Hosted by @alextapscott. Crypto, fintech and AI — straight from the builders, investors and policymakers. New guest every week. Since 2021.
Toronto, Canada
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Episode 253: Born to Build: Companies, Canada, and a New Musical Instrument with Serial Entrepreneur Daniel Debow
@alextapscott @ddebow @CMCC_Global
0:00 Introduction
3:12 Daniel as a “company producer”
4:30 What he looks for in founders: Ambitious Adventurers
6:08 Canada’s history of bold adventurers and naming after Leo Fender
8:20 How he became an entrepreneur at Workbrain
10:27 Six years scaling at Shopify
14:11 Shopify’s ecosystem and agentic commerce
16:12 His first instrument and his band, the Screenagers
20:16 Why most people quit music
23:00 Introducing Torch: a first song in seven minutes
26:19 The first prototype and how Torch makes sound
28:15 Building hardware vs. software
32:31 The market opportunity and the subscription model
37:54 Why applications build platforms
43:45 Why Daniel started Build Canada
49:32 Build Canada’s polls, surveys and growing influence
53:06 How AI will change the way people govern themselves
57:19 Growth, GDP and why Canada should aim for number one
1:00:28 Closing message: optimism and opportunity in Canada
The DeFi Decoded Podcast retweeted
New @defidecodedpod is out!
I've been looking forward to this conversation with @ddebow for a long time.
Dan is one of Canada's most prolific entrepreneurs, investors and thinkers, with a hand in some of the country's biggest tech success stories.
He's been called the "Forrest Gump" of Canadian tech because whenever something big happens, he seems to be in the room.
But I think he's more like Quincy Jones: bringing the right people together and helping them create something none could have built alone.
Dan co-founded Workbrain, Rypple (acquired by Salesforce) and Helpful (acquired by Shopify, where he spent six years).
He's also one of Canada's most active angel investors, with early cheques in more than 50 companies, including Wealthsimple, Clio, SkipTheDishes and Dominion Dynamics.
Today, as founder and chair of @buildcanada where he's helping shape the debate about Canada's economic future with a pro-growth agenda focused on backing builders and unlocking our country's potential.
And his latest venture, Debow Musical Instruments, brings together his talent for building businesses and his lifelong love of music. Its first product, Torch, is a new electronic instrument designed to make playing music more accessible and bring families together.
A fascinating, wide-ranging conversation.
Don't miss it!
Episode 253: Born to Build: Companies, Canada, and a New Musical Instrument with Serial Entrepreneur Daniel Debow
@alextapscott @ddebow @CMCC_Global
0:00 Introduction
3:12 Daniel as a “company producer”
4:30 What he looks for in founders: Ambitious Adventurers
6:08 Canada’s history of bold adventurers and naming after Leo Fender
8:20 How he became an entrepreneur at Workbrain
10:27 Six years scaling at Shopify
14:11 Shopify’s ecosystem and agentic commerce
16:12 His first instrument and his band, the Screenagers
20:16 Why most people quit music
23:00 Introducing Torch: a first song in seven minutes
26:19 The first prototype and how Torch makes sound
28:15 Building hardware vs. software
32:31 The market opportunity and the subscription model
37:54 Why applications build platforms
43:45 Why Daniel started Build Canada
49:32 Build Canada’s polls, surveys and growing influence
53:06 How AI will change the way people govern themselves
57:19 Growth, GDP and why Canada should aim for number one
1:00:28 Closing message: optimism and opportunity in Canada
We’re close to a trillion tokens a month, almost doubling every month, and we’re only constrained by the supply of GPUs. The more GPUs we can throw at it, the more money we make.
— @gregosuri , Founder of @akashnet
Episode 252: How Decentralized Compute Markets Solve AI Bottlenecks with Greg Osuri of Akash Network
@alextapscott @gregosuri @akashnet @CMCC_Global
0:00 Introduction
3:37 The state of compute: the biggest build-out in human history
4:27 Is AI demand slowing? Reading one lab’s soft quarter
8:27 Humans prompt once a minute, agents a thousand times
10:36 Will people pay for AI? Newspapers vs. the internet
15:14 “We let go any engineer that doesn’t use AI”
19:14 The subsidized party: a $200 plan worth $8,000 of compute
21:37 CoreWeave’s jitters and the leverage problem
23:25 Energy, permits, and the pushback stalling data centers
28:19 Training vs. inference, and the gigawatt problem
32:55 Why inference can run anywhere: Macs, offices, homes
36:37 Akash Home Node: putting your gaming PC to work
39:04 Akash today: nearly a trillion tokens a month
41:26 Making compute contracts tradable
47:00 Where to find Greg, and why homes are the future of AI
The DeFi Decoded Podcast retweeted
Any one can run frontier inference from their home with enough roof space.
Datacenters are nice but unnecessary.
You don’t need hyperscalers to run frontier inference. You can run it in commercial facilities, in offices, in homes. In my home I actually have a server rack running my local AI.
— @gregosuri, Founder of @akashnet
You don’t need hyperscalers to run frontier inference. You can run it in commercial facilities, in offices, in homes. In my home I actually have a server rack running my local AI.
— @gregosuri, Founder of @akashnet
Episode 252: How Decentralized Compute Markets Solve AI Bottlenecks with Greg Osuri of Akash Network
@alextapscott @gregosuri @akashnet @CMCC_Global
0:00 Introduction
3:37 The state of compute: the biggest build-out in human history
4:27 Is AI demand slowing? Reading one lab’s soft quarter
8:27 Humans prompt once a minute, agents a thousand times
10:36 Will people pay for AI? Newspapers vs. the internet
15:14 “We let go any engineer that doesn’t use AI”
19:14 The subsidized party: a $200 plan worth $8,000 of compute
21:37 CoreWeave’s jitters and the leverage problem
23:25 Energy, permits, and the pushback stalling data centers
28:19 Training vs. inference, and the gigawatt problem
32:55 Why inference can run anywhere: Macs, offices, homes
36:37 Akash Home Node: putting your gaming PC to work
39:04 Akash today: nearly a trillion tokens a month
41:26 Making compute contracts tradable
47:00 Where to find Greg, and why homes are the future of AI
History does not repeat but it often rhymes 👇
Struck by how similar this anti-tokenization ad is to the anti-piracy ads of the 80s and 90s in their extreme imagery and fear-mongering language.
Makes sense, though.
Back then, the internet of information was democratizing access to information. Legacy IP owners and gatekeepers felt threatened.
Today, the internet of value is democratizing access to assets and ownership, and many incumbents feel the same way.
When you have a new paradigm like this, vested interests fight change and react with hostility, threats and legal challenges.
In the 90s, record labels were threatening kids with jail time just for burning a CD or using Limewire.
Today, Wall Street lobby groups are portraying tokenization as a biological WMD, complete with exploding poison and radioactive signs.
Are there challenges to implementing tokenization, and should it be regulated? Of course.
But public company CEOs should also recognize the glaring opportunity: tokenization can open their stock to new investors, just as the internet opened creators and artists to new audiences.
By 2030, training a frontier model will take about one gigawatt of energy, and the only feasible way to get a gigawatt is a nuclear reactor. The last one we built took 14 years.
— @gregosuri, Founder of @akashnet
Episode 252: How Decentralized Compute Markets Solve AI Bottlenecks with Greg Osuri of Akash Network
@alextapscott @gregosuri @akashnet @CMCC_Global
0:00 Introduction
3:37 The state of compute: the biggest build-out in human history
4:27 Is AI demand slowing? Reading one lab’s soft quarter
8:27 Humans prompt once a minute, agents a thousand times
10:36 Will people pay for AI? Newspapers vs. the internet
15:14 “We let go any engineer that doesn’t use AI”
19:14 The subsidized party: a $200 plan worth $8,000 of compute
21:37 CoreWeave’s jitters and the leverage problem
23:25 Energy, permits, and the pushback stalling data centers
28:19 Training vs. inference, and the gigawatt problem
32:55 Why inference can run anywhere: Macs, offices, homes
36:37 Akash Home Node: putting your gaming PC to work
39:04 Akash today: nearly a trillion tokens a month
41:26 Making compute contracts tradable
47:00 Where to find Greg, and why homes are the future of AI
The DeFi Decoded Podcast retweeted
New @defidecodedpod is out!
I sit down with @gregosuri of @akashnet to discuss why decentralized compute networks could power the next wave of AI.
Infrastructure bottlenecks, data centre backlash, and power shortages means we must tap into GPU capacity wherever it exists—even in our own homes.
Always a blast chatting with Greg.
Check it out!
Episode 252: How Decentralized Compute Markets Solve AI Bottlenecks with Greg Osuri of Akash Network
@alextapscott @gregosuri @akashnet @CMCC_Global
0:00 Introduction
3:37 The state of compute: the biggest build-out in human history
4:27 Is AI demand slowing? Reading one lab’s soft quarter
8:27 Humans prompt once a minute, agents a thousand times
10:36 Will people pay for AI? Newspapers vs. the internet
15:14 “We let go any engineer that doesn’t use AI”
19:14 The subsidized party: a $200 plan worth $8,000 of compute
21:37 CoreWeave’s jitters and the leverage problem
23:25 Energy, permits, and the pushback stalling data centers
28:19 Training vs. inference, and the gigawatt problem
32:55 Why inference can run anywhere: Macs, offices, homes
36:37 Akash Home Node: putting your gaming PC to work
39:04 Akash today: nearly a trillion tokens a month
41:26 Making compute contracts tradable
47:00 Where to find Greg, and why homes are the future of AI
Episode 252: How Decentralized Compute Markets Solve AI Bottlenecks with Greg Osuri of Akash Network
@alextapscott @gregosuri @akashnet @CMCC_Global
0:00 Introduction
3:37 The state of compute: the biggest build-out in human history
4:27 Is AI demand slowing? Reading one lab’s soft quarter
8:27 Humans prompt once a minute, agents a thousand times
10:36 Will people pay for AI? Newspapers vs. the internet
15:14 “We let go any engineer that doesn’t use AI”
19:14 The subsidized party: a $200 plan worth $8,000 of compute
21:37 CoreWeave’s jitters and the leverage problem
23:25 Energy, permits, and the pushback stalling data centers
28:19 Training vs. inference, and the gigawatt problem
32:55 Why inference can run anywhere: Macs, offices, homes
36:37 Akash Home Node: putting your gaming PC to work
39:04 Akash today: nearly a trillion tokens a month
41:26 Making compute contracts tradable
47:00 Where to find Greg, and why homes are the future of AI
Also, there's always a pod for that:
'Dying on ETH Maxi Hill' with @AndrewY_SX
youtube.com/watch?v=EASpYobf…
The DeFi Decoded Podcast retweeted
JP Morgan will make $107 BILLION on net interest income (NII) next year.
NII, simply put, is the difference between what the bank pays for deposits and what it earns on its loans.
Rates are rising. Your savings rate isn’t.
That’s why banks fought to ban stablecoin yield in GENIUS and even modest rewards in CLARITY.
They’re protecting the spread, not you.
WATCH THE BANKS: This is JPMorgan's stock price tracked against its net interest income. The bank said that NII is set to expand by almost $10 billion next year to roughly $107 billion -- that's even as JPM, Citi and Wells combined just set a record quarter for NII. It's one reason you've seen the stock reverse its losses this morning even as trading fees and capital markets become somewhat more muted.
Being great in Canada is just not enough. We need to be competing on a global stage — and I want to set that example.
— @jeffcanadamson, Co-Founder & Chief Commercial Officer of @neofinancial
Episode 251: The Man in the Arena: Olympic Wrestler Turned Founder Jeff Adamson of Neo Financial on Why Canada Is Playing to Win
@alextapscott @jeffcanadamson @neofinancial @CMCC_Global
0:00 Introduction
3:52 Wrestling in a Saskatoon attic, and seeing excellence up close
6:54 Why combat sports are a language
9:14 Individual sport, team company - and why being great in Canada isn't enough
13:09 Post-Olympics: "I literally Googled what a startup was"
16:12 The delivery decision that almost killed Skip
17:13 Going head-to-head with DoorDash and Uber Eats on no capital
19:50 Leaving Skip and why banking was the next problem
22:02 2008 as the best marketing coup the banks ever got
25:00 How friction lets fees creep up, unconsciously coordinated
27:13 The Costco effect: negotiating deposit rates on behalf of billions
28:24 Deposit flight, stablecoins, and what's coming for Canadian banks
30:49 Hot money, agentic finance, and bidding on your tap
34:47 Why fintech 1.0 wrappers broke when cheap money ended
37:29 Credit, home ownership, and underwriting with AI
39:18 Credit bureaus older than women's suffrage
43:36 Canada's moment, and building for a global stage
48:46 Joining a startup: ask if you'll learn, not if it'll work
A friend said "what about doing a startup?" I thought he was missing a word. I literally Googled "what is a startup."
— @jeffcanadamson, Co-Founder & Chief Commercial Officer of @neofinancial
Episode 251: The Man in the Arena: Olympic Wrestler Turned Founder Jeff Adamson of Neo Financial on Why Canada Is Playing to Win
@alextapscott @jeffcanadamson @neofinancial @CMCC_Global
0:00 Introduction
3:52 Wrestling in a Saskatoon attic, and seeing excellence up close
6:54 Why combat sports are a language
9:14 Individual sport, team company - and why being great in Canada isn't enough
13:09 Post-Olympics: "I literally Googled what a startup was"
16:12 The delivery decision that almost killed Skip
17:13 Going head-to-head with DoorDash and Uber Eats on no capital
19:50 Leaving Skip and why banking was the next problem
22:02 2008 as the best marketing coup the banks ever got
25:00 How friction lets fees creep up, unconsciously coordinated
27:13 The Costco effect: negotiating deposit rates on behalf of billions
28:24 Deposit flight, stablecoins, and what's coming for Canadian banks
30:49 Hot money, agentic finance, and bidding on your tap
34:47 Why fintech 1.0 wrappers broke when cheap money ended
37:29 Credit, home ownership, and underwriting with AI
39:18 Credit bureaus older than women's suffrage
43:36 Canada's moment, and building for a global stage
48:46 Joining a startup: ask if you'll learn, not if it'll work
The DeFi Decoded Podcast retweeted
Most people won’t pay for AI.
My guess: paid adoption tops out around 16%, roughly the share who pay for online news.
For everyone else, free will be good enough.
98% of US households aren't paying for AI yet
More charts in State of Markets II: a16z.news/p/state-of-markets…
The DeFi Decoded Podcast retweeted
This was one of the most thoughtful and fun interviews I’ve done this year.
@jeffcanadamson weighed in on how @neofinancial is building the future of finance, why fintech 2.0 differs from the first era, and how Canadian builders are moving differently now.
As Jeff says “being great in Canada is just not enough”
Check it out 👇
Everyone has a character arc getting to their first company. Mine runs through a warehouse attic in Saskatoon, where the guys coming off the mats had grown up a block over and become national champions.
— @jeffcanadamson, Co-Founder & Chief Commercial Officer of @neofinancial
Everyone has a character arc getting to their first company. Mine runs through a warehouse attic in Saskatoon, where the guys coming off the mats had grown up a block over and become national champions.
— @jeffcanadamson, Co-Founder & Chief Commercial Officer of @neofinancial
Episode 251: The Man in the Arena: Olympic Wrestler Turned Founder Jeff Adamson of Neo Financial on Why Canada Is Playing to Win
@alextapscott @jeffcanadamson @neofinancial @CMCC_Global
0:00 Introduction
3:52 Wrestling in a Saskatoon attic, and seeing excellence up close
6:54 Why combat sports are a language
9:14 Individual sport, team company - and why being great in Canada isn't enough
13:09 Post-Olympics: "I literally Googled what a startup was"
16:12 The delivery decision that almost killed Skip
17:13 Going head-to-head with DoorDash and Uber Eats on no capital
19:50 Leaving Skip and why banking was the next problem
22:02 2008 as the best marketing coup the banks ever got
25:00 How friction lets fees creep up, unconsciously coordinated
27:13 The Costco effect: negotiating deposit rates on behalf of billions
28:24 Deposit flight, stablecoins, and what's coming for Canadian banks
30:49 Hot money, agentic finance, and bidding on your tap
34:47 Why fintech 1.0 wrappers broke when cheap money ended
37:29 Credit, home ownership, and underwriting with AI
39:18 Credit bureaus older than women's suffrage
43:36 Canada's moment, and building for a global stage
48:46 Joining a startup: ask if you'll learn, not if it'll work
The DeFi Decoded Podcast retweeted
New DeFi Decoded is out!
Awesome discussion with @jeffcanadamson, co-founder of @neofinancial.
Before startups, Jeff was a Canadian wrestling champion and Olympian. Then he co-founded SkipTheDishes, a massive Canadian success story.
His encore? Reinventing finance from the ground up with Neo Financial.
We went long for good reason. Topics include:
• How elite sport prepares you for founder life
• Why being great in Canada is no longer good enough
• Resilience in business and life: getting back up every time you hit the mat
• Fintech 1.0’s “digital wallpaper” vs. Fintech 2.0’s digitally native, agentic finance
• How Neo thinks about AI and the future of banking
And plenty more.
Episode 251: The Man in the Arena: Olympic Wrestler Turned Founder Jeff Adamson of Neo Financial on Why Canada Is Playing to Win
@alextapscott @jeffcanadamson @neofinancial @CMCC_Global
0:00 Introduction
3:52 Wrestling in a Saskatoon attic, and seeing excellence up close
6:54 Why combat sports are a language
9:14 Individual sport, team company - and why being great in Canada isn't enough
13:09 Post-Olympics: "I literally Googled what a startup was"
16:12 The delivery decision that almost killed Skip
17:13 Going head-to-head with DoorDash and Uber Eats on no capital
19:50 Leaving Skip and why banking was the next problem
22:02 2008 as the best marketing coup the banks ever got
25:00 How friction lets fees creep up, unconsciously coordinated
27:13 The Costco effect: negotiating deposit rates on behalf of billions
28:24 Deposit flight, stablecoins, and what's coming for Canadian banks
30:49 Hot money, agentic finance, and bidding on your tap
34:47 Why fintech 1.0 wrappers broke when cheap money ended
37:29 Credit, home ownership, and underwriting with AI
39:18 Credit bureaus older than women's suffrage
43:36 Canada's moment, and building for a global stage
48:46 Joining a startup: ask if you'll learn, not if it'll work
Episode 251: The Man in the Arena: Olympic Wrestler Turned Founder Jeff Adamson of Neo Financial on Why Canada Is Playing to Win
@alextapscott @jeffcanadamson @neofinancial @CMCC_Global
0:00 Introduction
3:52 Wrestling in a Saskatoon attic, and seeing excellence up close
6:54 Why combat sports are a language
9:14 Individual sport, team company - and why being great in Canada isn't enough
13:09 Post-Olympics: "I literally Googled what a startup was"
16:12 The delivery decision that almost killed Skip
17:13 Going head-to-head with DoorDash and Uber Eats on no capital
19:50 Leaving Skip and why banking was the next problem
22:02 2008 as the best marketing coup the banks ever got
25:00 How friction lets fees creep up, unconsciously coordinated
27:13 The Costco effect: negotiating deposit rates on behalf of billions
28:24 Deposit flight, stablecoins, and what's coming for Canadian banks
30:49 Hot money, agentic finance, and bidding on your tap
34:47 Why fintech 1.0 wrappers broke when cheap money ended
37:29 Credit, home ownership, and underwriting with AI
39:18 Credit bureaus older than women's suffrage
43:36 Canada's moment, and building for a global stage
48:46 Joining a startup: ask if you'll learn, not if it'll work
The DeFi Decoded Podcast retweeted
The CLARITY Act failed—but crypto got some clarity anyway.
The SEC and CFTC stepped in where Congress did not.
Will rulemaking be enough to unlock the next wave of crypto adoption—or will the momentum prove fleeting?
My take for @CoinDesk in this week’s Crypto for Advisors 👇
