Joseph Onorati is CEO of Defi Development Corp (DFDV), the first Solana treasury company listed on NASDAQ. DFDV was the best performing US stock in 2025. Previously, Joseph was Chief Strategy Officer at Kraken, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges, where he worked for nearly 9 years. He started working in the crypto space in 2013, when he joined CaVirtEx, the first bitcoin exchange in Canada, where he became interim CEO and sold the company to Coinsetter, which was later acquired by Kraken.
Website: www.dfdv.com
Joseph Onorati is CEO of Defi Development Corp (DFDV), the first Solana treasury company listed on NASDAQ. DFDV was the best performing US stock in 2025. Previously, Joseph was Chief Strategy Officer at Kraken, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges, where he worked for nearly 9 years. He started working in the crypto space in 2013, when he joined CaVirtEx, the first bitcoin exchange in Canada, where he became interim CEO and sold the company to Coinsetter, which was later acquired by Kraken.
Website: www.dfdv.com
This is the fifteenth episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:
Jonathan Padilla, CEO and co-founder @ Snickerdoodle Labs (5/11/2024, Season 7)
Jerry Li, CEO and co-founder @ Artela Network (6/24/2024, Season 7)
Dr. Alan Tominey, Director of Product and Technology @ Gorki (12/24/2023, Season 6)
Joshua Scigala, co-founder @ The Standard (3/24/2024, Season 7)
Dave Borsh is the Founder & CMO of Giga-Mint, a Michigan-based startup making NFTs simple and accessible for everyday people. With 25+ years of experience in IT operations supporting automotive, finance, and retail customers, he brings a customer-first mindset to Web3. Dave is focused on redefining NFTs as personal digital keepsakes—not speculation—through Giga-Mint’s easy-to-use minting platform.
Dave Borsh is the Founder & CMO of Giga-Mint, a Michigan-based startup making NFTs simple and accessible for everyday people. With 25+ years of experience in IT operations supporting automotive, finance, and retail customers, he brings a customer-first mindset to Web3. Dave is focused on redefining NFTs as personal digital keepsakes—not speculation—through Giga-Mint’s easy-to-use minting platform.
Deep Shah is leading the consumer business at Gnosis and is part of the Founding team at Gnosis Pay, where he led distribution ahead of the product passing $50 million in payment volume in its first year of operation.
Founded in 2015, Gnosis has evolved into a full-stack ecosystem bridging decentralised technology with everyday finance. Gnosis’ mission is to empower every person with greater financial agency and access, while supporting the creation of an open and collectively-owned financial system that benefits all. From its origins in decentralised prediction markets, Gnosis has grown into a full-spectrum provider spanning asset management, decentralised trading, and payments. Its industry-leading innovations include Safe, securing over $58 billion in assets; CoW Protocol, which has protected more than $130 billion in trades; and Gnosis Pay, enabling over $100m in payments to date, via crypto-native cards, for a growing ecosystem of wallets. Gnosis delivers a seamless, collectively-owned financial experience that puts accessibility and ownership at its core.
Deep Shah is leading the consumer business at Gnosis and is part of the Founding team at Gnosis Pay, where he led distribution ahead of the product passing $50 million in payment volume in its first year of operation.
Founded in 2015, Gnosis has evolved into a full-stack ecosystem bridging decentralised technology with everyday finance. Gnosis’ mission is to empower every person with greater financial agency and access, while supporting the creation of an open and collectively-owned financial system that benefits all. From its origins in decentralised prediction markets, Gnosis has grown into a full-spectrum provider spanning asset management, decentralised trading, and payments. Its industry-leading innovations include Safe, securing over $58 billion in assets; CoW Protocol, which has protected more than $130 billion in trades; and Gnosis Pay, enabling over $100m in payments to date, via crypto-native cards, for a growing ecosystem of wallets. Gnosis delivers a seamless, collectively-owned financial experience that puts accessibility and ownership at its core.
Art Abal is co-founder of Vana. Art is an expert in data systems, with a career dedicated to unlocking the value of human data across AI, governance, and global supply chains. He holds a Master in Public Policy from Harvard, where his research at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs focused on human data collection in corporate supply chains.
At Appen, one of the world’s largest providers of AI training data, Art led global impact data sourcing—managing a crowd of over 8 million contributors across 160+ countries. He helped design and operate data pipelines for some of the most widely used AI products in the world, including Google Search, Facebook Feed, and ChatGPT. His work focused on responsible data sourcing at massive scale, ensuring high-quality human signal for next-generation AI systems.
Art has also completed extensive human data studies for Fortune 500 companies and national governments, translating psychometric and behavioral data into measurable economic and social insights. His work spans data collection methodology, human-centered research, data markets, and AI training pipelines—making him a leading voice in DataFi, data economics, and the future of human-AI interaction.
Earlier in his career, Art served as Senior Legal and Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister of Timor-Leste, where he supported data gathering and institutional design to support the development of the world’s fourth-newest nation. He began his professional journey as a corporate lawyer at DLA Piper, working on cross-border transactions and sovereign governance.
Art Abal is co-founder of Vana. Art is an expert in data systems, with a career dedicated to unlocking the value of human data across AI, governance, and global supply chains. He holds a Master in Public Policy from Harvard, where his research at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs focused on human data collection in corporate supply chains.
At Appen, one of the world’s largest providers of AI training data, Art led global impact data sourcing—managing a crowd of over 8 million contributors across 160+ countries. He helped design and operate data pipelines for some of the most widely used AI products in the world, including Google Search, Facebook Feed, and ChatGPT. His work focused on responsible data sourcing at massive scale, ensuring high-quality human signal for next-generation AI systems.
Art has also completed extensive human data studies for Fortune 500 companies and national governments, translating psychometric and behavioral data into measurable economic and social insights. His work spans data collection methodology, human-centered research, data markets, and AI training pipelines—making him a leading voice in DataFi, data economics, and the future of human-AI interaction.
Earlier in his career, Art served as Senior Legal and Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister of Timor-Leste, where he supported data gathering and institutional design to support the development of the world’s fourth-newest nation. He began his professional journey as a corporate lawyer at DLA Piper, working on cross-border transactions and sovereign governance.
Robert Grzesik is the founder and CEO of LumiWealth and BotSpot—an AI-powered platform that turns plain-English trading ideas into executable strategies, then lets users backtest, tune, and deploy with integrated broker connections. The ecosystem includes education, live workshops, and an algorithm marketplace to share and use strategies. He previously worked at Voyager Digital and Greystone and has led large software teams building secure, high-scale trading systems. Robert holds a Master of Finance and has 25+ years of software development experience.
Robert Grzesik is the founder and CEO of LumiWealth and BotSpot—an AI-powered platform that turns plain-English trading ideas into executable strategies, then lets users backtest, tune, and deploy with integrated broker connections. The ecosystem includes education, live workshops, and an algorithm marketplace to share and use strategies. He previously worked at Voyager Digital and Greystone and has led large software teams building secure, high-scale trading systems. Robert holds a Master of Finance and has 25+ years of software development experience.
Wes Kaplan is the CEO of G-Knot, bringing next-gen biometrics to crypto with the world's first finger vein-secured wallet. Wes has over a decade of experience across fintech, digital assets, and traditional finance. Most recently, he served as CEO of Cointelegraph, where he led a global team of 270+ and launched new revenue streams, podcasts, and mobile apps that drove the platform to 18 million monthly visitors. Prior to that, he was Chief Business Development Officer at Cointelegraph, overseeing products, partnerships, and revenue teams. Wes also held leadership roles at AscendEX as Director of Marketing and Operations, and at Tradewind Markets leading product and corporate marketing. He began his career at J.P. Morgan in mortgage advisory and BNY Mellon in marketing. He holds a Finance degree from American University.
Wes Kaplan is the CEO of G-Knot, bringing next-gen biometrics to crypto with the world's first finger vein-secured wallet. Wes has over a decade of experience across fintech, digital assets, and traditional finance. Most recently, he served as CEO of Cointelegraph, where he led a global team of 270+ and launched new revenue streams, podcasts, and mobile apps that drove the platform to 18 million monthly visitors. Prior to that, he was Chief Business Development Officer at Cointelegraph, overseeing products, partnerships, and revenue teams. Wes also held leadership roles at AscendEX as Director of Marketing and Operations, and at Tradewind Markets leading product and corporate marketing. He began his career at J.P. Morgan in mortgage advisory and BNY Mellon in marketing. He holds a Finance degree from American University.
ALEXIS SIRKIA, CHAIRMAN & CO-FOUNDER
Alexis Sirkia is the Chairman of Yellow Network, where he oversees the strategic direction of the entire ecosystem. A recognized pioneer in blockchain, he previously co-founded GSR, a leading cryptocurrency market-making firm that played an essential role in Ripple's early growth. Alexis holds degrees in mathematics and computer science from Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse III. He seamlessly blends work and adventure, circumnavigating the world as the captain on his sailing catamaran, all while staying connected 24/7 via Starlink.
ALEXIS SIRKIA, CHAIRMAN & CO-FOUNDER
Alexis Sirkia is the Chairman of Yellow Network, where he oversees the strategic direction of the entire ecosystem. A recognized pioneer in blockchain, he previously co-founded GSR, a leading cryptocurrency market-making firm that played an essential role in Ripple's early growth. Alexis holds degrees in mathematics and computer science from Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse III. He seamlessly blends work and adventure, circumnavigating the world as the captain on his sailing catamaran, all while staying connected 24/7 via Starlink.
This is the fourteenth episode in the Crypto Hipster's Curtain Calls Series, which includes 3–4-minute clips from Seasons 6-8. This compilation draws upon my conversations with:
Mohd Kifa, compliance lead @ Flipster (11/30/2024, Season 8)
Michael Wasyl, co-founder at Bracket (2/2/2025, Season 8)
Mukarram Mawjood, CIO at Blackstone Commodity Group (6/2/2025, Season 8)
Mathias Beke, co-founder and CTO at Kairon Labs (6/4/2024, Season 7)
Nkechi, "Charis" Enebeli is a community builder, content creator, and tech host obsessed with connecting people, opportunities, and technology across Africa.
Currently, she leads the community development efforts at UGLYCASH, an American stablecoin app that’s changing how people move money globally. From onboarding new users, cultivating a trust environment, to leading growth campaigns, her focus is simple: transforming crypto from a concept into a lifestyle
Before this, she co-founded Base Africa (now Onchain Global), a community that drove Base adoption across Africa by helping builders and creators use Onchain tools to build real, scalable impact. The focus was on bridging the gap between Base and Africa’s growing Web3 scene through education, collaboration, campaigns, and inclusion.
Over the years, Charis has:
More than anything, Charis loves seeing people win, especially when they find freedom and purpose through tech - and why she's passionate about making Web3 more inclusive, accessible, and exciting for everyone.
Nkechi, "Charis" Enebeli is a community builder, content creator, and tech host obsessed with connecting people, opportunities, and technology across Africa.
Currently, she leads the community development efforts at UGLYCASH, an American stablecoin app that’s changing how people move money globally. From onboarding new users, cultivating a trust environment, to leading growth campaigns, her focus is simple: transforming crypto from a concept into a lifestyle
Before this, she co-founded Base Africa (now Onchain Global), a community that drove Base adoption across Africa by helping builders and creators use Onchain tools to build real, scalable impact. The focus was on bridging the gap between Base and Africa’s growing Web3 scene through education, collaboration, campaigns, and inclusion.
Over the years, Charis has:
More than anything, Charis loves seeing people win, especially when they find freedom and purpose through tech - and why she's passionate about making Web3 more inclusive, accessible, and exciting for everyone.
Nokkvi Dan Ellidason is the CEO of GAIMIN. GAIMIN is building the future of cloud computing—a model that moves away from expensive, centralized data centers and instead leverages a global network of personal devices.
A mathematician and statistician by training, Nokkvi brings a strong background in applied mathematics, data science, and ethical data use to his leadership. Before joining GAIMIN, he worked in software engineering at a Fortune 500 company and as a senior data specialist at the Icelandic Association of Local Authorities. Holding degrees from the University of Iceland and Yale University, Nokkvi combines deep technical expertise with a passion for sustainable, transparent, and data-driven innovation—helping GAIMIN unlock new efficiencies in how the world powers, processes, and rewards digital activity.
Nokkvi Dan Ellidason is the CEO of GAIMIN, which is building the future of cloud computing—a model that moves away from expensive, centralized data centers and instead leverages a global network of personal devices.
A mathematician and statistician by training, Nokkvi brings a strong background in applied mathematics, data science, and ethical data use to his leadership. Before joining GAIMIN, he worked in software engineering at a Fortune 500 company and as a senior data specialist at the Icelandic Association of Local Authorities. Holding degrees from the University of Iceland and Yale University, Nokkvi combines deep technical expertise with a passion for sustainable, transparent, and data-driven innovation—helping GAIMIN unlock new efficiencies in how the world powers, processes, and rewards digital activity.