Travis Scher on the FTX impact on Crypto VC (EP.373)
On The Brink with Castle Island
Release Date: 11/21/2022
Weekly Roundup 12/06/24 (Bitcoin $100k, Atkins for SEC, more OCP2.0) (EP. 580)
On The Brink with Castle Island
Matt and Nic are back for another week of news and deals. In this episode: Bitcoin finally hits $100k Our reflections on 100k BTC Declaring victory Machinsky pleads guilty Rep French Hill pledges to investigate Operation Choke Point Trump nominates Paul Atkins for SEC Chair Hawk Tuah memecoin fiasco Sponsor notes: Coin Metrics State of the Network: Contextualizing staking yields, inflation, and network economics on Ethereum & Solana
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Lorien Gabel (Figment) on the Latest Developments in the Staking Market (EP.579)
On The Brink with Castle Island
Lorien Gabel, the founder and CEO of joins the show. In this episode we discuss: The latest developments at Figment. Post-election impact on the general crypto markets and the staking category. How Figment is approaching the institutional staking market opportunity. Staking in the context of investment products. Evolving ecosystems like Eigen Layer, Babylon and Bitcoin Layers 2s. The stablecoin market. To learn more about Figment visit
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Weekly Roundup 11/28/24 (OFAC loses vs Tornado, Cantor owns some Tether, More OCP2.0, Who we’re thankful for) (EP.578)
On The Brink with Castle Island
Matt and Nic are back for another Thanksgiving episode of OTB. In this episode: Fire departments love thanksgiving Who we’re thankful for Eggnog is underrated Justin Sun puts $30m into World Liberty Financial Marc Andreessen appears on Joe Rogan and covers OCP 2.0 Why were non crypto tech peopled shocked by Choke Point revelations? Trump is looking to shift power from the SEC to the CFTC An appeals court rules that OFAC exceeded its authority by sanctioning Tornado Cash Cantor owns a 5% ownership stake in Tether that they acquired at a $12b valuation How prudent is the establishment of a...
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Weekly Roundup 11/22/24 (Bitcoin $100k?, Gensler Resigns, Nocoiner Rankings, Looking Back) (EP.577)
On The Brink with Castle Island
Matt and Nic return for another week in the markets. In this episode: How is the DOGE going to work? Bitcoin is heading to 100k Gary Gensler announces his resignation as SEC chair We look back at Gensler’s awful term 18 state AGs file a lawsuit against the SEC The SEC’s dealer rule is tossed by a judge Trump is mulling the creation of a crypto czar Microstrategy is trading at a massive premium The latest on OCP 2.0 FDIC Gruenberg chair testifies in the House and potentially perjures himself FTX cofounder Gary Wang given no time in prison Coinbase is delisting wBTC Trump nominates Lutnick...
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Aaron McDonald (Futureverse) on Metaverse Technologies (EP.576)
On The Brink with Castle Island
Aaron McDonald, the founder of joins the show. In this episode we discuss: Aaron’s professional career and the path that led him to founding Futureverse. How he has built the company through a mix of organic growth and acquisitions. How blockchains and digital currency interact with Metaverse technologies. The future of virtual worlds and gaming technologies. The L1 and L2 blockchain ecosystem and how Futureverse has built their platform. To learn more about Futureverse visit their .
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Weekly Roundup 11/15/24 (Congressional agenda, FTX vs Binance, Polymarket raid) (EP.575)
On The Brink with Castle Island
Matt and Nic return for news and deals. In this episode: Nic recaps his trip to Congress Vibes in Congress post election The likelihood for stablecoin and market structure bills What are the prospects for the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve What’s happening in Devcon? 18 state AGs are suing Gensler and the SEC Gensler is hinting at retirement FTX sues Binance and CZ Sam Trabucco forfeits $70m in assets to the FTX estate Polymarket’s Shayne Coplan raided by the FBI Doodles partnership with McDonalds The verdict on Fairshake's efforts in the election OCP developments and how Congress...
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David Low (Hata) on Crypto in Southeast Asia (EP.574)
On The Brink with Castle Island
, CEO and cofounder of joins the show. In this episode, In this episode, Wyatt and David discuss: Crypto adoption in Southeast Asia Regulatory attitudes Operating a centralized exchange Bitcoin interest vs other cryptoassets in the region
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Weekly Roundup 11/08/24 (Trump wins, crypto candidates win, Election implications) (EP.573)
On The Brink with Castle Island
Nic and Matt are back with more news and deals. In this episode: Trump resoundingly wins the election A demographic realignment Polymarket versus the polls Podcasts and twitter versus the legacy media How did the pro-crypto candidates do? Trump promises to fire Gensler on day 1 How did the Fairshake PAC do? Review of key Senate races Will Trump execute on his crypto promises? Moreno defeats Brown in Ohio Will OCP2.0 finally end? What’s the deal with Trump’s Bitcoin reserve? How would the SEC change token issuance rules? How will Trump's election affect DeFi and cashflowing tokens? Why...
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Hadley Stern (Marinade) on Institutional Staking (EP.572)
On The Brink with Castle Island
, the Chief Commercial Officer of joins the show. In this episode we discuss: Hadley’s career in the blockchain industry. The early days of researching and building blockchain products at Fidelity. The landscape for banks in the United States as it relates to digital asset product development. The evolving regulatory landscape and the prospects of pro-innovation legislation. The staking landscape and how Marinade is going to market with its products and services. To learn more about Marinade visit
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Weekly Roundup 11/01/24 (US Treasury on Stables, Polymarket volume, Singh Sentenced) (EP.571)
On The Brink with Castle Island
Matt and Nic return for another week of news and deals. In this episode: We check in on the presidential odds State races to watch As part of their quarterly earnings release, Microstrategy a plan to raise $42 billion in the next 3 years in order to buy more Bitcoin. The raise will be evenly split between equity offerings and sales of fixed-income securities. Coinbase a future donation of $25 million to Fairshake to be used for the 2026 midterm elections. Nishad Singh, the former director of engineering for FTX, prison time following his guilty...
info_outlineTravis Scher, co-founder of North Island Ventures joins the show. In this episode we discuss:
- Travis’ investing career including his tenure at DCG and his path to founded North Island Ventures.
- How Travis initially met SBF and his reasons for passing on the deal.
- Analysis of the bankruptcy process and the likely second order impacts.
- How this event will change the early crypto VC landscape.
To learn more visit northisland.ventures and follow Travis on Twitter.