High Stakes with Alex Nwaka | Blockchain, Crypto, and Web3
Welcome to High Stakes, the podcast for institutional investors, Web3 founders, SaaS leaders, and anyone serious about the future of technology. Hosted by Validation Cloud CSO Alex Nwaka, we go beyond the hype to explore the real-world adoption of blockchain and AI in enterprise environments. Each episode features unfiltered conversations with operators, investors, and technologists driving change at the frontier. Get direct insight into what’s working (and what’s not) in blockchain infrastructure, from Layer-2 rollups and blockchain interoperability to AI-powered SaaS and zero-knowledge proofs. Discover how legacy systems are adapting to decentralized tech, where asset tokenization is creating new markets, and how autonomous AI agents are reshaping workflows. If you’re tired of trend-chasing and want strategic clarity around risk, regulation, and returns in Web3 and AI, this is your edge. 🎙 Smart, practical, and always human. 🎧 Listen in and stay ahead of the mainstream noise. New episodes every Tuesday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
Episodes
On this episode of High Stakes, host Alex Nwaka is joined by Lex Sokolin, co-founder of Generative Ventures, for an unfiltered conversation on how AI and blockchain are reshaping economic systems. Lex brings a rare blend of Wall Street experience, startup grit, and futurist vision to explore the infrastructure, incentives, and capital flows behind the emerging machine economy. From agentic payments to self-incorporating robots, thi...
How Blockchain Lending Will Drive Stablecoin Adoption
In this episode of High Stakes, host Alex Nwaka sits down with Sidney Powell, CEO of Maple Finance, to explore how blockchain lending is shaping the future of stablecoins and institutional finance. Sid unpacks Maple’s evolution, product strategy, and unique position between CeFi and DeFi, while laying out a bold vision for trillion-dollar stablecoin markets. With deep insights in...
How Decentralization Is Reshaping the World
In this episode of High Stakes, host Alex Nwaka sits down with Yinal Ozkan, Principal Solutions Architect at Amazon Web Services, to unpack how decentralized technologies, blockchain, and AI are changing the institutional landscape. From AWS’s early bets on cloud and AI to today’s breakthroughs in Web3, Yinal shares firsthand insight into adoption curves, enterprise readiness, and the futu...
Behind the Rise of Ethereum’s Most Strategic Infrastructure Bet
In this episode of High Stakes, host Alex Nwaka is joined by Alon Muroch, CEO and co-founder of SSV Labs, to explore how Ethereum’s most strategic infrastructure layer is evolving. With over a decade of crypto experience, Alon shares how SSV Labs has become a leader in Ethereum staking, now operating 11% of all validators using Distributed Validator Technology (DVT).
Al...
In this episode, Alex is joined by Eric Piscini, the CEO of Hashgraph. Eric brings decades of enterprise innovation experience, from launching Deloitte’s blockchain practice to leading AI strategy at IBM Watson Health. Today, he’s spearheading real enterprise adoption of blockchain at Hashgraph by making tokenization and decentralization usable and scalable.
Eric breaks down how Hashgraph is navigating regulation, integrating AI age...
In this episode of High Stakes, Alex sits down with Brian Mahoney, VP of Business Development at Thesis and Founding Team Member at Mezo, to explore the next evolution of Bitcoin. From Bitcoin mortgages to stablecoins like MUSD, Brian shares why the future of on-chain finance is Bitcoin-native.
You will learn:
• Why Bitcoin-backed stablecoins are gaining momentum
• How Mezo is building a circular Bitcoin economy
Alex Nwaka sits down with Morgan McKenney, former CEO of Provenance Blockchain Foundation, longtime Citi executive, and tech-led global operator, to discuss the convergence of blockchain and AI and what it means for the future of finance, blockchain infrastructure, and innovation. Morgan also announces her new role as advisor to Validation Cloud, bringing decades of leadership in finance, blockchain, and AI to help power the future...
Alex Nwaka sits down with Noelle Acheson, crypto-macro analyst and author of Crypto is Macro Now, for a conversation on the intersection of crypto and macroeconomics. With a career spanning traditional finance, entrepreneurship, and research leadership at CoinDesk and Genesis Trading, Noelle shares her expertise on the crypto-macro environment. Together, they explore institutional adoption, the evolving role of stablecoins, Bitcoin...
Alex Nwaka sits with Dan Doney, Managing Director and CTO at DTCC Digital Assets, for a rare and in-depth conversation. With a career spanning the U.S. Navy, the Defense Intelligence Agency, founding the pioneering blockchain company Securrency, and now driving innovation at DTCC, Dan brings a uniquely far-reaching perspective to the future of digital finance. Alex and Dan dive into DTCC’s critical role in modern capital markets, w...
Alex sits down with Toma Heremans, CEO of Obol Association, to explore how distributed validators (DVs) are redefining staking infrastructure, the future of Ethereum resilience, and why institutional adoption is the next major unlock for proof-of-stake networks. Toma breaks down the complexities and misconceptions around DVs and shares his vision for a world where even your phone can help secure Ethereum. He also dives into the sta...
Alex sits down with Charles d’Haussy, CEO of the dYdX Foundation, to discuss appchains, the power of perpetuals, decentralized versus centralized exchanges, and how AI-driven strategies are shaping the future of DeFi. Charles also shares insights from his experience in Asia’s FinTech scene, the role of governance in dYdX’s ecosystem, and his bold prediction for 2025.
Learn more about Validation Cloud: validationcloud.io
🎧 New e...
Omer Goldberg, CEO of Chaos Labs, joins Alex Nwaka to discuss on-chain finance, AI-driven risk management, and institutional adoption of blockchain technology. Omer shares his journey from Facebook and Instagram to founding Chaos Labs, highlighting how data-driven decision-making and AI-powered financial modeling are reshaping DeFi security. He dives into the challenges of risk management, the launch of Chaos Labs' Edge Oracle...
Alex sits down with Denelle Dixon, the CEO of Stellar Development Foundation, to discuss her career journey, the mission of Stellar, and the future of blockchain technology. Denelle shares how she got her start as a trial lawyer and how that led her to leadership roles at Yahoo and Mozilla. She also explains how her career journey informed her approach to driving innovation and fostering financial inclusion through the Stellar Deve...
Alex sits down with Nick van Eck, CEO and Co-Founder of Agora Finance, to discuss the potential of stablecoins and the future of financial services. In this episode, Nick shares his journey from venture capital at General Catalyst to launching Agora Finance. Nick and Alex explore the evolution of blockchain adoption, the competitive dynamics of the stablecoin space, and Agora’s mission to make the US dollar more accessible globally...
Escape Velocity (EV3): DePIN Use Cases, Markets, and Progress with Salvador Gala | High Stakes Ep. 6
Alex Nwaka sits down with Salvador Gala, Co-Founder of Escape Velocity (EV3), to discuss Sal’s journey from traditional finance at Goldman Sachs and Ribbit Capital to building a leading Web3 venture firm focused on DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network). Sal shares insights into the potential of DePIN, the challenges and opportunities in building decentralized infrastructure, and real-world applications across comput...
Alex Nwaka sits down with Alex Pruden, Executive Director of Aleo, to discuss Alex's journey from the U.S. Army to venture capital to leading Aleo. Alex shares an overview of zero-knowledge cryptography, the challenges and breakthroughs in building Aleo’s privacy-preserving zero-knowledge blockchain, and the real-world applications of zero-knowledge technology.
Learn more about Validation Cloud: https://www.validationcloud...
Alex sits down with Arthur Hayes, Co-Founder of BitMEX and CIO of Maelstrom, to talk about Arthur and Alex's time at Wharton together, Arthur's journey from Wall Street to crypto, the rise of BitMEX and Maelstrom, and how geopolitics, global monetary policy, and decentralization are shaping the future of crypto.
About High Stakes
Hosted by Validation Cloud Chief Strategy Officer Alex Nwaka, High Stakes discusses the sh...
Alex sits down with Charles Mountain, Head of Ecosystem at Ether.Fi, to talk about Charles' transition from traditional finance to crypto, Ether.Fi's role in staking and restaking, and the impact of restaking on decentralization and innovation in the crypto space.
About High Stakes
Hosted by Validation Cloud Chief Strategy Officer Alex Nwaka, High Stakes discusses the shifts, opportunities, and challenges defining the ...
Alex Nwaka sits down with Delta Strategy Group Partner Kevin Batteh to discuss the misconceptions, trends, and predictions around crypto regulation in the US and beyond.
🎧 New episodes every Tuesday. Tune in weekly for sharp, no-hype conversations on blockchain, AI, and enterprise innovation.
📢 Follow Validation Cloud for more insights:
• Website: validationcloud.io
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/validationc...
Alex Nwaka sits down with Hyperledger Executive Director Daniela Barbosa to discuss the challenges and opportunities around enterprise adoption of Web3 technologies including real-world assets, interoperability, and decentralized identities.
🎧 New episodes every Tuesday. Tune in weekly for sharp, no-hype conversations on blockchain, AI, and enterprise innovation.
📢 Follow Validation Cloud for more insights:
• Website: v...
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