Zon Mangalji began his journey in the Cosmos ecosystem as a smart contract development intern at Terra. While working on a new protocol on top of Luna after leaving Terra, he successfully completed a funding round. However, soon after, Terra collapsed.

A few months later, after returning the raised funds to the VCs, Zon and Stan co-founded Initia, a new Layer 1 blockchain.

Initia aims to address key challenges in blockchain, particularly with interoperability. The project seeks to streamline the process of building app-chains, improve interactions between chains, and create aligned incentives for both developers and users.

Today, we explore Zon’s path from his time at Terra to the founding of Initia, including Initia’s vision, its incentive model, and his perspective on the future of the crypto industry.

Timestamps

00:00 Highlights

01:46 Introduction

04:06 Issues with Interoperability

05:16 The Biggest Challenge in the Cosmos Ecosystem

06:24 How Initia is Enhancing the Protocol

07:45 Overview of Initia’s VIP Program

09:48 How Initia Stands Out in User Retention

12:01 Zon’s Favorite Apps

14:22 Sectors Initia is Focusing On

16:27 Current Interactions Between Layer 2s (L2s)

18:14 Initia’s Value Proposition as a Layer 1 (L1)

29:02 Why Choose Layer 1?

30:19 Is Initia the “Apple” of Blockchain?

33:38 How Initia Empowers Developers to Create Advanced Apps

37:40 What Sets the Developer Experience on Initia Apart?

40:04 Zon’s Journey to Becoming a Developer at Terra

42:34 Co-Founding Initia with Stan

46:32 Zon’s Transition from Smart Contract Developer to CBDSM

47:45 Can Initia Replicate Terra Luna’s Success?

48:46 Zon’s Thoughts on the Next Crypto Cycle

52:39 The Vision for Initia

54:55 Initia’s Community

58:32 In-House Design Team at Initia

1:00:00 Why We Need a Separate Wallet

1:04:35 How to Hire the Right Talent

01:09:40 Jessie’s Elevator Pitch

Co-Hosts

Brian: @brianjhhong

Jessie: @0xJESSIE_

JW: @pillarbear_

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2EjrWcgasA3AQlYkXFFSV8?si=dd4132dcc2ee436f

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profile-pictures/id1762620325

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pfppod

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ICeZS4bNOphbfDKuTzygy?si=c9c1815d0b5b423e

Youtube: https://youtu.be/5Nt9SV5dqyA