Lex interviews Jayendra Jog - co-founder of Sei Labs, about his professional journey and the innovative Sei protocol—a high-performance parallel blockchain. Jay shares insights from his time at Robinhood, emphasizing the importance of distribution over technology and the challenges of scaling a fintech company. He discusses the limitations of Ethereum's transaction processing and how Sei Labs aims to address these through parallelization. The conversation also covers the future of blockchain in finance, the need for regulatory clarity, and the potential of high-performance blockchains to support emerging industries like AI and decentralized science.

Notable discussion points:

Impact Over Paychecks – Jog’s career leap from SAP to Facebook, Pinterest, Robinhood, and Sei Labs was driven by impact, not salary. He thrived in small, high-talent teams where he could truly move the needle.

Robinhood’s Growing Pains – Early Robinhood was fast and scrappy, but as it scaled, bureaucracy slowed innovation. The shift from “missionary” to “mercenary” employees hurt culture and velocity.

Tech Doesn’t Win—Distribution Does – The best crypto projects don’t just have great tech; they win by getting users. Sei Labs focuses on real-world adoption, not just engineering breakthroughs.

Sei’s Parallelized EVM: A Game Changer – Ethereum is slow. Sei Labs fixes this by parallelizing transactions, enabling high-speed trading and complex on-chain applications. It’s Ethereum’s power with Solana’s speed.

MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION

Topics: fintech, blockchain, Sei Labs, Sei protocol, Ethereum Virtual Machine, EVM, Robinhood, decentralized applications, DeFi protocols, DePIN

ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT

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👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin

TIMESTAMPS

1’29: From Silicon Valley Roots to Startup Hustle: Jayendra Jog’s Journey Through Tech’s Elite Ranks

7’53: Scaling Robinhood: From Scrappy Startup to Corporate Bureaucracy

12’56: Why Robinhood Won: Distribution Over Technology in Fintech and Crypto

17’38: Sei and the Parallelized EVM: Scaling Blockchain for High-Performance Trading

25’18: Parallelization in Blockchain: Unlocking Scalability Without Breaking the System

28’03: Building Sei: Solving the Blockchain Adoption Puzzle for Finance and Developers

33’50: The Blockchain Race: Competing for Killer Apps and Market Dominance

38’02: The Next Wave: Sei’s Vision for AI, DePIN, and High-Performance Blockchain Applications

41’34: The channels used to connect with Jay & learn more about Sei

Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.

Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, Daniella

Want to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex interviews Arun Kumar, the CTO of Socure, an identity management and risk assessment company. In this exciting episode, Arun touches on: (1) his experience building large-scale, high-throughput, and low-latency systems at companies like Amazon and Citadel, and how he applies that expertise to the identity verification and fraud detection challenges at Socure. (2) Socure's rapid growth, serving over 2,700 customers including 9 of the top 10 U.S. banks and over 30 state agencies, processing hundreds of millions of transactions per month. (3) Socure's approach to building a real-time identity graph by aggregating signals from devices, phone numbers, IPs, and other data points to detect and prevent sophisticated fraud tactics like deepfakes and fraud GPTs. (4) The company's recent acquisition of Effectiv to simplify the integration process for customers and improve efficiency, as well as its use of Generative AI to automate various tasks. Lastly, (5) Socure's future plans to expand beyond account opening and login into transaction monitoring, as well as exploring opportunities in the growing embedded finance and digital identity spaces.

MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION

Topics: Socure, Effectiv, Citadel, Amazon, Identity management, digital identity, generative AI, deepfakes, fraud prevention, machine learning, identity verification

ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT

🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2

🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV

👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin

TIMESTAMPS

1’02: Scaling Innovation: Exploring High-Performance Systems and Real-Time Technology

4’04: From Financial Data to Machine Learning: Scaling Systems and Solving Edge Cases

8’49: Bridging Big Tech and Quant Finance: Exploring Technology Overlaps and Ultra-Low Latency Systems

11’12: Protecting Digital Identity at Scale: The Journey to Socure and Solving Real-Time Fraud Challenges

15’50: Building the Network Effect: How Socure Became a Leader in Identity Verification and Fraud Prevention

21’00: Battling Modern Fraud: Deepfakes, Generative AI, and the Evolving Landscape of Digital Security

26’30: Revolutionizing Customer Success: Simplifying Integrations with No-Code Solutions and Real-Time Performance Insights

29’57: Scaling Customer Integration: Fixed Costs, POCs, and Generative AI-Driven Value Propositions

34’00: Driving Efficiency and Scale: Socure's Evolving Product Roadmap and Future Vision

36’14: Learning from Customization: Standardizing for Scalability and Long-Term Growth

38’58: Expanding Horizons: Growing Market Share and Addressable Markets in Digital Transactions

41’00: The channels used to connect with Arun & learn more about Socure

Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.

Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, Daniella

Want to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex interviews Shachar Bialick, the founder and CEO of Curve, a fintech mobile wallet. In this exciting episode, Shachar touches on: (1) his background as a serial entrepreneur and his experience in the Israeli military shaped his ability to solve problems and work in high-stress environments, which are key traits for a successful founder. (2) The initial idea behind Curve was to create a "wallet to rule them all" - a single interface that could consolidate and manage multiple payment cards and accounts, providing more value and convenience to customers. (3) Building Curve involved navigating complex challenges, such as convincing payment networks like Mastercard and Visa to change their rules to allow Curve's back-to-back wallet technology. This required a resilient, innovative, and persistence approach. (4) Shachar emphasizes the importance of building a company culture that fosters curiosity, adaptability, and a belief that "everything is possible" rather than focusing on perceived limitations. (5) Lastly, Shachar discusses the evolution of the fintech landscape, including the challenges faced by neobanks in creating true financial marketplaces, and the ongoing issues with the implementation of open banking standards.

MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION

Topics: Curve, ApplePay, Google Wallet, PayPal, Tink, neobank, fintech, wallets, payments, paytech, NFC, Open Banking

ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT

🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2

🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV

👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin

TIMESTAMPS

1’02: From Military Service to Fintech Success: Shachar Bialick on Founding Curve and Redefining Payments

9’10: The Resilient Founder: Risk-Taking, Leadership, and the Cultural Mindset Behind Entrepreneurship

14’59: From Unbundling to Rebundling: Building Curve to Solve Financial Fragmentation

20’50: Revolutionizing Payments: Curve's Ambition to Unite Financial Ecosystems

24’26: Trailblazing Curve: Overcoming Challenges to Redefine Payments and Build a Global Fintech Ecosystem

30’23: Project Elah: How Curve Challenged Apple’s NFC Restrictions to Redefine Digital Wallets

34’50: Shaving the Lion: How Curve Built a Culture to Overcome Industry Challenges and Innovate

39’05: Challenging Apple Pay: Curve’s Strategy to Deliver Tangible Customer Benefits

42’01: The Evolution of Fintech Infrastructure: Challenges, Opportunities, and the Role of Open Banking

51’54: The channels used to connect with Shachar & learn more about Curve

Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.

Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, Daniella

Want to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex interviews Michael Heinrich, co-founder and CEO of 0G (Zero Gravity) Labs. In this exciting episode, Lex and Michael explore the concept of decentralized artificial intelligence (AI) and how it differs from centralized, closed-source AI models provided by big tech companies. Michael kicks off with his background in tech and finance, and how he became interested in decentralized AI as a solution to the issues with closed AI systems. Notable discussion points: (1) Decentralized AI provides transparency and verifiability around the data, training, and model alignment used, unlike closed AI systems. (2) Blockchain-based systems can help enforce a "code of conduct" for AI models and ensure fair rewards distribution for data contributors. (3) 0G Labs is building a decentralized AI operating system focused on key components like decentralized storage, data availability, and a serving layer for AI inference. (4) And lastly, the company is working with various providers of AI verification mechanisms (zKML, OPML, TEML, etc.) to integrate with their decentralized AI platform. The ultimate goal is to provide a seamless user experience for building and deploying decentralized AI applications, similar to how centralized tech platforms operate today.

MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION

Topics: 0G, 0G Labs, Zero Gravity Labs, Bridgewater Associates, ORA, Story Protocol, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Decentralized AI, Tokenized AI, Web3, Blockchain, zkML, TeeML, OPML, SPML

ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT

🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2

🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV

👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin

TIMESTAMPS

1’10: Decentralized AI: From Early Tech Fascination to Innovating the Future

4’08: From Finance to Founding: A Journey of Passion, Growth, and Resilience

9’07: Web3 Meets AI: Building a Human-Centric Future Through Blockchain Innovation

13’45: Decentralized AI Explained: Trustless Systems vs. Closed AI Paradigms

17’21: Decentralized AI Solutions: Addressing Bias, Censorship, and Fair Rewards

23’30: Decentralized AI Framework: Building Open, Trustless Systems for Developers

27’28: Data Availability in Decentralized AI: Supercharging Blockchain for High-Performance Applications

31’24: Integrating Decentralized AI: From User Queries to Scalable Inference Frameworks

34’38: Tokenized AI Ecosystems: Economic Flows and Emerging Inference Networks

40’04: Ensuring Trust in AI Outputs: Bridging Verification Mechanisms with Decentralized Systems

42’13: Decentralized AI's Future: Breakout Use Cases and the Path to Mainstream Adoption

44’40: The channels used to connect with Michael & learn more about 0G

Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.

Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, Daniella

Want to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex interviews Tom Duff Gordon, the Vice President of International Policy at Coinbase, where he drives the company’s engagement with policymakers in global markets across the UK, Europe, APAC, LatAm, and the MENA region. Together, Tomm and Lex discuss the importance of policy work in the financial services industry, especially after the 2008 financial crisis, and how policy teams collaborate with regulators to shape the regulatory environment; the reasons why the financial services industry is heavily regulated, including the systemic and interconnected nature of the financial system and the need to protect retail consumers; the regulatory approaches to cryptocurrency and digital assets in different jurisdictions, with Europe (MiCA), the US, and other regions like Asia. The discussion highlights the diverse and evolving nature of crypto regulation globally; the challenges faced by the US in developing a coherent regulatory framework for crypto assets, particularly the jurisdictional tussle between the SEC and CFTC; Coinbase's efforts to advocate for clear and balanced crypto regulation, including through grassroots initiatives like "Stand with Crypto"; and lastly, Coinbase's evolving product strategy, expanding beyond its core exchange business into areas like custody, lending, and infrastructure for the broader crypto ecosystem.

MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION

Topics: Coinbase, Credit Suisse, SEC, Circle, MiCA, Stand With Crypto, FIT21, financial regulation, financial policy, crypto, exchange, USDC

ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT

🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2

🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV

👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin

TIMESTAMPS

1’02: Shaping the Future of Finance: Tom Duff Gordon’s career involving Policy, Crypto, and Global Regulation

7’30: Preventing Financial Panic: How Regulation Mitigates Systemic Collapse

13’12: From Bank Runs to Balance Sheets: Tackling Systemic Risk and Preventing Financial Contagion

16’32: Regulating Crypto: Global Progress and Emerging Frameworks

19’42: Expanding Crypto Regulation Worldwide: Frameworks, Challenges, and the Road Ahead

28’18: Crypto and the SEC: Unpacking America’s Contradictory Approach to Regulation

34’30: Crypto Politics: Why the US is Divided While Europe Stays Unified

41’30: Scaling Crypto: Coinbase's Multi-Vertical Strategy and Ecosystem Vision

45’28: The channels used to connect with Tom & learn more about Coinbase

Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.

Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, Daniella

Want to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex interviews Alessandro Chesser - CEO of Dynasty, a San Jose-based online platform for trust creation and management. In this episode, the key topics discussed include: The importance of aligning business and product teams, and the challenges Chesser faced when this alignment broke down during Carta's unsuccessful foray into the private markets business. Chesser's decision to leave Carta and co-found Dynasty, a startup that aims to simplify the process of creating trusts to avoid probate and protect assets. Dynasty's go-to-market strategy, which focuses on driving organic growth through short-form video content on platforms like TikTok. And lastly, the technical and legal complexities of automating the trust creation process, and how Dynasty is navigating those challenges.

MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION

Topics: Dynasty, GetDynasty, Carta, eShares, fintech, trusts, legaltech, private markets, legal, SaaS, social media, TikTok, Instagram, LegalZoom

ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT

🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2

🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV

👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin

TIMESTAMPS

1’24: From Sales Pioneer to Scaling Success: Alessandro Chesser on Building Carta’s Sales Organization and Transforming the Cap Table Market

5’38: Building Carta's Success: Strategic Partnerships, Demand Generation, and Sales-Product Synergy

9’57: Navigating Growth and Product Alignment: Carta's Scaling Challenges and the CartaX Experience

14’19: The Journey from Carta to Founding Dynasty: The Lessons Learned and Taking the Leap

16’55: Democratizing Estate Planning: Dynasty’s Mission to Make Trusts Accessible for Everyone

23’11: Unlocking Wealth Protection: Directed Trusts, Asset Security, and Tax Strategies for Founders and Investors

26’00: Trusts for the Middle Class: Simple Solutions for Inheritance and Probate Avoidance

28’19: Privacy and Protection: Using Trusts to Safeguard Real Estate and Build Awareness Through Organic Growth

32’02: Cracking the Viral Code: Leveraging Short-Form Video to Drive Customer Acquisition in Estate Planning

35’09: Building a Viral Marketing Team: Crafting Convincing Content for Organic Growth in FinTech

39’35: Engineering Simplicity in Legal Tech: Automating Trusts and Navigating Legal Complexities

42’52: The channels used to connect with Alessandro & learn more about Dynasty

Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.

Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, Daniella

Want to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex is interviewing Sankaet Pathak, the former CEO and founder of Synapse, and CEO and current founder of Foundation, to explore what happened with Synapse, the banking as a service industry, and key lessons learned. The discussion covers Synapse's origins, the reliance on bank partners like Evolve, the discovery of reconciliation issues and missing payments, and the eventual sale of Synapse to TabaPay. Pathak shares details on the various categories of "breaks" they uncovered, including debits from customer accounts, undisclosed fees, and the challenges around the Mercury migration. The episode also touches on potential regulatory oversights, the role of blockchain technology, and Pathak's perspective on his critics. The summary provides a comprehensive overview of the issues faced by Synapse and the broader implications for the banking infrastructure space.

MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION

Topics: BaaS, API, Open Banking, payments, banking, Fintech, Embedded Finance, regulation

Tags: Synapse, Foundation, Evolve Bank, Mercury Bank, TabaPay, Yotta, FDIC

ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT

🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2

🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV

👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin

TIMESTAMPS

1’06: Synapse and the Evolution of Banking-as-a-Service: Sankaet Pathak’s introduction

3’26: The Synapse Story: Inside the Banking Infrastructure and Its Collapse

6’17: Behind the Rise and Reliance: How Evolve Bank Became Synapse’s Key Partner

9’16: Uncovering Reconciliation Issues: How Synapse Detected Problems with Evolve Bank

11’05: Tracking Customer Funds: How Synapse Managed User-Level Data with Pooled Bank Accounts

14’41: Uncovering Payment Breaks and Fee Issues: The Challenges Synapse Faced with Evolve Bank

21’16: Tracing Missing Funds: Synapse’s Financial Breakdowns and Evolve Bank’s Alleged Deception

24’44: From Billion-Dollar Valuation to Fire Sale: The Synapse Collapse and TabaPay Deal

29’04: Missing Millions: How a Migration Error with Mercury Led to a $49 Million Discrepancy

33’37: Lessons from Synapse’s Collapse: Reflecting on What Could Have Been Done Differently

39’10: Reflecting on Mistakes: Scaling Too Fast and the Complexities of Synapse’s Brokerage Service

43’11: Rethinking Financial Oversight: The Need for Bank Accountability and Direct Regulation of Bank-Adjacent Companies

45’59: Addressing the Critics: Sankaet Pathak on Misunderstandings and Missed Opportunities in the Synapse Collapse

Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.

Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, Daniella

Want to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.