In this episode, Ben sits down with David Choi, Co-Founder of USD.AI.
USD.AI is an emblematic project for crypto’s promise in the real world. The protocol leverages the strengths of DeFi to solve a bottle neck and pain point in the rabid AI infrastructure build out. By facilitating GPU backed loans, USD.AI unlocks capital efficiency for these companies scaling AI while providing real yield to on-chain lenders. David and the USD.AI team have caught lightning in a bottle and we’re thrilled to share their story with the Scenius Studio audience.
Disclaimer
Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.
In this episode, Ben sits down with Zain Zaidi, founder of Transcrypts.
Through Transcrypts, Zain has developed a solution that elegantly tackles two of blockchain’s most fundamental applications: identity and ownership of private data. To start, Transcrypts empowers individuals to receive proof of employment and income verification in a trusted and private manner. But this is just the beginning. Soon Transcrypts will allow for various forms of critical private data to be brought on-chain in a legible format that can be used ubiquitously by traditional organizations and institutions.
Let's get into it.
Connect with the guest
TransCrypts https://www.transcrypts.com/
Follow TransCrypts on Twitter/X https://x.com/transcrypts_
Disclaimer
Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.
In this episode, Ben sits down with Cooper Turley, Founder of Coop Records
Cooper has invested in and helped build many of the blockchain industry’s more culture and creator focused projects. Now he is combining music, his other passion and area of expertise, with blockchain to develop a novel protocol for musical artists to distribute their music while empowering consumers to earn for their curation. Cooper is a rare talent with a deep understanding of the music and crypto industries. If anyone could figure out how crypto can disrupt the rigid, weird world of music, it’s Cooper.
Let's get into it.
Connect with the guest
Coop Records https://www.cooprecords.xyz/
Follow Coop on Twitter/X https://x.com/cooprecsmusic
Follow Cooper Turley on X https://x.com/cooopahtroopa
Disclaimer
Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.
In this episode, I sit down with Tuan Cao, co-founder of Life AI.
Tuan and his team started by building a web 2 alternative to 23 and Me, focused on the Asian genome.
But with the key difference, they gave users full control over their data.
That was just the beginning of a long road to build one of the industry's leading decentralized science projects.
Long before decI was even a term, Life AI has been building a decentralized foundation for genetics-based medicine and research.
Today, Life AI has established itself as a baseler protocol that traditional healthcare players are building on top of cheaply and quickly.
The future of genetic-based personalized treatments might have crypto underneath the hood.
Let's get into it.
Connect with the guest
Life AI https://www.lifenetwork.ai/en
Follow Life AI on Twitter/X https://x.com/lifenetwork_ai
Disclaimer
Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.
In this episode, Ben sits down to Andrej Radonjic, co-founder of Grass.
Grass gives users the ability to earn ownership in the Grass network by supplying the protocol with their unused internet bandwidth for data scraping purposes (something that is already happening to most of us and we don’t get paid!). The grass protocol packages this scraped web data and sells it to AI companies who have insufficient data to further develop their models. With over 3 millions users and 8 figures of annualized revenue, Grass is a real commercial business with a roadmap that makes it one of the most exciting projects at the intersection of crypto x AI and data.
Let's get into it.
Connect with the guest
Grass https://www.getgrass.io/
Follow Grass on Twitter/X https://x.com/getgrass_io
Disclaimer
Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.
Welcome to “The Use-Case” a mini-series brought to you by Scenius Studio.
Through Scenius Studio, I've interviewed 50 of the crypto industry’s top GPs and CIOs across liquid and private markets. One thing is clear, crypto has some savvy investors. Yet, both inside and outside the industry, the same question lingers: where are the real-world use-cases? We’ve built the infrastructure, but where are the apps? What commercial opportunities can blockchain and crypto uniquely unlock? Is speculation really the only game in town?
With The Use-Case, we’re spotlighting underrepresented companies and protocols that are building real, commercially viable businesses—ventures that couldn’t exist without crypto’s underlying technology. We’ll sit down with Founders and CEOs who are reshaping industries with blockchain at their core. Crypto isn’t just an asset class. it’s an enabling technology rewiring entire sectors.
In this episode, I sit down with Ray Lee and Ian Ettinger, Co-Founders of Daisy. With deep experience in digital marketing and paid media, they’ve built a product that helps marketers drive results in an online environment that’s increasingly opaque and competitive. By discreetly using crypto tooling: zkTLS, stablecoins, and token incentives, Daisy is carving the path for the future of online advertising. I hope you enjoy learning about the future of marketing with Daisy.
Let's get into it.
Connect with the guest
DaisyPay https://daisypay.io/
Follow Daisy on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/daisypay.io/
Follow Daisy on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@daisypay.io
Disclaimer
Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.
Welcome to “The Use-Case” a mini-series brought to you by Scenius Studio
Through Scenius Studio, Ben has interviewed 50 of the crypto industry’s top GPs and CIOs. One thing is clear, crypto has some phenomenal investors. Yet, both inside and outside the industry, the same question lingers: where are the real-world use-cases? We’ve built the infrastructure, but where are the apps? What commercial opportunities can blockchain and crypto uniquely unlock? Is speculation really the only game in town?
With The Use-Case, we’re spotlighting underrepresented companies and protocols that are building real, commercially viable businesses—ventures that couldn’t exist without crypto’s underlying technology. We’ll sit down with Founders and CEOs who are reshaping industries with blockchain at their core. Crypto isn’t just an asset class. it’s a technological force rewiring entire sectors for the better. We hope you enjoy these conversations with some of the crypto industry’s leading entrepreneurs and industry disruptors.
In this first episode, Ben sits down with Bill Lakeland, Founder and CEO of Spexi. Bill has worked in aerial imagery for 20 years and understands the world of drones better than anyone. He has built a robust business that sells aerial imagery to businesses and municipalities while incorporating various elements of crypto technology (DePIN, stablecoins, and NFTs).
Let's get into it.
Connect with the guest
Spexi https://www.spexi.com/
Follow Spexi on Twitter/X https://x.com/spexinetwork
Disclaimer
Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.
In this 50th episode special edition, Ben sits down with three elite liquid token hedge fund managers. Pranav Kanade of Van Eck, David Kalk of Reflexive, and Joe McCann of Asymmetric represent some of the best CIOs, traders, and big-picture thinkers in our industry. Leading into a consequential election with BTC knocking on the door of all-time-highs, we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate 50 episodes of Scenius Studio than to get these three guys around the horn.
Let's get into it.
Connect with the guests
Disclaimer
Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.
In this episode, Ben sits down with Chris Rhine, Head of Liquid Active Strategies at Galaxy. Chris spent the last two decades trading a variety of instruments and asset classes at Cohen & Steers and BlackRock. Now, Chris uses his wall street experience to develop and manage highly institutional investment products that offer LPs a risk mitigated long-only approach to the liquid token markets.
Let's get into it.
Connect with the guest
Galaxy https://funds.galaxy.com/
Follow Galaxy on Twitter/X https://x.com/galaxyhq
Disclaimer
Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.
In this episode, Ben sits down with Jason Kam, Founder of Folius. Folius has become the preeminent blockchain venture firm focused on the application layer, with a strong focus on China-based founders and companies. While Folius is known as a high-signal venture firm, the firm’s liquid strategy constitutes a notably larger percentage of AUM. Jason’s experience as a PM at a traditional emerging markets focused hedge fund give him the skills to navigate the chaotic digital asset public markets.
Let's get into it.
Connect with the guest
Folius https://www.folius.ventures/
Follow Folius on Twitter/X https://x.com/foliusventures
Follow Jason on Twitter/X https://x.com/MapleLeafCap
Disclaimer
Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.
In this episode, Ben sits down with Matt Halstead, Director of Digital Assets and Real Estate Investing at the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, also known as Texas Teachers.
Matt built the digital assets program at Texas Teachers from scratch and has helped push the asset class forward via his highly institutional and sophisticated approach to crypto fund allocations.
We typically hear from GPs on Scenius Studio but in order for the space to further develop and mature, it is essential we acknowledge and learn from the LPs who invest with rigor and size.
Let's get into it.
Disclaimer
Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.
In this episode, Ben sits down with Jack Platts, CEO and CIO of Hypersphere. Jack was part of the founding team at Polkadot leading their BD and marketing efforts before launching Hypersphere in 2020. In 2022, Jack avoided the various implosions within blockchain and managed to return 620m in profits to his LPs. Now Jack is managing a multi-manager hedge fund as well as the fund’s next venture vehicle.
Let's get into it.
Connect with the guest
Hypersphere https://www.hypersphere.ventures/
Follow Hypersphere on Twitter/X https://twitter.com/hypersphere_
Follow Jack on Twitter/X https://twitter.com/jackbplatts
Disclaimer
Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.
In this episode, Ben sits down with Travis Scher, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of North Island Ventures. Travis began his crypto career in 2015, where he led the venture team at Digital Currency Group. After leaving DCG, Travis launched North Island Ventures alongside Glenn and James Hutchins. Travis invests across a range of blockchain categories and possesses strong opinions regarding the entrepreneurs and ideas that will bring blockchain to the masses.
Let's get into it.
Connect with the guest
North Island Ventures https://northisland.ventures/
Follow North Island on Twitter/X https://x.com/NorthIslandVC
Follow Travis on Twitter/X https://x.com/travisscher
Disclaimer
Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.
In this episode, Ben sits down with Carlos Pereira, Partner at BITKRAFT.
BITKRAFT is a premier gaming focused venture firm and Carlos is the lead investor for their crypto-dedicated fund. His perspective into the innovation that crypto uniquely unlocks within gaming is insightful. Moreover, his assessment of the current blockchain gaming ecosystem highlights his experience investing in the sector and the observations he and his team have earned across cycles.
Let's get into it.
Resources Mentioned
Connect with the guest
Bitkraft https://www.bitkraft.vc/
Follow Bitkraft on Twitter/X https://x.com/bitkraftvc
Follow Carlos on Twitter/X https://x.com/cegapereira
Disclaimer
Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.
In this episode, Ben sits down with Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner of Dragonfly. Haseeb is highly respected in the space for his synthesis of complex topics, sharp opinions on contentious debates, and repeated ability to back category winners early. With Haseeb at the helm, Dragonfly has established itself as one of the industry’s premier global firms with strong footing in the US and Asia.
Let's get into it.
Connect with the guest
Dragonfly https://www.dragonfly.xyz/
Follow Dragonfly on Twitter/X https://x.com/dragonfly_xyz
Follow Haseeb on Twitter/X https://x.com/hosseeb
Disclaimer
Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.
In this episode, Ben sits down with Min Teo, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Ethereal Ventures.
Together with Joe Lubin, Min leads one of the industry’s most well-respected early-stage venture firms. With an impressive track record that includes seed stage bets in EigenLayer and Aztec Protocol, Min has a knack for uncovering blue ocean categories and companies before they become consensus.
Lets get into it.
Connect with the guest
Ethereal https://www.etherealventures.com/
Follow Ethereal on Twitter/X https://x.com/etherealvc
Follow Min on Twitter/X https://x.com/_MinTeo
Disclaimer
Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.
In this episode, Ben sits down with Phil Bonello, Co-Founder and CIO of Plaintext Capital. Phil is an industry veteran, having spent time at Messari, Ikigai, and Grayscale before launching Plaintext. Phil is a fundamental investor who understands what moves crypto markets intimately. He has a proven ability to find emerging trends and then find creative ways to express related trades before the narrative gets hot.
Let's get into it.
Connect with the guest
Plaintext Capital https://plaintextcapital.com/
Follow Phil on Twitter/X https://twitter.com/PhilJBonello
Disclaimer
Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.
In this episode, Ben sits down with Ken Seiff, founder and general partner of Blockchange Ventures. Following a successful career as a founder and retail tech investor Ken discovered blockchain where he has repeatedly made contrarian, early bets that have paid off in spades. His insights into the history of internet innovation shine a light on where we are within the blockchain industry's growth and where we go from here.
Let's get into it.
Connect with the guest
Blockchange https://blockchange.vc/
Disclaimer
Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.
In this episode, Ben sits down with James Parillo, Managing Partner of Figment Capital. Following a career in taxation and accounting, Jim developed an expertise in digital assets, which opened up the door to the world of venture investing. Now, as part of a collaboration with Figment, the industry's leading institutional staking provider, Jim and his team invest into critical infrastructure and middleware supporting the growth of the blockchain industry.
Let's get into it.
Connect with the guest
Figment Capital https://www.figmentcapital.io/
Follow Figment Capital on Twitter/X https://twitter.com/FigmentCapital
Follow James on Twitter/X https://twitter.com/VelvetMilkman
Disclaimer
Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.