Best The Crypto Illuminati Podcasts (2025)

1
HypurrFi & Hyperliquid: Perpetuals, Lending & Pokemon 44:54

Play Pause

29d ago44:54

44:54

Andrew and Andy of HypurrFi join Keli Callaghan for a conversation on Hyperliquid, a L1 with a focus on retail and professional traders due to the fact that it is one of the most liquid venues for trading perpetuals - made possible with its high throughput and deep liquidity. HypurrFi is a prominent decentralized lending protocol native to Hyperliq…

1
Mellow Protocol: Leading the Charge in Liquid Staking 20:26

1M ago20:26

20:26

In this episode of PiratePod, Colton Conley and Keli Callaghan chat with Nick from Mellow Protocol, a leading player in the DeFi space focusing on modular liquid staking. They discuss Nick's background, the evolution of the DeFi landscape, Mellow's innovative products, and the importance of institutional partnerships. The conversation highlights Me…

1
Season 3 Episode 9: Building Authentic Communities in Crypto (ft. Erica Kang) 48:33

1M ago48:33

48:33

On this episode of Proof-of-PR, Erica Kang joins host Kelley Weaver to discuss how she builds and fosters authentic communities in the crypto space. Erica Kang covers various topics such as KryptoPlanet, KryptoSeoul, crypto education in Vietnam and South Korea, social strategies, core values for success in crypto, and much more! Stay up-to-date on …

1
Season 3 Episode 8: Managing Communications & Community for your Organization (ft. Tom Bruni) 24:29

2M ago24:29

24:29

On this episode of Proof-of-PR, Tom Bruni joins Co-host Eunice Hwangbo to discuss how he handles media publishers and the community at Stocktwits. Tom Bruni covers topics such as Direct-to-Audience social channels, becoming a spokesperson, remaining a valuable resource to reporters, and much more. Stay up-to-date on upcoming guests and news by foll…

1
Season 3 Episode 7: PR & Comms Insights from Melrose Professionals (ft. Alex Gil & Eunice Hwangbo) 41:58

2M ago41:58

41:58

On this episode of Proof-of-PR, Alex Gil & Eunice Hwangbo join Co-host Nikki Brown to discuss their PR and Comms insights from working with previous Melrose clients. Alex & Eunice cover topics such as how to educate clients on PR outcomes, the value of press releases in Crypto, client examples of how to announce company news and even insight into A…

1
Season 3 Episode 6: Building Relationships & Founder Storytelling in Crypto PR (ft. Samantha Yap) 42:20

3M ago42:20

42:20

On this episode of Proof-of-PR, Samantha Yap, Founder & CEO of YAP Global joins host Kelley Weaver to discuss how she navigates relationships and obstacles in the crazy world of Crypto PR. Samantha covers topics such as helping founders to identify their brand story, navigating crisis management, developing strong thought leadership habits and much…

1
Season 3 Episode 5 - Elizabeth Olson, Former Head of Marketing - Bitcoin at Magic Eden 35:29

3M ago35:29

35:29

On this episode of Proof-of-PR, Elizabeth Olson, former Head of Marketing for Bitcoin at Magic Eden, joins Co-host Kelley Weaver to discuss her journey into the Bitcoin space and how others can get their career started in Bitcoin as well. Elizabeth covers topics such as brand building in Bitcoin, the marketing challenges nobody notices, the importa…

1
Launch, Deploy, Expand: Tanssi’s Game-Changing MainNet Moment 27:31

3M ago27:31

27:31

Fresh off MainNet and TGE, Francisco Agosti of Tanssi Network and Thiago Rüdiger of the Tanssi Foundation join the Pirate Pod to dive into why app chains are the future of blockchain development and deployment, insights and challenges (and triumphs!) of launching a mainnet and token, ecosystem growth and more. The conversation dives in on how Tanss…

1
From DeFi to RWA: Centrifuge CEO Bhaji Illuminati on Scaling the Digital Asset Economy 37:17

4M ago37:17

37:17

Bhaji Illuminati, the CEO of Centrifuge, joins the Pirate Pod to discuss the evolution and current state of Real World Assets (RWAs) and the maturation of the digital asset landscape. Bhaji shares insights on the challenges and opportunities in tokenization, the tailwinds of the regulatory landscape, institutional readiness and the technological in…

1
Season 3 Episode 4: Importance of Founder Thought Leadership in Brand Strategy (ft. Keli Callaghan) 36:11

4M ago36:11

36:11

On this episode of Proof-of-PR, Keli Callaghan, Partner at Arrington Capital, joins Kelley Weaver to discuss the importance of founder-led thought leadership in brand strategy. Keli covers topics such as thought leadership amongst founders, strategies for building communities, ways to make your brand stand out from the crowd and much more! To stay …

1
Season 3 Episode 3: The Key to Maximizing Visibility in Crypto Comms (ft. Kelsey Ruiz) 44:24

4M ago44:24

44:24

On this episode of Proof-of-PR, Kelsey Ruiz, Head of Comms at Aztec Network, joins Co-host Nikki Brown to discuss communications in Crypto and how to maximize visibility. Kelsey covers topics such as her achievements in Comms at Aztec, the value of placements within and outside of the Crypto industry, the difference in Comms vs PR, and much more! T…

1
Season 3 Episode 2: From Marketing & Comms, to Corporate Leadership at Centrifuge (ft. Bhaji Illuminati) 25:09

5M ago25:09

25:09

On this episode of Proof-of-PR, CEO of Centrifuge Bhaji Illuminati joins host Kelley Weaver to discuss stepping into her new leadership role and how her expertise in marketing helped her get there. Bhaji talks about the evolution of her leadership philosophy, the importance of communication externally and internally, why you should always be transp…

1
Colton Conley: Latest Takes from Arrington Capital's Newest Partner 28:37

5M ago28:37

28:37

Arrington Capital is expanding its leadership team, recently appointing Ravi Kaza as CIO Partner and Colton Conley to Partner. Having joined Arrington Capital’s investment team as a Principal in 2023, Colton has been successful in identifying early-stage web3 investments and has run point on some of the most exciting investments in the fund’s recen…

1
Proof-of-PR Season 3 Episode 1: The Secret behind Engaging Op-eds in Crypto (ft. Cath Jenkin) 44:07

5M ago44:07

44:07

On this episode of Proof-of-PR, Opinion Editor for Cointelegraph Cath Jenkin joins Co-host Nikki Brown to discuss journalism in the crypto industry. Cath dives into what makes good Op-eds, the importance of a human perspective in the world of AI, the value structure gives opinion pieces, tips for PR professionals engaging with journalists and so mu…

1
Decentralization in Media Economics: Rilla 39:43

5M ago39:43

39:43

In this episode of the Pirate Pod, Keli Callaghan interviews Hal Smith Steves, co-founder of Rilla, a decentralized streaming infrastructure company. They discuss Hal's journey into the crypto space, the challenges faced by the streaming industry, and how Rilla aims to disrupt the current model by utilizing peer-to-peer technology. The conversation…

1
Beyond the Proof: Advancing Decentralized Infrastructure with Zero Knowledge Proofs and NovaNet 36:03

6M ago36:03

36:03

This episode is all things Zero Knowledge Proofs in a deep dive with Wyatt Benno and Houman Shadab from NovaNet who joined Keli Callaghan from Arrington Capital. NovaNet is the first full decentralized proving network, focused on making Zero Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) portable and accessible for browsers, consumers devices and other constrained enviro…

1
Dynamic State Sharding with Nischal Shetty 19:33

6M ago19:33

19:33

In this episode, Shardeum Founder Nischal Shetty chats with Keli Callaghan about a new smart contract platform that linearly scales using dynamic state sharding. Nischal shares his journey into the crypto space, the evolution of the crypto market in India, and the importance of community engagement and education in driving adoption. He discusses th…

1
Starting with Scale: Programmable Interoperability with Axelar 28:45

8M ago28:45

28:45

In this episode of the Pirate Pod, Keli Callaghan interviews Sergey Gorbunov, CEO of Interop Labs and co-founder of Axelar Protocol, discussing the evolution of blockchain interoperability, the needs of retail (seamless access) and institutions(increasing demand for interoperability), and the role of stablecoins - especially when it comes to the th…

1
The Future of AI for Developers: Kluster.Ai 33:29

9M ago33:29

33:29

In this episode of the Pirate Pod, Keli Callaghan interviews Julio Vieira, founder and CEO of Kluster.AI, a decentralized platform that enables developers to run and fine-tune large AI models using a global network of GPU providers. Julio shares his journey into the Web3 space, the challenges of GPU shortages, and how Cluster aims to provide cost-e…

1
Nifty Island: Transforming User Generated Content through Decentralized Gaming 36:54

10M ago36:54

36:54

In this episode of the Pirate Pod, Keli Callaghan interviews Charles, the founder of Nifty Island, a blockchain-powered UGC gaming platform that allows players to create and customize their own game worlds. Charles shares his background in crypto and his vision for the future of gaming, emphasizing the trend of player-created content and the democr…

1
A Smarter Future Through AI-Driven Contracts with GenLayer 39:33

10M ago39:33

39:33

Albert Castellana, cofounder of GenLayer (https://www.genlayer.com/), chats with Keli Callaghan about his company is revolutionizing smart contracts through the introduction of Intelligent Contracts that leverage AI for decision-making. Albert shares his background in crypto, the evolution of smart contracts, and the limitations of current systems.…

1
Portal to Bitcoin: Does the Next Wave of Bitcoin Utility Hinge on Unlocking Cross-Chain Potential? 34:36

10M ago34:36

34:36

Chandra Duggirala, founder of Portal to Bitcoin, sits down with Keli Callaghan to discuss the advancements in Bitcoin's utility through Portal, a cross-chain decentralized exchange. Chandra shares his journey from medicine(?!) to crypto, going back to his realization of the importance of eliminating custodial risks in trading. The conversation expl…

1
Humanity Onchain with Holonym 45:49

11M ago45:49

45:49

Shady El Damaty, one of Holonym’s co founders, sits down with Keli to explore what privacy-preserving identity means - where every person is empowered with a key that only they can control to unlock rights to their digital person. Shady shares his journey from academia to deep decentralized tech, discussing the challenges of data sharing in scienti…

1
Empowering Content Creators in the AI Era with TrainSpot 40:28

12M ago40:28

40:28

In this episode of the Pirate Pod, Michael Arrington (x.com/arrington) and Ron Palmeri (x.com/RonP) discuss TrainSpot, a new AI data marketplace focused on the intersection of content and ownership. They explore the implications of data ownership, the legal landscape surrounding content usage, and the challenges faced by content creators in monetiz…

1
Titan Network: Leveraging Idle Resources for a Future Built on Decentralized Compute Infrastructure 43:11

1y ago43:11

43:11

Konstantin Tkachuk chats with Keli Callaghan about the new startup he has recently co-founded: Titan Network, a new incentive layer for global idle resources. The Titan Network team has a vision for being the one-stop show for DePIN cloud services and joins the podcast to outline how they are making it a reality for people to take available resourc…

1
Glacis: Routers & Firewalls for Robust Cross-Chain Risk Management 30:36

1y ago30:36

30:36

In this episode of the Pirate Pod, Keli Callaghan sits down with Jacob, the founder of Glacis Labs, a company pioneering cross-chain communication to facilitate the seamless exchange of data. Jacob shares his journey into Web3 (via JP Morgan, Lido, Near, and more), the challenges faced in cross-chain messaging, and the security issues that arise fr…

1
SkyFire's Vision for the Financial Stack of the Future: Empowering AI Agents 32:15

1y ago32:15

32:15

In this episode of the Pirate Pod, we sit down with Amir Sarhangi and Craig DeWitt from SkyFire, a payment network for AI agents to make autonomous transactions. The team sits down with Keli Callaghan as they announce their fundraise and what they plan to do as the main driver of a fundamental shift in how the internet and technology transacts. Hav…

1
Moonwell: Normalizing Onchain Tools for Everyone 43:16

1y ago43:16

43:16

Join us on the Pirate Pod for an exclusive deep dive with Luke Youngblood, founding contributor to Moonwell (https://moonwell.fi). In this episode, we explore the intricacies of Moonwell’s “lending made simple” approach that has propelled it to become one of the leading DeFi projects on Base, with a market size of nearly $400M. Luke brings a unique…

1
Proof-of-PR Season 2 Episode 10: Asylum Venture’s John Wu on Harnessing the Power of Crypto Twitter (X) 38:03

1+ y ago38:03

38:03

Welcome back to season 2 of Proof-of-PR, your passport into the world of Public Relations for Bitcoin and Web3. Asylum Ventures Investor Jon Wu joins Melrose PR CEO Kelley Weaver this week to discuss all things investing, marketing, and thought leadership on X! They cover how to shift your marketing strategies as market sentiment changes, the impor…

1
Psychology for Founders with Pathwise: Personality Styles, Being Present & the Evolution of Identification that Impacts High-Functioning Teams 50:52

1+ y ago50:52

50:52

In slight a deviation from our norm, Todd Hollow-Bist joins the Pirate Pod from Pathwise Leadership (https://pathwiseleadership.com/), a graduate-level psychology program for teams and business leaders. Todd joins Keli (Arrington Capital) to discuss the importance of understanding personality styles and how they impact business leadership and team …

1
Proof-of-PR Season 2 Episode 9: Bringing Math to Market with Aztec Protocol CMO Claire Kart 43:52

1+ y ago43:52

43:52

Welcome back to season 2 of Proof-of-PR, your passport into the world of Public Relations for Bitcoin and Web3. Aztec Protocol CMO Claire Kart joins Melrose PR CEO Kelley Weaver this week to discuss her journey from fintech to web3 marketing, how traditional marketing differs from web3, her efforts in harnessing the power of community to drive resu…

1
Are Intent Centric Swapping Protocols Superior? 31:45

1+ y ago31:45

31:45

The founders of Intensity Labs join the Pirate Pod to talk about Shogun, an intent-centric project that aims to provide a superior trading experience by focusing on user-friendly interfaces and cross-chain trading. Their approach includes a peer-to-peer matching system called Coincidence of Wants (COW), single-sided vaults and the use of existing p…

1
Proof-of-PR Season 2 Episode 8: The Art of Media Relations with Co-Founder of Opening Bell Daily Phil Rosen 24:27

1+ y ago24:27

24:27

Welcome back to season 2 of Proof-of-PR, your passport into the world of Public Relations for Bitcoin and Web3. Award-winning journalist, author, Co-Founder of Opening Bell Daily, and Founder of Journalists Club Phil Rosen joins Melrose PR COO Kili Wall this week to discuss his transition out of Business Insider, the inspiration behind Opening Bell…

1
Proof-of-PR Season 2 Episode 7: The Defiant Founder and CEO Camila Russo On Trailblazing DeFi Reporting 33:06

1+ y ago33:06

33:06

Welcome back to season 2 of Proof-of-PR, your passport into the world of Public Relations for Bitcoin and Web3. The Defiant Founder + CEO Camila Russo joins Melrose PR CEO Kelley Weaver this week to discuss her journey from reporting at Bloomberg to founding The Defiant, the inspiration behind her book ‘The Infinite Machine’, the types of guests an…

1
Evolution of Web3 Security: Going Beyond Smart Contract Audits 43:58

1+ y ago43:58

43:58

Founders from Drosera (www.drosera.io, @DroseraNetwork) and Lockchain(www.lockchain.ai, @lockchain_ai) join us for a conversation that should be paramount to all (though maybe not the most glamorous): how the web3 security landscape has evolved. These two experienced leaders discuss their unique approaches, being mindful of web2 operational securit…

1
Arthur Hayes and Michael Arrington: Geopolitics, Macroeconomics, Investment Trends and Founder Advice 49:05

1+ y ago49:05

49:05

Arthur Hayes joins Michael Arrington for a discussion on the current geopolitical arrangement and his prediction on the coming shift to a new system. The episode covers the interconnectedness of volatility and Bitcoin, how the macro world revolves around this, fiscal dominance and central bank’s current decision making, the importance of energy cos…

1
Proof-of-PR Season 2 Episode 6: Crypto Beyond Bloomberg: From Traditional Reporting To Decential Media With Matt Leising 38:29

1+ y ago38:29

38:29

Welcome back to season 2 of Proof-of-PR, your passport into the world of Public Relations for Bitcoin and Web3. Co-Founder and Editor in Chief at Decential Media Matt Leising joins Melrose PR CEO Kelley Weaver this week to chat through his journey from Bloomberg to founding his own media company Decential Media, how Web3 tech is disrupting the ente…