Rephonic
Artwork for Empire
Bitcoin
Ethereum
Stablecoins
Defi
Cryptocurrency
Solana
Crypto
Coinbase
Hyperliquid
Tokenization
Stable Coins
Prediction Markets
Circle
Tether
Blockchain Technology
Crypto Market
Microstrategy
Robinhood
Polymarket
Blockworks

Empire features interviews with top crypto founders to get the real stories that aren’t shared elsewhere. Empire is your look behind the curtain of the crypto industry. We release two episodes per week: guest interviews on Monday and a weekly roundup on Friday.

PublishesDailyEpisodes658Founded5 years ago
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Artwork for Empire

Latest Episodes

Crypto's window for regulatory clarity is about to close while Robinhood raises questions about who actually captures the value created onchain.

This week, we unpack Clarity’s narrowing path through Congress and what failure could mean for crypto ma... more

What happens when crypto finally builds a trading experience for everyone, not just crypto natives?

This week, Jason sits down with fomo co-founders Paul and Se to discuss why consumer crypto has struggled, how fomo is approaching onchain trading di... more

YouTube

AI and distribution moats are forcing investors to separate real business transformation from crypto’s unresolved value-capture problem.

This week, Jason and Santi discuss what months of researching crypto adoption taught Inversion, why the firm's i... more

YouTube

This week, we’re back with another weekly roundup to discuss the announcement of OUSD and what it means for the future of Circle. We then deep dive into Robinhood’s recent product launches, Venice’s $65M raise, crypto’s continued discussion around to... more

YouTube

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Recent Guests

Jesse Krautman
Makara founder, crypto investor
Makara
Episode: What’s Circle’s End Game, Robinhood Launches A Chain & Venice Raises $65M
Eric Voorhees
Founder of Venice
Venice
Episode: What’s Circle’s End Game, Robinhood Launches A Chain & Venice Raises $65M
Vishal Garg
CEO and founder of Better
Better.com
Episode: Can You Really Buy A House Without Selling Your Crypto? | Vishal Garg
Karl Floersch
Optimism Co-Founder
Optimism
Episode: Optimism Co-Founders: What Happened to the L2s? Ben Jones & Karl Floersch
Ben Jones
Optimism Co-Founder
Optimism
Episode: Optimism Co-Founders: What Happened to the L2s? Ben Jones & Karl Floersch
Ryan Watkins
Co-founder of Syncracy, advocate and investor in Hyperliquid
Syncracy
Episode: The Bull Case For Hyperliquid | Ryan Watkins
Mike Selig
Chairman of the CFTC
U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Episode: CFTC Chair Michael Selig On Perps, Prediction Markets & Crypto In The U.S
Ryan Zurrer
Venture investor and crypto fund founder, early Polychain employee
Dialectic
Episode: SpaceX’s $1.75T IPO, Strategy Sells Bitcoin & Crypto’s Hard Reset
Mike Cagney
Co-founder and exec chairman of Figure; former co-founder/CEO of SoFi
Figure
Episode: Figure Co-Founder: How Figure Became A $10B Business | Mike Cagney

Hosts

Rob
Host involved in empire-branded crypto discussions; frequent moderator and commentator
Santiago Roel Santos
Co-host who contributes industry and market context; frequent interviewer

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 589 ratings
  • Thanks for the alpha, I'm a convert. Update: I really like the Content section recommendations. Please keep it.

    Podcast Addict
    5
    DbONZ
    6 months ago
  • 1000x

    I wish 1000x had its own feed. Those guys are genuinely smart and insightful. The other shows on this feed are very broey and kind of just mid-curve.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    0010010
    United Statesa year ago
  • It gives me hope as an investor

    Regularly listening to Avi and whatever the other guys name is, knowing that not only do they remain confident to continue publishing content but also put their money into markets lets me know that there are market participants less sophisticated than I. I especially enjoy how they see their own conjecture as some sort of fundamental thesis. The only thing I enjoy more is how often they are wrong; I guess if you always call for a bottom you’ve got to nail it sometimes but I guess I missed those ... more

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    Rscat
    United States2 years ago
  • First time listener. Thanks for the alpha, I'm a convert.

    Podcast Addict
    5
    DbONZ
    2 years ago
  • Understanding Web3 - Source Found 🚀

    Consolidated 5 stars and would be six after the recent explanation of restaking economics - well deserved for this podcast. An amazing series of guests around the Crypto / Web3 industry, interviewed by a host in the know. Recommended 👍

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    @K_Speckmann
    Italy2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners praise deep, alpha-rich discussions and strong guest rosters
Shows objective, rigorous approach with actionable insights for investors and builders
Audience notes balanced, high-depth coverage with occasional critique of market timing

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Can You Really Buy A House Without Selling Your Crypto? | Vishal Garg
Q: What role does Sky play in lowering the cost of capital, and is the Sky facility live yet?
Sky provides short- and long-duration capital to back tokenized mortgages, lowering Better's cost of capital by a substantial margin; the Sky facility is not live yet but is a key goal in their strategy to reduce interest costs by up to about 100 basis points.
Can You Really Buy A House Without Selling Your Crypto? | Vishal Garg
Q: What separates crypto mortgage products from those previously available, and how does Better approach risk and margin calls?
Compared to other crypto loans that require full collateral and risk margin calls, Better's product only requires a portion of the down payment in crypto, with no margin calls and fixed-rate, long-term financing intended to stabilize costs for the borrower.
Can You Really Buy A House Without Selling Your Crypto? | Vishal Garg
Q: Walk me through how the Bitcoin-backed mortgage with Coinbase originated and why it's significant.
It started from a long-standing desire to let people use liquid crypto as a down payment instead of selling it; after attempts with Carta X and earlier pilots, the team moved to a triparty pledge via Coinbase custody, enabling tokenized assets like Bitcoin and USDC to serve as down payments with a seamless pre-approval and closing flow.
Crypto's Value Capture Problem & Why Robinhood Built Its Own Blockchain
Q: Is there a play on AI that you will look at going forward?
Yes, the speaker expects AI to be a core driver of efficiency and value, with an emphasis on using AI to transform workflows, accelerate due diligence, and reduce the required human headcount, while maintaining prudent investment discipline.
Crypto's Value Capture Problem & Why Robinhood Built Its Own Blockchain
Q: What is the update on Inversion's mandate and focus going forward?
The update is to broaden the mandate and deploy balance sheet capital to buy good businesses where technology—including AI and crypto—can meaningfully improve operations and value creation; the emphasis is on investing in quality businesses rather than chasing crypto alone.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Empire

What is Empire about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A deep-dive crypto show focused on the intersection of traditional finance, blockchain infrastructure, and Web3 innovation. Across episodes, listeners are treated to candid conversations with top founders and executives about tokenization, DeFi risk, on-chain governance, and the evolving role of institutions in crypto, with emphasis on real-world infrastructure, regulatory dynamics, and practical pathways for scaling on-chain finance. Noteworthy are in-depth interviews with fintech founders, cross-project collaborations during crises, and practical explorations of tokenized assets, stablecoins, and on-chain capital markets that help illuminate both opportunities and risks for builders and investors alike.

Where can I find podcast stats for Empire?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Empire. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Empire and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Empire get?

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What are the audience demographics for Empire?

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How many subscribers and views does Empire have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Empire has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Empire?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Empire:

1. Unchained
2. Bankless
3. On The Brink with Castle Island
4. 1000x
5. Bell Curve

How many episodes of Empire are there?

Empire launched 5 years ago and published 658 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Empire?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

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Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Empire from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

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What guests have appeared on Empire?

Recent guests on Empire include:

1. Jesse Krautman
2. Eric Voorhees
3. Vishal Garg
4. Karl Floersch
5. Ben Jones
6. Ryan Watkins
7. Mike Selig
8. Ryan Zurrer

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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