Radix is another protocol that is proposing a solution to the scalability challenges that popular blockchains today face. Unlike other smart contract platforms such as Ethereum, EOS, IOTA or Hashgraph, Radix is not a blockchain nor a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG). Rather, it is a Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) that proposes an alternative consensus algorithm … Continue reading Intro to Radix

If you've been following the blockchain space closely, you are well aware of the scalability limitations that hinder protocols today. However, there are many new projects in the works using innovative ways to solve this going forward. One that has caught my eye is ThunderCore, a new blockchain that is aiming to significantly increase throughput … Continue reading Intro to ThunderCore

A deeper look at a budding ecosystem Last week, I published an market map including some of the most important firms operating in the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem. Since then, I've made a few minor adjustments/additions. As the space moves fast and I come across more players that I may have missed, expect more updates … Continue reading DeFi Deep Dive (+ Updated Market Map)

Financial services is an industry that gets me fired up - growing up in an immigrant household and frequently traveling to emerging markets growing up, I've seen and experience firsthand what a lack of access to financial services can do to one's opportunity trajectory and quality of life. This is why I'm so excited about … Continue reading The Future of Finance (Blockchain Edition) – Market Map

The Lightning Network (LN) represents an exciting mechanism to solve the well-known scalability issue with blockchains. It is a level 2 protocol created by Lightning Labs , which was founded in 2016. LN provides fast, cheap, and private transactions, starting with Bitcoin. Below is an overview of how it works and its traction to date. … Continue reading Spotlight on the Lightning Network

Monument to Antonio José de Sucre in Cochabamba As my stay in Bolivia winds down, it’s a good time to reflect on the current state of the country, its future, and how censorship-resistant technology (blockchain) could potentially play a role. Before going into that, I’ll go over Bolivia’s political history and how the country has … Continue reading Deep Dive: Bolivia and the Role of Crypto

Inside the Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana Halfway through my trip here in Bolivia, I've started to get a better sense of what has changed and what hasn't since I was last here four years ago. There's been a very noticeable uptick in real estate investment and the social classes are increasingly de-segregated in … Continue reading Intro: Bolivia & the Role of Crypto

Last Thursday, I gave a presentation at Human Ventures' weekly internal happy hour, which serves as a time for everyone in the office to come together to hear about a specific topic as well as an opportunity for everyone to catch up. To the moon! First, let me preface that what follows is based on … Continue reading Crypto Never Really Dies

This past week, Starkware announced it raised a $30M Series A as it continues its work toward commercializing the nascent yet promising STARK (Scalable Transparent Argument of Knowledge) Zero Knowledge Proof (ZKP) system. That is a bit of a mouthful, but for those new to this terminology, Zero Knowledge Proofs essentially allow a user to … Continue reading Zero Knowledge Proofs and Implications Going Forward