Best Markus Friend Podcasts (2025)

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Solving The AI Black Box: ZK-Proofs in Defence Tech 55:37

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3d ago55:37

55:37

In this episode, host Sebastian Couture is joined by Ismael Hishon-Rezaizadeh, CEO of Lagrange, to explore the intersection of frontier cryptography and national security. Ismael discusses the transition of zero-knowledge (ZK) technology from a "token-centric" crypto tool to a vital component of defense, specifically focusing on its role in securin…

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7 Years Later - Colin Meagher, ALS and the Lifelong Friends He Brought Together 1:19:23

1d ago1:19:23

1:19:23

We have a very special, and probably tear-and-laugh filled episode of The Inside Line as we catch back up with Colin Meagher, all-around nice guy, incredible, storied mountain bike photographer and man dealing with the late stages of ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Since Colin’s symptoms have progressed so strongly, he’s not really able to speak, so w…

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A Messy Advent 1:02:23

2d ago1:02:23

1:02:23

Send us a text Advent has always been messy, whether we've realized it or not. Herod was on the throne. Life be lifing for Mary and Joseph. Jesus was born into a world searching for hope, not unlike the moment we are in. That night was many things: exhausting, scary, surprising, painful, anything but silent. God met the world right where it was at …

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The Future We Can't Escape and Other E-Bike Discussions - bikes unaffiliated Ep. 3 2:23:54

6d ago2:23:54

2:23:54

Electric mountain bikes. Either you love ‘em, or think they’re wack. Granted, the latter opinion has been losing steam as more brands release good e-bikes, and more riders toss a leg over one. They’re the talk of our industry and are one of the few, if not the only, segments of bikes experiencing significant change year after year. In this show, Vi…

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Aztec's Rebirth, The $61M Token Sale & Programmable Privacy on Ethereum 1:05:09

11d ago1:05:09

1:05:09

Fresh off the launch of the Ignition Chain and a successful community-led $61M token sale, Aztec Network co-founder Zac Williamson joins Friederike Ernst to unpack the "existential" journey of building programmable privacy. Zac opens up about the "sacrificial altar" moment where the team decided to kill their live product, Aztec Connect which had 6…

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"We Were Living Month to Month" - YT CEO, Sam Nicols 1:40:23

9d ago1:40:23

1:40:23

In this special edition of the Inside Line podcast, Jeff Brines interviews Sam Nicols, the former CEO of YT Industries from 2021 to 2024, exploring his journey from a career at Amazon to leading a prominent bike company during tumultuous times. He reflects on his experiences as CEO of YT Industries, discussing the challenges faced in the bike indus…

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Is AI the Answer? 58:00

9d ago58:00

58:00

Send us a text Advancing technology has always been a hot topic, inspiring some of our favorite sci-fi novels and movies. Now with AI assistants on every phone, the best hopes and the worst fears of AI are jumping from fiction into reality. Markus Lloyd and Antwuan Malone consider the implications of AI and its impact on relational engagement and c…

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Will stablecoins end the US debt Crisis? 54:23

14d ago54:23

54:23

Ethereum co-founder Joe Lubin joins Friederike Ernst to discuss why we are at the "end of a supercycle," a chaotic transition period where legacy institutions are finally adopting blockchain rails not just for efficiency, but for survival. They explore the "inevitable convergence" where the US government may actively rely on stablecoins to absorb d…

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How Long Should Bikes Last? - Bikes: Unaffiliated Ep 2 1:38:06

14d ago1:38:06

1:38:06

In episode 2 of Bikes: Unaffiliated, Jason Schroeder, Lars Sternberg and Shawn Spomer discuss the evolution of mountain bike technology, focusing on the durability of bikes and components. They explore the expectations riders have for bike longevity, and the importance of community feedback in shaping technology. The conversation also touches on ma…

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What's It Like to Release a New Bike Product? - Bikes: Unaffiliated Ep 1 1:24:43

21d ago1:24:43

1:24:43

Join Vital's own Jason Schroeder and Shawn Spomer, along with industry veteran Lars Sternberg, as they discuss the gripping topic of launching new bikes and their embargoes. Why do we have embargoes? What goes on behind the scenes of a new product launch? Are embargoed launches still impactful? How do brands and media make a splash on embargo day t…

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What will Quantum Computing Change? 1:21:41

26d ago1:21:41

1:21:41

Quantum computing is often dismissed as a distant sci-fi future, but Ethereum OG John Lilic and Oxford physicist Stefano Gogioso argue the timeline is shrinking fast with roadmaps converging around 2030. In this episode, they break down the "woeful" state of quantum readiness in crypto, explaining how Shor's algorithm could eventually shatter the e…

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DevConnect 2025: Inside The Biggest Ethereum Event in History 44:43

1M ago44:43

44:43

“DevConnect 2025 was about touching and feeling Ethereum IRL”Nathan Sexer, lead of the DevConnect 2025 and Events team at the Ethereum Foundation, gives a peek into the largest iteration of Devconnect ever, with 20,000 attendees, and why the team pivoted to a "World's Fair" format, creating tangible districts for DeFi and Privacy to let attendees t…

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Follow-Up - Post-Downtime Markus Flossmann Interview 9:18

1M ago9:18

9:18

Jeff Brines follows up our "We Discuss YT" podcast with his thoughts after listening to the Markus Flossmann interview on the Downtime podcast. Jeff also notes corrections made in our original show after learning information shared in the Downtime pod. Discuss more with the Vital communityBy Vital MTB

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Why is the SEC Concerned about Privacy now? 1:02:58

1M ago1:02:58

1:02:58

At DevConnect 2025, Sebastian and Friederike speak with Peter Van Valkenburgh about the rapidly evolving battle for digital rights. Peter challenges the industry's comfort with transparency, arguing that "transparency will destroy neutrality." He uses the history of SWIFT to illustrate how a once-neutral messaging system was captured by geopolitica…

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We Discuss YT 1:45:38

1M ago1:45:38

1:45:38

Discuss this with our community on Vital MTB We’re back with The Inside Line, BS edition where we talk about the business and economic side of the mountain bike industry with Jeff Brines and Charlie Sponsel. Today is a discussion about YT Industries and the company’s recent turmoil of going through administration, shutting down and then re-opening …

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Will Hard MTB League Change Things? 1:09:11

1M ago1:09:11

1:09:11

This Inside Line podcast explores how mountain biking's newest competitive event, Hard MTB League, has the potential to change the sport. Vital Content Director, Shawn Spomer, met up with Braydon Bringhurst and Adam Pishl, the two visionaries behind the League, two weeks after its inaugural invitational near Boise, Idaho. Topics include explaining …

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Cosmos: The Linux of Blockchains? 55:06

1M ago55:06

55:06

Captured live at Cosmoverse 2025, this episode brings host Sebastian in conversation with Michael (better known as Cryptocito, Cosmos investor via Cito Ventures) and Magnus (@0xMagmar, Co-CEO Cosmos Labs). Against a backdrop of institutional gravitas, central banks mingling alongside Revolut executives, the conversation traces Cosmos' arc across fi…

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Yield Basis: Disrupting Defi & Bitcoin Yield 1:00:05

2M ago1:00:05

1:00:05

Brian Fabian Crain and Michael Egorov, Curve Finance founder, discuss Curve's origins: solving inefficient DAI/USDC swaps after MakerDAO borrows by creating a DeFi AMM for stablecoins and LSTs. It hit 1M TVL with a bonding curve concentrating liquidity at 1:1, more effective for pegged assets than Uniswap. Features grew to include BTC wrappers, stE…

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Lamina1: Building The Future of The Creator Economy 59:47

2M ago59:47

59:47

Sci-fi titan Neal Stephenson, whose Snow Crash coined the term 'metaverse' and Cryptonomicon, which foreshadowed crypto in 1999, joins Friederike to discuss his "hard sci-fi" method: building immersive, consistent worlds, not prophecy. He's now co-founder of Lamina1, aiming to restore Web1's ethos and give creators IP sovereignty with direct microp…

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Leading in Looney Times 56:25

2M ago56:25

56:25

Send us a text What are church leaders dealing with as they try to shepherd their churches in 2025? Markus Lloyd and Antwuan Malone talk about the fears and obstacles church leaders can be faced with as they wrestle with changing demographics. As culture and communities evolve, can the church stay the same? It's a conversaion about theology, justic…

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Is Blockchain Still a Revolution or Becoming Another Upgrade? Ep.621 1:15:34

2M ago1:15:34

1:15:34

As blockchain tech gets co-opted by legacy players for efficiency gains, has the revolution lost its edge? Crypto philosopher Paul Dylan-Ennis and Jito's Head of Governance, Dr. Nick Almond, join Friederike to probe this shift from 2017's visionary DAOs to today's Telegram-negotiated votes and whale capture. Rooted in philosophy and complex systems…

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Brave: Building the Private User-Friendly Internet - Kyle Den Hartog 1:07:04

2M ago1:07:04

1:07:04

Brave has spent a decade building a privacy-first browser that empowers users with tools like ad-blocking and fingerprinting protection, now serving 100 million monthly active users. Security engineer Kyle Den Hartog joins Friederike to unpack the centralization traps in digital identity from email's spam-driven dominance to one-size-fits-all DeFi …

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Dak Needs A Sealant Sponsor (And a Bike Sponsor) - B Practice Podcast - MSA Recap 1:37:44

2M ago1:37:44

1:37:44

MSA, what a way to end the season. Grueling and daunting, it's a track that other venues will forever be compared against. It feels wrong that this could be the last World Cup at Mont Sainte Anne for a long time (if not ever). At least the final send-off race was one to remember. For our crew, it was memorable because our guy Dak, against a lot of …

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Noble: Solving Crypto's Liquidity Problem, One Chain at a Time - Jelena Djuric 41:26

3M ago41:26

41:26

In this episode, Sebastien is joined by Jelena Djuric, co-founder of Noble, a generic asset issuance chain built for the Cosmos ecosystem. Jelena shares her journey into crypto, which began with an interest in political science, leading her to discover Bitcoin's potential. She describes the origins of Noble, created to solve a critical need within …

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You Can't Beat Racing At Home - Lake Placid World Cup Recap with Dak Norton and Dante Silva 2:03:32

3M ago2:03:32

2:03:32

The B Practice podcast returns! There was a lot of racing the past six weeks or so. Our main man Dak was busy globetrotting and facilitating one hell of a comeback. So we can't be too upset about his lack of availability. Thankfully, we sat down this week to chat about some DH racing and were joined by special guest Dante Silva. We kept the convers…

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The New White Flight 47:21

3M ago47:21

47:21

By Markus Lloyd & Antwuan Malone

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Why Have So Many Bike Companies Closed in the Last Two Years? 2:03:26

3M ago2:03:26

2:03:26

Two years ago to the day, Vital member, contributor and finance specialist, Jeff Brines, posted a question in our forum, "Will more companies be shutting down in the next 12-24 months?" A small, but exciting mountain bike brand, Guerrilla Gravity, surprisingly announced it was closing, and the rest of the industry was in the wake of the Covid boom.…

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Benjamin Sarquis Peillard: Cap Labs – Insured Yield & the Future of Stablecoins 58:02

3M ago58:02

58:02

In this episode, Sebastien Couture is joined by Benjamin, the founder of CAP, a stablecoin protocol designed to provide insured yield. The protocol features two main products: CUSD, a digital dollar, and stCUSD, its staked, yield-bearing version. Yield is generated through an "allocation engine" where third-party operators borrow from the protocol'…

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The Charlie Kirk Episode: War or Peace? 57:24

3M ago57:24

57:24

Send us a text After the Charlie Kirk murder, the nation seems to be in an uproar, with each day escalating more than the day before. What happens next for us? What happens next for the church? Markus and Antwuan discuss the church's role in responding to Charlie Kirk's death, and the Christians' responsibility in an explosive and divided political…

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Mento: Onchain FX Markets - Decentralising World Currencies - Markus Franke 1:06:14

3M ago1:06:14

1:06:14

TradFi FX markets are slow, expensive and often lack liquidity for direct swaps between different world currencies, having to route through USD pairs. While crypto could technically solve pairing through AMM pools, those needed to be arbitraged in order to reflect TradFi rates. With 15 fully-backed stablecoins, Mento is building the largest FX infr…

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Part 2: Nonviolence in 2025 1:18:02

3M ago1:18:02

1:18:02

Send us a text Markus Lloyd and Antwuan Malone revisit the conversation of nonviolence as they answer questions that were sparked in part one. _____________________________ Podcast Subscription Links Apple Podcast: coloredcommentary.com/apple Spotify: coloredcommentary.com/spotify Google Podcasts: coloredcommentary.com/google Stitcher: coloredcomme…

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f(x) Protocol: Decentralized Yield-Bearing Stablecoin & 0-Liquidation Perp - Cyrille Brière 1:00:22

4M ago1:00:22

1:00:22

Without a doubt, the introduction of stablecoins has vastly increased overall crypto liquidity, adoption and real-world use cases as they offered a safe haven against the industry’s volatility, especially during bearmarkets. However, despite being extremely efficient, the main stablecoin actors (i.e. Circle & Tether) are centralised entities. Many …

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Euler: The DeFi Super App - Michael Bentley 1:00:01

3M ago1:00:01

1:00:01

Euler is a DeFi lending protocol built around the idea of permissionless modularity, enabling users to lend and borrow almost any crypto asset with flexible, permissionless pools, tailored to individual risk profiles. Moreover, Euler Vault Kit (EVK) and Ethereum Vault Connector (EVC) enable the creation of custom lending vaults which, in turn, can …

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Dak + Mud = Work in Progress - Vital’s B Practice Podcast From Les Gets 1:25:02

4M ago1:25:02

1:25:02

Les Gets is now the unofficial Mud Fest of season after back-to-back years of treacherous conditions. It was a spectacle to watch, and delivered a mix of insane bike handling skills and unfortunate mishaps that could have overall point implications as we get to the end of the season. Dakotah Norton breaks down what it was like to go to battle with …

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Zama: FHE and The Holy Grail of Blockchain Privacy 56:12

4M ago56:12

56:12

Blockchains operate as a public ledger, ‘disclosing’ the entire transaction history and associated data to everyone. While verifiability and traceability are key traits, as blockchains gain global adoption, those very features hinder the process. Self custody, on-chain identities, corporate strategies, transaction history, private deals, all repres…

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Pareto: Customizable On-Chain Private Credit Marketplace - Matteo Pandolfi 1:08:21

4M ago1:08:21

1:08:21

Built primarily for institutional-grade clients, Pareto delivers customizable on-chain credit markets designed to expand DeFi liquidity and TradFi tokenization through structured yield strategies tailored to diverse risk profiles. Pareto allows its users to construct individualized credit lines in specific risk-ajusted tranches, with custom: intere…

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The Man Behind the #USDH Race Replays - Michael The Mangler McQueen 1:10:25

4M ago1:10:25

1:10:25

Thanks to Maxxis Tires | FOX | Jenson USA for supporting The Inside Line This Inside Line podcast episode, recorded at the Pro Downhill Series in Solitude, Utah, features Shawn Spomer from Vital MTB interviewing Michael McQueen—better known as “The Mangler”—about his pivotal but often behind-the-scenes role in U.S. downhill racing coverage. McQueen…