Explore the unfolding landscape of crypto and blockchain innovation in our in-depth interview with Stuart Popejoy, CEO of Kadena and former head of JP Morgan’s Center for Blockchain Excellence. Guided by the following chapters, this conversation illuminates the journey from the earliest days of institutional blockchain to Kadena’s latest breakthroughs:

00:00 – Defiant Intro
00:07 – When cost savings alone couldn’t revive crypto’s promise
00:55 – Meet Stuart Popejoy: Kadena’s vision, shaped by lessons from JP Morgan
06:00 – JPM Coin’s evolving roadmap
07:35 – Early hurdles building enterprise blockchain at JP Morgan
10:38 – Why technology alone isn’t enough—it must disrupt
13:57 – Kadena’s own answer: scalability, chainweb, and the art of possibility
16:25 – The real challenges builders face in scaling dApps
16:56 – Bitcoin proposals lost to time
17:50 – Braiding chains: scaling without losing stability
23:27 – Kadena’s bold $50 million grant program—fueling a new era for developers
25:15 – The role of real-world assets (RWAs) in blockchain’s evolution
29:00 – Public blockchains as a frontier for finance and technology
30:00 – Closing infrastructure gaps on the road to mass adoption
33:00 – How do we inspire an active, not passive, crypto user base?
35:42 – Why self-custody is the change we need in consumer behavior
38:10 – Next-gen adoption: getting all ages onchain
40:13 – What traditional finance keeps getting wrong about blockchain
42:48 – Kadena’s next moves after making waves at EthCC
44:20 – Reflections and closing remarks

From the keys of disruption and the quest for scalability to transformative grant programs and the vision for a blockchain-powered future beyond EthCC, this is crypto at its most reflective and real.

🔗 Links & Details:

Explore Kadena’s grant program https://www.kadena.io/grants

Inside Kadena’s $50M Leap: Grant Program, Next-Gen Scalability & Insights from CEO Stuart Popejoy

The Defiant - DeFi Podcast