The Next Boom Is Already Happening (You’re Just Not Seeing It)
52
Companies
60
Key Quotes
4
Topics
2
Insights
🎯 Summary
Podcast Summary: The Next Boom Is Already Happening (You’re Just Not Seeing It)
This episode features Alex Vannevik, co-founder and CEO of Nansen, focusing heavily on the convergence of AI, on-chain data analytics, and the future of decentralized finance (DeFi) and asset tokenization. The core narrative is that the next massive wave of value creation in crypto is already underway, driven by agentic AI tools making complex on-chain data accessible and actionable.
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Focus Area: The discussion centers on Crypto/Web3, specifically on-chain analytics, agentic AI interfaces for DeFi, validator operations (on platforms like Hyperliquid), and the tokenization of Real World Assets (RWA).
- Key Technical Insights:
- Agentic Interface Paradigm Shift: The future of software, particularly in crypto, is moving away from traditional dashboards toward conversational AI agents that operate with full context of the user’s portfolio and real-time blockchain data.
- AI-Powered On-Chain Research: Nansen’s new mobile app utilizes AI agents to perform deep, real-time on-chain research (e.g., tracking smart money movements across Solana or Base in minutes) and eventually execute trades based on user context.
- Validator Growth and Infrastructure: Nansen significantly scaled its validator operations through the acquisition of GoStake, managing over $2 billion in staked assets, demonstrating the strategic importance of infrastructure alignment.
- Market/Investment Angle:
- Vibe Trading as the Future: Conversational, agent-assisted trading (“vibe trading”) is predicted to replace tedious dashboard clicking, making complex on-chain interactions more intuitive and enjoyable.
- The Three Stages of Crypto Narratives: Narratives (like meme coins, NFTs, or DEXs) typically follow a pattern: Stage 1 (Innovation), Stage 2 (Clones/Variations), and Stage 3 (Industrialized Oversupply/Factory Model). Investors should be mindful of positioning during Stage 3.
- Stablecoins as Early Stage: Despite current market size, stablecoins are considered “super early,” with potential to reach trillions in minted value as they represent the first major TradFi asset class migrating on-chain.
- Notable Companies/People:
- Alex Vannevik (Nansen CEO): Discussed the launch of the Nansen mobile app and the philosophy behind agentic interfaces.
- Nansen: Highlighted its new mobile app, which integrates portfolio tracking with real-time AI querying of on-chain data.
- Hyperliquid: Discussed Nansen’s role as a major validator and the recent governance process regarding stablecoin issuer selection (Native Markets vs. Paxos/Athena).
- GoStake: The acquired company that provided the initial infrastructure and client base for Nansen’s validator expansion.
- Regulatory/Policy Discussion:
- The conversation touched upon the controversial shutdown of Binance USD (BUSD) by the SEC (specifically mentioning Gary Gensler), framing it as an example of regulatory action that “destroyed a multi-billion dollar business overnight,” highlighting the risks associated with centralized stablecoin issuers.
- Future Implications:
- Execution Capability: The next evolution of agentic tools will involve granting agents the ability to execute transactions autonomously, building user trust incrementally, similar to the Tesla FSD roadmap.
- The “Real World Era”: The current “toy world era” of speculative tokens will be dwarfed by the “real world era,” where securities, stocks, and real estate are tokenized on-chain, potentially bringing 10,000x more value than current crypto markets.
- Memory and Personalization: Future AI agents will incorporate long-term memory regarding user intent and past trade rationales, leading to highly personalized investment assistance.
- Target Audience: Crypto professionals, DeFi traders, blockchain infrastructure developers, and investors interested in the intersection of AI/ML with financial data and the strategic evolution of decentralized protocols.
🏢 Companies Mentioned
Wintermute
✅
institution
Nansen
✅
infrastructure
CZ
✅
individual/project
Cardano
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layer 1
EOS
✅
layer 1
Hashmasks
✅
nft/gaming
Punks
✅
nft/gaming
Talos
✅
infrastructure
World Economic Forum
✅
unknown
Milton Friedman
✅
unknown
US Treasury
✅
unknown
Because Paxos
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unknown
Gary Gensler
✅
unknown
Binance USD
✅
unknown
Like Ethereum
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unknown
💬 Key Insights
"Generally, I think we should strive to create a world where billions of people are owners in some way, instead of a world that the World Economic Forum preaches where you will own nothing and you will be happy."
"why should you have to own a piece of property 100% or nothing? Sure, you have REITs and stuff like that, but like if you're a young person, the way it works today is you have to take up a mortgage and own the whole house, and now you have a lot of debt. Like what if you could just buy, I don't know, 1%, and you could accumulate a position in your home over time, right?"
"this stuff is going to come on-chain in the next years. And I think it's going to literally like dwarf all of crypto, right? Because crypto is tiny."
"when you write the history of crypto, like 2040, 2050, you write the history of crypto up to that point, this first era is going to be called like the toy world era, where we had all of these tokens created, frankly, most of them were valueless, right?"
"securities, stocks, real estate, all of this stuff is going to come on-chain in the next years. And I think it's going to literally like dwarf all of crypto, right? Because crypto is tiny."
"I think the way to zoom out from stablecoins is that they are an example of a traditional finance asset making its way on-chain. And clearly, you know, dollars aren't the only thing that should be put on a blockchain."
📊 Topics
#artificialintelligence
67
#investment
6
#startup
5
#generativeai
2
🧠 Key Takeaways
strive to create a world where billions of people are owners in some way, instead of a world that the World Economic Forum preaches where you will own nothing and you will be happy
give them easy ways to become owners, whether it's in their own homes, whether it's in companies that they believe in or networks that they use