I sat down with Hudson Jameson, Head of Ecosystem at CertiK, to talk about the future of blockchain security. We covered everything from his early days mining Bitcoin in his dorm room to coordinating Ethereum upgrades and now leading ecosystem growth at the world's largest blockchain security audit firm. Hudson dropped an exclusive announcement about CertiK's upcoming AI Auditor tool that could change how developers approach smart contract security. We also discussed why institutional adoption feels boring, what makes great developer communities, and why he thinks Arbitrum is doing things right. If you're building in Web3 or just curious about where this space is headed, this conversation is packed with insights you won't want to miss.

--- CONNECT ---

CertiK Website: https://www.certik.com

CertiK Twitter: https://x.com/CertiK

--- KEY POINTS WITH TIMESTAMPS ---

• [01:06] Hudson's origin story mining Bitcoin in college and falling down the Ethereum rabbit hole

• [02:15] What makes CertiK different - focusing on small builders and first-time developers, not just high-profile clients

• [05:07] EXCLUSIVE: CertiK announces AI Auditor tool for automated code security scanning

• [08:02] Lessons from coordinating Ethereum upgrades and building governance frameworks from 2016-2021

• [09:45] Why Arbitrum is winning the L2 wars with strong governance and community focus

• [11:09] The tension between institutional adoption (boring but inevitable) and the original Web3 ethos

• [14:31] What great developer communities do differently - they don't take themselves too seriously

• [18:26] Practical security tips: 100% test coverage and documentation are non-negotiable

• [21:30] How decentralized blockchains handle security incidents without a pause button

• [24:34] The quantum computing debate - why experts can't agree on timeline or solutions

• [28:13] AI Auditor will focus on Web3 apps and smart contracts, making security accessible

• [29:50] What's next for Web3 - agents, agentic payments, and waiting for the third big thing after DeFi and NFTs

Disclaimer:

Nothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. It would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend.

Be a guest on the podcast or contact us - https://www.web3pod.xyz/

I sat down with Oliver from CMT Digital to discuss what they look for in crypto founders before investing. We covered their unique approach as both a trading firm and VC, the intersection of AI and blockchain, why stablecoins will win for micropayments, and Oliver's contrarian take that crypto DApps will become invisible. CMT has been in crypto for nearly a decade and manages four funds focused on pre-seed to Series A investments. If you're building in stablecoins, agentic payments, tokenization, or crypto infrastructure, this episode is packed with insights on what VCs actually want to see.

Key Points with timestamps

• [00:00] Introduction to CMT Digital and Oliver's role

• [00:04:25] What sets CMT Digital apart from other Web3 VCs

• [00:06:00] CMT's three pillars: trading, private equity, and venture

• [00:10:34] CMT focuses on pre-seed to Series A stage investments

• [00:11:10] What outlier founders do differently when approaching VCs

• [00:13:33] The intersection of AI agents and blockchain payments

• [00:16:00] Why agents will use both credit cards and stablecoins

• [00:17:07] Micropayments use case: paying fractions of a cent with stablecoins

• [00:20:00] Sam breaks down the 6% cost of Stripe vs. <0.03% with stablecoins

• [00:22:08] Trends in stablecoin adoption and tokenization of real world assets

• [00:25:44] Using blockchains in boring but inefficient industries

• [00:26:55] Founder anxiety about the fast pace of AI and crypto

• [00:29:26] Why SaaS moats are distribution and network effects, not tech

• [00:32:00] How CMT uses AI internally for deal sourcing and analysis

• [00:36:16] Oliver's contrarian opinion: crypto DApps will become invisible

• [00:39:26] Not every project needs a token - when tokens make sense

Connect

CMT Digital Website: https://cmtdigital.com

https://x.com/CMT_Digital

https://www.linkedin.com/company/cmt-digital-ltd

Be a guest on the podcast or contact us -

https://www.web3pod.xyz/

Disclaimer

Nothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. It would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend.

I sat down with Mehdi Lebbar, founder of yo.xyz (Yo Labs), to talk about how they're revolutionizing yield in DeFi. After raising over $10 million, Mehdi and his team built the Exponential Risk Framework—the best predictor of DeFi pool safety in the world. Pools rated A or B have a 0% probability of losing your money. We dive into how they assess risk across protocols, chains, and assets, why AI agents aren't ready for serious financial products, and why crypto offers freedom that AI never will. Mehdi shares his journey from traditional finance at Credit Suisse and the World Bank to discovering Bitcoin as the ultimate inflation hedge. We also discuss how DeFi is giving the unbanked access to savings, why Dubai's 'bubble' moments create opportunity, and what's next for multi-chain vaults. If you care about making DeFi accessible, safe, and truly decentralized, this episode is for you.

Key Points with timestamps

• [01:31] How Mehdi discovered Bitcoin in 2017 as a levered inflation hedge for his portfolio• [05:03] The gap in DeFi yield: too complicated and too risky for most people• [06:22] Exponential Risk Framework: A and B rated pools have 0% probability of loss• [07:04] Mapping DeFi as a risk graph with 100+ questions per protocol• [10:05] Building protocol-agnostic, chain-agnostic vaults for seamless yield• [14:30] Why algorithms beat curators and AI black boxes in financial products• [19:42] Founder lesson: take the ego out, sustain pain, stay optimistic• [21:43] Why crypto empowers the many while AI empowers the powerful• [24:14] Crypto is freedom—AI is control• [26:23] Real stories: how crypto enabled financial freedom during Dubai tensions• [30:26] Yo.xyz roadmap: ubiquitous multi-chain vaults and vaults-as-a-service

Connect with YO

https://www.yo.xyz/

https://x.com/yield

https://t.me/yo_protocol

Disclaimer

Nothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. It would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend.

Be a guest on the podcast or contact us - https://www.web3pod.xyz/