Around the blockchain: Recent Episodes
Around the blockchain
I have educational and entertaining conversations with the brightest minds in the crypto and blockchain space.
This weeks episode is a throwback to a podcast I had the privilege of being a guest on; The TLDR Podcast with Tom and Luke.
We chat about Crypto Currency, NFT's and Jiu Jitsu! If you enjoy this episode make sure you go and check out the boys from the TLDR Podcast.
Also don't forget to leave me a review on Apple Podcasts or where ever you listen to this podcast.
In this episode I chat with Steven Na (Executive Producer) and Rick Pearce (Creative and Technical Director), who are both involved in creating a very exciting new blockchain based game called Human Park.
Rick and Steven give us a fantastic insight into Human Park and what to expect by playing the game. If you're interested in checking out Human Park here is a link to their website:
https://humanpark.io/
If you're looking to sign up to a great crypto exchange then look no further than Swyftx! These guys are the best in the business when it comes to crypto currency investing in Australia. Use the link below to sign up today!
https://trade.swyftx.com.au/register/?ref=rianmckay
If you're interested in getting started in the crypto space feel free to check me out at:
https://www.getstartedincrypto.net/
In this episode I chat with John Stefanidis, CEO of Balthazar Gaming DAO.
John and I chat about Play To Earn gaming and how the the gaming space is being completely overhauled by NFT and blockchain technology. We also discuss Balthazar Gaming DAO and what John and the team are trying to accomplish.
If you're interested in checking out Balthazar here is a link to their website: https://balthazar-dao.gitbook.io/balthazar-1/
If you're looking to sign up to a great crypto exchange then look no further than Swyftx! These guys are the best in the business when it comes to crypto currency investing in Australia. Use the link below to sign up today!
https://trade.swyftx.com.au/register/?ref=rianmckay
If you're interested in getting started in the crypto space feel free to check me out at:
https://www.getstartedincrypto.net/
In todays episode we speak to none other than Finder Co-Founder, Fred Schebesta.
Fred and I chat about him growing up in Sydney, where at a young age he developed a passion for computers, which would eventually lead him to learning how to code and build websites for people.
We chat briefly about him co-founding Finder, before moving into discussing the exciting new Play To Earn Gaming space and DAO's!
Finder.com.au now allows you to buy crypto. The sign up process is extremely easy and hassle free and takes less than 3 minutes. Go to https://www.finder.com.au/ to learn more!
If you'd like to learn more about crypto head to getstartedincrypto.net
In this episode we chat with Brandon, a Perth based Founder and CEO of The Orange Brick Road; a crypto consultancy and education firm.
We chat about Brandon's extensive crypto experience and how in the early days of his crypto career, he found himself being an educator for his family and friends which would eventually lead him to founding The Orange Brick Road.
Brandon and his consultants are extremely knowledgeable and if you're after some guidance or more information about what they do please follow the link below. https://orangebrickroad.com.au/
If you're looking to sign up to a great crypto exchange then look no further than Swyftx! These guys are the best in the business when it comes to crypto currency investing in Australia. Use the link below to sign up today!
https://trade.swyftx.com.au/register/?ref=rianmckay
Marcus is the architect and author of a number of qualifications in Applied Blockchain as well as a Blockchain Consultant at his education company uberacademy.com.au
Marcus and I discuss his early introduction to the web and how his experience living through the dot com boom and bust lead him into the blockchain space in 2017.
If you'd like to learn more about what Marcus does please feel free to have a look at his website which I have linked below:
https://www.uberacademy.com.au/
Kevin Coutinho returns to the podcast to catch up and chat about his new project Layer One X! Kevin is a wealth of knowledge and has a great reputation within the crypto industry here in Perth.
This episode is not to be missed! If you'd like to learn more about Layer One X here is the website link: https://layeronex.com/
Todays episode is an interview with Greg Rips who is the owner of the Melbourne restaurant Third Wave Cafe. Greg and I discuss the Third Wave Cafe NFT project he is releasing in February 2022.
In a world first, Third Wave NFT token holders will share in royalties generated by the restaurant, paid out to token holders via a DAO mechanism. Greg and I also discuss his entrance into the business world at the age of 14 and we move through the many businesses he has owned and operated over the years. From Computer Retail to the Advertising and Printing business, into Digital marketing and Property development where we held contracts with the State government for provision of low-cost housing and finally we move onto the restaurant Third Wave Cafe which he has operated for the last 11 years.
If you'd like to learn more about the project the website for the NFT project is www.thirdwavenft.club and the restaurant website is www.thirdwavecafe.com.au
In this episode I speak with Tim Lea and Vanessa Lee-ah Mat about their Indigenous NFT art project 'Walking Between Worlds'.
We discuss the traditional art space and in particular how Indigenous artists and their artwork is being sold and flipped on the international art market for 100x what they originally sold it for.
We also discuss how NFT technology is helping the worlds oldest living Indigenous culture, as well as much much more! The Walking Between Worlds NFT drop in on 2.2.22 so make sure you mark that in your diary!
If you enjoyed the episode please don't forget to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE.
Greg Oakford is the Co-Founder of NFT Fest Australia; a virtual NFT educational event hosted in Melbourne Australia which will be live streamed to the world on September 30th.
Greg and I discuss his entry into the NFT space, first through hearing about NBA Top Shot back in February this year, to then buying his first NFT from Vee Friends, Gary Vaynerchuk's ever increasingly popular NFT project.
If you want to learn more about NFT's then look no further! And if you're interested in listening in and watching the NFT Fest Australia event on September 30th here is the link: https://nftfest.com.au/
Geoff Wellman is the CTO & Co-Founder of Virtually Human Studio, creators of the popular NFT horse racing game ZED RUN.
Geoff and I discuss his personal journey into the crypto space, to eventually him landing the CTO position with Virtually Human Studio. Geoff also drops some exclusive and exciting news on the podcast so make sure you listen until the end!!!
If you're interested in finding out more about Virtually Human Studio or ZED RUN here are some links to get you started:
Virtually Human Studio (VHS): https://www.vhslab.com/ ZED RUN: https://zed.run/
If you liked this episode then please give the video a naughty little THUMBS UP and click on the SUBSCRIBE button to make sure you don't miss out on any more of the great content I have coming your way!
Jason Lee is the COO of the Algorand Foundation. In this episode Jason and I discuss his transition from the banking and finance industry into the crypto and blockchain space. We also discuss many of the exciting things that the Algorand Foundation are working on. If you enjoyed the episode don't forget to like and subscribe :)
Hillorie Le is a successful crypto currency trader who now teaches people how to trade crypto successfully for themselves!
Hillorie and I discuss her journey into the crypto world; from following the normal societal path of graduating from University and going into a normal well respected job in the Real Estate industry, to then finding herself in a successful career as a Forex Trader and eventually using those skills and moving into the crypto world.
If you enjoyed this episode please don't forget to LEAVE ME A REVIEW :)
Kevin Coutinho is the Founder & CEO of an exciting new blockchain based food delivery app called Rewalty.
Rewalty is a blockchain based loyalty program that aims to disrupt the very competitive food delivery market which is currently dominated by companies like Uber and Menulog.
Kevin and I discuss him developing an early love of computers after being introduced to computers by his uncle at a young age which resulted in him learning to code at 9 years old. We also chat about Rewalty and how Kevin and the team are planning on disrupting the food delivery and service market both here in Australia and abroad.
If you'd like to learn more about Rewalty I have attached some links below:
Website: www.rewalty.com
Jakub Sawczuk is the CEO and founder of AEM Algorithm, an accounting software designed specifically for businesses and companies to track crypto asset purchases and stay on top of everything come tax time.
Jakub and I discuss AEM and how they're helping Australian businesses stay on top of the very convoluted task of tracking crypto assets for taxation purposes.
Please if you enjoyed the episode don't forget to LEAVE ME A REVIEW :)
Torsten Hoffmann is a documentary film maker wildly know in the crypto community for two documentary films; Bitcoin: The End Of Money As We Know It and Cryptopia: Bitcoin, Blockchains And The Future Of The Internet. Both documentaries are available on Torsten's website or through Amazon Prime.
Torsten and I chat about his journey into the crypto space and making two very successful, Amazon featured, crypto documentaries. We also discuss what Torsten is currently working on and what's next for the crypto space!
If you enjoyed the episode please don't forget to LEAVE ME A REVIEW :)
You can also find out more about Torsten here: https://cryptopiafilm.com/
Nik Bhatia is the Author of Layered Money; From Gold and Dollars to Bitcoin and Central Bank Digital Currencies.
Nik and I take a deep dive into his book and discuss the history of money and finance and how that has shaped our current monetary and financial systems. We also chat about Bretton Woods and of of course Bitcoin and the future of money!
This is a fantastic interview with one of the leading minds in the crypto space. If you enjoyed it please don't forget to LEAVE ME A REVIEW!
Mathew Keeley is the Managing Director, CEO and Founding Member of Grow Inc. an Australian FinTech company empowering businesses, developers and entrepreneur's to create the future of finance.
Mathew and I chat about his early days growing up on his family farm in rural NSW where he dreamed of playing NRL, to traveling and living in the US and then to eventually being a founding member of Grow Inc. and using Distributed Ledger Technology to help innovate the Australian Financial System.
As always if you enjoyed the episode please don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to my show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts and LEAVE ME A REVIEW!!!
Ashish Anand is the Co-Founder of Whrrl Loans, a Decentralised Lending Protocol helping farmers in India.
Ashish and I discuss his extensive traditional finance background and how that led him down the path to co-founding Whrrl Loans. We also discuss the use of NFT's at Whrrl and their international expansion to Australia!
If you listen to the podcast please don't forget to LEAVE ME A REVIEW :)
Michael Cotton is the Co-Founder of Meld Ventures and is a leading advocate for the Algorand Blockchain Ecosystem.
Michael and I discuss the early days of his career in the Gold industry and how that lead him down the path to discovering blockchain technology and then eventually Algorand.
We cover the tokenisation of real world assets like gold and diamonds and Michael talks to me about all the exciting things the Algorand ecosystem has in store for the next 12 months!
This episode is sponsored by the Algorand Foundation. If you'd like to learn more about the Algorand Foundation please follow the link below: https://algorand.foundation/about-us
Karen Cohen is the Deputy Chair for Blockchain Australia and is also the founder of Emerging Tech Talent, an Australian HR company specialising in finding HR solutions for businesses in the Emerging Technology sector.
Karen and I chat about her introduction to the crypto space back in 2017, her work with Blockchain Australia. We also chat about all the exciting things she is doing with her company Emerging Tech Talent as well as her recent appointment as the Algorand Community Champion.
If you enjoyed the episode don't forget to LEAVE ME A REVIEW on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts :)
Julian Sawyer is the CEO of Bitstamp, the world's oldest crypto exchange.
Julian and I discuss the early days of Bitstamp and how he has managed to successfully transition from co-founding Starling Bank in the traditional finance world, to then moving into the crypto space having worked at Gemini exchange and now Bitstamp.
We did experience some technical difficulties throughout the episode so I apologise for that in advance.
If you enjoy the episode please don't forget to LEAVE ME A REVIEW on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it means A LOT.
Emma Weston is a Co-Founder and CEO of AgriDigital, Australia's fastest growing agricultural supply chain innovator.
With their current focus specifically on the grain supply chain industry, Emma and I discuss the current problems farmers across Australia are facing and how AgriDigital is helping solve those problems.
We also chat about AgriDigital's plans to move into North America and Emma drops some EXCLUSIVE news right here on the podcast!
Don't forget to FOLLOW ME ON APPLE & SPOTIFY!!!
Jordan Michaelides is the Head of Partnerships at CoinJar, Australia's longest serving crypto exchange.
Jordan and I chat about CoinJar's recent Melbourne Football Club sponsorship and the significance of that for mainstream crypto adoption here in Australia. Jordan also talks about CoinJar's recent MasterCard deal and what's in store of CoinJar for the remainder of 2021!
Enjoy the episode and don't forget to LIKE & SUBSCRIBE!
If you’d like to start using CoinJar 👇
Established in 2013, CoinJar is Australia's longest-running cryptocurrency exchange. With more than half-a-million Australian customers, our services make it easy for users to buy, sell, store and spend bitcoin and other cryptocurrency.
You can sign up to CoinJar here: https://cjr.io/aroundtheblockchain
Dave Haslop is the founder of The Crypto Den, one of Australia's largest crypto FaceBook communities which boasts over 50,000 members to date.
Dave and I chat about his introduction to crypto back in 2017 and the early days of The Crypto Den. I also pick Dave's brain about trading crypto and the various trading methods him and his team at TCD teach to their students. If you want to learn more about trading crypto, watch this episode and then make sure you get in touch with Dave and the team at TCD!
Phil Talbot is the founder and CEO of Authentium, a supply chain technology project built on the Algorand blockchain and supported by the Algorand foundation.
Phil and I discuss the massive hurdles farmers face within the supply chain industry and how Authentium is building a new open source decentralised way of doing things that is shifting the power back into the hands of the people that need it most, Australian farmers.
Erica Stanford is the founder of Crypto Curry Club; a popular and well established UK based crypto meet up group. Erica has also recently written and published a book about Scams in Crypto called 'Crypto Wars; Faked Deaths, Missing Billions & Industry Disruption'.
Erica and I sit down to discuss the Crypto Curry Club and the disruption caused by Covid, as well as all of the infamous crypto scams that she uncovered while writing Crypto Wars!
This episode was a fascinating discussion and if you're interested in hearing about the history of crypto scams, definitely give it a listen! As always, SMASH THE LIKE, SUBSCRIBE & BELL BUTTON!
*a link to Erica's book is available in the comments section, I would highly recommend reading :)
Jeff Yew is the former CEO of Binance Australia and the current CEO and founder of Monochrome Asset Management, an Australian based digital asset management fund providing exposure to Bitcoin for wholesale investors! Jeff and I chat about his time spent as the CEO of Binance Australia and how that led him down the path to creating his own digital fund. We also speak about Elon's recent Bitcoin energy FUD and Jeff describes the Bitcoin mining process! If you enjoy the episode don't forget to LIKE the video and SUBSCRIBE to the channel :)
John Will is a highly accomplished martial arts instructor and is part of the legendary group of people known as The Dirty Dozen; the first 12 non Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to receive their Black Belts.
Myself and John discuss how he came to train under the legendary Rigan Machado and being the first person to bring BJJ to Australia. We also discuss Johns investment strategy and how he has managed to automate and diversify his investment portfolio, which of course includes Bitcoin.
This is a fantastic episode as John is highly regarded in the BJJ world and has just as much knowledge to share off to mats as he does on it. Enjoy!
Adam Poulton is the co-founder of Australian company Get Paid In Bitcoin. Founded in 2013, GPIB allows everyday Australian's easy exposure to Bitcoin through their employers existing payroll system.
Adam and myself discuss the early days of Bitcoin, GPIB and the technology behind their great product as well as some of the high profile Australian's that are currently using GPIB.
If you'd like to use the fantastic service Get Paid In Bitcoin provide you can sign up in under 5 minutes and if you do please use the referral code 'RIAN'.
Austin Lewinsmith is the Co-Founder of Blockchain Collective, Australia's premier blockchain education provider. Fresh off of presentations at Queensland's Careers expo, myself and Austin discuss Blockchain Collective and how their helping everyday Australian's get educated for a successful career in the emerging technology and blockchain space! As always if you enjoyed the episode don't forget to leave me a review, it means a lot!
Caroline is the current CEO of BTC Markets, Australia's largest digital exchange and she also sits on the board of Blockchain Australia. Caroline has an extensive background in both the digital exchange world as well as the traditional finance world. In this episode we discuss BTC Markets and their plans for the future, Blockchain week and DeFi! As always if you enjoyed the episode don't forget to LIKE & SUBSCRIBE to the channel for more great content :)
Dave is an ameture crypto currency trader who recently featured in a trading article from the well known Australian publication StockHead. Dave entered the crypto space in 2017 and after taking some time away from trading re-entered during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020. Since then he has managed to successfully grow his portfolio with an 85% success rate. Myself and Dave discuss the differences between fundamental analysis and technical analysis, the recent 'mini correction' and the bitcoin super cycle.
Miko is a General Partner at Gumi Cryptos Capital, a Silicon Valley based Venture Capital firm that specialises in investing solely in crypto related start ups. Miko has over 25 years experience working in Silicon Valley as an Entrepreneur and Venture Capitalist and he has also studied neuroscience at Yale University. We have a great conversation about the Crypto Venture Capital world and take a deep dive into what things VC firms look for in projects and people! As always this was a great discussion with a highly educated individual and If you enjoy the episode please don't forget to LIKE & SUBSCRIBE!
Monica is the South African lead at ConsenSys, the biggest blockchain company in the world, started by Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin. In this episode we chat about ConsenSys and Monica's first meeting with Joseph, her 20 year career leading STRAT in South Africa and the many projects ConsenSys is currently working on. Monica is a fantastic human being and this was one of my favourite discussions. If you haven't already please make sure you LIKE & SUBSCRIBE if you like the content.
Adam is the founder and CEO of Bitcoin Well, a Canadian Bitcoin ATM company. Adam founded Bitcoin Well in 2014 having the first Bitcoin ATM in Alberta, Canada. Over the past 7 years Adam has grown to having now 125 Bitcoin ATM's all throughout Canada. In this episode we discuss Adams entry into the Bitcoin/crypto industry and building a highly successful Bitcoin ATM business, his company Bitcoin Well going public and also his recent Logan Paul Pokemon Box Break experience! This is a fantastic episode and I hope you all enjoy it is much as I did making it. As always please don't forget to LIKE and share the video and SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel for more great crypto content!
Loretta is an Australian from Sydney currently living in Mauritius. We discuss her time working as a derivatives trader in Australia in the 90's, being a mentee of Robert Kahn who is the father of the internet and then her eventual move into the crypto space where she has had a significant impact on helping introduce much needed regulation. This is a fascination discussion and I hope you enjoy the episode. If you do, please don't forget to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE & SHARE the episode with your family and friends. Enjoy!!!
Nicolas is a co-founder and COO of FlashFX, a foreign exchange service based in Australia that caters towards both retail and business customers. FlashFX uses the Ripple payments network to facilitate it's cross boarder transactions within 1-2minutes. Myself and Nicolas discuss his background working in Switzerland and around the world in banking and then his eventual transition into co-founding FlashFX and working within the crypto industry.
Forbes featured Dr Jane Thomason is an Author, Company founder and CEO as well as being the mother of MAFS 2021 bride Georgia Fairweather! Dr Jane has an extensive background having worked in a number of roles including being a CEO of a tertiary teaching hospital, a senior social sector specialist for an Asian Development Bank and was the founder and CEO of a successful international development company that reached $250 million in revenue under her leadership. We have a fascinating discussion about Blockchain and its many use cases including in health, education and emerging economic countries. We also discuss Dr Jane's book 'Blockchanging The World' and of course MAFS 2021!!! Please if you haven't already LIKE, SUBSCRIBE & SHARE!!!
Jonathon is the Managing Director of Kraken Australia. Kraken is a multi layered, industry leading crypto exchange, credited around the world as being one of the most trusted exchanges in the crypto space. Jonathon and myself chat about Kraken and it's plans for the future, as well as the state of the current crypto market, what's driving the bitcoin price action and also NFT's!
Ikemesit is a Nigerian based lawyer and activist for the 'end SARS' movement in Nigeria. Myself and Ikemesit discuss the Central Bank of Nigeria attempting to outlaw crypto and bitcoin, the use of bitcoin and crypto currency in Nigeria and Ikemesit's role in the 'end SARS' movement.
Episode 8 features CryptoSpend Co-founder Andrew Grech! Andrew is a Finance and Tech graduate from UTS. He co-founded CryptoSpend in 2018 with his good friend Richard Voice. CryptoSpend has built a solution that allows payment for everyday items, with digital currency, via a prepaid card. Andrew and myself have a fascinating discussion about CryptoSpend and what's next for the project, as well as NFT's and ETH 2.0!
Steve Bellotti is the CEO of an investment fund called Digital Native Assets. He has an extensive background in banking and finance, working on Wall Street and for banks such as Merrill Lynch, Dresdner Kleinwort and ANZ Bank. We discuss how Steve got started in crypto, his thoughts on where the industry is heading and where his crypto investment fund DNA is heading!
John is an Economist with over 40 years of experience teaching Economics at the tertiary level. We discuss the economic fall out from the COVID-19 pandemic as well as what happens next for the UK's economy. I also get John's opinion on Bitcoin!
Blake is the CEO if Australian crypto micro investment app Bamboo. Blake and I discuss his journey through the crypto space, his time travelling and what's next for Bamboo!
Lance an I discuss his background in the fitness industry that eventually lead him down the path of becoming a digital marketing business owner. We also chat about his martial arts background and of course BITCOIN!
Matt Thurling is the younger brother of our previous guest Daniel Thurling. In this episode we chat about his experience in the crypto space and how him and Daniel have used their SMSF to invest in Bitcoin and Ethereum. We also discuss his studies in both Psychology and Secondary School Teaching as well as chatting about Matt's time competing in MMA and Jiu Jitsu. This was a fascinating discussion and I hope you all enjoy watching/listening to it as much as I did producing it!
Daniel Thurling is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Brown belt and avid crypto investor. Daniel and I chat about his journey through 'the Silk Road' into the world of crypto, his investment portfolio and SMSF and his spinal cord injury that kept him off the Jiu Jitsu mats for over 2 years.
Perry and myself discuss his time as an accountant dealing with complex crypto taxation laws, the 12 months he spent day trading alt coins and his current studies that have lead him down a path to hopefully becoming a 'coder'.
*disclaimer none of the content in this episode should be considered taxation advice and individuals are encouraged to seek their own independent tax advice.