & Innovation: Israel vs. Australia 06:06 - Australia’s Strengths: UX & Financial Tech 07:23 - Case Studies: Canva, Atlassian, Immutable 08:00 - Web3 as a “Third Place” for Culture & Innovation 08:39 - Public Goods & Social Fabric in Crypto Communities 09:56 - Web3’s Unique Features: Composability & Permissionlessness 10:29 - Decentralization & Tokenized Economies 11:07 - Education & Hackathons: ETH Sydney’s Impact 11:41 - Success Stories: Young Builders in Crypto/AI 12:17 - Upcoming Events: ETH Sydney & Sui Hacker House 12:53 - Road to Devcon Bangkok: How to Get Involved _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇦🇺 *Pragma Sydney* The Sydney edition of Pragma took place at The View by Sydney in May 2024 with a curated series of high-quality talks that sparked thought and discussion. Ever since we first introduced our new event series, Pragma, in Tokyo in the spring of 2023, we have been fostering a curated, global community of individuals who deeply care about web3. Watch the full Pragma Sydney playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh7rvaHBM14peT1TwI3QX38p&si=MzGrEYwYjxSQFiFM ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ *Follow ETHGlobal* X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ETHGlobal _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Are you interested in Ethereum development and entrepreneurship?_ 👉 Sign up for the next ETHGlobal event: https://ethglobal.com/events 🎁 Get exclusive access and perks with ETHGlobal Plus! https://ethglobal.com/plus 📣 Want us to throw an event in your city? Tell us where! https://ethglobal.com/city _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Aqeel Mohammad

Conflux - Web3 UX Unconference · Nov 16, 2023

No description The video features an opening speech from a conference in Istanbul addressing the UX community. Despite regional challenges and the absence of some colleagues, the speaker appreciates attendees' presence at DevConnect and encourages them to enjoy the additional activities available, including Turkish ice cream and coffee. The speech explains that the UXLand conference is an "un-conference," where participants create the event by discussing topics of interest to them. The conference has no sponsors or volunteers but is supported by the Ethereum Foundation and DevConnect. The speaker emphasizes that the success of the event depends on attendee participation and stresses that it's a collaborative environment rather than a platform for promoting individual projects. Attendees represent various professional backgrounds, with product development, engineering, and design being prominent. Key topics for discussion include account extraction, user onboarding, Web3 design principles, and general adoption within the ecosystem. Working groups will form to delve deeper into these areas in a collaborative setting with provided tools like FigJam for documentation. The speaker also mentions a goal of creating memorable ways (memes) to communicate complex UX concepts outside of the conference to foster broader understanding and excitement. An example given is "4337," which has gained attention despite many not fully understanding it. The video outlines rules for speakers, including strict time limits,

Juan Benet

ETHGlobal · Oct 9, 2023

Join Juan Benet, founder of Protocol Labs and the visionary behind Filecoin and IPFS, in this fireside chat at Pragma Tokyo as he shares lessons from building foundational web3 infrastructure and startups. Juan dives deep into the origins of IPFS and Filecoin, explains why decentralized storage matters, and how protocol-level innovation reshaped the crypto ecosystem. He discusses the challenges of early crypto fundraising, inventing Proof of Replication, and launching core tools like libp2p, Drand, and CoinList. More than a retrospective, Juan lays out a roadmap for aspiring web3 founders—highlighting current opportunities in public goods, decentralized compute, crypto-native databases, zero-knowledge infrastructure, games, DAOs, and interplanetary consensus. If you’re thinking about starting a crypto project or building the next generation of web3 companies, this talk is filled with insights you can’t afford to miss. 00:00 Intro to Juan Benet & Protocol Labs 01:24 Early crypto interest and lost Bitcoin 02:32 From peer-to-peer research to IPFS 04:04 Why Filecoin was a separate protocol 05:37 IPFS vs Filecoin use cases explained 06:38 Early crypto scene and Ethereum origins 07:40 Why Filecoin built its own chain 08:39 Protocol Labs’ protocol innovations 10:16 Invention of Proof of Replication 11:48 Building Filecoin's storage market 12:49 Inventing the SAFT and launching CoinList 13:51 Are we still early in web3? 14:58 Comparing web3 to the early internet 16:26 Infrastructure and UX still need work 17:55 Web3’s next major applications 18:51 Key opportunities: games, social, compute 20:20 The case for on-chain Twitter scale 21:25 DePIN and wireless network opportunities 22:28 Need for crypto-native databases 24:06 Scalability without compromising decentralization 25:37 Interplanetary consensus vision 26:10 Web3 startup opportunities in Japan 27:17 Japan’s strengths in games and DeFi 28:46 Frameworks for early-stage founders 30:10 The idea funnel and finding “secrets” 31:38 Role of hackathons and project evolution 33:00 What is a true MVP in web3 34:31 Start small, test, and iterate fast 36:49 Defining product-market fit in crypto 38:08 Why “make something people want” still wins 39:42 Picking new primitives vs proven models 41:03 Optimize for speed and traction 42:34 New capital structures for public goods 43:55 Building with public capital and legitimacy 45:20 Startup tools: hackathons, grants, accelerators 46:42 Programs to bootstrap web3 startups 48:36 Question: Hosting the Internet Archive on IPFS 51:42 AWS, S3, and the cost advantage of Filecoin 52:36 Question: The future of hypercerts 54:35 Creating impact markets with hypercerts 56:04 Question: New public capital infrastructure 58:31 Aligning incentives to grow good public goods 59:02 Question: Human augmentation via computing 01:01:07 Brain-machine interfaces & coordination tools 01:02:40 Twitter as a coordination primitive 01:03:34 Closing remarks and invitation to connect _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇯🇵 *Pragma Tokyo* It’s always been about hackathons. Until now! Kicking off in Tokyo we announced the latest edition to the ETHGlobal family last week. Pragma will be one day summit, focusing on high quality talks in an intimate atmosphere that fuels reimagining the world and networking with like-minded individuals. Watch the full Pragma Tokyo 2023 playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh72VNBeeMzsvxnDdJH-vPhZ&si=z7enlsk30_DUjIoL _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ *Follow Juan Benet* X: https://x.com/juanbenet ✅ *Follow Protocol Labs* X: https://x.com/protocollabs ✅ *Follow ETHGlobal* X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ETHGlobal _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Are you interested in Ethereum development and entrepreneurship?_ 👉 Sign up for the next ETHGlobal event: https://ethglobal.com/events 🎁 Get exclusive access and perks with ETHGlobal Plus! https://ethglobal.com/plus 📣 Want us to throw an event in your city? Tell us where! https://ethglobal.com/city _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _