🎙️ The Latest Development – The Summit Series Ep. 5

Cruising Salt Lake City in the Jeep with Josh from SP3ND (@SP3NDdotshop)

Pulling out of the MtnDAO office for Episode 5 of The Summit Series! Host Dirt sits down with Josh (aka @jpsychedelic369), co-founder of SP3ND — the easiest way to buy anything on Amazon, eBay, Shopify, and more using your stablecoins (no KYC, no debit card, no headaches).

From Texas boys building in Web3, to getting debanked and turning frustration into a real product, Josh breaks down:

How SP3ND works as your personal checkout concierge (paste any product link → pay in crypto → delivered anywhere)

Their insane 45% new-user retention rate (way above e-commerce averages)

The upcoming Shopify module, browser extension, agent integration, and plans to make shopping with crypto even more seamless

Why real customer service still matters in Web3

Delivering to 48+ countries, unexpected volume from Europe & Asia, and building a loyal cult community

Shot while cruising the beautiful streets (and mountain views) of Salt Lake City during MtnDAO — this is real talk, founder chemistry, and practical insights you can actually use.

If you've ever wanted to SP3ND your magic internet money on everyday items without swapping, fees, or friction… this episode is for you.

Timestamps

00:00 – Pulling out of MtnDAO

01:50 – Who is Josh & how he met his co-founder

04:30 – The SP3ND origin story (the debanking moment)

07:45 – How the product actually works

12:00 – User journey, retention, and organic growth

18:30 – Returns, customer service & why it matters

23:00 – Financial model, future roadmap & browser extension

28:00 – Unexpected countries are booming!

32:00 – Pitch day stories & live delivery stunt at MtnDAO

Guest:

Josh (@jpsychedelic369) – COO & Co-Founder of SP3ND

Follow SP3ND:

🌐 https://sp3nd.shop

X: @SP3NDdotshop

The Latest Development is presented by EXO

Hosted by Dirt

The Summit Series – filmed on location in Salt Lake City during MtnDAO

Drop a like if you're ready to SP3ND your stablecoins 👇

Comment your biggest crypto spending pain point — we'll reply!

#SP3ND #Stablecoins #Solana #CryptoShopping #AmazonWithCrypto #MtnDAO #Web3Ecommerce #SummitSeries

In Ep 4 of The Summit Series on The Latest Development podcast — presented by EXO and hosted by Dirt — we hit the road in a Jeep cruising up the stunning snowy Wasatch mountains surrounding Salt Lake City, Utah.

Joining Dirt is Mike MacCana, Solana Developer Relations at QuickNode, a cryptography veteran, former Node.js contributor, and deep Solana ecosystem builder (Solana Kite, Sandstorm Hackathon prize winner, and more).

This candid, unfiltered conversation covers:

- Mike's journey from avoiding crypto entirely (while running a cryptography/PKI/SSL optimization company from 2015–2020) → getting air-dropped ETH for Node.js contributions → discovering Solana's speed in late 2021 → quitting his equities trading platform job to build a Solana wallet.

- Early frustrations with slow blockchains vs. the "fast and cheap" promise that drew him to Solana.

- Deep dives into cryptography history (RSA origins, ancient ciphers, post-quantum tech) and schooling traditional cryptographers.

- Building privacy-preserving apps on Solana using Arcium — the encrypted supercomputer enabling confidential computing.

- Creating private on-chain elections (votes stay encrypted, only the winner/tally revealed at the end), blind commercial negotiations/auctions, and why Arcium feels like a game-changer for developers (just write normal Rust/Anchor code and get encrypted execution).

- Solana's unique "quadfecta" (fast, cheap, decentralized, with real users) vs. other chains, plus the emerging "quinfecta" with privacy.

- Everyday hidden Solana adoption (PayPal/Venmo users unknowingly holding Solana addresses for pyUSD), underexplored knowledge gaps, and Mike's mission at QuickNode: empowering Solana devs to build awesome stuff.

Shot entirely on-location with epic mountain views, canyon roads, and SLC vibes — this is crypto talk the way it should be: real, raw, and rolling through the Wasatch.

Timestamps (approximate):

- 00:00 – Jeep intro & safety vibes

- ~01:30 – Mike's pre-crypto cryptography world

- ~07:00 – Discovering Solana via Twitter Spaces

- ~12:00 – Building wallets & early Solana days

- ~20:00+ – Arcium deep dive: encrypted elections, blind auctions, Arcium magic

- ~Last section – Solana's edge, QuickNode role, and future of privacy onchain

If you're a Solana dev, cryptography nerd, or just love mountain drives with real builder convos — this one's for you.

Subscribe to The Latest Development for more builder-focused episodes from the front lines of decentralized tech. Presented by EXO.

Follow:

- Mike MacCana: https://x.com/mikemaccana

- QuickNode on X: @QuicknodeSolana | https://quicknode.com

- EXO: https://exotechnologies.xyz

#EXO #EXOTech #TheLatestDevelopment #Solana #QuickNode #Arcium #PrivacyOnchain #Crypto #Web3 #SolanaDevelopment #ConfidentialComputing #SummitSeries #SaltLakeCity #WasatchMountains

The Latest Development Podcast – Summit Series Ep. 3

Guest: Isaac from Chomp (@chompdotfyi)

Hosted by Dirt | Presented by EXO

Cruising up the snowy Wasatch mountains in the jeep, host Dirt sits down with Isaac from Chomp during the legendary mtnDAO crypto workshop in Salt Lake City. Filmed on-location as part of the high-energy gathering, this episode captures the raw builder vibes, mountain air, and unfiltered conversation that only happens at elevation.

Isaac dives deep into:

- How Chomp began as a crypto-native experiment but is now pivoting hard toward mainstream web2 audiences 🔥

- Building an "honesty layer" for the internet: a market that surfaces what people actually believe on subjective topics where opinions shift daily (no objective outcomes like traditional prediction markets)

- Why high "belief drift" spaces like daily reality TV episodes make the perfect proving ground (new episode = instant opinion flip = massive conversation)

- The Surprisingly Popular algorithm (from the 2017 Nature paper) and how Chomp’s game-theoretic design rewards honest takes + smart crowd predictions

- Three-part payout system: nail the crowd percentage, get bonus for surprisingly unpopular (but correct) minority views, reward novel/non-redundant opinions

- iOS app launch targeted for mid-April 2026 — starting with fun, addictive question formats.

- Chompy the mascot, limited-edition stuffies, the exclusive “Chompy’s Angels” Telegram crew, and Isaac’s closing mantra: peace, love, wellness, and radical honesty — in games and in life

Whether you’re grinding at mtnDAO, deep in crypto twitter, or live-tweeting your favorite reality show, this episode shows how incentives + blockchain can finally capture real human beliefs at internet speed.

Huge thanks to the entire mtnDAO crew for the unreal energy, connections, and mountain magic that made this Summit Series episode possible. Special shoutout to EXO for powering the series.

Follow Chomp:

Twitter/X: @chompdotfyi (spell out the dot!)

Website: chomp.fyi (stay tuned for launch updates)

Follow the show:

Subscribe for more Summit Series episodes — builder convos in the jeep, straight from mtnDAO and the slopes 🏔️⛷️

Timestamps:

00:00 – Jeep cruise + mtnDAO workshop intro

01:30 – Chomp’s origin story & shift from crypto to mainstream

04:30 – Targeting gossip, reality TV & rapid belief drift

08:00 – Why Love Island = Chomp rocket fuel

12:00 – Subjective belief markets vs classic prediction markets

18:00 – Surprisingly Popular mechanism breakdown

24:00 – Payout math: accuracy + surprise + novelty rewards

29:00 – Mid-April 2026 iOS launch & early question vibes

32:00 – Final thoughts: peace, love, honesty & living well

#mtnDAO #Chomp #SummitSeries #CryptoWorkshop #RealityTV #LoveIsland #PredictionMarkets #Solana #Web3 #HonestyLayer #EXO #SaltLakeCity #MountainBuilders

The Summit Series Episode 2 of The Latest Development (presented by EXO, hosted by Dirt)! Filmed in the Jeep en route to Snowbird for mtnDAO week two in Salt Lake City — raw, real-time builder conversation with mountain views.

Dirt talks with Jerk (@hydex_io), co-founder/CEO of Hydex: a 12+ year crypto veteran sharing his journey from Bitcoin mining in Saskatchewan to ICO wins, NFT projects, DAO governance lessons, and why privacy is now critical for Solana.

Condensed timestamps (minutes:seconds format):

• 0:07 – Intro & cruising up to mtnDAO week two
• 0:24 – Why mtnDAO feels different: high-signal building, integrations, feedback > standard conferences
• 1:05 – Previous guest Beard (mtnDAO co-founder); ideal spot for shipping products, finding users, getting real feedback
• 1:40 – Jerk’s background: 10–12 years in crypto, started with mining to deeply understand Bitcoin
• 2:27 – Lifelong tech tinkerer (hardware/software since childhood)
• 3:13 – 2017 Saskatoon mining farm (400 rigs, custom -40°C overclock cooling)
• 4:18 – ICO successes (ETH, Zilliqa private seed), Tron trading simulator
• 5:23 – Full-time crypto life through bears & bulls
• 6:08 – Psychedelics-themed NFT project (Sideye) originally planned for Solana, built on Polygon
• 7:46 – NFT hype tail-end lessons; utility vs. scams
• 9:45 – NFTs evolving to RWAs; power of bespoke communities & DAO governance challenges (Verbs DAO experience)
• 12:59 – AI tooling to fix DAO decision-making (async, consensus without endless chats)
• 14:28 – Privacy excitement: essential layer as AI profiling rises; right to private transactions
• 15:38 – Privacy isn’t just for dark markets — normal people deserve financial discretion
• 16:42 – Building software (not centralized products) reduces regulatory pressure; true on-chain privacy
• 18:19 – Hydex origin: team bonded through hardship; Cypherpunk hackathon win with Zcash → Solana privacy bridge
• 19:48 – Bridge keeps Zcash shielded privacy intact after landing on Solana
• 20:36 – Roadmap: validator, LST with Zcash rewards, Layer 33 collab, privacy-focused RPC exploration
• 22:55 – Hydentity: encrypted .sol domains via vault (hides full on-chain history) + custom privacy router
• 25:01 – User-first UX: simple app + SDK for seamless wallet integration (Backpack, Solflare, etc.)
• 26:39 – Simulations validate strong privacy; protocol protects users from mistakes
• 27:32 – AI in dev workflows: must-have but needs structure to avoid refactoring chaos
• 29:18 – Arrival at the mountain; Hydex socials & website
• 29:41 – Outro: thanks, Super Team Canada plug, “best time to be building”

Hydex focuses on effortless Solana privacy: encrypted .sol domains (Hydentity), Zcash bridge, shielded tools, and protocol-level routing so users stay private without complexity.

Connect with Jerk / Hydex

• X/Twitter: @hydex_io
• Website: https://hydex.io

On-location mountain-road energy straight from the Solana builder scene at mtnDAO.

Subscribe for more Summit Series and builder conversations on The Latest Development — hosted by Dirt, presented by EXO.

#Solana #mtnDAO #Privacy #Hydex #Crypto #Web3 #SolanaPrivacy #Snowbird #SummitSeries #SaltLakeCity

The Summit Series kicks off with host Dirt chauffeuring Barrett (co-founder of Ranger Finance & mtnDAO) through Salt Lake City for a candid, on-the-go conversation about building in crypto, the power of co-working spaces, AI adoption, and the future of decentralized finance on Solana.

Recorded while driving out of the mtnDAO office, Barrett shares insights into mtnDAO's evolution into a premier builder hub for Solana and beyond, Ranger Finance's roadmap as a unified trading superapp (from perps aggregation to upcoming prediction markets, vaults, mobile, and more), and why now is the perfect time to build amid market dips.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 – Intro & welcome to the Summit Series; Barrett joins from Ranger Finance & mtnDAO (driving out of the office).
• 00:30 – What is mtnDAO? Co-working for Solana/crypto builders, recent expansion to 14,500 sq ft in downtown SLC, attracting AI folks and diverse builders.
• 01:15 – Office upgrades, culture, dream setup for remote workers, provided lunches, networking, and fast user growth/testing.
• 02:20 – Secret teams, workshops, mobile dev handouts; excitement around AI agents as an unlock, not distraction.
• 02:35 – AI as productivity multiplier; advice for founders/teams: just start playing/experimenting with LLMs, like early Google search mastery.
• 03:40 – Optimizing agents like managing humans; iterative learning from one to many agents.
• 04:45 – Diving into Ranger: excitement over pipeline (prediction markets soon, mobile app in progress despite Apple delays, Earn/vaults priority, growing TVL).
• 05:50 – Current ~$24M TVL in vaults; goal to hit nine figures in Q1; need better marketing of products.
• 06:40 – Vision: end-to-end financial management platform (perps, spot, prediction markets, yield optimization).
• 07:30 – Prediction markets details: aqua-hire of Four Markets team, own DEX (auditing), plus aggregation for liquidity/arbitrage.
• 08:20 – Aggregation roots (started with perps due to no aggregators then); belief in app-layer monetization and abstraction for mainstream users.
• 09:20 – Moving beyond chain tribalism; integrating top venues like Hyperliquid; new Solana perps (Bulk Trade, Phoenix, Bullet).
• 10:30 – Importance of perps for DeFi velocity and capital attraction; app layer as the sticky user touchpoint.
• 11:40 – Full future vision: seamless on/off ramps, one app for banking, equities, crypto trading (consumer + prosumer bifurcated experiences).
• 13:20 – Dual front-ends for cohorts; treating them almost as separate apps while sharing backend engine.
• 14:15 – Balancing running Ranger + mtnDAO; mtnDAO now largely self-running with strong culture and ops team.
• 15:00 – mtnDAO as a builder machine; future case study potential; people > place; Solana shipping ethos elevated.
• 16:50 – Talent wins from mtnDAO (e.g., Voltar → vaults/Earn, Forum Markets team).
• 17:50 – Personal story: how attending mtnDAO years ago changed everything from casual listener to deep in the space.
• 19:00 – Shoutouts & closing: Ranger updates coming (more tweets, app overhaul); build through bears, noise is gone—prime time; touch snow, enjoy life, stick around.

Tune in for real talk on crypto building, AI acceleration, and why Ranger is positioning itself as Solana's go-to trading superapp. Peace! 🚗🏔️

🎙 The Latest Development Podcast | Solana to $10K? Parker (DFDV) on Building the Digital Economy

In this high-signal episode of The Latest Development, host Dirt welcomes Parker — COO & CIO of DeFi Dev Corp (NASDAQ: DFDV) — for a deep dive into Solana, public crypto companies, and the future of finance.

Parker drops his bold SOL to $10,000 thesis, explains why experiencing Solana on-chain beats any spreadsheet, and shares how DFDV is building an active Digital Asset Treasury (DAT) that treats SOL as productive “digital oil.” From his early finance roots and Kraken days to launching one of the top-performing Nasdaq stocks of 2025, this conversation is packed with conviction and actionable insights.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Intro & Welcome
• 00:29 Parker’s Bold Thesis: Why SOL Goes to $10,000
• 02:36 User Experience Argument – Try Solana for Yourself
• 03:08 Parker’s Backstory: From Homeschool to Bitcoin & Kraken
• 06:38 Founding DeFi Dev Corp – The Kraken Connection
• 07:15 Why Go Public? The Bridge Between TradFi and DeFi
• 10:11 MicroStrategy Inspiration & Active vs Passive Treasury
• 11:45 SOL as “Digital Oil” – Why Build an Operating Business
• 12:02 Running Validators as a Public Company
• 14:03 DFDV’s Business Model, Staking, LSTs & On-Chain Strategies
• 16:08 DFDV Stock vs DFDV SOL – Target Audience & On-Chain Token (DFDVx)
• 18:28 Liquidity Challenges for On-Chain Public Stocks
• 22:46 Arbitrage Opportunity for Enterprising Individuals
• 25:28 Should Solana Ever Go Public?
• 27:56 Solana as a Digital Economy (Not Just a Company)
• 33:25 Misunderstood Aspects of Digital Asset Treasuries (DATs)
• 34:48 Debt, Leverage & Why No Margin Calls
• 35:38 NAV Premiums – Why Active DATs Deserve Tech Valuations
• 39:39 International Expansion & Franchising Model (DFDV UK + more)
• 46:04 Final Takeaways: SOL to $10K & DFDV to 1 SOL Per Share

Key Topics Covered:

• SOL to $10K thesis and first-principles on-chain experience
• DFDV’s journey as a top-performing Nasdaq stock in 2025
• Growing SOL per share as the North Star (current ~0.07 → target 1.0)
• Validator operations, LST strategies, stake looping & DeFi yield
• Tokenized stock on Solana (DFDVx via Jupiter)
• Clearing misconceptions around leverage, NAV, and volatility
• Global brand expansion and local market adaptations

Guest: Parker White (@TheOtherParker_) – COO & CIO, DeFi Dev Corp

Host: Dirt

Presented by EXO

If you're bullish on Solana, DeFi, or innovative public crypto vehicles, this episode is essential listening.

👍 Like | 🔔 Subscribe | Share your thoughts in the comments — where do you see SOL and DFDV heading?

Links:

• DeFi Dev Corp: https://defidevcorp.com
• Follow Parker: https://x.com/TheOtherParker_
• Follow DFDV: https://x.com/DefiDevCorp

#Solana #DFDV #DeFi #Crypto #SolanaTo10000 #DigitalAssetTreasury #NASDAQ #Blockchain

The Latest Development – EXO Tech Podcast Hosted by Mike | Guest: Samiar from Gamma (@_gammafi)

In this episode, Mike sits down with Samiar, founder of Gamma to dive deep into the future of accessible DeFi yield on Solana and beyond.

Discover how Gamma uses advanced ML models and proprietary data pipelines to automate delta-neutral stablecoin strategies, delivering hands-off, high-yield portfolios via tokenized agents—no manual rebalancing, no liquidation worries. From building robust data infra for protocols like MarginFi, Jito, and Bonk, to creating "wealth management for the future," Samiar shares the journey, real performance (e.g., ~30% APR in closed beta), and upcoming expansions: SOL agents, RWA strategies, precious metals, and an autonomous hedge fund-style manager that dynamically allocates across agents.

They discuss stablecoin dominance (USDC/USDT vs. native yield-bearing options), why building your own data beats relying on others, token utility plans (revenue sharing, staking perks like priority deposits via cash queue), and why slow, steady DeFi compounding beats chasing pumps—especially in volatile markets.

Perfect for anyone tired of micromanaging positions and ready to let ML-optimized agents make your money work 24/7.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro & Guest Welcome

00:44 Samiar's Journey: Fibonacci to Gamma

03:21 Building Reliable Data Pipelines

07:45 Stablecoin Revenue & Ecosystem Thoughts

12:57 Gamma's Delta-Neutral Agent Explained

15:36 Future Agents: SOL, RWA, Hedge Fund Manager

22:19 GM Token Utility & Revenue Flow

35:04 Customizable Agents & Onboarding Vision

43:14 Final Thoughts & Beta Access

Follow Gamma: @_gammafi

Follow Samiar: @RealSamiar

Subscribe for more cutting-edge DeFi, Solana, and crypto insights!

#DeFi #Solana #YieldFarming #Gamma #CryptoPodcast #DeltaNeutral #MLinDeFi #EXOTech #EXO #Crypto #StableCoins #TheLatestDevelopment #TLD #TLDR #Hype #FYP

The Latest Development – EXO Tech Podcast

Mike sits down with Austin Fedora (formerly Solana Foundation) — co-founder of DoubleZero — to dive deep into one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in crypto.

From leaving Solana to become the man with the plan to build a high-performance, permissionless fiber network designed to make blockchains (starting with Solana) dramatically faster than the public internet — Austin is unlocking real high-frequency trading performance for DeFi and beyond.

Topics covered:

• Why the public internet can’t support 1M TPS blockchains
• Lessons from high-frequency trading & traditional finance networks
• How DoubleZero uses dedicated fiber + multicast to beat internet latency
• The future of validator economics and block production
• Why Solana is the hardest (and best) first use case
• Expansion beyond crypto: AI, hot storage (Shelby), breaking cloud walled gardens
• Hiring & fundraising wisdom from someone who’s lived both Solana and startup life

Whether you’re a validator, trader, builder, or just crypto-curious about what comes after software optimization — this is a must-listen on the physical layer that could accelerate the entire industry by a decade.

Timestamps / Chapters:

0:00 – Intro & why we skipped the countdown

0:50 – From Solana Foundation to building DoubleZero

4:30 – The moment he decided to leave & become a fiber nerd

8:20 – Team & hiring lessons from Solana days

13:00 – Brutally honest advice on hiring & VCs

19:00 – Is Solana ready? Other chains building for DoubleZero

23:00 – Breaking cloud walled gardens (AWS, Google, egress fees)

28:00 – Web2 + Web3 future use cases (AI data movement)

36:00 – Microwave vs fiber – what HFT actually uses today

43:00 – Low-level optimization & why crypto networking lags

49:00 – Spicy take: Should validators even make money?

51:00 – Multicast – the hidden accelerator coming soon

🎙️ Guest: Austin Fedora – Co-founder, DoubleZero 🎙️ Host: Mike – EXO Tech 📺 Subscribe for more deep dives into crypto infrastructure, scaling, and the next wave of performance.

#Solana #DoubleZero #CryptoInfrastructure #BlockchainScaling #DeFi #HighFrequencyTrading #Web3