Empire

In today's episode Mike Dudas and Carl Vogel of 6th Man Ventures join Jason to unpack their fund's strategy heading into 2025. They dive deep into their investment thesis across various sectors including DePin, AI, and consumer applications. The discussion explores the evolving landscape of token economies, the future of crypto venture capital, and their controversial takes on industry giants like Coinbase. They close out by highlighting the growing intersection of social media with financial applications. Thanks for tuning in! - - Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross and David Canellis. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire?utm_source=podcasts Follow Mike: https://x.com/mdudas Follow Carl: https://x.com/carlkvogel Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santiago: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Explore the SKALE Ecosystem at skale.space/ecosystem and stay up to date with the gas-free blockchain on X at @skalenetwork - - Magic Eden is getting into token trading and their vision is to become onchain Binance and then much more as the entire world ends up moving on chain - - Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:37  Are VCs Founders 06:37 Evolution of Fund Raising 12:07 Origins of 6th Man Ventures 18:24 Finding Top Founders & Companies 23:18 2025 Investing Landscape 38:03 Skale Ad 38:42 Magic Eden Ad 39:26 DePin Opportunity 50:44 Crypto & AI Venture 54:22 Explosion of Tokens 58:25 L1s vs L2s 01:02:55 Coinbase Hot Takes - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this week's roundup we are joined buy Pudgy Penguins founder Luca Netz to unpack the recent Pengu token launch. He shares the journey from surviving the bear market with just $500k in the bank to becoming a global brand in Walmart, and explains why Pudgy Penguins is positioned to become crypto's first consumer conglomerate. The conversation delves into the challenges of fundraising for IP projects, strategic decisions around launching on Solana versus Abstract L2, and how the project aims to transcend traditional memecoins to become a cultural phenomenon. Thanks for tuning in! - - Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross and David Canellis. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire?utm_source=podcasts Follow Luca: https://x.com/lucanetz Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santiago: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7ww Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Explore the SKALE Ecosystem at skale.space/ecosystem and stay up to date with the gas-free blockchain on X at @skalenetwork - - It's time for an on chain Binance to emerge. Magic Eden is getting into token trading and their vision is to become on chain Binance and then much more as the entire world ends up moving on chain - - The self-custody wallet that's built for swapping. Created for a multi-chain world by the most trusted team in DeFi. Available on Chrome, iOS, and Android. https://blckwrks.co/UniswapWallet - - $cmETH, a Mantle native liquid restaking token, will launch together with Season 2: Methamorphosis, allowing users to easily participate in restaking, and earn $COOK rewards in addition to other yields. $COOK, the governance token of mETH Protocol, will allow holders to play a pivotal role in directing the strategic future of mETH Protocol. Learn more: https://x.com/mETHProtocol - - Ledger, the world leader in digital asset security, proudly sponsors Empire podcast. Celebrating 10 years of protecting over 20% of the world’s crypto, Ledger ensures the security of your assets. For the best self-custody solution in the space, buy a LEDGER™ device and secure your crypto today. Buy now at Ledger.com - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (02:51) Pudgy Airdrop Review (12:16) Why launch a coin (24:56) Solana, zkSync, L2 Decision Making (30:53) Skale Ad (31:32) Magic Eden Ad (32:16) Uniswap Ad (32:48) Mantle Ad (33:43) Ledger Ad (34:30) Walmart Deal making (51:48) Difficulty of Raising - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

The Hivemind team dives into crypto's hottest narratives heading into 2025. They kick off with their expectations of Bitcoin heading into January and debate the odds of Trump's strategic reserve move. The team then unpacks the emerging AI agent ecosystem, debating whether platform tokens like Virtuals will outperform individual agents, before concluding an analysis of the merits of early-stage investing through platforms like Echo and Legion versus staying liquid in the current market cycle. Thanks for tuning in! Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross and David Canellis. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire?utm_source=podcasts Follow Ceteris: https://twitter.com/ceterispar1bus Follow Jose: https://x.com/ZeMariaMacedo Follow Yan: https://x.com/YanLiberman Follow Jason: https://x.com/3xliquidated Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Timestamps: (0:00) Introduction (2:22) Crypto's EOY Outlook (19:27) Solana's Outlook & Competing App Chains (28:51) 2025 Markets Report (37:58) The Return of Fundamentals (40:28) AI Agent Meta (54:38) What's Next for AI Agents? (1:02:30) Liquid vs Venture - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Gm! This week, after a week off, we discuss Bitcoin breaking $100k! We deep dive into crypto’s 2025 cycle top, the Michael Saylor BTC bid, the rise of AI agents, the rotation to alt’s & what to expect in 2025. Enjoy! -- Follow Avi: https://twitter.com/AviFelman Follow Jonah: https://twitter.com/jvb_xyz Follow 1000x: https://twitter.com/1000xPod Join the 1000x Telegram: https://t.me/+fz-2f0cwC6o0MWNh -- Definitive is a multichain trading platform used by top funds, DAOs and pro traders. Get the best trade execution for every token on every chain, with your order routed to every liquidity pool. Maximize your gains with automated TWAPs and Limit orders. For our 1000x listeners - get no fees on your first $100K in trading volume: blockworks.definitive.fi -- Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- Timestamps: (0:00) Introduction (2:12) Bitcoin Breaks $100k (6:03) The Michael Saylor BTC Bid (11:31) Definitive Ad (12:24) Bitcoin Dominance & The Alt Rotation (14:01) Picking Winners This Cycle (22:19) Memes (26:06) AI Agents (44:03) Crypto's Cycle Top (55:26) Bullish Human Innovation (1:02:49) How To Trade This Market -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on 1000x is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Avi, Jonah and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed