273: AI agents need open money — Matthew Graham on Ryze Labs, crypto rails & emerging markets

Web3 with Sam Kamani

Content provided by Sam Kamani. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Sam Kamani or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

19d ago 32:31

MP3•Episode home

What happens when an emerging‑markets banker, lifelong Reddit degen, and early Ethereum believer builds a global crypto fund focused on AI? Meet Matthew “Matty” Graham, Managing Partner at Ryze Labs.

Matty shares how a pizza post pulled him into Bitcoin, why the Ethereum whitepaper was his “drop everything” moment, and how Ryze helps founders reach 2B+ users across emerging markets through its “global + local” team model.

We dig into the big ideas: AI agents as economic actors that must transact on open, programmable ledgers; stablecoins as the clearest current use case; why meme speculation crowds out real adoption; and why every startup should obsess over its first 5–7 real super fans (not airdrop farmers).

We also hit culture clashes (AI vs crypto), institutional entry, tech history, data privacy (your ChatGPT logs are more revealing than your Google search history), and what Matty would do if launching Ryze today.

Not investment advice.

Key Timestamps

[00:00:00] Introduction: Sam tees up Ryze Labs, AI + crypto, and future signals.

[00:01:00] Origin story: Reddit pizza, early Bitcoin, failed 2013 banker pitch, curiosity grows.

[00:02:30] Ethereum moment: Programmable money snaps it wide open for Matty.

[00:04:00] Banker to degen: Emerging markets + appetite for the “wild west.”

[00:05:00] What is Ryze Labs: Global fund with local experts across key emerging markets.

[00:06:30] Why AI + crypto: Digital agents will transact value; legacy rails can’t scale.

[00:08:00] Real PMFs so far: Stablecoins & thinly disguised gambling; AI could be next.

[00:09:30] Stablecoin utility: Paying global teams when Stripe/PayPal fail.

[00:10:30] Tech history lens: Hardware waves unlock software waves; AI feels similar.

[00:12:00] Data intensity: You’d leak Google history before ChatGPT chats — privacy matters.

[00:14:00] AI for health: Matty’s coffee/acid anecdote shows practical value already.

[00:16:30] Work futures: New roles (prompt skill!), humans reorganize around tech.

[00:21:00] Super fans first: 5–7 paying evangelists > vanity metrics.

[00:23:00] Incentive traps: Points & airdrops mask real product‑market fit.

[00:25:00] Trends check: Utility underhyped; meme/points meta overweight.

[00:26:30] Institutional adoption: East‑coast style (ETFs) vs tech‑driven engagement.

[00:29:00] If starting today: Split team across AI hubs (SF, Hangzhou) + emerging market depth.

[00:30:00] The ask: Best‑in‑class AI+crypto builders & top engineers — DM @MattyRyze.

Connect

https://ryzelabs.io/

https://x.com/RyzeLabs

https://ky.linkedin.com/company/ryzelabs

https://x.com/mattyryze

Disclaimer

Nothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. Finally, it would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend.
Be a guest on the podcast or contact us - https://www.web3pod.xyz/

282 episodes

#Tech #Sam Kamani

273: AI agents need open money — Matthew Graham on Ryze Labs, crypto rails & emerging markets

Web3 with Sam Kamani

published 19d ago