• From Deloitte to Betting Big on Blockchain: Inside Eric Piscini Playbook | High Stakes Ep. 16
    2025/07/29

    In this episode, Alex is joined by Eric Piscini, the CEO of Hashgraph. Eric brings decades of enterprise innovation experience, from launching Deloitte’s blockchain practice to leading AI strategy at IBM Watson Health. Today, he’s spearheading real enterprise adoption of blockchain at Hashgraph by making tokenization and decentralization usable and scalable.

    Eric breaks down how Hashgraph is navigating regulation, integrating AI agents with blockchain, and helping enterprises unlock the next wave of digital transformation with technologies like Hashstia and decentralized AI.

    KEY TAKEAWAYS

    • Blockchain has matured from a crypto experiment to an enterprise-grade trust layer.
    • Enterprise blockchain adoption is accelerating, driven by real ROI, not hype.
    • Hashgraph offers fair ordering, predictable costs in USD, and low energy usage.
    • Tokenization is no longer a tech problem. The real blockers are regulatory and structural.
    • AI and blockchain intersect across three layers: decentralization, transparency, and payments.
    • Private blockchain environments are still critical for enterprise clients, which is why Hashgraph launched Hashstia.
    • Blockchain will become as invisible and integrated as cloud computing.
    • Most un-tokenized assets will soon feel outdated.
    • AI is advancing through consumer adoption, but its enterprise impact is just beginning.
    • Abstraction layers are key to onboarding enterprises into blockchain ecosystems.

    BEST MOMENTS

    01:50 “I was very fortunate to have the right sponsors within Deloitte telling me, you should push for this a few years and see what happens.”
    04:52 “We used to be called Fourth Labs. It meant ‘share the wealth.’ But aligning our brand to Hedera and Hashgraph helps the market understand what we do.”
    10:59 “Back then, we were talking to innovation teams. Today, we are engaging CFOs and CEOs trying to revamp supply chains and capital markets.”
    14:42 “The surprise to me was that the change with AI happened as a consumer-led shift first. We expected enterprise adoption to lead.”
    22:44 “We will hire AI agents to work for us. And they’ll need to transact value. Blockchain is the best way to enable that.”
    25:02 “Many blockchains will be good enough in 5 to 10 years. The differentiator will be usability and value to enterprises.”
    27:01 “Enterprises aren’t adopting because they think blockchain is too hard. We need to build abstraction layers, like the cloud did.”
    32:13 “Tokenization is not a technology problem. It’s about regulation and access. The technology is ready today.”
    36:42 “You can tokenize agents and let others use them. Every time they get used, you earn tokens. You’re investing in AI utility.”
    39:16 “Hashstia is for clients who need privacy, data residency, or compliance. Over time, they may shift to the public ledger.”
    44:31 “Forget about crypto. Blockchain is a trust layer for all human and corporate activity.”
    45:41 “In five years, any asset that isn’t tokenized will feel like a fax machine.”

    🎧 New episodes every Tuesday. Tune in weekly for sharp, no-hype conversations on blockchain, AI, and enterprise innovation.
    📢 Follow Validation Cloud for more insights:
    • Website: validationcloud.io
    • LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/validationcloud
    • X (Twitter): x.com/HighStakesWeb3
    • YouTube: youtube.com/@ValidationCloud

    👤 Hosted by Alex Nwaka, CSO at Validation Cloud.

    Cut through the noise. Stay ahead of the market.

    This podcast has been brought to you by APodcastGeek. https://www.apodcastgeek.com

    続きを読む 一部表示
    48 分
  • Inside Mezo: The Future of Bitcoin | High Stakes Ep. 15
    2025/07/22

    In this episode of High Stakes, Alex sits down with Brian Mahoney, VP of Business Development at Thesis and Founding Team Member at Mezo, to explore the next evolution of Bitcoin. From Bitcoin mortgages to stablecoins like MUSD, Brian shares why the future of on-chain finance is Bitcoin-native.

    You will learn:
    • Why Bitcoin-backed stablecoins are gaining momentum
    • How Mezo is building a circular Bitcoin economy
    • What makes Bitcoin staking possible (without Proof of Work)
    • How global demand for Bitcoin financing is growing
    • Why macro trends and regulation are creating massive tailwinds
    • How institutions and retail investors are unlocking new Bitcoin use cases

    If you care about the future of digital assets, real world use cases for crypto, and Bitcoin’s next decade, this episode is for you.

    🎧 New episodes every Tuesday. Tune in weekly for sharp, no-hype conversations on blockchain, AI, and enterprise innovation.
    📢 Follow Validation Cloud for more insights:
    • Website: validationcloud.io
    • LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/validationcloud
    • X (Twitter): x.com/HighStakesWeb3
    • YouTube: youtube.com/@ValidationCloud

    👤 Hosted by Alex Nwaka, CSO at Validation Cloud.

    Cut through the noise. Stay ahead of the market.

    This podcast has been brought to you by APodcastGeek. https://www.apodcastgeek.com

    続きを読む 一部表示
    43 分
  • The Future of AI, Blockchain, and Regulation with Morgan McKenney | High Stakes Ep. 14
    2025/06/12

    Alex Nwaka sits down with Morgan McKenney, former CEO of Provenance Blockchain Foundation, longtime Citi executive, and tech-led global operator, to discuss the convergence of blockchain and AI and what it means for the future of finance, blockchain infrastructure, and innovation. Morgan also announces her new role as advisor to Validation Cloud, bringing decades of leadership in finance, blockchain, and AI to help power the future of Web3 infrastructure.

    In this episode, Morgan discusses:

    • The return of blockchain IPOs- The rise of stablecoin regulation
    • Why blockchain creates the perfect dataset for AI
    • Why 2025 could be the year of the AI agent


    Learn more about Validation Cloud: https://validationcloud.io

    Watch more High Stakes episodes: https://validationcloud.io/highstakes

    🎧 New episodes every Tuesday. Tune in weekly for sharp, no-hype conversations on blockchain, AI, and enterprise innovation.
    📢 Follow Validation Cloud for more insights:
    • Website: validationcloud.io
    • LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/validationcloud
    • X (Twitter): x.com/HighStakesWeb3
    • YouTube: youtube.com/@ValidationCloud

    👤 Hosted by Alex Nwaka, CSO at Validation Cloud.

    Cut through the noise. Stay ahead of the market.

    This podcast has been brought to you by APodcastGeek. https://www.apodcastgeek.com

    続きを読む 一部表示
    48 分
  • Crypto is Macro Now: Bitcoin, Stablecoins, and Global Shifts with Noelle Acheson | High Stakes Ep. 13
    2025/05/22

    Alex Nwaka sits down with Noelle Acheson, crypto-macro analyst and author of Crypto is Macro Now, for a conversation on the intersection of crypto and macroeconomics. With a career spanning traditional finance, entrepreneurship, and research leadership at CoinDesk and Genesis Trading, Noelle shares her expertise on the crypto-macro environment. Together, they explore institutional adoption, the evolving role of stablecoins, Bitcoin’s place in a fractured global system, and how crypto is now shaping macro trends.
    Noelle Acheson is the author of Crypto is Macro Now, a leading newsletter on crypto and macro trends. Noelle was previously Head of Research at CoinDesk and Genesis Trading, and began her career in corporate finance and fund management before launching one of Spain’s early e-commerce startups. Today, she is widely regarded as one of the most insightful voices bridging macro and crypto.

    🎧 New episodes every Tuesday. Tune in weekly for sharp, no-hype conversations on blockchain, AI, and enterprise innovation.
    📢 Follow Validation Cloud for more insights:
    • Website: validationcloud.io
    • LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/validationcloud
    • X (Twitter): x.com/HighStakesWeb3
    • YouTube: youtube.com/@ValidationCloud

    👤 Hosted by Alex Nwaka, CSO at Validation Cloud.

    Cut through the noise. Stay ahead of the market.

    This podcast has been brought to you by APodcastGeek. https://www.apodcastgeek.com

    続きを読む 一部表示
    42 分
  • DTCC: Tokenization, Institutional DeFi, and AI with Dan Doney | High Stakes Ep. 12
    2025/04/29

    Alex Nwaka sits with Dan Doney, Managing Director and CTO at DTCC Digital Assets, for a rare and in-depth conversation. With a career spanning the U.S. Navy, the Defense Intelligence Agency, founding the pioneering blockchain company Securrency, and now driving innovation at DTCC, Dan brings a uniquely far-reaching perspective to the future of digital finance. Alex and Dan dive into DTCC’s critical role in modern capital markets, why blockchain is both an opportunity and a necessity for institutional finance, and how global financial systems are converging towards tokenization and institutional DeFi. From commanding nuclear submarines to architecting the next era of market infrastructure, Dan is a one-of-a-kind expert in the blockchain space.

    Dan Doney is the Managing Director and CTO of DTCC Digital Assets, the firm’s institutional-grade, digital asset infrastructure and products. Prior to DTCC, Dan founded Securrency and served as the first Chief Innovation Officer at the Defense Intelligence Agency. A former U.S. Navy nuclear submarine officer, Dan brings decades of experience at the intersection of blockchain, security, and financial infrastructure.


    Learn more about Validation Cloud: validationcloud.io

    🎧 New episodes every Tuesday. Tune in weekly for sharp, no-hype conversations on blockchain, AI, and enterprise innovation.
    📢 Follow Validation Cloud for more insights:
    • Website: validationcloud.io
    • LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/validationcloud
    • X (Twitter): x.com/HighStakesWeb3
    • YouTube: youtube.com/@ValidationCloud

    👤 Hosted by Alex Nwaka, CSO at Validation Cloud.

    Cut through the noise. Stay ahead of the market.

    This podcast has been brought to you by APodcastGeek. https://www.apodcastgeek.com

    続きを読む 一部表示
    36 分
  • Obol: Distributed Validators, Ethereum Staking, and Institutional Adoption with Toma Heremans | High Stakes Ep. 11
    2025/04/11

    Alex sits down with Toma Heremans, CEO of Obol Association, to explore how distributed validators (DVs) are redefining staking infrastructure, the future of Ethereum resilience, and why institutional adoption is the next major unlock for proof-of-stake networks. Toma breaks down the complexities and misconceptions around DVs and shares his vision for a world where even your phone can help secure Ethereum. He also dives into the staking value chain, the impact of upcoming Ethereum upgrades, and his bold prediction for 2025.


    Toma Heremans is the CEO of Obol Association, the largest Decentralized Operator Ecosystem. Under Toma’s leadership, Obol was the first to bring distributed validators to mainnet, helping secure over a billion dollars in stake, with a focus on improving performance, reducing slashing risk, and enabling institutional adoption.


    Learn more at validationcloud.io

    🎧 New episodes every Tuesday. Tune in weekly for sharp, no-hype conversations on blockchain, AI, and enterprise innovation.
    📢 Follow Validation Cloud for more insights:
    • Website: validationcloud.io
    • LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/validationcloud
    • X (Twitter): x.com/HighStakesWeb3
    • YouTube: youtube.com/@ValidationCloud

    👤 Hosted by Alex Nwaka, CSO at Validation Cloud.

    Cut through the noise. Stay ahead of the market.

    This podcast has been brought to you by APodcastGeek. https://www.apodcastgeek.com

    続きを読む 一部表示
    38 分
  • dYdX: Perpetuals, Appchains, and AI with Charles d'Haussy | High Stakes Ep. 10
    2025/02/19

    Alex sits down with Charles d’Haussy, CEO of the dYdX Foundation, to discuss appchains, the power of perpetuals, decentralized versus centralized exchanges, and how AI-driven strategies are shaping the future of DeFi. Charles also shares insights from his experience in Asia’s FinTech scene, the role of governance in dYdX’s ecosystem, and his bold prediction for 2025.


    Learn more about Validation Cloud: validationcloud.io

    🎧 New episodes every Tuesday. Tune in weekly for sharp, no-hype conversations on blockchain, AI, and enterprise innovation.
    📢 Follow Validation Cloud for more insights:
    • Website: validationcloud.io
    • LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/validationcloud
    • X (Twitter): x.com/HighStakesWeb3
    • YouTube: youtube.com/@ValidationCloud

    👤 Hosted by Alex Nwaka, CSO at Validation Cloud.

    Cut through the noise. Stay ahead of the market.

    This podcast has been brought to you by APodcastGeek. https://www.apodcastgeek.com

    続きを読む 一部表示
    47 分
  • Chaos Labs: AI, Risk, and the Future of On-Chain Finance with Omer Goldberg | High Stakes Ep. 9
    2025/02/04

    Omer Goldberg, CEO of Chaos Labs, joins Alex Nwaka to discuss on-chain finance, AI-driven risk management, and institutional adoption of blockchain technology. Omer shares his journey from Facebook and Instagram to founding Chaos Labs, highlighting how data-driven decision-making and AI-powered financial modeling are reshaping DeFi security. He dives into the challenges of risk management, the launch of Chaos Labs' Edge Oracle Network, and the role of real-time risk monitoring in optimizing DeFi protocols. The conversation also explores institutional barriers to blockchain adoption, the importance of regulatory clarity, and Omer’s fundraising insights for Web3 startups. Tune in for a deep dive into AI, security, and the future of on-chain finance.


    Learn more about Validation Cloud: validationcloud.io

    🎧 New episodes every Tuesday. Tune in weekly for sharp, no-hype conversations on blockchain, AI, and enterprise innovation.
    📢 Follow Validation Cloud for more insights:
    • Website: validationcloud.io
    • LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/validationcloud
    • X (Twitter): x.com/HighStakesWeb3
    • YouTube: youtube.com/@ValidationCloud

    👤 Hosted by Alex Nwaka, CSO at Validation Cloud.

    Cut through the noise. Stay ahead of the market.

    This podcast has been brought to you by APodcastGeek. https://www.apodcastgeek.com

    続きを読む 一部表示
    40 分