Pods

Episode 11 – Building at the Frontier with Dariya + Brandon of Layer3

Coach Coale talks with Dariya Khojasteh and Brandon Kumar, co-founders of Layer 3, about their origin story, the challenges of building in crypto, and the impact of in-person collaboration. They share the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, the role of risk in growth, and why speed and adaptation matter more than perfection. Through personal stories and hard-earned lessons, they offer insights on co-founder dynamics, navigating crypto, and shaping identity through action—and attention. 🔑 Key Takeaways: 🚀 Building a startup is tough—especially in crypto—but offers huge rewards. 🤝 In-person collaboration strengthens teams in ways remote work can’t. 🧩 Co-founder relationships are key—finding complementary strengths matters. 🌍 Crypto’s distribution landscape is unique, requiring new growth strategies. 🎯 Risk-taking is essential, but belief in yourself shapes how you handle it. ⚡ Iteration beats perfection—getting a product out fast is crucial. 🎢 The founder journey is extreme—highs are exhilarating, lows are brutal. 🧠 Perspective is powerful—how you see a challenge changes how you navigate it. Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction & Personal Updates 02:57 – Coaching & Team Dynamics 06:01 – The Power of In-Person Collaboration 09:06 – The Challenges of Building in Crypto 12:01 – Layer 3’s Role in Crypto & Distribution 14:57 – The Origin Story of Layer 3 (Dariya’s Perspective) 17:48 – Founders' Journey & Lessons Learned 26:18 – Taking Smart Risks in Entrepreneurship 36:01 – The Power of Perspective in Leadership 40:51 – Iteration, Growth & Startup Success 46:46 – Final Reflections & Takeaways 🎧 Follow Layer3 at layer3.xyz and on Twitter (@layer3xyz).

Back To The Basics: Why VanEck Wants To Invest In Great Products and Founders Who Won’t Rug Us

Pranav Kanade is Portfolio Manager for Digital Assets at VanEck. In this episode, we break down why altcoins have struggled this cycle, what sets the few winners apart, and where real opportunities lie—both in crypto and public markets. We also explore how stablecoin legislation could unlock new value and what’s next for ETFs in the digital asset space. ------ 🔗 Essential Show Links 🔗 ► Newsletter: https://the-edge.xyz ► Youtube: https://youtube.com/@DeFiDad ► Apple: https://tinyurl.com/edgepod ► Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/edgepodspotify ► Linktree: https://linktr.ee/edge_pod ► Follow DeFi Dad: https://x.com/DeFi_Dad ► Follow Nomatic: https://x.com/Nomaticcap ► Learn DeFi: http://defidad.com/ ------ The Edge Podcast Sponsor Resources 🔮 ⁠PYTH NETWORK⁠ | SMARTER DATA FOR SMARTER CONTRACTS https://pyth.network/ ⏳ HOURGLASS | LEVERAGED AIRDROP FARMING AND BOOSTED POINTS https://hourglass.com/ 🪄 TANSSI | LAUNCH YOUR SYMBIOTIC RESTAKED NETWORK IN MINUTES https://www.tanssi.network/ 📊 iYIELD | YOUR FINANCIAL PICTURE, SIMPLIFIED https://go.iyield.com/edge 🧪 MANTLE | START YOUR RESTAKING JOURNEY TODAY WITH CMETH https://meth.mantle.xyz/restake 🐡 PUFFER UNIFI | A BASED ROLLUP TO ETHEREUM WITH NATIVE YIELDS https://unifi.puffer.fi/ 🌔 MOONWELL | THE LEADING LENDING AND BORROWING APP ON BASE https://moonwell.fi/ 🐐 ⁠GOAT NETWORK⁠ | A BITCOIN L2 TO EARN WITH BTC & DOGE https://www.goat.network/ ⚙️ GEARBOX PROTOCOL | ONCHAIN LENDING REIMAGINED https://gearbox.fi/ 📈 DEFINITIVE | THE MOST ADVANCED PLATFORM FOR ONCHAIN TRADING https://app.definitive.fi/r/DEFIDAD ------ Timestamps 0:00 - Intro 5:44 - Pranav’s background and VanEck 11:43 - A day in the life as an investor 13:50 - Thoughts on Kaito and InfoFi 17:03 - What’s been different this cycle with altcoins? 19:06 - Mantle mid-roll 19:44 - Oversupply of tokens, plus lessened demand for quality projects 23:29 - Fundamentals investing and the memecoin casino can coexist 26:59 - What can we learn from alts that have done well? 29:16 - Will we have a true alt season ever again? 33:05 - Sponsor mid-roll 34:44 - What’s the lesson from the LIBRA blowup? 39:51 - Stablecoin legislation and how it’s bullish for tokens + equities 46:49 - Identifying publicly traded companies to benefit from stablecoins 48:59 - How will stablecoin growth in Web2 affect what’s built onchain? 51:20 - Do AI agents have staying power? 56:47 - How new ETFs could impact us this year 59:06 - Thoughts on ETH ETFs 1:01:28 - Closing ------ 🔗 Guest Links 🔗 ► VanEck website: https://www.vaneck.com/ ► VanEck on X: https://x.com/vaneck_us ► Pranav on X: https://x.com/vaneckpk ------ If you're a DeFi/Web3 builder, contact our team at: https://fourthrevolution.capital/ All opinions expressed by hosts and podcast guests are solely their own opinions and not necessarily those of Fourth Revolution Capital. Podcast guests and 4RC may have positions in the assets or other matters discussed in this podcast. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions. Do your own research. This is not a recommendation or endorsement to buy any token(s) related to any platform(s) discussed.

artwork for POD OF JAKE
Audio
1:09:18

#182 - DARIYA KHOJASTEH

Dariya is a Co-Founder at ⁠Layer3⁠, the consumer attention layer for Web3. Previously, he built several apps, sold an Instagram network, and launched Mastermind, a mentorship platform. Follow Dariya on X ⁠@DariyaKho⁠ 0:00 - Selling Pokemon cards as a kid 7:32 - Building curated accounts on Instagram 15:59 - Being early to Instagram and learning to grow audiences 21:50 - Dariya’s favorite apps he built when he was young 28:51 - Monetizing intangible value with crypto 38:06 - Discovering crypto as a “nerd on the internet” 46:46 - Learning to express creativity in design versus code 48:33 - Making products that make users feel good 55:52 - The origin story behind Layer3 1:01:26 - Layer3’s business model and recent success 1:05:06 - What’s next for Layer3 Mint this episode for free onchain on Base at ⁠⁠pods.media/pod-of-jake/182-dariya-khojasteh⁠⁠ For more episodes, go to ⁠⁠podofjake.com⁠⁠. Previous guests include ⁠⁠Mark Cuban⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Vitalik Buterin⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Brian Armstrong⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Balaji Srinivasan⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Keith⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Rabois⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Ali Spagnola⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Anthony Pompliano⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Raoul Pal⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Julia Galef⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Jack Butcher⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Tim Draper⁠⁠, and over 100 others alike. Learn from founders and CEOs of companies like ⁠⁠OpenAI⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Coinbase⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Solana⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Polygon⁠⁠, ⁠⁠AngelList⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Oura⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠Replit⁠⁠, and investors from ⁠⁠Founders⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Fund⁠⁠, ⁠⁠a16z⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Union Square Ventures⁠⁠, and many more. I appreciate your support and hope you enjoy. Thanks to ⁠⁠⁠Chase Devens⁠⁠⁠ for the show notes and ⁠⁠⁠Yiction⁠⁠⁠ for the music. Lastly, I love hearing from fans of the pod. Feel free to email me any time at ⁠⁠jake@blogofjake.com⁠⁠. Thank you!

Will Particle Network Unify All Crypto Apps Through Chain Abstraction?

Tabasco is the Head of Developer Relations at Particle Network. In this episode, we discuss whether Particle Network can unify all crypto apps across all chains through chain abstraction. As Particle Network prepares for Mainnet launch, Tabasco shares their important work to simplify the crypto user experience with one account for any chain, why chain abstraction is more than hype, and how this will lead to greater mainstream adoption of crypto. ------ 🔗 Essential Show Links 🔗 ► Youtube: https://youtube.com/@DeFiDad ► Apple: https://tinyurl.com/edgepod ► Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/edgepodspotify ► Linktree: https://linktr.ee/edge_pod ► Follow DeFi Dad: https://twitter.com/DeFi_Dad ► Follow Nomatic: https://twitter.com/Nomaticcap ► Learn about DeFi and Web3: http://defidad.com/ ------ The Edge Podcast Sponsor Resources ☀️ SUMMER.FI | THE BEST PLACE TO BORROW AND EARN IN DEFI https://summer.fi/?utm_source=DeFidad 🧙‍♂️ MERLIN CHAIN | THE RISE OF BITCOIN'S LARGEST LAYER 2 https://merlinchain.io/ 🍵 MATCHA.XYZ | THE BEST PRICE ON OVER 5 MILLION TOKENS https://matcha.xyz/?utm_source=theedgepodcast&utm_campaign=2q24 🧑‍🌾 MANTLE | THE ETHEREUM L2 FOR TOP NATIVE YIELDS https://www.mantle.xyz/ 🐡 PUFFER FINANCE | LIQUID RESTAKING FOR THE LITTLE FISH https://puffer.fi/ 💰 TELLER | DEFI'S CASH ADVANCE https://teller.org/ 🌕 MOONBEAM | INTEGRATED WEB3 FOR BUILDERS AND USERS https://moonbeam.network/ ------ Timestamps 0:00 - Intro 4:08 - Tabasco's background 7:47 - Why Particle Network? 13:23 - What is chain abstraction? 17:01 - How Particle fits into chain abstraction stack 23:48 - Mantle mid-roll 24:42 - Why chain abstraction is more than hype? 40:52 - Apps made possible by chain abstraction 44:22 - Teller and Moonbeam mid-roll 45:36 - How can we trust Particle Network? 49:22 - When Particle Network Mainnet? 52:06 - Closing and Particle Pioneer program ------ 🔗 Guest Links 🔗 ► Particle Network Website: https://particle.network/ ► Particle Network on Twitter: https://x.com/ParticleNtwrk ► Tabasco on Twitter: https://x.com/tabascoweb3 ► Particle Pioneer Program: https://pioneer.particle.network/ ------ If you're a DeFi/Web3 builder, contact our team at: https://fourthrevolution.capital/ All opinions expressed by hosts and podcast guests are solely their own opinions and not necessarily those of Fourth Revolution Capital. Podcast guests and 4RC may have positions in the assets or other matters discussed in this podcast. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions. Do your own research. This is not a recommendation or endorsement to buy any token(s) related to any platform(s) discussed.

Context S3: Inside Super Punk World w/ Nina Chanel Abney and Todd Kramer

Blake speaks with the brilliant Nina Chanel Abney, world renowned multidisciplinary artist. Her resume is beyond impressive; her work is in the permanent collections of museums like The MoMa and The Whitney, and she just released her second collaboration with Nike, designing her take on the iconic Jordan 3. Earlier this year, she was the first artist selected for Punk in Residence, an art program by CryptoPunks designed to champion creative experimentation with web 3. She released Super Punk World, her 500 piece NFT collection in May as part of the program. Throughout this episode, you’ll get further context on Nina’s entire body of work, her artistic vision and what she stands for, while Blake and her chat about the WNBA, her Nike collab, art history, how humour translates across mediums and more. The second half of the episode is dedicated to talking about Super Punk World, from its conception to its reception, to what’s next. Accompanying Nina is the innovative gallerist and collector Todd Kramer, who provides illuminating perspectives about the business side of the art industry, what Nina has accomplished in her career thus far and The Gallery of Digital Assets (GODA) which Nina and him co-founded with Pharrell (among others!). The three of them have an inspiring and pertinent discussion that is especially relevant for crypto art and NFT collectors and anyone interested in creativity onchain. Nina’s Twitter: https://x.com/ninachanel Super Punk World: https://hub.cryptopunks.app/gallery/nina Nina’s Nike Collab: https://www.nike.com/ca/launch/t/air-jordan-3-retro-x-nina-chanel-abney-bicoastal-and-malachite Todd’s Twitter: https://x.com/toddkramer1 Blake’s Twitter: https://x.com/blakefinucane Boys Club Newsletter: https://boysclub.beehiiv.com/