Crypto Builders of New York City

Shining a spotlight on crypto founders, builders, and visionaries in NYC, the crypto capital of the world. Hosted by @whizwang 🗽

[Crypto Builders of New York City @cryptonycpod]

PM @vaneckpk (@vaneck_us digital assets alpha fund) walks through the fund’s contrarian bet on @nubank, the largest fintech bank in latam.

pranav also addresses a question he gets often: how a cryptonative fund can be exceptionally well-positioned to invest in equities.

[Crypto Builders of New York City @cryptonycpod]

VanEck Digital Assets Alpha Fund head of IR @vidiellalaura and PM @vaneckpk address one of the most common LP questions: why not just invest in bitcoin?

[Crypto Builders of New York City @cryptonycpod]

how does the @vaneck_us Digital Assets Alpha Fund think through their investment thesis in a world that’s constantly evolving?

PM @vaneckpk explains why the fund has to constantly think about what the world looks like 12 months ahead.

[Laura Vidiella @VidiellaLaura]

Really enjoyed this fun, candid conversation with @whizwang covering a bit of how we think about the market and where it could head next.

Thanks for having us, @cryptonycpod!

[Pranav @vaneckpk]

First pod in a while!

[Crypto Builders of New York City @cryptonycpod]

@vaneckpk great to have you on!

[Crypto Builders of New York City @cryptonycpod]

NEW POD JUST DROPPED🎙️

This week, I’m joined by the VanEck Digital Assets Alpha Fund team! I had a great conversation with @vaneckpk (Portfolio Manager) and @VidiellaLaura (Head of Investor Relations).

We cover:
• How Pranav went from being a credit PM at Millennium to pitching and leading VanEck’s digital assets fund
• Laura’s take on the frequently asked investor question: “why not just hold Bitcoin?”
• The allocation of the VanEck Digital Assets Alpha Fund and why the fund is more heavily weighted toward crypto-related equities than liquid tokens today
• How Latin America fits into the fund’s thesis and why stablecoins play an outsized role in the region
• Whether the digital assets industry today favors incumbents (financial institutions) or upstarts (new startups)

Tune in below!

[Crypto Builders of New York City @cryptonycpod]

cofounder & co-CEO of @august_digital and @upshift_fi on the rise of vaults (investment funds that manage onchain assets for yield)

vaults now manage $6B in assets, up from $0.1B in 2024

[Crypto Builders of New York City @cryptonycpod]

the one and only @aya_kantor (cofounder and co-CEO of @august_digital and @upshift_fi) talks about what it was like to fundraise during the week that FTX collapsed

built different

[Aya Kantorovich @aya_kantor]

The crypto industry has come a long way since we closed our seed round the week of FTX's collapse.

The appetite for DeFi and tokenization has drastically improved. We have very high conviction vaults will play a key role.

It was great speaking to @whizwang about our 2026 plans at Upshift!

[Crypto Builders of New York City @cryptonycpod]

@upshift_fi was a great conversation! aya is in a class of her own

[Upshift @upshift_fi]

The best podcast to understand Upshift's 2026 plans for vaults.

Vaults on or coming to Upshift:

- RWAs
- Institutional lending
- Basis trades
- Tokenized equities
- Private credit

Tune in below to listen to Aya discuss why vaults are going to $15B+ and how they are critical for DeFi adoption.

[Crypto Builders of New York City @cryptonycpod]

@upshift_fi @aya_kantor @august_digital aya absolutely crushed it!! was great to have her on

[Crypto Builders of New York City @cryptonycpod]

NEW POD JUST DROPPED!

Had a great conversation with @aya_kantor, cofounder & co-CEO of @august_digital (crypto prime brokerage) and @upshift_fi (vault infrastructure). Aya was previously on the founding team at FalconX and has a deep understanding of both institutional and retail crypto.

We cover:
> What it was like closing August's first fundraising round during the week of FTX's collapse
> How August helps address some of the biggest pain points for institutions in crypto
> Why vaults are a hot topic right now in crypto, and how Upshift provides 10x vault infrastructure
> How to segment the vault landscape
> How AI tooling has helped Aya and her team

Listen in below!

[Crypto Builders of New York City @cryptonycpod]

how does @eco tackle the issue of a fragmented multichain experience for stablecoins? CMO @jayks explains

[Jay Kurahashi-Sofue 🔺 @jayks]

Had an amazing conversation with @whizwang about crypto, stablecoins, marketing, & everything in between.

Liz is an incredibly strong interviewer—something that's rare to find in crypto.

It made it easy to get candid & go deeper with these topics. Subscribe to @cryptonycpod!

[Crypto Builders of New York City @cryptonycpod]

NEW POD JUST DROPPED! 🎙️

Had a great conversation with @jayks, CMO at @eco, which connects the leading stablecoin ecosystems in today's fragmented multichain landscape.

We cover:
> What the current gaps in today's stablecoin landscape are and how Eco addresses this
> Separating hype from substance when it comes to stablecoins
> How marketing in the stablecoin space differs from other crypto verticals
> Why Jay thinks there's no better place to build a crypto company than New York City
> Jay's fave Williamsburg restaurant recommendation

Listen in below!

[Crypto Builders of New York City @cryptonycpod]

payy founder @sidgandhi_xyz on why privacy is necessary to build an onchain financial system