For EP33 of *Chain Reactions*, we sat down with Azeem Khan, longtime crypto operator and now co-founder of the privacy-first ZK blockchain Miden*,* to discuss what it takes to build a next-gen L1 in today’s market.
We trace Azeem’s journey from Bitcoin blog posts and Kardashian cease-and-desists to running major BD at Gitcoin, closing partnerships with UNICEF, and now helping lead Miden, which just raised a $25M seed round co-led by a16z, 1kx, and Hack VC.
We went deep on what it means to be a non-technical co-founder in a zero-knowledge protocol, why founder-led BD still beats most Web3 growth strategies, and how Miden’s Pioneer Program is flipping the playbook by taking a venture studio approach to ecosystem building.
Plus, we talk about astronauts as mascots, Taylor Swift as a blueprint for community, and why the best crypto brands borrow from culture, not crypto Twitter.
If you’re building an L1, supporting one, or just want to hear how thoughtful storytelling and asymmetric relationship capital can help turn a new chain into a category-defining ecosystem — this one’s a must.
Please enjoy, and as always, subscribe, drop a five-star review at https://bit.ly/chainreactions-spotify, or mint the episode at [pods.media/myosinxyz](https://pods.media/myosinxyz)!