Why does onchain liquidity matter, and what would it take to build a DEX that actually competes with centralized venues? In this episode, I sit down with Ludwig Thouvenin, Co-founder & CEO at Sorella Labs, to unpack Angstrom and the case for rethinking DEX design from first principles. We start with what drew Ludwig to MEV and DEX design in the first place. From there, we discuss Brontes, Sorella's open-source MEV analysis tool, and the impact it's had on the research community. We then break down Angstrom's architecture, topology, and affordances, including the nuances of how its mechanisms differ on L1 versus L2. Ludwig makes the case for why onchain liquidity matters and why lit venues are essential to healthy market structure. We close by discussing the future of ACE, the importance of privacy in onchain trading, and Ludwig's learnings as a first-time founder.

What would it actually take to make Ethereum's rollups composable like smart contracts on a single chain? In this episode, I sit down with Orest Tarasiuk, CTO at t1 Protocol, to unpack how t1 is tackling Ethereum's fragmentation problem with Real-Time Proofs and TEE-based infrastructure. We begin by discussing Orest's background as an entrepreneur across three startups, from digestive health apps to video calling. Next, we unpack his interop thesis and how t1 aims to solve Ethereum's composability and fragmentation problems. Thereafter, we discuss Real-Time Proofs, TEEs, and security, including t1's innovative value at risk counter. We then dive into encrypted mempools and solving capital efficiency for cross-chain intent solvers. We finish the episode by discussing t1's same block deposit-trade-withdraw flow and what it's been like collaborating on interoperability standards with the Ethereum community.

What does real interoperability actually look like and why might the industry be solving the wrong problems? In this episode, I sit down with Noah Pravecek from ZKsync to explore the evolving landscape of L2 composability, enterprise adoption, and where crypto is actually headed. Noah shares lessons from his previous work on shared sequencing and synchronous composability, and how ZKsync's network approach differs, particularly through Prividiums and their enterprise thesis. We dig into why RWAs are commanding so much attention right now and what that signals for the future. We also swap Devconnect takeaways, discuss the L1 premium question, speculate on what Ethereum can do to improve UX and how to avoid getting nerdsniped by the wrong priorities.

Why is censorship resistance fundamental to Ethereum and what would it take to actually achieve it? In this episode, I sit down with soispoke from the Ethereum Foundation's Robust Incentives Group (RIG) to unpack FOCIL (Fork-Choice Enforced Inclusion Lists), a proposal aimed at making transaction censorship significantly harder. We start from first principles: what does censorship even mean in Ethereum's context, and what's the difference between weak and strong censorship? From there, we break down how FOCIL works, address recent criticisms, and explore what it could unlock [from better UX to de-risking Ethereum's scaling roadmap]. Soispoke also reflects on the EIP process and where FOCIL currently stands in being scheduled for upcoming Ethereum hard forks within the context of governance.

In this episode of Deeply Intents I chat with Ceteris, Head of Research at Delphi. We start by discussing Ceteris' beginnings on crypto twitter, then dig into 4 year cycles—are they still real? From there we cover metas, onboarding, privacy, capital formation, and infrastructure. We also explore why Solana has performed well "this cycle," including social factors and upcoming upgrades. Later we get into prediction markets, hyperfinancialization, and investing. We wrap up with Ceteris sharing his best advice for surviving this game long term.

In this episode of Deeply Intents, I chat with Markus, founder of Tplus. We begin the episode by addressing the FUD around the recent Intel TDX attack. Next, we unpack Tplus by dissecting the high-level architecture. Thereafter we discuss how Tplus can benefit traders, solvers, MEV searchers, and block builders. Later Markus breaks down the events that led to the sell-off on 10/10/25. We finish the episode by discussing Tplus' revenue model and thinking from first principles.

In this episode of Deeply Intents, I chat with Mislav from Biconomy. We begin the episode by discussing the Biconomy Network’s one signature execution model. Next, we discuss the purpose of interoperability and chain abstraction. Thereafter, we dig our teeth into all things product, from gauging user feedback to building at the right level of abstraction to knowing who your team is. Next up, we unpack Biconomy's Supertransaction API, censorship resistance, misconceptions, and competition. We finish the conversation by reflecting on lessons learned over the years, building on the EVM, whilst speculating on potential Ethereum upgrades that would be advantageous.

In this episode of Deeply Intents, I chat with Jim Chang (0xJim), product guru from LI.FI. We begin the episode by answering the question, why do we need interop? Next we dive into the nuances of intent bridges, solvers, order flow auctions, MEV, and filler vaults. Thereafter, Jim explains the necessity of and philosophy behind Ethereum's Open Intents Framework (OIF). Directly after, we break down how the Ethereum Interop Layer (EIL), the OIF, and Ethereum governance interact. Later we discuss learnings from building products in 2025, including how to build distribution from zero and whether building a personal brand on Twitter is helpful towards these ends. We conclude by discussing Jim's passion for thrift shopping.

In this episode of Deeply Intents, I chat with Trent Van Epps from the Ethereum Foundation. In particular, we discuss Trent's work as an organizer of Protocol Guild. We begin by discussing what Protocol Guild is, why projects care, and membership. Next, we unpack the motivations for funding the Ethereum Commons, drawing lessons from Linux, and explore various funding mechanisms. Later, we break down the Compensation Insights for Ethereum Core Developers report. We conclude the episode by discussing the next 5 to 10 years of Protocol Guild and upcoming Ethereum upgrades.

In this episode of Deeply Intents, I chat with James Prestwich of init4, the team behind Signet. This episode is a masterclass on rollups. To begin the episode, James breaks down exactly what a rollup is while taking us through a history that includes Bitcoin, roll_ups, Plasmas, minimum viable merged consensus, and sovereign rollups. Thereafter we unpack Signet, including lack of a proving system as a feature, conditional transactions, instant bridging, and application-controlled execution. We continue by discussing Signet's sequencer design featuring decentralized block building. Later we discuss unexplored rollup designs by reviewing init4's article titled "(Re)Based Rollups" which unpacks possible rollup fork-choice rules. We finish the episode by discussing building products on Ethereum, the philosophy behind building developer tools, and history repeating itself in Bitcoin.

In this episode of Deeply Intents, I chat with Peter Watts, founder of Relay Protocol. We begin the episode by discussing Peter's journey from music to Reservoir to Relay. Next, we spend time digging into Relay, its architecture, resource locks, vaults, DEX meta-aggregation, and MEV strategies. We finish out the episode by unpacking B2B distribution, reliability & SLAs, and product market fit.

In this episode of Deeply Intents, I speak with Jeremy Ornelas of Heliax, the company behind Anoma and Namada. We begin the conversation by discussing the history of Erlang and Elixir, as well as what makes Elixir a good fit for Anoma. Next, we break down the dominion of Anoma, broadly outlining the distributed operating system vision. Thereafter, we discuss Anoma's Controller system in detail, which draws design inspiration from GenServers in Erlang. Later, we discuss the nuances of building hackable systems and shipping viable products. We conclude the conversation by discussing object systems, elegant system design, and the future impact of LLMs on developers.

In this episode of Deeply Intents, I talk to Shoaib Ahmed, researcher and engineer for Cycles Money / Informal Systems. We begin the episode with Shoaib's background, including his time working on SlockIt. Thereafter, we begin to unpack Cycles Money, discussing the concept of bringing liabilities on-chain, examples of debt-clearing cycles, and different types of settlement. Later, we discuss QuanTEEum, a new research paper published by Shoaib. Here we discuss the notion of quantum money and a marketplace for decentralized quantum compute. We conclude the episode by discussing the Cosmos ecosystem and trade-offs between building products and protocols.

In this episode of Deeply Intents, I chat with Nikita, CEO of Barter. In this conversation, we begin by discussing Nikita's background in Ethereum DeFi. Next, we discuss how solvers work, hooks and composability, and liquidity provision. Thereafter, we discuss Superposition, which provides a fundamentally new approach to decentralized trading and liquidity provision. From there, we discuss liquidity, distribution strategies, and product philosophy. We conclude the conversation by discussing some best practices for BD and general optimism about Ethereum DeFi.

In this episode of Deeply Intents, I chat with Ole Spjeldnæs, Founder and CEO of Delta Network. We begin the episode by discussing Ole's background in mathematics and what led him to blockchain. Next, we unpack Delta by discussing verifiability, shared state, and architectural affordances, including Domains. We finish up the conversation on Delta by discussing Byzantine eventual consistency, design philosophy, and credible neutrality. Thereafter, we discuss the product and go-to-market philosophy before concluding with a discussion refuting crypto dogma.

In this episode of Deeply Intents, I sit down with Sid Gandhi, CEO of Payy. We begin the conversation discussing Sid's product background at Apple and how that led him to build Payy. We then discuss Private payments, proof of lineage, and the particulars of Payy wallet and network. Thereafter, we spend time discussing product strategies, including ideal customer profiles, market segments, and finding product-market fit. We conclude the conversation by outlining the trade-offs associated with adding product features and following industry narratives.

In this episode of Deeply Intents, I have a conversation with 0xprincess, founder of NuConstruct. We begin by diving into 0xprincess' journey through the world of arbitrage and the notorious dark forest, examining how MEV competition on Ethereum has evolved into today's competitive landscape. For the centerpiece of our discussion, 0xprincess breaks down TOOL (Trustless Orderflow Operations Layer), which effectively transforms Ethereum into a one second blocktime chain without requiring protocol modifications. After the TOOL deep dive, we examine ePBS (enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation), which leads to a thoughtful discussion on the EIP process itself, what works and how to improve it. Following this, we discuss the unique attributes that make Ethereum special, particularly its credibility. We close the episode with reflections on pseudoanon culture in crypto.

In this episode of Deeply Intents, I talk to Josh Bowen [founder of Astria]. We begin the conversation discussing Josh's background as an SWE at Google and his experience working on The Graph and Celestia before founding Astria. We discuss shared sequencers, the regulatory environment, and existential questions around use cases. Next, we move to a robust discussion on product design, application categories, vertical integration, and regulatory arbitrage. Later, we discuss live and dead players, as well as upcoming trends such as mobile apps and spend-focused adoption strategies. We conclude the conversation on MEV metagames, including the minutiae of PBS auctions.

In this episode of Deeply Intents, I sit down with Murat Akdeniz (founder of Primev). We begin by discussing Murat's background in tracking FX rates of the USD against the Turkish Lira. Next, we dive into MEV-Commit, including the Devcon lore, applications you can build with MEV-Commit, and application-specific sequencing. Murat then schools us on everything product. In particular, product-centric building, advocating for the user from the research process to implementation, along with some general product management best practices. Later, we discuss the MEV redistribution trade-off and design space and the impact of regulatory reform on tokens. We finish the conversation on a light note where Murat shares his experience as a dad.

In this episode of Deeply Intents, I sit down with Ellie Davidson (Head of R&D at Espresso). We begin the episode by discussing Ellie's background working on products for Vanguard, her passion for technology, and her early time at Espresso as a consensus researcher. Next, we spend some time breaking down the different flavors of sequencing before getting into balancing Ethereum coordination with her role at Espresso. After, we spend some time on the Open Intents framework by discussing the ideal use cases for intents and solver economics. We end the episode by discussing Ellie's experience building the Compassable Podcast and how to maintain neutrality on the microphone.