How do you fund ecosystem growth in a modular, decentralized future? In this episode, Kevin Owocki sits down with James from the Ethereum Foundation to talk about the future of ecosystem development—from local meetups and privacy languages to AI agents and capital allocation. James shares how the Ethereum Foundation is evolving from a core operator to an ecosystem enabler, with new teams focused on developer growth, enterprise collaboration, and supporting builders across the globe.

They explore why Ethereum’s next decade won’t just be about infrastructure, but about applications, coordination, and empowerment. From rethinking hackathons and developer tools to experimenting with AI-powered contract auditing, the conversation reveals where Ethereum is headed next. James also speaks about Ethereum localism, how the EF is embracing pluralism, and how on-chain funding can route capital more efficiently to the builders that matter.

This episode is a call to action for anyone shaping the Ethereum landscape—founders, developers, DAOs, and funders alike. Whether you're interested in zk privacy tools, stablecoin adoption, retroactive funding, or AI-powered governance, you’ll leave with a clearer view of Ethereum’s long game. The next wave isn’t just tech—it’s trust, tooling, and funding at the edges.

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Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro 01:10 From Staking Research to Ecosystem Development 02:12 Rethinking EF’s Structure and Support System 05:39 Personalized Support for Founders, Devs, and Enterprises 07:27 Rethinking the Audience: Beyond Crypto Twitter 08:04 Ethereum as Neutral, Invisible Infrastructure 10:07 Lessons from the Internet Analogy 12:08 Layer 2s as Political Decentralization 13:50 The Future of Capital Allocation & AI Agents 15:20 Biggest Challenges in Ethereum Right Now 16:07 Opportunities in Developer Growth & Hackathons 18:07 Data-Driven Capital Allocation: The Next Frontier 19:39 Balancing Retroactive Funding with Forward Needs 21:01 Building with Vibe Coding & AI-Audited Contracts 23:43 New Primitives & App Layer Innovation 24:05 Trends to Watch: AI Agents & UX Abstraction 25:43 Stablecoins, NGOs, and Real-World Use Cases 27:10 Ethereum as an Abundance Network 28:03 Funding Chain Lightning & Co-Funding Initiatives 30:21 Privacy Programming Languages as Ecosystem-Wide Tools 31:59 Ethereum Localism & Community Hubs 35:09 Trust Networks and Capital Allocation at the Local Level 36:33 Final Vision: Ethereum as the Ultimate Settlement Layer 37:08 Call to Action – Gitcoin Grants and Getting Involved 37:48 Outro

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