Conversations about the brave new world of blockchains, cryptoassets, and the token economy
One to keep and ear on
I’ve been following Stagars for a while now. He gets to know and interviews those all around the world who are at the forefront of future tech. His focus is largely on blockchain and also the advent of tech-promoted groundbreaking shifts in perception, culture, markets, and well, sometimes it seems everything. This is a podcast to pay attention to if you’re interested in tech and/or the future.
– Mr Mackerel, Apple Podcasts
What’s this podcast about?
This podcast is the follow-up project of my documentary film The Blockchain and Us (2017). The podcast includes 62 interviews with pioneers in the blockchain space that took place between early 2018 and summer 2019.
Blockchain technology promises to transform almost every industry in the coming years. Starting with financial services, the technology already has applications in supply chains, the medical sector, the Internet of Things, the energy sector, governments and many more. Blockchain technology is fascinating, but who are the people behind it? What excites them about this technology? How do they want to change the world?
This podcast highlights personal stories and experiences in conversations with global pioneers, innovators and entrepreneurs in the crypto and blockchain universe. It makes this ground-breaking technology better accessible and inspires critical thinking with stimulating views from around the world.
The right stuff
This is a deep plunge into the blockchain. Highly recommended.
– Mars or Bust, Apple Podcasts
Episodes
How Cosmos Enables the Internet of Blockchains – Brian Fabian Crain, Co-Founder & CEO Chorus One, Co-Host at Epicenter
Brian Fabian Crain speaks about building Chorus One and the podcast Epicenter, one of the first podcasts in the crypto ...
“Blockchain Is Successful When People Don’t Know They’re Using It” – Johannes Schweifer, Co-Founder & CEO, CoreLedger
Johannes Schweifer speaks about his company CoreLedger, the mechanics of tokenizing physical assets and overcoming the gap between physical assets ...
How a Blockchain Venture Studio Works – Mervyn G. Maistry, CEO & Founder, Konfidio and Kintaro Capital
Mervyn Maistry speaks about founding and running Konfidio, a venture studio in Berlin, blockchain uses cases that are ready today, ...
Why New Technologies Need Sharper Critical Thinking – Andrea Bauer, Founder & Senior Advisor, BEAM Innovation Studio
Andrea Bauer speaks about spotting waves of change as an innovation consultant, research through discussion, applying critical thinking to new ...
Why You Need Digital Identity Before Anything Else – Daniel Gasteiger, Founder & CEO, Procivis
Daniel Gasteiger speaks about his company Procivis, providing government services on blockchains, why it's too early to put personal information ...
Why the Blockchain Space Needs Better Access – Alexis Gauba, Co-Founder she(256), Mechanism Labs
Alexis Gauba speaks about co-founding she(256), mentoring and teaching blockchain literacy, starting points for people with an interest in blockchain ...
Why Good Content is King in Blockchain PR – David Wachsman, Founder and CEO, Wachsman
David Wachsman speaks about founding and running Wachsman, the role of public relations and the media in the blockchain space, ...
How Skin in the Game Combats Fake News and Leads to Truth – Preethi Kasireddy, Founder and CEO, TruStory
Preethi Kasireddy speaks about the information problem on the Internet and how her company TruStory combats it, how messed up ...
“Crypto Means Cryptography” – Jan Camenisch, Head of Research at Dfinity
Jan Camenisch speaks about being the Head of Research at Dfinity, how industrial research at a blockchain company differs from ...
“This Is What the Blockchain Is and How It Can Change Your Life” – Niloo Ravaei, Head of Education at Blockgeeks
Niloo Ravaei speaks about learning and teaching skills of developing blockchain applications, stories that draw people into the blockchain space, ...
How to Build on Bitcoin – Lucas Betschart, Founder, 21 Lectures, President, Bitcoin Association Switzerland
Lucas Betschart speaks about bringing more developers into the Bitcoin ecosystem, being the president of the Bitcoin Association Switzerland, the ...
Can Blockchain Technology Keep Humanity Human? – Anne Connelly, Singularity University
Anne Connelly speaks about using blockchain technology to make a social impact and why very few projects actually use the ...
Just Keep Your Head Down and Build – Jason Goldberg, Founder and CEO of Open Simple Token (OST)
Jason Goldberg speaks about building OST, how apps with millions of users can tokenize, how market conditions affect blockchain adoption, ...
How Blockchains Could Create Community Consciousness – Toni Lane Casserly, Founder of Cultu.re
Toni Lane Casserly speaks about her project Cultu.re and her goal to create a new notion of community, how identity ...
Why Some Blockchain Ideas Can’t Wait – Aparna Krishnan, Co-Founder Mechanism Labs
Aparna Krishnan talks about her research company Mechanism Labs, mentoring women in blockchain at She(256), dealing with the bro culture ...
Why Blockchains Empower a New Social Contract for the Digital Age – Don Tapscott, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, Blockchain Research Institute
Don Tapscott speaks about his vision of a new social contract for the digital age, the coming transformation of physical ...
Blockchain Identity and the Importance of Ethics – Monique Morrow, President and Co-Founder of The Humanized Internet
Monique Morrow speaks about The Humanized Internet, self-sovereign electronic identity and credentials on the blockchain, her plans for a personal ...
The Human Story Behind Blockchain Technology – Matthew Allen, Zurich Bureau Chief/Business Reporter at Swissinfo
Matthew Allen speaks about his work as a business reporter in the Swiss crypto and blockchain space, fascinating angles of ...
Why Crypto Funds Have to Become Tech Companies – Ryan Yi, Investment Analyst at CoinFund
Ryan Yi speaks about conducting investment research and due diligence at CoinFund, metrics he looks at in new investments, financial ...
Why China Will Be the World’s Largest Token Economy – Tony Tao, Founder of X-Order, Founding Partner at Neo Global Capital
Tony Tao speaks about his blockchain research and investment company X-Order, the beginnings of Bitcoin in China, how complexity theory ...
Why Blockchain Technology is Transformative and Irritating – Monty Munford, Mob76
Monty Munford speaks about his work as a tech advisor and writer, his adventures at the Malta Blockchain Summit interviewing ...
What Blockchains and Linux Have in Common – Phil Zamani, Chairman of AERGO, Co-CEO of Blocko
Phil Zamani speaks about his blockchain projects Aergo and Blocko, the blockchain ecosystem in South Korea, differences between open source ...
How Digital Scarcity Helps Artists and Creators – Eric Elliott, Author, Developer, Mentor
Eric Elliott speaks about creating the verifiable web with po.et, how fact-checking information has evolved since PGP, why we're not ...
Why Executives Need Blockchain Literacy – Alison McCauley, Author of Unblocked
Alison McCauley speaks about writing her book "Unblocked: How Blockchains Will Change Your Business", about the importance of blockchain literacy ...
The Antifragility of Cryptoassets – Alexander Bulkin, Co-Founder of CoinFund
Alexander Bulkin speaks about combining social sciences with blockchain technology at CoinFund (which he co-founded), why crypto funds are becoming ...
“Hey Zuck, Let’s Tokenize Facebook!” How Blockchains Could Stop People Farming – Trent McConaghy, Founder, Ocean Protocol
Trent McConaghy speaks about creating a data economy with Ocean Protocol, token engineering and design, bringing artificial intelligence to the ...
How Blockchains Could Solve the Tragedy of the Commons – Ryan Jesperson, President of the Tezos Foundation
Ryan Jesperson speaks about his journey to becoming the president of the Tezos Foundation, his outlook for Tezos and its ...
Why Education Is the Killer App for Blockchain Technology – Cedric Waldburger, Co-Founder of Dfinity
Cedric Waldburger speaks about being part of the team that later became Dfinity, leading growth at the company, why education ...
Why Healthcare, Finance, Energy, Education, and Government Are Ripe for Disruption – Joey Krug, CIO of Pantera Capital
Joey Krug speaks about evaluating investments at Pantera Capital, why healthcare, finance, energy, and government are ripe for disruption, why ...
Why Blockchain Technology Might Become Less of a Binary Idea in the Future of Finance – Jesse McWaters, World Economic Forum
Jesse McWaters speaks about analyzing the impact of blockchain technology on industry and society as Financial Innovation Lead at the ...
How Journalists and the Financial Press Stay Objective About Cryptocurrencies and Blockchain Technology – Peter Hody, Editor-in-Chief, Finews
Peter Hody speaks about his work as a journalist covering the financial sector, cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology, vetting crypto and ...
Why Hacking Smart Contracts is Easier than Hacking Web Servers – Hubert Ritzdorf, Co-Founder, Chainsecurity
Hubert Ritzdorf speaks about automatic auditing of smart contracts, why almost all smart contracts have bugs, specs of smart contracts, ...
Why Cryptoassets Will Soon Be Part of Every Bank’s Business – Niklas Nikolajsen, Founder, Bitcoin Suisse
Niklas Nikolajsen speaks about Bitcoin Suisse and its amazing journey, why "there will be no difference between crypto-finance and finance, ...
How a Futurist Looks at Blockchain Technology – Lars Thomsen, Future Matters
Lars Thomsen speaks about how crypto and blockchain technology entered his work as a futurist, why it takes a long ...
Why Bitcoin is the Hardest Money We Ever Had – Saifedean Ammous, Author of “The Bitcoin Standard”
Saifedean Ammous speaks about his book "The Bitcoin Standard", why thriving economies need hard money, the concept of time preference, ...
Why Blockchain Standards Create New Business Models for Companies and Developers – Ron Resnick, Enterprise Ethereum Alliance
Ron Resnick speaks about leading the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance (EEA), how he goes about creating standards, specs and certifications for ...
How Blockchain Technology Redefines Entrepreneurship – Daniel Doll-Steinberg, Atari Token
Daniel Doll-Steinberg speaks about how blockchain technology has changed entrepreneurship, London and Switzerland as blockchain hubs, the race of territories ...
A Recap of Zug’s Bitcoin Experiment and How it Energized Switzerland – Dolfi Mueller, Mayor of Zug
Dolfi Mueller speaks about the Bitcoin experiment at the city of Zug in Switzerland and how it energized the local ...
Bitcoin’s Early Days and its Eternal September, Bitcoin Association Switzerland, and Why Regulation Kills Innovation – Luzius Meisser, Meisser Economics
Luzius Meisser speaks about the early days of Bitcoin and the evolution of a thriving ecosystem in Switzerland, the professionalization of the ICO market, ...
Marketing Basics for ICOs and Blockchain Projects – John Hargrave, CEO at Mediashower
John Hargrave speaks about marketing basics for ICOs and blockchain companies, email lists, misconceptions of blockchain entrepreneurs about communications, creating ...
How Digital Jurisdictions Help Us Escape 1984 and Take Back Control – Luis Cuende, Co-Founder of Aragon
Luis Cuende speaks about the inspiration for his startup Aragon, raising over $100 million in his ICO, how he plans ...
From Dot-Com Entrepreneur to Blockchain Investor and Enabler – Mathias Ruch, Lakeside Partners/CV VC
Mathias Ruch speaks about beginning his career in the dot-com boom, becoming an investor, enabler and facilitator of the blockchain ...
Analyzing the Price of Bitcoin – Tone Vays
Tone Vays speak about his approach to technical analysis of the bitcoin price, why other cryptoassets can't reach Bitcoin, relevant ...
How to Tell the Story of Blockchain Technology – Tom Lyons, ConsenSys Research and Advisory
Tom Lyons speaks about the importance of storytelling in the blockchain space, how to develop narratives for good stories about ...
How the Blockchain Disrupts Venture Capital – Michael Sidler, Partner at Redapline
Michael Sidler speaks about how blockchain technology and ICOs impact venture capital, how he analyzes investment opportunities in the crypto ...
The Future is Decentralized, and Why Decision-Making is a “Big, Fuzzy, Hairy, and Messy Thing” – Joe Lubin, Founder, Ethereum
Joe Lubin speaks about his vision for a decentralized world and the role Ethereum and ConsenSys play in it, what most ...
A New Blockchain Law in Crypto Country Liechtenstein – Thomas Naegele, Naegele Law
Thomas Naegele speaks about Liechtenstein's new blockchain act, how the country plans to become a global blockchain and crypto hub ...
Science, Academia, and the Blockchain – Roger Wattenhofer, Professor at ETH Zurich
Roger Wattenhofer speaks about how Bitcoin and blockchain technology entered academia, what we have learned in the ten years of ...
Putting Insurance on the Blockchain – Paul Meeusen, CEO at B3i
Paul Meeusen speaks about starting the Blockchain Insurance Industry Initiative (B3i), the ins and outs of running (and keeping under ...
China and the Blockchain – Zhang Ruidong, Academy of Internet Finance at Zhejiang University
Zhang Ruidong speaks about blockchain and cryptocurrency regulation in China, the difficulty of censorship, how to make the "blockchain without ...
The Rise of Cryptoassets – Jack Tatar, Author of “Cryptoassets”
Jack Tatar speaks about his book "Cryptoassets" (written with Chris Burniske), why the real value of bitcoin is not zero ...
Is The Real Value of Bitcoin Zero? – Adriano B. Lucatelli, Founder, Descartes Finance
Adriano B. Lucatelli speaks about why he thinks the real value of Bitcoin is zero, different narratives of Bitcoin valuation, ...
From Cryptography to Token Economics – Anish Mohammed, Ontici
Anish Mohammed speaks about his career as a cryptographer, the brilliance of Bitcoin, tokenizing transport, the mechanics of token economics, ...
The Bitcoin Queen and Her Mission to “Tokenize Everything” – Olga Feldmeier, Co-Founder, Smart Valor
Olga Feldmeier speaks about being called the "Bitcoin Queen" of Switzerland, making the jump from banking to cryptocurrencies, setting up ...
The UN, the Pirate Party, and Bitcoin – Alexis Roussel, Co-Founder, Bity
Alexis Roussel speaks about his journey from being a lawyer at the United Nations to starting the Swiss Pirate Party, how ...
The World’s First Bitcoin PhD – Christian Decker, Core Developer at Blockstream
Christian Decker speaks about writing the first PhD thesis in the world about Bitcoin, how a hacker stole 10,000 Bitcoins ...
Why The Blockchain Won’t Fix Digital Identity – Steve Wilson, Digital Identity Innovator at Constellation Research
Steve Wilson speaks about digital identity and why blockchains are unlikely to fix it, use cases of blockchain technology beyond ...
Making Bitcoin More User-Friendly – Jonas Schnelli, Bitcoin Core Developer
Jonas Schnelli speaks about his work as a Bitcoin Core Developer, why Bitcoin is convincing from a technical point of ...
Cryptoasset Management in Switzerland – Lidia Bolla, Co-Founder and CEO, Vision&
Lidia Bolla speaks about founding a blockchain investment manager, staying current on blockchain technology, perceptions of the traditional financial sector of ...
The Promise of Blockchain Technology – Rik Willard, Founder, Agentic
Rik Willard speaks about the promise of blockchain technology to provide new forms of value for the unbanked, tokenized access ...
Blockchain Revolution, Two Years Later – Alex Tapscott, Co-Author “Blockchain Revolution”
Alex Tapscott speaks about how the blockchain ecosystem has evolved, why companies should understand that blockchains revolutionize their business models, ...
Making Cryptocurrencies Bankable – Mauro Casellini, Head of Blockchain at Bank Frick, Liechtenstein
Mauro Casellini speaks about how a bank could help make cryptocurrencies bankable. Mauro explains Bank Frick's approach to security, cold ...
Many thanks to our advertisers and sponsors
Press About the Podcast
A Podcast by Manuel Stagars
Manuel Stagars is a Swiss film director, autor and podcaster. His projects focus on science, innovation and technology and their impact on society.
Special Thanks
Next to interviewees and sponsors, many people and organizations are contributing resources, time, access to their networks, advice, ideas, and feedback to make this podcast happen. Special thanks to all of you (list in alphabetical order of last names).
- Ioannis Akkizidis, www.linkedin.com/in/ioannis-akkizidis
- Greg Alsbury, Alsbury Films, www.linkedin.com/in/greg-alsbury-390104
- Iris Belle, Tongji University, www.iris-belle.com
- Noe Blancpain, Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, www.wbf.admin.ch
- Jorgos Brouzos, Tagesanzeiger, www.tamedia.ch
- Nicolas Buerer, Digital Switzerland, www.digitalswitzerland.ch
- Toni Caradonna, Scenic Swisscoast, www.swisscoast.ch
- Karen Carne, Mycelia, www.myceliaformusic.org
- Anne Cesard, Swiss Federal Department of Finance, www.sif.admin.ch
- Elaine Chen, Constellation Research, www.constellationr.com
- Eva Christen, Bitcoin Suisse, www.bitcoinsuisse.ch
- Roger Darin, www.linkedin.com/in/rogerdarin
- Dario Duran, Shift Cryptosecurity, www.shiftcrypto.ch
- Greg Dwyer, BitMEX, www.bitmex.com
- Carl Fenger, Shift Cryptosecurity, www.shiftcrypto.ch
- Matthias Frey, www.komakino.ch
- Mirta Galesic, Santa Fe Institute, www.santafe.edu
- Dafne Ginn, Agentic Group, www.agenticgroup.com
- Jakob Gueluenay, Forkwealth, www.forkwealth.com
- Matthias Halbeis, Furrerhugi, www.furrerhugi.ch
- Yuko Harayama, OECD, www.linkedin.com/in/yuko-harayama-24617a29
- Jessie Hennion, Enterprise Ethereum Alliance, www.entethalliance.org
- Roya Hussaini, Blockchain Research Institute, www.blockchainresearchinstitute.com
- Bryon Jacob, Data.world, www.data.world
- Tatu Kaerki, Aragon, www.aragon.one
- Christina “CK” Kerley, www.allthingsck.com
- Thomas Kern, SICTIC, www.sictic.ch
- Roman Klingler, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), www.ethz.ch
- Christian Koenig, Fintechnews Network, www.fintechnews.ch
- Beverley Kursten, Smart Valor, www.smartvalor.com
- Julian Liniger, Bravis, www.bravis.ch
- Shibin Li, Castbox, www.castbox.fm
- Angel Lorente, Fintech Connector, www.fintechconnector.com
- Christian Maeder, Bitcoin News, www.bitcoinnews.ch
- Ruedi Maeder, Money Today, www.moneytoday.ch
- Jenna Marshall, Santa Fe Institute, www.santafe.edu
- Hall T. Martin, Texas Entrepreneur Network, www.tenfundingportal.com
- Nino Maspoli, Tech Tuesday, www.maspo.li
- Patricia Meyer, Gigaom, www.gigaom.com
- Felix Moesner, swissnex Shanghai, www.swissnexchina.org
- Mike Monceaux, www.facebook.com/michael.monceaux
- Viviane Mueller, Narwal PR, www.narwal-pr.ch
- Oskar Neira, Money Today, www.moneytoday.ch
- Mary Olson, Fintech Connector, www.fintechconnector.com
- Flora Paterson, Founders Forum, www.ff.co
- Bojan Pecek, Tenderloin, www.tenderloin.ch
- Ignas Peciura, OST, www.ost.com
- Elena Perbrunner, Naegele Law, www.naegele.law
- Rene Pfitzner, Tech Tuesday, www.renepfitzner.net
- Ramon Quesada, Avalbit, www.avalbit.org
- Jessica Rampen, Linux Foundation, www.linuxfoundation.org
- Byron Reese, Gigaom, www.gigaom.com
- Christina Reuther, Fintech News Network, www.fintechnews.ch
- Michele Ruekgauer, Innovation Film Festival, www.innovationfilmfestival.ch
- Hector Sanchez, Cointelegraph, www.linkedin.com/in/hector-s-43464b159
- Dianne Schepers, MME, www.linkedin.com/in/dianneschepers
- Kate Sheffield, Preciate, www.preciate.org
- Ben Shenglin, Zhejiang University, www.cma.zju.edu.cn
- Amanda Strader, ConsenSys, www.consensys.net
- Chadwick Strange, Skale Labs, www.skalelabs.com
- Luke Szkudlarek, What Digital, www.what.digital
- Tim Taylor, Santa Fe Institute, www.santafe.edu
- Phily Truong, Pantera Capital, www.panteracapital.com
- Stijn Vander Straaten, Cryptostorage, www.cryptostorage.ch
- Rachel Walden, Wachsman PR, www.wachsman.com
- Renee Wang, Castbox, www.castbox.fm
- Roman Wyden, Roster, www.roster.la
- Patricia Zinnecker, i-Unlimited, www.i-unlimited.de
The Blockchain and Us: The first documentary film about the blockchain
This podcast started with a documentary film. In 2017, I directed and produced the film The Blockchain and Us, the first documentary in the world with a focus directly on blockchain technology not Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. If you haven’t see it yet, watch it on YouTube or in the player below. The Blockchain and Us podcast is for me a way to continue and deepen the conversation.
What others are saying about the film
Excellent documentary. I was hesitant to watch it because I thought it might be more explanation than application. I can find enough videos for the explanation part. Instead this gave an excellent view from the companies and people working with it. I was very pleased to hear how many of them see this as a true opportunity for the whole population not just a way to make a quick buck.
– Jonathan Cooper, YouTube
Amazing work putting this documentary together! Very Informative and insightful. As a long time believer in blockchain-based technologies, this documentary was very refreshing and inspiring.
– Fightmax Gaming, YouTube
Without bitcoin, there would be no blockchain. Every industry is now looking at using the blockchain.
– Dodjie Santos, YouTube
Nicely done! But holy s***, Swiss people and their accent…
– Mr Knuk, YouTube
Wish there was a documentary or at least footage of what people said about the Internet before it got going, or anyone speculating about technology we all use every day now.
– Nora Germain, YouTube
Great work. I am a believer in blockchain technology, your documentary laid it all out very succinctly. There is really no excuse to be ignorant about the phenomenon. I have shared this on my Facebook page. Thanks!
– Teck Low, YouTube
Absolutely excellent. Thank you so much for your passion and immense work to put this together for the masses to learn and be inspired by the blockchain. I’ll be sharing and hope that everyone I know will watch this and catch the message.
– Dani Walker, YouTube
Now that there is an instrument to decentralize finance, it’s a matter of applying it. That will be the hard part, banks will fight, but that’s also where the opportunities are.
– Marc P, YouTube
Really insightful quote by Elizabeth Stark: “Necessity is not just the mother of invention, but the mother of ADOPTION”.
– Matthew McKean, YouTube
Ignore the blockchain at your own peril. I wonder if we have learned how fast these types of things are happening in our world today? It will be amazing to see how this unfolds.
– Scott Ales, YouTube
Very interesting and well done documentary on blockchain technology. Clearly the revolution of our world for global transactions of all kinds.
– Michael Vingerhoet, YouTube
Thank you very much! I believe the time horizons for dramatic societal change are conservative. When a lack of trust dissolves, creativity flourishes. I believe the change will accelerate before it tapers off.
– Ryan Day, YouTube
Beautiful, elegant, insightful, interesting. Thanks for creating.
– Bruce Thomson, YouTube
Great content, Manuel. I added it to my article on “The Best Bitcoin Documentaries”. Thanks for your contribution to the bitcoin space.
– 101 Bitcoin Reasons, YouTube
Goosebump video!
– Marius Klingl, YouTube
Reminds me of a Werner Herzog film.
– Egor, YouTube
Me gustó mucho este documental; como entusiasta de blockchain te digo gracias por postearlo.
– J.Gabriel Parra Cortes, YouTube
Great documentary Manuel and crew! Very cool corporation perspectives and long term vision potential of blockchains. The question is ‘will we’? Best line.
– John, YouTube