Episode Summary

In this episode, we sit down with Frank Mong to unpack the rise of Helium and what it means to decentralize wireless infrastructure. Frank shares the origin story of Helium, what it took to scale during the crypto boom, building open-source hardware, what it means to truly own infrastructure, and how crypto can be the foundation for everyday consumer experiences—even if they don’t know it.

Episode Highlights with Timestamps

[00:00] Podcast intro – Frank Mong on scaling Helium

[00:42] Discovering Helium through Khosla Ventures

[01:27] The unexpected job interview that turned into a partnership

[02:14] Why honesty—not IoT expertise—landed Frank the role

[02:54] Lessons from corporate life: stock options, politics & promotion

[03:39] The original Helium mission: cheap, global IoT connectivity

[04:11] 450,000 daily phones, 70K hotspots & 40TB+ daily data

[04:50] Vision: flipping the $9T mobile industry to be owned by the people

[05:18] Sales advice for technical founders—there’s no magic, just empathy

[06:02] Why knowing your audience is the most underrated skill

[07:00] The hustle mindset: “this is our year or we’re done”

About Our Guest

Frank Mong is the COO of Helium, a decentralized wireless network that aims to replace traditional telcos with community-built infrastructure. With over two decades in cybersecurity and enterprise tech, Frank now leads Helium’s mission to democratize mobile infrastructure—starting with IoT and now cellular. Previously, he held leadership roles at companies like Palo Alto Networks and Hortonworks.

Resources & Links Mentioned

• Frank’s Twitter [https://x.com/fmong]

• Frank’s LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankmong/]

• Helium’s Twitter [https://x.com/helium]

• Helium’s Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/company/heliumnetwork/]

• Helium’s Website [https://www.helium.com/]

In this episode, we sit down with Clara Tsao—entrepreneur, former CTO of the US department of Homeland Security, and founding officer of the Filecoin Foundation. Clara dives deep into the role of decentralized storage in preserving critical data, from archiving freedom of information requests to combating link rot. We talk about AI, attribution, and how decentralized infrastructure can help creators and institutions alike build a more transparent internet.This one’s for the builders who care about transparency, digital preservation, and building a better internet from the ground up.Episode Highlights with Timestamps [00:00] Intro — Clara’s family roots and uploading her grandmother’s music to Filecoin [08:00] From tech policy to crypto: The early days [16:00] Joining the U.S. government and working on election security [21:00] Why decentralized storage matters: link rot, public archives, and global data access [32:00] Use cases in war zones and journalism — capturing truth [34:00] Attribution, cold cases, and surfacing lost information with AI [55:00] How to get started building on Filecoin & grants available [56:30] Final thoughts — why great talent flocks to decentralized infrastructureAbout Our GuestClara Tsao is a founding officer at the Filecoin Foundation and former Chief Technology Officer at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. A longtime advocate for a safer and more open internet, Clara has co-founded the Trust & Safety Professional Association, advised global initiatives like Tech Against Terrorism, and worked with Mozilla on emerging tech policy. Her work sits at the intersection of digital rights, open data, and decentralized technology.Resources & Links MentionedClara’s Twitter [https://x.com/tweetclarita]Clara’s LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/claratsao/] Filecoin Twitter [https://x.com/filecoin] Filecoin Foundation Twitter [https://x.com/filfoundation] Filecoin Foundation Website [https://fil.org/] IPFS

Today, I sit down with Ryan Kim, Founding Partner at Hashed, one of the most influential Web3 venture firms in Korea and Asia. With deep roots in the early days of crypto and a front-row seat to the growth of the Asian blockchain ecosystem, Ryan shares unique insights into how the Korean Web3 landscape has evolved—both culturally and technically—and what founders need to understand to succeed in this market. We explore how Hashed grew from a group of early crypto believers into a globally recognized venture fund, and how Korea became a critical node in the Web3 world. From regulatory nuances to shifting consumer behaviors, Ryan unpacks the dynamics shaping the next chapter of decentralized innovation across Asia.

Episode Highlights with Timestamps:

[00:00] Childhood Mathematics & Working in big data companies.

[03:49] Getting started in web3

[06:24] David vs Goliath: Web3/Open Source vs Big Tech.[08:54] Venture Syndicates. HODL.

[11:29] Kimchi Premium. How Hashed became the #1 platform in South Korea.

[15:27] The Hashed team. How they support web3 startup founders.

[19:10] The Korean Web3 market. Riding the bear & bull waves.

About Our Guest

Ryan Kim is the Founding Partner of Hashed, a globally recognized Web3 venture fund. What started as a personal experiment in crypto soon grew into a deep belief in the power of decentralization and community-led innovation. That conviction became the foundation for Hashed—a fund dedicated to backing visionary founders in Korea and across the global Web3 ecosystem.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Ryan’s Linkedin [⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryansunghokim/⁠⁠]
• Ryan’s Twitter/X [⁠⁠https://x.com/0xryankim⁠⁠]
• Hashed Linkedin [⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/hashedfund/⁠⁠]
• Hashed Twitter/X [⁠⁠https://x.com/hashed_official⁠⁠]
• Hashed [⁠⁠https://www.hashed.com/⁠⁠]

⁠⁠OVERNIGHT SUCCESS⁠⁠

PRESENTED BY ⁠⁠DRAPER UNIVERSITY⁠⁠

HOSTED BY ⁠⁠CHRIS JOANNOU